The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows brought joyful news for our neighbors in the Diocese of Metuchen, N.J. Our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, has appointed Bishop Michael A. Saporito as the sixth bishop of Metuchen.
Bishop Saporito has cared for God’s people in the Archdiocese of Newark as priest and auxiliary bishop with a holy zeal and a steadfast commitment to the new evangelization for almost 35 years. Through his gentle approachability, Bishop Saporito strengthens the faith of those entrusted to his care and brings many to the Lord Jesus and his Church. With a note of some pride in the Diocese of Paterson, it is good to know that Bishop Saporito is a graduate of one of our own diocesan Catholic high schools, the former Paul VI.
Since moving from Brooklyn in 2020, when Pope Francis made Paterson my home, it has been a privilege to meet so many of the faithful whose vibrant love for the Lord and the Church make the “Garden State” such a blessed vineyard. It is also a gift to know so many good bishops and priests in our own diocese and in the other dioceses of our state. With my appointment on April 15, 2020, I did not know how the Lord would bless my service through the wisdom of so many bishops from – at that time – that place across the Hudson River known as Northern New Jersey.
Our life of faith serves the communion of the Church, and bishops have the special responsibility of working in unity under the authority of the Holy Father for the good of the entire Church as well as the particular care of their own diocese. Bishop Michael A. Saporito, Bishop Elias R. Lorenzo, O.S.B., and Bishop Gregory J. Studerus became co-workers with Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., in shepherding the Archdiocese of Newark on June 30, 2020, when they were ordained auxiliary bishops by the Cardinal.
Bishop Saporito and his newly ordained bishop brothers were concelebrants in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J., when, one day later, July 1, 2020, Cardinal Tobin was the principal consecrator as I was ordained and installed as Bishop of Paterson. Consecrating with the Cardinal were Bishop Serratelli and Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, both formerly priests and auxiliary bishops of Newark. The apostolic gift of all of these servants to the Church serves as a living example of all ministry in the Church as selfless service. Bishop Saporito is a humble servant of the Lord committed to the care of souls who follows in the line of many who have come before him, including Archbishop James F. Checchio, formerly Bishop of Metuchen and now Archbishop of New Orleans. By the way, Archbishop Checchio also hails from New Jersey, having been ordained a priest of the Diocese of Camden.
Bishop Saporito is a shining example of a gentle and ardent herald of the gospel, and he brings a spirit of prayerful wisdom to every pastoral endeavor. Bishop Saporito will shepherd the people of Metuchen with full measure of devotion that flows from the Sacred Heart of Jesus through his own.
God bless Bishop Saporito and the people of the Diocese of Metuchen who continue the journey of faith with renewed spirit. As this new era begins, the faithful, clergy, and consecrated religious of the Diocese of Paterson send our congratulations and the encouragement of St. Paul, who teaches us that the preaching of the gospel is a never-failing gift and is its own reward, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). Together, the Catholic dioceses of New Jersey work toward that goal.
With a promise of prayers and fraternal charity, I commend Bishop Michael A. Saporito and the good people of the Diocese of Metuchen to the maternal care of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who stands by the cross of her Son, Jesus Christ, and directs us toward placing our hopeful trust in her Son who has “overcome the world” (John 16:33).
