News - News Releases RSS Feed

THE MOST SOLEMN AND SACRED DAYS OF THE CHURCH YEAR have arrived as hundreds of thousands of Catholics prepare to take part in Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday Masses and observances.

Celebrated each year during Holy Week in Catholic churches around the globe, the Diocese’s local Chrism Mass will take place beginning at 7:30 p.m. in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, 61 Georgia Rd., Freehold.

People of all faiths throughout Central New Jersey are invited to pray for law enforcement personnel during the 24th annual Blue Mass April 7 in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, 61 Georgia Rd., Freehold, beginning at 10:30 a.m.

As public institutions receive additional funding to bolster security in their facilities, Catholic school leaders and advocated in the Diocese of Trenton and across the state are urging support for a proposed increase in state funding that would facilitate similar measures in nonpublic schools.

In the interest of transparency and providing members of the Diocese of Trenton a means of reporting concerns about the misuse of resources, a new financial and ethical misconduct reporting site has been set up by the Diocese of Trenton.

Following the example of her predecessors, Gov. Mikie Sherrill recently signed a proclamation designating the week of January 25-31, 2026, as Catholic Schools’ Week in New Jersey.

With the theme “Catholic Schools: United in Faith and Community,” this year’s annual Catholic Schools Week will be marked Jan. 25-31, “emphasizing faith formation, service, and strong partnerships with families and parishes” as described by the National Catholic Educators Association.

I, Most Reverend David M. O’Connell, C.M. J.C.D., Bishop of Trenton, by the grace of God and the Apostolic See, hereby issue this General Decree in accord with Canon 29 establishing the Seventh Edition of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services as particular law in the Diocese of Trenton.

After four years of preparation and study, nine men will be ordained Nov. 15 as permanent deacons for the Diocese of Trenton. Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., will confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold, giving them the faculties to preach and preside over weddings, Baptisms, wakes and committals.

Sponsored by the New Jersey Catholic Conference and pro-life offices of each New Jersey diocese, the Mass will be celebrated by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., who will be joined by other New Jersey bishops and priests. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, Bishop of the Diocese of Paterson, will be the homilist.

The Diocese of Trenton will join with dioceses across the nation to take up a collection for The Catholic University of America in Washington, the only institution of higher education founded and operated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, at all Masses Sept. 6-7. The university, established in 1870, is a national research institution with more than 5,700 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in more than 250 academic programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels across 12 colleges and 32 research facilities. It is a research institution devoted to the service of the national and global Church.

As Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton and a life-long Catholic educator, I call upon all clergy and faithful of the Diocese to unite in prayer for the victims, families, and entire community of Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, who now face the unimaginable in the wake of yet another school shooting.

The canonization of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and Blessed Carlo Acutis, the Church’s first Millennial saint, will be celebrated in the Diocese with a Mass on Sept. 7 at 10:30 a.m. in St. Dominic Church in Brick, home of the Diocesan Shrine of Carlo Acutis.

Entitled "Pilgrimage of Hope for Creation," the day will include a "Hope For Creation Prayer Walk" at 3 p.m. in which attendees will pray as they walk around the parish grounds. At 4:30 p.m., Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., will celebrate a Mass for Creation in St. Anselm Church.

Concerns recently surfaced about possible financial improprieties committed against the parish. A preliminary investigation conducted by the parish and officials of the Diocese of Trenton confirmed a basis for these concerns, and the parish and Diocese took immediate steps to address them. These allegations were reported to both local and state law enforcement and civil remedies are being explored in connection with all misappropriated funds. The parish and Diocese are continuing to investigate this matter and have committed full cooperation with law enforcement efforts. As this is a subject of a law enforcement investigation and civil litigation, we are not able to comment further at this time.

History was made recently when Planned Parenthood and other big abortion businesses were banned from receiving federal Medicaid dollars for a period of one year. However, Planned Parenthood sued, and a preliminary injunction was granted by the court that requires taxpayer funding to continue.

Given by the diocesan Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, the St. Timothy Award recognizes youth in grades 9-12 who have demonstrated outstanding acts of charity, ministry and additional outreach to their parishes and wider communities. The teens are nominated by parish youth ministers, pastors and catechetical leaders.

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., invites all individuals and parish communities in the Diocese of Trenton to take a spiritual journey with him Sept. 13 to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, Doylestown, Pa. Dubbed “The Jubilee Pilgrimage of Hope,” the day-long event is designed to be an uplifting, informative and faith-filled experience at the holy site renowned as the home of the famous “Black Madonna” painting.