Cardinal Tobin – 91��Ƭ

91��Ƭ Extended Care Facility Welcomes Cardinal Tobin to Bless Chapel

Michelle Lang — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 17:40:22 +0000

Watch a video of the event:

, 266 South Orange Ave., Newark, welcomed Cardinal Joseph Tobin, the Archbishop of Newark, for mass on March 27 where he blessed the facility’s newly finished chapel.

91��Ƭ Interim Board Chairman Edgar Nemorin welcomed Cardinal Tobin, priests, 91��Ƭ Board members, NCC staff members and Extended Care residents and staff to the inaugural mass.

“As we gather today for this blessing at this holy sanctuary, we are honored and appreciative to have Cardinal Tobin celebrate the first mass here,” he said. “Let this place be a safe place for peace and reflection for all because we are all God’s children.”

91��Ƭ CEO Simone Gagneron said Cardinal Tobin’s visit to Extended Care was very meaningful.

“Cardinal Tobin’s presence was inspirational and impactful for both residents and staff at Extended Care,” she said. “We thank him for holding mass and blessing the facility’s chapel, which will serve residents of all faiths.”

Cardinal Tobin first visited Extended Care in February 2018 and conducted mass in the facility’s then smaller chapel. 91��Ƭ founder Monsignor William J. Linder invited Cardinal Tobin to hold mass in the chapel, which was dedicated to Pope Francis. At the time, plans were in the works to expand the chapel to what it is today. At the end of that visit, Cardinal Tobin promised to return to bless the renovated chapel. Monsignor Linder passed away in June 2018, but the chapel renovations were completed and 91��Ƭ staff members reached back out to Cardinal Tobin to invite him back.

“I’m delighted to return here and to feel the spirit of Monsignor Linder,” Cardinal Tobin said.

Extended Care Administrator Veronica Onwunaka was present in 2018 when Cardinal Tobin first visited. She said for his most recent visit to occur during the most holy week of the Catholic calendar was remarkable and that she was blessed to be leading the facility during the spiritual visit.

“It is something that will forever remain in our lives and in the history of this facility,” she said. “The Cardinal’s visit continued to strengthen our faith and continued to give us that zeal to get up every day and do the best we can to better the lives of our residents and everyone who comes into our building.”

A group of Extended Care residents sang during the mass, including solo performances by Evone Wooten and King Percy.

To ensure Extended Care all residents and staff members could participate, video of the mass was streamed in the Activity Room.

Cardinal Tobin Visits 91��Ƭ Extended Care

Michelle Lang — Tue, 06 Mar 2018 18:25:51 +0000

Residents of 91��Ƭ Extended Care got a special visit Feb. 16 when Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, the Archbishop of Newark, conducted mass in the nursing home’s chapel.

91��Ƭ Founder Monsignor William J. Linder invited Tobin to see the nursing home chapel, which is dedicated to Pope Francis and is getting expanded, by sending him a letter. Tobin accepted the offer.

Tobin introduced himself to residents with words from Genesis, the first book of the Bible.

“You might remember when Joseph comes and says, ‘I’m Joseph, your brother.’ That’s my name. I’m your brother as a disciple of Jesus. I’m your brother as a sinner who’s found mercy with the Lord,” he said.

During his sermon, Tobin spoke about the reason for fasting during Lent.

“We fast because it connects us with God and connects us especially with our brothers and sisters who are without,” he said.

He also encouraged everyone to think about others and not just themselves, at this time of year and always.

Many residents came down to celebrate mass with Cardinal Tobin, filling the hallway outside the chapel. To ensure everyone heard his words, staff members set up a microphone and speaker in the hallway. Following mass, Cardinal Tobin also addressed residents in the Activity Room.

He talked about growing up as the oldest of 13 children in Detroit and how his mother reacted when he became a cardinal.

Tobin was named a cardinal under the leadership of Pope Francis and sees him occasionally. He said he would inform Pope Francis that Extended Care has a chapel dedicated to him.

“I see him from time to time and I’m going to tell him that your building here has a chapel dedicated to him,” Tobin said about Pope Francis. “And I’m going to say to him if you’d really like to come see Newark, you can come and you can have mass here.”

Monsignor Linder was happy Cardinal Tobin came to Extended Care.

“The visit was fantastic. And it did so much for the morale of the place. So many people really got excited about it,” Linder said.

Tobin and Linder spent about 10 minutes talking before the mass began. Linder said, “You can see why he gets along so well with the pope.”

Extended Care Administrator and Director of Health and Social Services Veronica Onwunaka was honored to host Cardinal Tobin at the nursing home.

“The visit to us brought peace, healing, hope. Most importantly it brought this aura of God’s presence in our facility. And it has left a lasting legacy that will never, ever be forgotten,” she said.

Editorial: A Spiritual Message In The Wake Of Charlottesville

Michelle Lang — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 18:35:58 +0000

Editorial By Monsignor William J. Linder
We have all heard about what happened in Charlottesville, Va. White supremacists gathered in large numbers to spread their message and clashed with counter protesters. A woman was killed and more than a dozen others were injured when a man intentionally drove his car into a group of people speaking out against the white nationalist rally. Two Virginia State Troopers died when their helicopter crashed as they were performing surveillance during the rally.
I wanted to share the words of Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, the Archbishop of Newark, which he released the Monday after the violence. It’s a spiritual message, not political. It calls attention to our obligations as mature Christians.
Cardinal Tobin’s statement is so much different than what we’ve seen on TV and in the news since the events transpired. I want to share it with everyone in its entirety:
The one and a half million Catholic men, women and children of the Archdiocese of Newark – people who trace their roots to every continent of the world and represent every race and ethnicity – view with horror the recent events in Charlottesville and condemn the racism and vicious rhetoric that contributed to this tragic moment in our nation’s history. We stand in prayer and solidarity with all people of good will and we witness to our Christian calling to “love your enemies…that you may be children of your heavenly Father” (Mt. 5:44-45).
In the wake of her daughter’s brutal death, the mother of Heather Heyer told reporters in Charlottesville that “hate cannot fix the world. Hate only creates more hate.” We join her in rejecting the brutality that killed her child, contributed to the deaths of two Virginia State Troopers and left dozens injured. While we denounce such violence, we also call for a thorough examination of racial bigotry and intolerance in the light of reason and love. “For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed” (Jn 3:20). Dark words and deeds must be met with light and love.
It’s rare in my priesthood that I would quote the archbishop verbatim, but I really think this statement was too good not to.