On Oct. 8, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney joined about 120 parishioners of Our Lady of Good Council (OLGC) in the Pompton Plains neighborhood of Pequannock, N.J., for an evening of worship and prayer. The bishop celebrated a Mass in the church, followed by an outdoor rosary procession around the parking lot.
The event was organized by the parish’s Rosary Altar Society, which Father Darwin Lastra, pastor of OLGC, founded several years ago. Jennifer Nardone, president of the society, coordinated the event with a team of members.
The Rosary Altar Society invites someone to speak for its monthly meetings and for the annual Mass and rosary event in October. Bishop Sweeney also participated last year.
For the Mass, Bishop Sweeney was the main celebrant and homilist. Father Lastra concelebrated the liturgy, assisted by Deacon Marc Marin of OLGC. The bishop spoke about aspects of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s life and encouraged the congregants to pray the rosary. He made some remarks in Spanish for the parish’s growing Hispanic community.
After Mass, parish men carried a statue of Our Lady of Fatima from the church and around the parking lot to five stations, where participants stopped to pray each of the five mysteries of the rosary.
