News - August 2023 RSS Feed

Not all saints were older theologians or clergy; many Catholic saints were young people – some even students who showed a strong devotion to the faith in their lifetime. Students of today can turn to these young saints for intercession and inspiration in their academic and personal endeavors. The stories of these young saints show that holiness is attainable for people from all walks of life, and can inspire young Catholics as they embark on the 2023-24 school year.

As they open their doors for a new academic year, the nation’s Catholic schools are enjoying overall strong growth, along with a firm commitment to mission, experts told OSV News.

The Mercy House gave out over 60 backpacks and over 100 bags of school supplies to children in need at its Jersey City and Newark locations on Monday, Aug. 28 and Tuesday, Aug. 29. About 100 families, however, are now on a waiting list for the backpacks as the family-oriented resource and referral center run by the Archdiocese of Newark ran out within an hour of opening its doors for the annual backpack event.

The Merced family is one of 1,500 families in the past year who have reaped the benefits of partial tuition scholarships from the Scholarship for Inner City Children (SFIC), a non-profit organization that extends financial aid to students attending private and parochial schools across Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union counties.

The Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Newark have consistently focused on fostering students’ creativity and critical thinking, and providing them with opportunities for collaboration, said Barbara Dolan, Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Newark.

The New Jersey Supreme Court on Monday unanimously upheld a Catholic school’s ability to enforce an employee code of conduct in line with Catholic moral teaching and to fire teachers for violating that code.

Two distinct groups of teenagers from parishes and schools within the Archdiocese of Newark dedicated a week of their summer break to embark on a cross-country mission trip, offering humanitarian aid and relief to refugees at the Catholic Charities Respite Center in McAllen, Texas.

Caldwell University students Anthony Del Debbio and Leo Leberatto, along with Director of Campus Ministry Christina Bryant, Ph.D., joined students, faculty and staff from Dominican institutions across the United States at the National College “Preaching in Action” Conference in early summer at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Student delegates identified their spiritual gifts and unique talents and explored how to live out the Dominican charism.

The Archdiocese of Newark Office of Schools has recognized Susan Jotz as 2023 Teacher of the Year. Since 2011, Jotz has been a fixture at Saint John the Apostle School in Clark, where she teaches 4th- and 5th-grade mathematics, language arts, science, and religion.

On Saturday, Aug. 5, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., archbishop of Newark, celebrates the 50th Anniversary of his First Profession of Vows as a member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, also known as the Redemptorists.

Instead of hitting the beach or hanging out with friends, 43 teens from throughout North Jersey devoted part of their summer vacation to completing a range of community service projects during the Archdiocese of Newark’s 10th Summer Service Week from July 16-21.