Beyond The Beacon

While Facebook was created in 2004 by a college student, fast forward 20 years later, several other social media apps reign superior for today’s youth. Two students and a teacher join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and guest co-host Cecile Pagliarulo to discuss social media. Caitlin Farley, a high school senior, and Emily Dymkowski, a high school junior, attend Mary Help of Christians Academy in North Haled...

Is Bishop Kevin a cat person or a dog person? Tune in to find out! Bishop Kevin Sweeney invites his Paterson neighbor, John DeCando, onto the show for a fun Beyond The Beacon episode about animals. Together with co-host Jai Agnish, they discuss their four-legged friends, and John recounts some amusing and heroic animal rescue stories from 50 years of working for the city of Paterson. John is a loc...

On the first Beyond The Beacon episode of the new year, Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Jai Agnish are joined by Father Alex Nevitt -- a pilot and a French chef -- to discuss the upcoming pilgrimage to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in July. Father Alex is coordinating our Diocesan participation in this historic event. We discussed the importance of the pilgrimage and had fun getting t...

What is Bishop Kevin Sweeney's favorite Christmas carol? Tune in to find out! This week, for episode 36 of Beyond The Beacon (a podcast of the Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey), Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Jai Agnish are joined by two gifted music ministers for a discussion about music's impact on our faith. Preston Dibble is our long-time Director of Music for the diocese. He also works ful...

Bishop Kevin Sweeney is joined by guest co-host Brian Honsberger for episode 35 of Beyond The Beacon, a podcast of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J.  They explore the richness of the Hispanic Catholic experience with Maria Moncaleano, the director of the Office of Hispanic Ministry for the diocese. Honsberger is the executive director of the Office of Evangelization at St. Paul Inside The Walls. He is...

Join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for episode 34 of Beyond The Beacon, a podcast of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J. Joining them this week for a passionate discussion about Catholic school education are Prudence Pigott and Lelia Pappas. Pigott is a powerhouse fundraiser for Catholic schools as president of Tri-County Scholarship Fund. Pappas is a dedicated Catholic sch...

Join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for episode 33 of Beyond The Beacon, a podcast of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J. Bishop Sweeney gives a Thanksgiving message and reflects on what he is grateful for. In a wide-ranging interview, he discusses his experience at the November meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, attending the National Catholic Yout...

Join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for episode 32 of Beyond The Beacon, a podcast of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J.  Seminarian Carlos Vargas and Father Charlie Lana -- assistant vocation director for the diocese -- talk priestly vocations as part of  National Vocations Awareness Week. Vargas reflects on his call to the priesthood and what seminarian life is like. We a...

Join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for episode 31 of Beyond The Beacon, a podcast of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J. With Election Day fast approaching, they discuss faithful citizenship with Jim King, executive director of the New Jersey Catholic Conference (NJCC). King shares his government work background and interesting path to the NJCC. They discuss the election re...

Join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for episode 30 of Beyond The Beacon, a podcast of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J. They discuss Mary’s Hands, a social services ministry that operates out of St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Morristown. Speaking about the ministry is Suzanne Toscano, director of administration, and Teresa Prendergast, director of client services for t...

Join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for episode 29 of Beyond The Beacon, a podcast of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J. They welcome Eniola Honsberger to discuss family life and our upcoming Respect Life Convocation on Oct. 28.  Honsberger is the director of the Office of Family Life for the Diocese of Paterson and ministers out of The Office of Evangelization at St. Paul...

Join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for episode 28 of Beyond The Beacon, a podcast of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J. They welcome fellow podcasters (Coffee with Kupke), Father Paul Manning, and Monsignor Ray Kupke to discuss the Synod on Synodality. Father Manning is the vicar for evangelization for the Diocese of Paterson and Msgr. Kupke is the diocesan archivist and a...

Join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for episode 27 of Beyond The Beacon, a podcast of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J. They welcome Tim Potter to the episode. Tim has been the Chief Development Officer for the Diocese of Paterson for 30 years. He is responsible for fundraising with the diocese, specifically with the Diocesan Ministries Appeal and the two past capital camp...

Join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for episode 26 of Beyond The Beacon, a podcast of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J. They welcome Brother Joachim Joseph and Solanyi Rodriguez to discuss their efforts to promote a culture of respect for the dignity and value of every human life. Rodriguez is a pro-life sidewalk counselor who works in our Respect Life Office. She has coun...

Join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for episode 25 of Beyond The Beacon, a podcast of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J. They welcome Keaton Douglas of the iTHIRST initiative to discuss spiritual healing and the Church's role in accompanying those in recovery from addiction.  Thanks for listening! Be sure to like this episode, subscribe, and tune in next time! Email qu...

Join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for episode 24 of Beyond The Beacon, a podcast of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J. They welcome the pastor and a principal from Assumption School in Morristown -- one of the Catholic schools of the diocese. Msgr. John E. Hart and Sister Merris Larkin, S.C., joyfully discuss the life of a successful elementary school and how they work to...

Join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for episode 23 of Beyond The Beacon, a podcast of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J. They welcome Father Ed Reading, a licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor who serves in specialized ministry "healing the healers." Ordained in 1972, he has been serving as a worker priest in professional settings while providing weekend pa...

Join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for episode 22 of Beyond The Beacon, a podcast of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J. They welcome Msgr. Geno Sylva and Ivannia Vega-McTighe to discuss Brilla Public Charter School and the life-changing work taking place at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in downtown Paterson. Msgr. Sylva is the rector of the Cathedral and vicar for...

Join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for episode 21 of Beyond The Beacon, a podcast of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J. They welcome Father Michael Rodak to discuss the upcoming diocesan pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. Father Rodak is the pastor of St. Jude The Apostle Church in Hardyston and director of pi...

Join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for episode 20 of Beyond The Beacon, a podcast of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J. They welcome three parishioners from the faith community of St. Joseph in Mendham, N.J., to discuss their annual mission trip to Appalachia.  Mark Tosso is the director of the middle school and high school youth ministry program at St. Joseph’s. Lynne Con...

Join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for episode 19 of Beyond The Beacon, a podcast of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J.  Bishop Sweeney invites Crystal Guerrero to the show. Guerrero  is the director of religious education and the office manager at The Catholic Community of St. Brendan & St. George in Clifton. She and Bishop Sweeney were among a group of pilgrims from...

Join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for episode 18 of Beyond The Beacon, a podcast of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J.  Bishop Sweeney calls in from Lisbon, Portugal, where he is participating in World Youth Day 2023 with a group of young people and chaperones, seminarians, and priests, representing the Diocese of Paterson. Upon arriving in Portugal, the pilgrims from the...

Join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for episode 17 of Beyond The Beacon, a podcast of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J.  They invite Father Joseph Healey, M.M., to the show. Father Joe is a missionary priest with the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America. He served in Africa for the past 55 years and is a journalist, author, and te...

Join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for episode 16 of Beyond The Beacon, a podcast of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J.  They invite Monsignor Ray Kupke and Father Paul Manning to the show to discuss their new podcast, Coffee with Kupke. Father Manning is the vicar for evangelization for the diocese and executive director of St. Paul Inside the Walls, the evangelization ce...

Join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish as they go on the road for episode 15 of Beyond The Beacon, a podcast of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J.  Their first remote podcast recording is at Camp Shiloh during the 2023 Quo Vadis discernment retreat in Hewitt (West Milford), N.J.  Bishop Sweeney and Agnish interview several young men discerning their vocation. Also making appea...