A Statement of Mission

On November 19, 1981, His Holiness John Paul II established the Diocese of Metuchen. We who comprise this portion of the People of God, this new church, are a Catholic community of more than 400,000 living in the counties of Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren, extending through the upper central and western sections of the State of New Jersey.

We are a PEOPLE OF FAITH because we are members of the Church of Christ which we profess to be one, holy, catholic and apostolic and which our Savior entrusted to Peter’s pastoral care. We are a people committed to faithful adherence to the Gospel Message as taught and interpreted by the Magisterium of the Bishops of the Catholic Church, in union with the Pope, the Vicar of Christ. We are a PILGRIM PEOPLE called to live out the meaning of renewal. We are a GIFTED PEOPLE, entrusted to the pastoral care of our bishop, and with him we are called to be alive in the faith, witness and ministry of Christ. In joy and grace we are called with the Universal Church to fulfill the command of Our Lord Jesus Christ: Go and teach all people My Gospel.

OUR MISSION is to evangelize all people, at all times, and in all places. We are to proclaim the MESSAGE of Jesus; to teach His TRUTH; to extend His LOVE to people of all ages.

Our concern and the witness of our love, in imitation of Christ Himself, must be universal in scope. We are called to have a special concern for those who are most in distress, those who are extremely poor, especially the elderly poor and the immigrant poor, and all those suffering from the physical, mental, emotional and moral ills that afflict humanity, including hunger, neglect, unemployment, prejudice and despair. We are to labor for situations which are conducive to freedom and which promote the ideals of family life and human dignity. We are committed to defend human life against every influence and action that threatens or weakens it. In the spirit of Christ Himself, we are committed to promote peace and reconciliation among families, races, classes and nations and to participate actively in the struggle to achieve political, social and economic justice.

We are especially committed to provide youth with opportunities for growth in Christian maturity and service. We are committed to the ideal that no one in our diocesan and parish communities should ever feel alienated, unloved or forgotten. The healing, reconciling and caring spirit of Christ must be evident in all we do. We are committed to the ideal that each parish community will continuously strive to be a genuine community of faith, service and worship. United by the pastoral leadership of our bishop and inspired by the spirit of the Second Vatican Council, we commit ourselves to become more fully a PEOPLE OF GOD at every level of our life and ministry.

We call on MARY, who gave human life to the Son of God and whom we venerate as our diocesan patroness under her title of Queen. May she ever inspire us by her virtuous life of faith, grace, courage, wisdom, justice and compassion. May all our undertakings as a new church come to fruition for the greater honor and glory of Jesus Christ, our Shepherd, Savior and Lord.

Conscious of our limitations, weaknesses and sinfulness, yet supported by the Father’s merciful providence, the Son’s infinite love and the Spirit’s unfathomable power, we proclaim the following GOALS which serve as our CHARTER OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

• To dedicate ourselves in support of the Church’s worldwide efforts at evangelization to be true witnesses of the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to communicate effectively the Good News by every traditional and contemporary means to all within our four-county diocese.
  
• To encourage and support all members of the diocesan community to answer the call to their Christian vocations, as clergy, religious or laity and to vigorously foster more vocations to the priesthood, diaconate and the religious life.
  
• To foster a spirit of unity and dedication within the diocesan community for pastoral service in the Church of Metuchen on the parish, deanery and diocesan levels.
  
• To encourage and support all parish communities to be vibrant and witnessing communities of the faith, ministry and unity of Christ.
  
• To deepen and strengthen liturgical life within our diocesan and parish communities, and to foster personal and communal prayer, as well as devotional practice, in the life of the diocese.
  
• To promote the practice of the works of mercy and charity in all the traditional and modern forms on the diocesan, deanery and parochial levels with a preferential option to assist the poor, especially the elderly poor and the immigrant poor.
  
• To devote the resources and personnel necessary to create and maintain a safe environment for the children and youth within our diocesan community.
  
• To work for global justice and peace and to foster respect for all human life within the four counties of our diocese.
  
• To foster a spirit of Christian stewardship among all members of the Church of Metuchen to enable the effective pursuit of our diocesan mission.