SPEAKER_03 0:07

Welcome to Beyond the Beacon with Bishop Kevin Sweeney, a podcast of the Diocese of Patterson, New Jersey. Join us for weekly conversations about our Catholic faith and submit questions for the Bishop today. I'm Jay Agnish. With me is Bishop Kevin Sweeney. Bishop, how are you? I'm good, Jay. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas to you. Happy New Year. Happy New Year. What uh what what's been been been going on? Where were you for Christmas?

SPEAKER_02 0:31

I was at the cathedral for Mass on Christmas Eve. Uh beautiful. Uh bilingual mass at 8 o'clock. Um my family was able to be there. My sister and brother-in-law, their children, my brother-in-law's mom, my aunt Nora.

SPEAKER_03 0:45

Is that sort of a tradition that some of your things are?

SPEAKER_02 0:48

They've they've come, yes, yeah. Uh and then I was at uh Assumption Parish in Morristown for Christmas morning. Mass on the 175th anniversary of the parish. Apparently, the first mass there was on Christmas Day, 1848. So that was a beautiful celebration, beautiful choir, beautiful nativity scene, and um young person bringing up the child, as as was the case in uh in Patterson as well at the cathedral. Um there's a nice picture in the beacon of the young guy at the cathedral bringing up the uh the little child. Uh so yeah, and then um a nice afternoon. I had a cousin here from Ireland with her husband. Um, so uh they were with us for Christmas Day, and my brother and brother-in-law and sister and sister-in-law cooked a great meal and um uh everything was we had a great day.

SPEAKER_03 1:38

How about yourself? Awesome. Good, yeah. I've been my wife and I have been in Hoboken. We've been cat sitting for my sister. And we actually we rolled into Hoboken as everyone was leaving Hoboken on on Christmas Eve. And I mean, you I think you know Hoboken. I mean, uh you know, the parking in the in that city. I mean, there was like no one on the streets. There's all all this parking is pretty amazing. But yeah, we we've been having a good time. It's been uh been fun hitting some different restaurants and different sort of Christmas for us. But thanks for asking. And uh Father Alex, what uh what about you?

SPEAKER_00 2:12

Well, we had a busy Christmas, as you can imagine, any parish very busy, especially with the fourth Sunday of Advent in the morning of. So we're gonna have a liturgical marathon uh this uh this year. But it was a wonderful Christmas celebration, uh, four o'clock family mass, seven o'clock. We had a contemporary worship uh Christmas Eve Mass that was very well attended, uh led by our youth choir. And then we had our midnight mass, which I had to feel a lot of questions. What time midnight mass was at? It's at midnight. Right, right. Uh but we had wonderful.

SPEAKER_02 2:40

Well these days you can't you can't you gotta give it's moved around so much in so many places that uh you people are able to ask, I think.

SPEAKER_00 2:48

Um but now we have we saw the traditional midnight mass at midnight. So it was a long day, tiring day. Yeah, and just gave my voice back too as well from that day.

SPEAKER_03 2:55

So I should tell everyone who you are. So F Father Alex Nevitt is the parochial vicar serving at Notre Dame of Mount Carmel in the Cedar Knowles neighborhood of Hanover Township in Morris County. He's a relatively new priest, having been ordained in May 2019 before COVID. He's also a single-engine pilot and he's a citizen of France, even though he grew up in Morris County. Maybe we'll get into that. So I can I call you a French chef?

SPEAKER_02 3:24

You could call me a French chef. He's a good cook. Much better than an Irish chef.

SPEAKER_03 3:29

And I actually we first met when I was on assignment at the uh Morris County Correctional Facility in in Morristown, where you regularly celebrate Mass three times a month for the inmates there, uh the jail administrators and the staff. Bishop Kevin was also there uh celebrating Mass that day, and and uh Father Owen Moran, who is a fellow uh prison or jail chaplain for the diocese. Um and most relevant to our conversation today is that Father Alex is coordinating our diocesan participation in the upcoming National Eucharistic Congress in July. So we will be uh talking about that. And um the bishop, can you open us up in prayer?

SPEAKER_02 4:12

Sure. We're recording this, I think, a little before it'll be um available, but uh today's uh December 28th, the Feast of the Holy Innocence. So we pray um for life for innocent human life. We think certainly of those suffering in the Holy Land in Gaza, and um we pray for peace certainly during this Christmas season in a particular way. As we remember the Holy Innocence, we also pray for a greater respect for um human life from the moment of conception. And um so we also um ask God's blessings on the upcoming um new year. Uh this coming weekend, we'll celebrate Holy Family, which is a beautiful um time right after Christmas, still in that Christmas octave, um, those eight days celebrating the birth of Jesus and uh this beautiful Christmas season. So um we'll have a little doubleheader again, uh less intense with uh Sunday in the morning being the Feast of the Holy Family, in the evening being um New Year's Eve, uh, but also the January 1st, the feast is of Mary, Mother of God, a holy day. So um plenty of holy days these days and uh a lot to pray for. So um we'll um we'll place ourselves in God's presence in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. In these Christmas days as we celebrate the birth of our Lord, we come to adore him in the manger, the newborn child wrapped in swaddling clothes. We look to Mary, his blessed mother, and to Saint Joseph, and we pray for all families that they would know the love and peace of the Holy Family. We pray for peace in our world, pray for a greater respect for the dignity and value of every human life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. And as we look forward to celebrating the Holy Family and entering a new year, we ask the help and intercession of Mary, our blessed mother, as we pray. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Our Lady, seat of wisdom, pray for us, our Lady Queen of Peace, pray for us, pray for us and all the holy innocents, pray for us in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

SPEAKER_03 6:37

Amen. Okay. So, Bishop, do you want to kick us off? Can you maybe set the context on the uh what's happening with the National Eucharistic Revival and the and the Eucharistic Congress that's upcoming?

SPEAKER_02 6:48

Yes, uh, maybe just uh also a word about these days in the church, the beautiful uh feast days that come after Christmas, uh, the feast of St. Stephen the First Martyr on December 26th, the feast of St. John the Apostle, um, and and evangelist on the 27th, and then today the Holy Innocents, the 28th, and Thomas Beckett uh on tomorrow the 29th. So uh for those the beauty of daily mass, uh not maybe everyone appreciates it, but it's a gift certainly for priests, seminarians, and many people in parishes that um and others who follow the liturgical calendar, the um celebration of of of the saints that that that guide us as well um on our journey of faith day by day and week by week, month by month, year by year. So um it's a beautiful time in the liturgical calendar. And so um as we look towards a new year, um one of the highlights surely will be the National Eucharistic Congress. We're in this now, second out of three years of national um Eucharistic revival, and uh we hope surely are seeing many blessings, I think, here in our own diocese throughout our country. Um and so part of that Eucharist, that plan the bishops of the United States have been working on now for a number for more than two years and um includes a a national eucharistic Congress. I believe it's gonna be um around a hundred years. I have to check since the last National Eucharistic Congress. There was a con uh Eucharistic Congress that many of uh my generation and older um I don't actually remember it, I remember hearing about it. I think it was 1976, correct in Philadelphia. Philadelphia, uh which was an international Eucharist, excuse me, international Eucharistic Congress, which um I guess they is held about every is it every the next one's gonna be in Quito in 2025, I believe.

SPEAKER_00 8:42

Quito in Japan? No, Ecuador.

SPEAKER_02 8:44

Oh, Equa, Quito, right, right, right. I'm thinking of the Quito diet. No, no, no, no, no. Q U I T O'Coun, too. Oh, that'll be beautiful, yes, yes, Quito and Ecuador. Um, so um so there are international Eucharist conferences, then um this is gonna be a national Eucharistic Congress for the country. And again, I think it's the 1920s or 30s was the last time there was a National Eucharistic Congress. And um the bishops have chosen Indianapolis and Indiana, uh, which I was there in November for the National Catholic Youth Conference, which is held there every two years. And I think I mentioned I've I heard learned that Indianapolis is the second um city for conventions after Las Vegas, uh second largest number of conventions. Uh so I think hotels in the the beautiful Luke Lucas Oil Stadium, the whole uh home of the Indian excuse me, Indianapolis Colts, um and there's a convention center. Um Father Alex will be able to give us some more details. But um uh we've had a committee uh here in the diocese um working on our participation in the Eucharistic revival, which really goes back to even slightly before the revival officially began. We had our um Das in the year of the Eucharist in in in 2022, uh and then we continued with the r revival. And now um that committee is working uh to uh promote Eucharistic uh devotion, adoration, appreciation for the mass, um uh catechesis, what we believe about the Eucharist. Uh and uh Father Michael Schwartz was very active on that committee and was actually helping uh to organize our participation in the Eucharistic Congress. Father Schwart became the uh administrator of uh St. Luke Parish in um uh Long Valley uh as of October 1st, I think. And uh a few weeks after uh we had talked about in in looking forward to the assignment that he might not have as much time as he did uh when he was uh serving uh working very hard as a parochial vicar in Corpus Christi parish in Chatham. But now as an administrator of the parish, uh and for the first time, uh it's understandable that he his hand is played a little more full than it was, and so uh we um looked for someone else to take up that baton. And uh I'm grateful that Father Nevitt was uh Father Alex was uh generously uh ready to say what whatever needs to be done, and he's uh um hit the ground running, as we say, and uh so he can share a little bit more about some of his work and and some of the plans that we're making.

SPEAKER_03 12:02

Yeah. Yeah, why don't we um yeah, why don't we get into it a little bit? So what what is what is the plan? I know we can uh we can check it out on our our website might be the best place to direct people to.

SPEAKER_00 12:13

So of course the the what and the how, a lot of that's all on the website, but I think it's very important to understand the why. Why go on a Eucharistic Congress? Why have Eucharistic Congress? And the real reason is a gathering of Catholics, of uh whether it be our bishops, whether it be our clergy, um, our religious, our laity, um, gather around to show the real belief, the real presence of Jesus Christ. That as Catholics, you know, we live that love of Jesus Christ. And I know for me and Bishop you alluded to it about daily mass, that great gift of encountering Christ in the Eucharist every single day. And this is an opportunity for us as Catholics to kind of show to the whole world and to be refueled and re-energized to then go back out into our parishes, into our communities with that renewed sense of the power of the Eucharist. And that's why the bishops in this renewal of the Eucharistic revival that we're doing are having this Eucharistic Congress, is that we love Jesus Christ. We are fed by the Eucharist. And I know for many people, every time I talk about the times of COVID when we were all doing digital everything and everything was being live streamed, um, a longing for the Eucharist was always something that was constantly brought up by so many lay people. You know, and I always took that as a great gift for myself and even for some of my family. You know, we'd be able to have Mass at home with my family, and it was a great gift to have the Eucharist still. And so we want to have that desire, that longing spread to really our entire parishes and our diocese as a whole, um, to be fed and fueled by the one who can only the only one who can actually feed us, the only one who can actually fuel us, um, Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. And so that's kind of the why to get together, why to make this investment of of of time and of course of treasure too, right? Make our way all the way over to Indianapolis together as a diocese, so we can kind of come back and be those missionary disciples in our own communities, um, sharing that Eucharist that feeds us, um, and kind of really joining back into that apostolic era that we're kind of uh called to be living in.

SPEAKER_02 14:17

I'm looking at the uh one of the flyers uh or the maybe the um pilgrimage to the National Eucharistic Congress. Um Pilgrimage, I think that's an important word because we have this wonderful tradition of pilgrimage. Well, if we think of those who go to El Camino, the Santiago de Compostela, and um pilgrimage to Washington, D.C., the shrines. Um and so um where pilgrim people were on the journey, and uh the bishops have actually organized um four literal pilgrimages from north, south, east, and west, I believe, uh coming from different parts of the country um in process in pilgrimage towards Indianapolis, towards the Eucharistic Congress. I believe they're starting in is it starting in this just in the beginning of the summertime. Right. Uh so but um So they are they gonna be physically like walking walking far distance from Maine, yeah, from Florida.

SPEAKER_00 15:15

Oh wow, I can't remember the other two spots on the west coast.

SPEAKER_02 15:19

Right. Well somewhere on the west coast and then some, excuse me, in the in the north central United States. So um and it you know the way the route is, um we might try to organize something that we could participate. It's I think it's gonna be going through New York City. I want to say it's gonna be at Ellis Island as well.

SPEAKER_00 15:34

Um through New York City and then through the Metutchin Diocese.

SPEAKER_02 15:37

Okay. So um so we'll have more information about that. But um uh when we talk about um encouraging people to register and to participate, uh it's certainly, as Father Alex so well said so well, you know, why why would somebody want to do this? Uh um to be closer to Jesus in the Eucharist, to be closer to one another as a church, uh, and to offer some sacrifice. Part of a pilgrimage is always to offer some sacrifice. Uh you can uh participate in a pilgrimage for a particular intention. Um so but part of the sacrifice will be um it's it's there's a cost involved. Uh and you could say some will look at the cost and say, wow, I can't believe it's that much to um, but uh there's inflation and uh there's a few nights in a hotel. Um the and we're still working actually on the transportation part, um, because they're talking about as many as 80,000, if not more, um coming to Indianapolis for the pilgrimage. So um the airlines may have to be putting in some some other flights. Uh but um so we actually will still um as we're asking people to register, it's for and Father Alice can speak to it, the the ground part, the um entrance, the um the tickets basically, uh the hotels and some other parts. Uh but uh and then we'll work on some people might make their own plans to travel. We'll we'll we're gonna be offering some other plans. But yes, it's gonna be a sacrifice uh when it comes to um if you're three to a room, it's gonna be less than if you have a single room, as we know. But uh hopefully families will be able to participate and um we'll ask our pastors. Uh we only have about 200 spots for our diocese. So I don't think we're gonna have a problem filling those spots, but it's gonna be first come, first served. So for those who are out there who are interested, we encourage them. And because we have to plan ahead and there's deposits and other things, um, we're gonna be asking people to register by the end of January. So we wanted to share this information now when we have the flyer ready and and as much of the details as possible and encourage people to uh fill up those 200 spots. Um uh Father Alex, you want to talk about how they can go about registering?

SPEAKER_00 17:49

Well, definitely. So um you're gonna be seeing, it'll be going live, uh, probably be live by the time you have listened or or watched this podcast on our website, on the Diocesan website um at RCDOP forward slash N E C a link to register with corporate travel services. They are the official partner for the Eucharistic Congress, and they're the ones taking care of our handling of our hotel rooms as well as our passes. Um, and you'll be able to register on there and be able to place your deposit. Again, it'll be a $750 deposit by January 31st with the remaining due later on on April 17th. Um there's a wonderful flyer there, so don't take notes. You'll find all the information you need on that. Um and then this way you'll be able to, and that's gonna include um your housing while you're there, it'll include the breakfast at the hotel, uh, which if you try to go right now to find hotels in Indianapolis, you're gonna find they're kind of tough to find. But we have accommodation if you book through us. Um also gonna include any transportation from the hotel to the convention center and to Lucas Oil Stadium. So once you're there, um, you know, everything will be taken care of, including our gratuities. Um, but as Bishop said, we'll be coming out probably within the next um month or so with our group travel options for getting ourselves actually there. But many people also sometimes might have family in the Indianapolis area. They might have friends that they're gonna go do. So some people obviously will. We may do a road trip, uh do a road trip before. They might be getting there beforehand or later on. So um, you know, you don't have to travel with us to Indianapolis to come with us. Um, but we do definitely encourage you to join with us as a diocese, um, to really get to also know other people from our diocese to because we're such a diverse area, New Jersey and the diocese of Patterson, even more so. Um, you know, such a diversity of languages, cultures, and people, and to be with that diverse community together there.

SPEAKER_02 19:37

Right. And we hope to have representatives from the church, the whole church of the diocese of all ages, of different um uh immigrant groups that have come to us, nationalities, uh uh cultures, languages. And uh we're gonna ask those who participate in the pilgrimage uh to um take a leadership role because they're representing the whole diocese. And uh again, we'll look for that diversity and representation. Hopefully, we'll have some of our young people, uh, catechists, parish leaders, priests, religious. Uh we want to be as as representative of the diocese as possible. We're also gonna um recognizing that for some the cost might be difficult, uh we're gonna work on some fundraising to uh to be able to offer some scholarships. So again, we'll be having more information about that. If there are those who would you know very, very much want to come and feel that they would have struggled, uh struggled to pay, you know, be able to raise the money to um be able to pay for the the cost, um, they can let that be known. Uh and we'll we'll again be giving information to see to offer um, you know, maybe we'll be raffling off a couple of uh uh or not raffling off, we might have some kind of a contest to so somebody might be able to uh um to get a scholarship to to to join us.

SPEAKER_03 20:52

Oh, great. So again, that's rcdop.org slash N E C.

SPEAKER_02 20:57

NEC for National Eucharistic Congress, right?

SPEAKER_03 21:00

Which and they also have a website which I was checking out just uh earlier today. It's EucharisticCongress.org. And I noticed that Bishop Robert Barron and Father Mike Schmidt are gonna be among the many uh pretty interesting and and well-known uh speakers and and guests that are that are gonna be there. What what are you looking forward to, Father Alex?

SPEAKER_00 21:21

One of the parts I think is gonna be really interesting are going to be the uh morning impact sessions. Um there are a lot of different sessions. Uh there are both English and Spanish options. So, you know, again, if you may be um our primary language is Spanish, there are options there while you're there to kind of engage in your faith in in the Spanish language. Um, but there's gonna be a lot of different ways of also kind of helping prepare people to be missionary disciples for a revival in our church. Um I'm from a parish that is very much in renewal. We are a parish that follows divine renovation, and so we've been a parish very much trying to renew our ministries. And I'm looking forward to meeting and encountering other Catholics from across the entire nation who also have that same heart, um, who have a heart for a renewal of our church and to be able to meet with them and to share and exchange different ideas and to share and exchange on different ways which we can do that and bring those gifts that other people are going through into our own parishes. There's also going to be opportunities for impact sessions for encounters with the Eucharist in Christ. There are impact sessions for families because again, we are encouraging families who like to go as an entire family to think about registering as a family. And so, again, this is open to all people. It's not just an 18 plus event. It's not just a Youth event, the Eucharist impacts everyone. And so families are encouraged to attend. And so there are opportunities for those family impact sessions in the morning, and how families can raise the faith and raise that love of the Eucharist together as a family, which we know is oftentimes under attack uh in today's world.

SPEAKER_03 22:56

And there is family pricing and for lab children ages zero to two, it's uh f free, right? Correct. As I am looking at this person, family friendly, family friendly.

SPEAKER_00 23:09

You know, so there's gonna be a lot of opportunities, and then of course, be beautiful masses celebrated together. Okay. There's nothing like a liturgy celebrated with so many people all together all around the Eucharist. And my experience of some of those larger ones are from World Youth Days. I've had the opportunity to attend the one in Poland that I went with the diocese. I was still just a seminarian at the time over in Rome, and they all flew in from the states. I flew up from Rome. It was a little bit shorter for me than for them. Uh, but the incredible encounter and experience of being in the field with, you know, thousands upon thousands of Catholics. And, you know, this is gonna be a similar opportunity, I think, for many of our people to be at. And as you said, every name in the in the Catholic faith in the United States is gonna be there. Um, any podcast you might follow, or any person you might follow, are probably gonna be there offering opportunities for encounter with them. Um, and that's really what it is. This is an encounter with Christ and an encounter with his body, which is yes, Eucharist, but also us, the the people of the church.

SPEAKER_02 24:09

Yes, right. We are the word, we are the we are the body of Christ. We are one body as was the uh beautiful song that was sung uh at World Youth Day in 1993 in Denver. But it's certainly uh St. Paul's letter to the Corinthians that talks about how you know we're all members of that one body of Christ, and um in in particular the source and summit of that uh of our faith is um the Eucharist. It it it's the source that brings us together, unifies us as one. Um and it's the high point, the summit uh of our liturgical um uh it's the it's the prayer that Jesus gave to us, um not only the Our Father, but uh the saying, you know, at the Last Supper, saying those words of institution, this is my body, this is my blood, do this in memory of me. So um in the Mass we're you know, participating again in the great mysteries of our salvation, the Paschal Mysteries, his suffering, death, and resurrection, and somewhere along the line, um, especially in our society and culture and different reasons within the church, uh, you know, sadly many have fallen away from the practice of um that yes, we say obligation. Others talk about opportunity or uh the holy days of uh obligation was always the words that we use, and we still use them. Somebody said to their holy days of opportunity, because you give that another opportunity to but um that um you know that we could give that one hour a week to God um to be together as his family, to hear his word. If if that for a weekday mass. Right, right. Right. Uh well I'm talking about for Sunday mass, you know, also that the um that the practice, unfortunately, that um, you know, uh people should be. I was in the city um uh bringing picking up a cousin from Ireland on my way to my brother's, and we passed by Cats Deli, and um on Christmas Day there was this line, literally a block long, for people to get in for strawmy sandwiches, you know, um the bread of life and the cup of salvation, you know, if you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you shall um uh live forever. Um there should be lines outside of church to come in uh to receive Jesus in Holy Communion. We know there are different reasons why um some of the um appreciation for the gift of the Eucharist is not what it could or should be. Um but this is gonna revive uh literally revive, I think, um the faith of many and um the church in our country. And um and we again are hoping that many will take the opportunity to to be on come on pilgrimage with us to to the Eucharistic Congress and to have that encounter with the Lord, as Father Alex spoke about. And again, as Father Alex mentioned, uh how being with those large crowds can truly lift us up and and and and and light us on fire with the with uh and and see that our church, yes, we have problems and challenges, and sometimes for Catholics you can feel like, wow, the church is really going down. If you if you're if you're at the Eucharist Congress, I think you're gonna see that the church is very much alive. Uh and uh and and and we'll have again the best speakers to to to share some of that wisdom and enthusiasm uh and and um uh help to us to to grow in our in our faith and our understanding of what we believe. Uh so it's it's gonna be a great um moment for the church, and uh we have the opportunity to participate in it. And there's 200 or so slots uh for our DAS in contingents. So um hopefully they'll they'll fill up quickly. Um and uh if we're sold out, then we'll see what other options there might be. But um hopefully um with Father Alex's work, the work of the committee and our parish leaders um will will get a great response.

SPEAKER_03 27:54

Amen. Thanks. So so Bishop, we we've been you know a couple years into the revival. Um are you seeing a difference, an impact on on all of these efforts? Whether, and I know you've you get out to the USCCB meetings, obviously. Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:09

USCCB meeting this past November, they had a number of bishops talk about um some of the um Eucharistic revival gatherings that they've had, filling stadiums and um and the great responses that have been there. Uh we saw it here in our own diocese during the year of the Eucharist, and how that's carried on in religious education programs in our schools and in parishes, in uh youth and young adult um encounters, nights of revival. Sister Teresa Lee, our um um chancellor and delegate for religious, has been working with Father Alex and some others um to plan a monthly um uh young adult um night of Eucharistic revival. Uh so we'll be sharing more information about that. But I'm looking forward to being myself at many of those gatherings. And uh so yes, I I think we're already seeing uh fruits come from uh these these seeds that are being planted, and uh and we look forward to um to even greater ones moving towards the Eucharistic Congress and and for those who'll be able to attend the Eucharistic Congress.

SPEAKER_03 29:09

Great, thanks. So changing gear slightly, I wonder if Father Alex, you can tell us a little bit more about yourself and what what attracted you to celebrating the Eucharist and answering the call to become a priest?

SPEAKER_00 29:23

So to me, I was raised Catholic, cradle Catholic. Um actually uh the gentleman on this coffee cup gave me my first Holy Communion. Is that right? Uh yes, he did. Uh Monsignor Ray Kupke. Uh we were at Holy Family Parish growing up as a kid, although um, as Jay alluded to, I actually was baptized in France. And uh so I had my first Holy Communion there and always went to church, was an ultra server from fourth grade, because that's when you could join and be an ultraser at Holy Family Parish. And then my family moved to East Hanover to St. Rose of Lima. And we moved there about two months after Father Owen had become pastor. He became pastor just around Easter time, and we moved in the summer between during this uh to avoid any messing up with the school year. And he very much invited my dad actually to kind of renew his own faith. Um not to throw him under the bus here on the podcast, but dad was a little bit of a uh drop-off Catholic, you know, drop up me and my sister off to C C D and then drive away and pick us back up later. But he got the call to kind of be a uh catechist and kind of renewed his faith. And that kind of renewed the faith a bit in our family for him and myself. And so I always knew I was gonna go to church. I still remember being in the New York City. I went to Regis High School in the city, and then um ended up going to Hunter College, part of the Macaulay Honors College program. So they were paying me to go to school. So I said that's a much better way of going to college than having to take on a lot of debt. Sure. And I always went to church, and it really wasn't until I was in my 20s, uh, just 20 years old, that I really get that calling towards the priesthood. Uh I knew I was always gonna be a Catholic. I was originally hoping to be making about $10 million a year by now. And I always say God has a good sense of humor because uh I'm not making anywhere near that unless Bishop wants to change anything.

SPEAKER_02 31:05

Blessings and blessings and blessings.

SPEAKER_00 31:07

But uh I never thought I was ever gonna go into the priesthood until finally a friend of mine, sadly, he lost his father, and he didn't really have anyone to turn to. He didn't have any faith. And he knew me to be a man who went to church. I didn't think I really had huge amounts of faith at the time, but I knew that church was a rock and the Eucharist was a rock. No matter where I was in my life, whether I was out in the Hamptons or in Manhattan or in Jersey or wherever I might have been at the time, the Eucharist was always there. Yeah, Jesus was always there waiting for me. And so, because of that, I got known as the religious friend. And I went to his house. He lived on Lake Street, right across Branchbrook Park in Newark. Uh, drove over to his home and prayed with him and his mom around the kitchen table. And it was in that moment that, you know, I kind of got hit off my horse and you know, was told I really felt like I'd have to go be a priest. And I went over to our vocation director at the time, which was Father Hubert. I said, I want to enter into the seminary, and he slapped me upside the head. He said, You're an idiot. And he said, Go finish your college degree first, get your BA. You're getting paid to go study, so get a free college degree. And then I thought about maybe being a missionary, going back to France, going back to kind of my motherland. And but in the end, it was the recognition of the prayers of the people at St. Rose throughout my entire discernment process. Throughout those two years of discernment, while I was still in regular school, they were always praying for me. Not that I'd go to the diocese of Patterson, but just that I would go where God wanted me. And I felt those prayers, I knew those prayers, and finally went on retreat uh down the uh in Long Branch. And when I was down there, kind of ended the retreat knowing that I wanted to be a priest for the Diocese of Patterson. And God constantly gave me reaffirmations when I entered into the seminary that I was on the right path. Not always an easy path. There's some ups and downs as uh anyone in seminary can go through, but it was such a beautiful path that led to that ordination day, and I was so ecstatic for that day, and it's been an amazing journey.

SPEAKER_03 33:04

Wow, what a great story. I I love I love hearing these vocation stories. Yes, okay.

SPEAKER_02 33:08

Each one is unique. Uh there's some things in common, but uh something unique to each story, and uh certainly uh the the role of the the parish and the parish priests, right?

SPEAKER_00 33:19

Uh of course I think they're the first vocation directors, really, are the parish priests and and even before that, really just parents too. Yes, absolutely having an openness to vocations with their kids.

SPEAKER_02 33:29

Families, vocations come from families, yes, very much so. And so you were still um you were, I guess, in your second year when you spoke with Father Hubert and he and Carl.

SPEAKER_00 33:39

I was I was just between my sophomore and junior year of college.

SPEAKER_02 33:42

And you've what you finished the two years uh and then the retreat, and you've you had a a sense of um clarity, I guess, in terms of being called to to preach it in Patterson. Uh then was Father Hubert still there, or was there a different thing? He was still there.

SPEAKER_00 33:57

He was there as a vocation director during that time. And it was funny because of my upbringing with, like, say, Father Owen, who is a priest from Ireland originally. Well, he was from Ireland, he was ordained for our diocese, or Father Hubert, who was from Poland. I thought it was actually very normal to look around for different dioceses because that was kind of my experience growing up. We're so blessed here in the diocese of Patrick and have so many priests who have left their homes and their families to minister to us, uh, whether it be from the Philippines, from Poland, from Columbia, um, even from Brooklyn. That's right. Um, to minister to us. So that it almost became kind of normal for me. And so that's why I kind of had that little bit of discernment process of where to maybe go to be a diocese and preacher.

SPEAKER_01 34:37

Did you enter the seminary right after you graduated college?

SPEAKER_00 34:40

I did. They sent me down to theological college in Washington, D.C. at Catholic University of America. And then after that, I was sent over to Rome to um say at the North American College, where we actually have a seminar for my parish who's there currently right now, seminary with this phobia. That's right, that's right. That's right. Uh he's from our parish uh over at Notre Dame, and he's studying there in Rome currently.

SPEAKER_02 34:58

Excuse me. And when I when I came as bishop, you uh had been ordained the previous May, I guess, in 2019. And I remember that you were um finishing your degree in Rome for that year after ordination, and uh uh like many others, you ended up back here uh um in the middle of COVID. In the middle of COVID, right. Uh and then I think you went back to Rome to just finish up. I went back to finish up a couple things there, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:22

Right. That was in uh seminary formation.

SPEAKER_02 35:24

Right, right. And uh Father Patty O'Donovan, uh Father Um Alex's uh pastor had been in contact with me and uh invited me over for a cup of tea. It was, I think, one of the first rectories I visited very well.

SPEAKER_00 35:37

I was still in COVID, because I remember we were outside.

SPEAKER_02 35:39

Right, on the porch, yes, that's right. Yes, yes. So um uh that's a good example of how the priests of the diocese have been very welcoming to me, and it's hard to believe it's been three and a half years. But uh um but also I think uh that when we're ordained, um for there's a good connection I think here. When we're ordained for as a Dyson priest, uh we're called to serve the diocese, and that's usually in a parish assignment. Uh, but very often um there's other needs of the church and um and uh a guy can be in a parish. We have many of our pastors, um many of our uh priests who are in diocin administration are pastors and uh and and and doing uh quote unquote job in the diocese. And so um we look the bishop needs to look for that help uh from from the priests of the diocese. And so this is an example of Father Alex with a full plate of working with Father Patty in a very active parish. Um, but when the need arose uh to for someone to um to help us in this effort, um Father Alex was there and uh he has a lot of good administrative skills. You've had some uh you've organized some travel before as well, I think, right? So something brand new to you. And uh I think you even have uh uh know some of the people there at corporate travel, right? The uh group that's um so um we're gonna have a great trip under Father Alex's uh organizational skills and and leadership. So I'm I'm planning to go myself and and uh I'm looking forward to and we um hoping also as people register, we'll have some gatherings um before we go to get kind of uh an identity or or or um group um uh uh group identity and and knowing one another that we're gonna be on pilgrimage together, so we'll we'll be facilitating that. But first step to register, right?

SPEAKER_00 37:24

First step is to register is if you have any questions, of course, you can always get in touch with me. Um my email is on the websites, fr Alex at ndcarmel.com. I won't give you my cell phone though. That's right. Uh but uh you can also call me too as well at the parish. I'm very happy to answer any questions anyone might have. Um if anyone's wondering, not sure. Again, if you're looking to maybe join up with a roommate because you're hoping to maybe bring the cost down, you're saying, you know, I'm by myself, I'd like to go with someone else, maybe also just for the companionship and the fraternity. Um, you know, you can fill out the form online and that will let you just pair you up with someone, and you can even say if you're willing to just pair up with just one person and go for that double price, which is you know $12.49, or if you're willing to share in a triple or a quad, and you know, that'd be a third.

SPEAKER_01 38:11

And if it's two or three or four people traveling together, let's say parishioners or two couples or um they can uh sign up for that um to be in a room together, right?

SPEAKER_00 38:21

Correct. When you're signing up online yourself, you know, if it's a husband and wife, you'll sign up as a double. Um if it's say maybe a family, you want to share a room as a family of three or four, you'll sign up as a triple or quad. But uh, we are looking to try to put together roommates for those who might be traveling alone and looking to bring the cost down, and of course, it'll be men with men, women with women for that. And and as you said, Bishop, the the pre is very important. You know, uh Jay is also a pilot, I found out. And you know, as pilots, we always do our pre-flight. We check our plane before we take off to make sure everything will be safe, that we'll have a great flight and a great trip. So we're gonna have a lot of our pre-trip uh meetings and moments, of course, that will come out in the days ahead. Um, but also the post as well. Uh we can't just ignore the the afterparts, and I think that's what's so cool about the Congress is that the mindset of the Congress already is isn't a post mentality. As Catholics, we love the pre. Pre-Cana, before you're married. We love again you prepared for the sacraments, everything pre. But the Congress is also focusing on the post and developing.

SPEAKER_02 39:23

Forming missionary disciples, right? To go out. Yes, they can um invite others to to come to Jesus in the Eucharist. Uh and uh some people like to say in uh that God is my co-pilot, right? But uh I'm I have two pilots here, is that right? Well I'm sort of it's true, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 39:39

I I guess are we the only ones in in the diocese? Or to the best of my knowledge. That's what I think. So yeah. Um but I was so excited to learn to learn that about you. I I Mike Wochick, uh our news editor, pointed that out. I think he texted me a photo of you in the cockpit wearing your headset. When did you start, Jay? I started flying, oh geez, um 20 uh 18 or so.

SPEAKER_00 40:02

Um Father Alex? I was 12 years old. It was my Christmas gift when I was 12 years old, it was my first flight lesson. My goodness. Scary they let a 12-year-old fly an airplane run with Statue of Liberty. Is that right? Yeah, out of Morristown Airport. Wow.

SPEAKER_03 40:15

Awesome.

SPEAKER_00 40:16

Is that where you did your training then? Did all my training at Morristown Airport. Um, had a did a lot of it, got as far as I could go, and then finally kind of was on pause. Okay. Then school, then seminary, then ordination, then after ordination, I went back and I finally got uh my license in July 2020. Um it's been an awesome thing to be able to have and uh a wonderful way of encountering different people. And actually, I'm part of a priest pilots group, and there's about a hundred of us across the country. Cool. And we meet once a year. So last year we were this past September, actually, we were down in the Poconos. Uh year before that, we're in Missouri, and now we're planning for our next gathering. We'll be out in Texas, actually.

SPEAKER_03 40:56

Oh, that's fun.

unknown 40:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 40:57

Don't worry, we're not flying the plane that's going to bring us there. Do not be too nervous to come along with us. Uh we'll be able to do that. We need to brush up just a wee bit. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 41:07

I haven't flown. Uh I flew in the spring, was the last time I got up with an instructor. That was that was fun. Flew out of Lincoln Park and we flew into West Milford at Greenwood Lake Airport, did it did a little couple touch and goes and went back. So I I do miss it. I uh uh that was actually uh career path for me, but a story for another.

SPEAKER_00 41:24

The Lord had other plans. Yes, the Lord has a lot of other plans for us many times.

SPEAKER_03 41:29

Yes, but they're they're good plans and they seem to make sense for us. Um well, good. Well, thanks, Father Alex, for coming on and and thank you for having sharing some uh information with us about the Eucharistic Congress. And again, that's rcdop.org slash NEC, and we'll be putting out information on our social media and our website. So um definitely um take a look and consider joining us.

SPEAKER_02 41:55

Um Bishop, as we look to the end of this episode, anything else you'd like to um let our audience know about or or we're recording before the uh new year New Year's um um is ushered in, but uh certainly to wish everyone uh in the diocese uh uh blessings uh for health and happiness in the new year and um hopefully that revived uh faith uh and um prayers for for for for blessings um for each member of the diocese in in the new year and and and asking God to bless our church looking forward um as this um both the Synod on Synodality and the National Eucharistic Revival kind of uh working hand in hand in our journey together and um encountering the Lord, especially in his presence, in his body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Eucharist. So hopefully um uh the 2024 will not only be uh blessed and highlighted by the Congress in July, but that from beginning to end we'll be we'll be growing and being strengthened in our faith and and encountering the Lord more and more in his in his Eucharistic presence. So um yeah, just to wish everyone a very happy new year. If you uh um it might be recorded, you might they might be you might be hearing it a few days into the new year, but um know that you've been in my prayers uh and we'll be uh this coming um Feast of the Holy Family on Saturday and Sunday and New Year's Day. And then please keep me in your prayers and I'll be praying in a special way. In the coming week, I'll be on retreat with the bishops of New Jersey and Pennsylvania um in Florida. I'm looking forward to that. Uh and uh just uh from the first of January till the till the fifth, um Friday the fifth, Saturday the sixth. We have our our monthly uh mass and procession for life at at St. Margaret's in Marristown. So if you're hearing that before the uh sixth, feel free to join us for that Mass and Procession um Saturday, January 6th. Uh so um again, thank you, Father Alex, for being with us today and for all the work, good work you're doing.

SPEAKER_03 44:01

Yes, thank you both, and happy new year for me as well. I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who's been getting into our podcast, listening or watching for your time and being interested. It's been a really great experience for me personally, and I'm looking forward to what 2024 has in store for us. We're already talking about some fun ideas for future episodes. So stay tuned. Um, more awesome podcast episodes to come. Okay, so thank you for spending time with us. Get us get to know us a little better by following Beyond the Beacon on Facebook or Instagram. I hope you'll join us for the next episode. Don't forget to subscribe, comment, and leave us a positive rating. If you're watching on Bishop Kevin Sweeney's YouTube channel, be sure to like, subscribe, and ring the bell for notifications. Email questions and podcast topic ideas for the bishop to beyond at pattersondioces.org. Thank you for joining us.

SPEAKER_02 44:57

Thank you very much. God bless and happy new year. Bye.