The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson on Sept. 7 held its monthly Special Needs Ministry Mass, which takes place on the first Saturday of the month at 5 p.m.
Msgr. Geno Sylva, St. John’s rector and diocesan vicar for special projects, was the main celebrant and homilist of the Mass. Father Jorge Castano and Father Starli Castanos, the cathedral’s parochial vicars, concelebrated the Mass.
On Sept. 7, the Special Needs Ministry Mass included the first-ever observance of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in the Paterson Diocese at a liturgy. Churchgoers prayed for children battling cancer and for their families.
St. John’s Special Needs Ministry is an outreach to people with physical and developmental disabilities. The ministry offers sacramental preparation, the Saturday Mass, and “other opportunities to welcome you into the community,” according to the Special Needs page on St. John’s website.
— MICHAEL WOJCIK
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
