From the Pastor’s Desk 10/15/2025

News

Oct 15

Written By St. Peter the Apostle Roman Catholic Church

After His Resurrection and shortly before physically leaving this world, Jesus gave a mission to his disciples. Jesus addressed the question that would soon be in the hearts of those who loved him; ‘how are we to continue to follow Jesus without his physical presence?’ In Acts 1:8 Jesus says, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Over the next 2000 years, this mission—to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to become witnesses of Jesus Christ—would be lived out in so many different ways throughout the world.

Today in the Archdiocese of Newark, Cardinal Tobin has introduced an initiative which hearkens back to the original call of Jesus to us all. "We Are His Witnesses" is a program which recognizes that we have a responsibility as Catholics to always seek ways to bring the good news of life with Jesus Christ to others (evangelization); a responsibility to better care for those currently in our parishes; (pastoral care) and the responsibility that we have to ensure that our parishes are healthy and strong and can continue the mission into the future (sustainability).

The Church has always found ways to adapt and respond to each moment in history—surviving and even thriving through 2,000 years of challenges and changes. Through it all, the original mission hasn’t changed—and it’s still ours today. We continue to be His witnesses, and with joy we declare: We Are His Witnesses—now and forever.

Like most pastors in the Archdiocese I am learning about this initiative only slightly before you and am aware of the challenges that it brings. I am also confident that the goal is that we all renew our commitment to evangelization and pastoral care. As the population of Northern New Jersey continues to grow, we have even more opportunities to witness to what we have experienced-the love and truth of Jesus Christ. One of the first steps in this process was the Disciple Maker Index, a parish-wide survey many of you took. These results haven’t been forgotten—they will shape our planning as we move forward.

To address the goal of wider evangelization and better pastoral care the Archdiocese is focusing firstly on the long-term health and sustainability of our parishes. Across the Archdiocese, we currently have 212 parishes, and fewer priests. Additionally, many local communities are shifting demographics and we need to think seriously and prayerfully about how to move forward to carry out Jesus’s mission. This will possibly mean changes for many parishes. The models that we have used and relied on for years might no longer be as effective as they were decades ago. While I know that the conversations will be difficult, I invite each of us to enter into them with trust and faith that the Lord is present. Just as the disciples had questions about how to follow Jesus in a different way after His Ascension, so do we in this time of change. Let us take our direction from Jesus’ words “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses…to the ends of the earth.”

The first way to take part in this conversation is by attending one of two upcoming St. Peter’s Parish Listening Sessions on October 21st or October 23rd at 6 p.m. Each meeting will cover the same information, so you only need to attend one. Please register in advance, either through our parish website or by calling the Parish Office. As part of these Listening Sessions, we’ll look at what are the factors which are necessitating this initiative. We will also explore potential models for the future of our parish—including the possibility of merging with nearby parishes. At the moment, no decisions have been made but this is our opportunity to give feedback and what we think would work best for our community.

Those of us on our parish pilgrimage to the holy places in France will be praying for all of us at St. Peter’s. This is a time for prayer, for unity, and for trusting in God’s plan for our parish and our Church. Let us be witnesses of who Jesus is and confident that despite challenges, our mission remains the same. We are called to be witnesses to He who loves us first, who cares for us and will “be with us always, until the end of time”. (Matthew 28:20)