“I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you, praying always with joy in my every prayer for all of you, because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now.”
Phil. 1:3-5
The end of one year and the beginning of another is a very appropriate time to “look back” and “look forward.” Here in our diocese, as we come to the close of 2024 and look forward, with the whole Church, to the New (Jubilee) Year of 2025, there is a special reason for us to “look back” with gratitude and “look forward” with great hope.
As readers know, this week’s print edition of The Beacon will be the final print edition after a wonderful “run” of 58 years. When I look back at how The Beacon has been and, please God, will continue to be such an effective instrument of evangelization, I am filled with gratitude. I am grateful to Bishop Lawrence Casey, Bishop Frank Rodimer, Bishop Arthur Serratelli, and all the editors, reporters, and staff who developed and maintained such a high standard for our Diocesan Newspaper.
I am also very grateful to all those who have helped in the long process that led us to the decision to transition from “print to digital.” I am particularly grateful to our Diocesan Communications Director Jai Agnish, his staff, our Diocesan Leaders, and many others who have worked so hard that we are now ready to take this next step.
When I arrived in the diocese and began my ministry as bishop in the summer of 2020, I was encouraged to learn that, as the COVID-19 pandemic and “lockdown” had begun, Bishop Serratelli had been working with three people who were serving the diocese in the work of communications and social media. Bishop Serratelli had asked Chris Brancato (Catholic Charities), Caitlin Ferrari (St. Paul Inside the Walls), and Cecile Pagliarulo (The Beacon) to work together to increase the diocese’s presence and outreach on social media. At that time, I knew that social media and “electronic communication” were important, but that was about all I knew.
With the help of Father Stephen Prisk, Father Paul Manning, and Brian Honsberger, Chris, Caitlin, and Cecile became the core of what we would come to call “The Social Media Team.” That team gave me a “crash course” in social media, posting, online videos, and other electronic communication that helped us to build on the work that Chris, Caitlin, and Cecile had been doing in response to Bishop Serratelli’s invitation.
Another important part of that “Social Media Team” was Rich Sokerka, the long-time editor of The Beacon and Diocesan Communications Director. Soon after Rich retired, in June of 2022, and Jai stepped into that role, Cecile Pagliarulo went from a member of the team to our full-time “Digital Media Specialist.” For more than 24 years, Joe Gigli has been a photographer for The Beacon, and he has been a great asset for us, as we now share his pictures not only in The Beacon but on social media. With Jai, Cecile, Joe, and the help of many others, we were sharing more and more of the good news of our diocese through social media and electronic communication.
There are many other members of our “Diocesan Team” who, in addition to those who I have mentioned, allow me to feel very confident that we are making the “right decision” at the “right time” as we make this move from print to digital. In addition to gratitude and confidence, I am filled with confident hope that building on such a strong foundation, the best days of The Beacon are still to come. Visit beaconnj.org to read, watch, and hear the latest news of the diocese!
Speaking of HOPE, I believe that it is both a “nice coincidence” and providential that, on the first weekend that The Beacon will be “all digital/electronic,” we will celebrate the Opening Mass on the Great Jubilee of Hope, the Holy Year of 2025. On Sunday, Dec. 29, the Feast of the Holy Family, I look forward to leading representatives, priests, religious, deacons, seminarians, and laity from all parts of the diocese on our first “Jubilee Pilgrimage” from the Father English Food Pantry through the doors of our Cathedral of St. John the Baptist into the celebration of the Opening Mass.
I hope that many will be able to join us for the Opening Mass and that many others can join by livestream and through social media. I am also grateful that everyone will be able to see and read the coverage of the Opening Mass provided by The Beacon. As has been the case for the past 58 years, we look forward to all that we will read and see in The Beacon (Beaconnj.org) during the coming Holy Year and for many, many years to come.
Finally and most importantly, I wish to express my gratitude to you, the faithful readers of the Beacon (and of this column). For those already reading The Beacon online at Beaconnj.org, I want you to know how grateful we are for your fidelity and interest. For those readers who have not yet been able to “make the move” from the print version to the online version of The Beacon, I am hopeful that you will be able to “find a way.” I hope that someone can assist you with their (or your own) phone, tablet, or computer so that you can continue to “read The Beacon” and that we can stay connected as we share the good news here in our Diocese of Paterson.
