Cardinal Tobin: We Are His Witnesses

My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

Next weekend (June 7–8, 2025), we are launching a new pastoral initiative entitled, We Are His Witnesses. The purpose of this new initiative is to help all of us in the Archdiocese of Newark to travel the path of pastoral conversion and missionary discipleship that we are called to follow as the People of God here in northern New Jersey.

Jesus tells us that He Himself is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Jn 14:6). He invites us to repent, to change the way we live, and to follow Him. What’s more, He invites us to be His witnesses and to share His love and His truth with everyone we encounter.

“Pastoral conversion” requires nothing more or less than our willingness to be open to what God’s Word is saying to us and to listen to one another. As we travel together as daughters and sons of God the Father and as sisters and brothers in Christ, united in the Holy Spirit, we are challenged to be agents of growth and change in our world. We must not be afraid to leave the comforts of home, or to risk venturing out into the world, because we are not alone. The Spirit of God leads the way, and we are accompanied by Mary and all the saints who walk alongside us as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

We are witnesses of Jesus Christ. As Pope Leo XIV teaches us, we exist to bring Christ’s peace to a world at war. As missionary disciples, we are called to bring the living Christ, who is the source of all freedom and hope, to our sisters and brothers who have abandoned hope, whether here in northern New Jersey or anywhere else in the world. We are compelled to bear witness to the lost and the lonely among us, and we believe that Jesus Christ is the face of God and humanity’s ultimate destiny. Through Him, with Him, and in Him, God is with us, so we never have to be afraid.

By virtue of our baptism, we are all called to be both disciples and missionaries. Our Church is a community of missionary disciples of Jesus Christ who have been sent out “to the whole world” to proclaim the Good News, to share what we believe, and to serve all our sisters and brothers, especially the poor and vulnerable.

Continue reading Cardinal Tobin’s latest newsletter.