New Jersey
NJ’s biggest Catholic diocese hits pause on plan to merge parishes
NJ pastor on trying to bring young people back to religion
Amid a growing number of people leaving religion, Rev. Preston Thompson of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Englewood is trying to bring young people back.
Michael Karas, NorthJersey.com
Last June, the Catholic Archdiocese of Newark launched a review called “We Are His Witnesses,” which aimed to consider potential consolidations or closures of some of its 211 North Jersey parishes.
But amid confusion and pushback from many parishioners, Cardinal Joseph Tobin said Wednesday that the archdiocese will now extend its review to allow for further study and conversations.
In a letter published on the Archdiocese website March 4, Tobin, the archbishop of Newark, noted the challenges remain the same: a steady decline in membership and a shortage of priests projected to grow worse in the coming years. He did not specify how much longer the process would take but said he would have more to announce in June.
The largest of New Jersey’s five Catholic dioceses, the Newark Archdiocese serves approximately 1.3 million people in Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties.
Story continues after gallery.
Some parishioners, Tobin wrote, “came to believe — incorrectly — that the overall goal of We Are His Witnesses is to close churches. That has never been the purpose.
“This work is not driven by downsizing, but by mission: by the call to strengthen parish life so that it can truly form disciples and reach those who are not yet engaged in the life of the Church.”
The program’s aim is not to close churches, but to “strengthen parish life” he added.
He said a follow-up announcement would come on June 12 but reassured parishioners that “there is no need to fear that an immediate and wholesale closure of parishes will be announced.”
‘The Church is not a museum’
Current circumstances demand Church leaders to make difficult decisions, he said. “The challenges we face are real: fewer priests, fewer people in the pews, communities that look very different than they did even a generation ago, and financial strain. Ignoring the changed landscape does not preserve parish life; it weakens it. The Church is not a museum to preserve what it once was,” he wrote.
The initiative kicked off last summer, with meetings at churches around the region to allow parishioners to offer feedback. Many expressed fears about their future of their church, Tobin said.
Parishioners at many of the meetings and in letters to Tobin expressed concerns about the program. As a result, Tobin concluded that “it is clear that the communities of the Archdiocese need more time for honest discernment. We are extending this phase of our work to allow for deeper reflection and broader consultation throughout our local Church.”
“This is not a pause in mission. It is a call to take the mission seriously and to ask ourselves, with renewed honesty, what it means to be a missionary Church today.”
Msgr. Richard Arnhols, pastor emeritus of St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Bergenfield and a member of a committee of pastoral leaders helping to guide the review, said that, “Based on the input from the priests and people of the parishes which took place last fall, Cardinal Tobin has approved a period of additional study and reflection before any decisions are made.”
The first step is further conversation among parish priests, which will take place this month, he said.
Gregory Hann, a religious instructor at St. Vincent Academy in Newark, applauded Tobin’s decision. “If we continue to do things the way we have been doing them, we become a stagnant Church and we allow the comforts of our culture and the outside to keep us from moving from the Cross to glory.”
Nicholas Grillo of Bloomfield, a parishioner who attended several listening sessions at Holy Rosary Church in Jersey City, approved of the decision. “Hopefully the pause will give them time to reevaluate this going forward,” he said.
He added that it was a “waste of money” to pay large sums of money to a consultant that “doesn’t understand the intricacies of the Archdiocese of Newark,” he said, referring to the Catholic Leadership Institute, a Pennsylvania group that the archdiocese has engaged.
Instead, Grillo suggested, “they should put together a group of lay parishioners and priests from the diocese who can collaborate on a better path forward.”
New Jersey
Woman charged with theft for taking dog outside N.J. home, police say
A woman has been charged with theft for taking a dog outside a Clifton, New Jersey, home in April, police say.
Last month, William Chan told CBS News New York his dog, a 7-year-old Shih Tzu-Yorkshire Terrier mix named Rocky, somehow got out of the house on April 5 while his nephew was dog-sitting.
The Clifton Police Department said investigators determined that while Rocky was loose, he ran down the street and was running in or near the road at times.
Video shows Rocky did eventually return to his own yard, and a child holding a blanket can be seen chasing the dog before a woman gets out of a black SUV parked in the road. Rocky then runs onto the back porch of his home, where the woman and child corner him, grab him with a blanket, take him back to the SUV, and drive away.
The family said Rocky was wearing a harness and ID tag at the time.
Police said the woman did not make any attempt to talk to anyone inside the home or any neighbors, and neither animal control nor police received any calls about a loose dog being found on that day.
Chan called police on April 6 to report that Rocky had possibly been stolen, and investigators were later able to identify 29-year-old Mery Cepeda-Chevalier, of Newark, as a person of interest.
Officers spotted Cepeda-Chevalier’s vehicle in Passaic on April 8 and pulled her over, police said.
According to police, Cepeda-Chevalier cooperated with detectives, admitted she had Rocky, and agreed to have the detectives follow her back to her home. She then handed over the dog, and detectives reunited Rocky with his family.
On Thursday, Cepeda-Chevalier was charged via summons with one count of theft of a domestic companion animal.
New Jersey
Browns Hand Out New Jersey Uniform Numbers for All 10 Draftees, Plus a Dozen UDFAs
The Cleveland Browns announced jersey numbers for all 10 draftees, as the team’s rookie minicamp is underway at the CrossCountry Mortgage Campus.
While First-round picks Spencer Fano and KC Concepcion had already shown off their numbers — 55 and 17, respectively .. at their introductory press conference a few days ago, the jersey numbers for other rookies hadn’t been disclosed until today.
Second-round wideout Denzel Boston will now wear No. 12, quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ old number. Sanders, a fifth-rounder last year, had previously announced a switch to his old college No. 2 beforehand.
Fifth-round linebacker Justin Jefferson has been assigned jersey No. 10, which was used by last year’s second-round running back Quinshon Judkins. No announcement has been made yet on Judkins possibly changing his number, though. He wore No. 1 at Ohio State.
Not all jersey numbers are available in Cleveland, as the team has officially retired five of them: 14 (Otto Graham), 32 (Jim Brown), 45 (Ernie Davis), 46 (Don Fleming) and 76 (Lou Groza).
|
Jersey |
Round |
Pick |
Name |
Position |
School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
55 |
1 |
9 |
Spencer Fano |
OT |
Utah |
|
17 |
1 |
24 |
KC Concepcion |
WR |
Texas A&M |
|
12 |
2 |
39 |
Denzel Boston |
WR |
Washington |
|
28 |
2 |
58 |
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren |
S |
Toledo |
|
58 |
3 |
86 |
Austin Barber |
OT |
Florida |
|
52 |
5 |
146 |
Parker Brailsford |
C |
Alabama |
|
10 |
5 |
149 |
Justin Jefferson |
LB |
Alabama |
|
18 |
5 |
170 |
Joe Royer |
TE |
Cincinnati |
|
15 |
6 |
182 |
Taylen Green |
QB |
Arkansas |
|
48 |
7 |
248 |
Carsen Ryan |
TE |
BYU |
At this point in time, eiht of the 10 rookies drafted by Cleveland in last months 2026 NFL Draft have signed their contracts. The only still-unsigned draftees are wideout Concepcion and safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.
In these cases, players sign a participation agreement that covers the team’s liability during the event, ensuring players are covered for injury.
Browns officially add 12 undrafted free agents
Cleveland also announced the formal signing of 12 undrafted free agents to complete it’s rookie class.
The most notable name on this list appears to be Logan Fano, a defensive end out of Utah who just happens to be Spencer Fano’s brother.
All undrafted free agent rookies were also assigned their numbers for the Browns’ rookie minicamp.
|
Jersey |
Name |
Position |
School |
|---|---|---|---|
|
29 |
Davon Booth |
RB |
Mississippi State |
|
34 |
Zion Washington |
S |
Boise State |
|
36 |
TJ Harden |
RB |
SMU |
|
36 |
Wes Pahl |
P |
Oklahoma State |
|
38 |
Kole Wilson |
WR |
Baylor |
|
43 |
Nate Evans |
CB |
Delaware |
|
47 |
DeCarlos Nicholson |
CB |
USC |
|
60 |
Izavion Miller |
OT |
Auburn |
|
64 |
Tyreak Sapp |
DE |
Florida |
|
66 |
Bernard Gooden |
DT |
LSU |
|
90 |
Khordae Sydnor |
DE |
Vanderbilt |
|
97 |
Logan Fano |
DE |
Utah |
Other players that have reportedly accepted invites to Browns’ rookie minicamp include Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes, West Virginia linebacker Reid Carrico, Fordham linebacker James Conway, and Bowling Green tight end Jyrin Johnson.
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New Jersey
Crash closes Route 38 in Hainesport, New Jersey
A serious crash in Hainesport, New Jersey, has forced Route 38 to close Thursday night.
The crash happened on Route 38 near Creek Road at around 9:30 p.m. Chopper 3 was over the scene, where two cars were badly damaged.
According to Burlington County dispatch, several people were injured in the crash.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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