The multilayered rhythms of the Cuban liturgical music fill the air during a recent Sunday Mass at St. Anthony Parish in Havana. Some of the Franciscan priests, who celebrated the liturgy, noticed what many of the congregants were noticing: the strange presence of a conspicuous man dressed in an inconspicuous suit. But that did not stop the enthusiastic worshipers from expressing their faith by praying, singing and clapping.

When Carol Vargas, received the Sacrament of Confirmation administered by Bishop Serratelli in 2012 at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Paterson, it was the start of a constant thirst for Christ in her life. Two years before, Vargas had joined her parish’s Confirmation program, and little did she know that preparing for the sacrament would lead to not only receiving the Holy Spirit but also a call to religious life.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. James of the Marches Parish here May 14 on Mother’s Day. During the visit, the Bishop celebrated Mass for the Fifth Sunday of Easter and administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to young people of the parish.

Honoring the ultimate model of motherly love, the annual Diocesan May Crowning of the Blessed Mother was held at a parish named in her honor, Our Lady Queen of Peace in Branchville May 14 on Mother’s Day. Bishop Serratelli led the coronation for the Blessed Mother, which featured many Marian hymns. First Communicants from Our Lady Queen of Peace, who recently received Jesus for the first time in the Eucharist, participated in the procession and crowning, placing flowers in front of the statue of the Blessed Mother.

Bishop Serratelli recently announced that early this spring, he had received an unexpected special delivery from a famous prelate in Rome: a short “warm and encouraging” letter from Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, praising the Paterson Diocese’s multifaceted efforts in sharing the “Good News” of the Gospel. Dated March 22, Pope Benedict’s correspondence, which was delivered to Bishop Serratelli’s mailbox at the Paterson Diocesan Center, Clifton, commended the ministry of St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evangelization at Bayley-Ellard in Madison, and the center’s annual Pope Benedict XVI Summer Institute — named in his honor — which promotes and examines his theological teachings.

A joyful Bishop Serratelli ordained 10 diocesan seminarians to the transitional diaconate May 13 and officially consecrated the Diocese of Paterson to the Immaculate Heart of Mary to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Blessed Mother’s apparitions at Fatima. On the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima last Saturday at a Mass in St. Peter the Apostle Church in Parsippany, the Bishop brought the 10 men a step closer to being called to ordination as priests. He also used the occasion to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Blessed Mother’s appearances at Fatima in Portugal — which were also celebrated on that Saturday — by encouraging the newly ordained deacons to imitate Mary as “heralds of the Gospel” and by officially consecrating the entire Diocese to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

As Catholic colleges across the nation hold commencement exercises this month, questions continue to be raised as to whether some of them are truly committed to providing a faithful Catholic education, based on speakers invited to campus, those they select for awards and honorary degrees and those chosen to give commencement addresses.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Monica Parish in Sussex May 13 and celebrated the vigil Mass for the Fifth Sunday of Easter. During the Mass, the Bishop administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to young people of the parish.