DIOCESE OF METUCHEN ANNUAL REPORT 2024-2025
At a glance
My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As Administrator, I present to you the Annual Report of the Diocese of Metuchen. This year it comes to you a bit differently. Rather than our recent tradition of a booklet format, this year we primarily present it here in our diocesan newspaper. For those you know who do not receive the paper, please let them know it is also available in digital format through our diocesan website (www.diometuchen.org) and on our social media platforms.
Like the format for this year’s report, this whole past year was “a bit different.” As Catholics we mourned the loss of Pope Francis and rejoiced at the election of Pope Leo XIV. Closer to home, we are still a “Vacant See,” since the transfer of Archbishop Checchio to the Archdiocese of New Orleans last November. I hope you join me in offering prayers of gratitude for his years of service to the Church of Metuchen, while also asking the Lord to assist him in his new ministry in the years to come. Finally, we marked the conclusion of the Jubilee Year of 2025.
Since his transfer last November, I’ve been honored to serve as the Administrator of our Diocese, grateful for both the counsel of the College of Consultors and the daily labors of our hard-working diocesan staff. While it is true that some things are temporarily suspended when a diocese has no bishop, the bulk of the work goes on. Whether here at the diocesan center, in the various services provided by Catholic Charities in various locations, at St. Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick, in our many Catholic schools, or even in our Catholic Cemeteries, all of our departments do their best to be of service and make themselves available to you.
Most especially, we strive to be a resource and assist as best we can in the parishes of our Diocese. The parish is where, so to speak, “the rubber hits the road,” the “vineyard of the Lord,” and I’m grateful for the work done day after day by the priests, deacons, religious, lay staff, and volunteers in the 89 parishes throughout Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset, and Warren counties. Besides the diocesan programs, so many parishes do great work (many times unseen) to bring the Gospel message to the people of their locality (and even a distance away, given today’s technology).
Most especially, I’m thankful for the trust you place in our parishes and in the Diocese of Metuchen by providing us with the financial resources that sustain our programs. Through your weekly contributions that support your parishes and your annual gifts to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal, great things happen and will continue to happen.
May the Lord continue to bless you in the days ahead, and may I ask you to please join me in asking Christ the Good Shepherd to send us a new shepherd after His own Sacred Heart.
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Very Rev. Jonathan S. Toborowsky Administrator
The Diocese of Metuchen proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ, celebrates the sacraments and exercises His works of mercy so that all might participate in His salvation and discover the lasting joy of a relationship with Him.
The Diocese of Metuchen encompasses the New Jersey counties of Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren. Below is a view of our mission in the Diocese of Metuchen in 2025.
Healing, Truth and Hope: a pastoral response to past abuse
Through our procedures, through our outreach, and through our prayers, the Diocese of Metuchen continues to work to prevent abuse and to facilitate healing for survivors of abuse.
The Diocese of Metuchen has:
• 0% of credibly accused priests in public ministry *Any accused priest is subject to an extensive and thorough investigation under the scrutiny of Law Enforcement and the Diocesan Review Board, consisting of a survivor of clergy sexual abuse, a former Attorney General and Supreme Court Justice of NJ, a former County Prosecutor, a Superior Court Judge, medical and psychiatric professionals, educators and other qualified professionals.
• 24/7 availability to report abuse
• 6,965 adults who were background checked and trained to recognize and report signs of suspected abuse *Number reported from July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025 and includes priests, deacons, candidates for ordination, educators, employees and volunteers working or ministering to children and young people.
• 21,148 Children who received age-appropriate training to guard against abuse
*Number reported from July 1, 2024June 30, 2025 and includes Catholic school students and students in parish religious education programs.
• 90 Parish background coordinators to facilitate background checks
• 25 School background coordinators to facilitate background checks
• $4.7 Million paid in settlements since the founding of the diocese in 1981; $1.27 Million of that was paid through the independent victim compensation program
*No gifts to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal, to Catholic Charities, to Catholic Schools, nor monies given for a specific ministry or apostolate are used to fund settlements.
The total funds paid reflects all settlements through June 30, 2025. More information about the measures in place to prevent abuse in the Diocese can be found by visiting: diometuchen. org/healing
How to report abuse
If you suspect abuse by a member of clergy, an employee, or a volunteer for the Catholic Church, please:
• Immediately notify local law enforcement
• Notify the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency by calling 1-877-NJ ABUSE (652-2873) or 1-800-835-5510 (TTY/TDD for the deaf), available 24/7
• Contact the Diocese of Metuchen’s Director of Child and Youth Protection by calling (908) 930-4558 or visit diometuchen.org/healing to file a report.
How to report abuse by a Bishop:
In response to Pope Francis’ Motu proprio, Vos estis lux mundi, or “You are the light of the world,” the U.S. Bishops launched the Catholic Bishop Abuse Reporting service, which ensures all levels of Church hierarchy are held to the same level of accountability.
A similar independent reporting structure had already been established by Bishop James F. Checchio in the Diocese of Metuchen. Complaints of sexual abuse and related misconduct by bishops can be submitted to the independent service by visiting ReportBishopAbuse.org or by calling (800) 276-1562.
This third-party service does not replace existing reporting systems for complaints against Bishops, priests, deacons, religious brothers or sisters, or lay persons working or volunteering for the Church, which were established in 2002 with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The reporting of sexual misconduct by anyone in diocesan ministry should continue to be reported in accordance with the Diocese of Metuchen’s child protection policy outlined above.
“The implementation of the Catholic Bishop Abuse Reporting service reaffirms the commitment of the Episcopacy to live according to the Gospel and to place themselves under the same high standards applied to their priests, deacons, and lay personnel,” said Anthony P. Kearns, Chancellor for the Diocese of Metuchen. He further said, “This service is another step forward in ensuring accountability is maintained on all levels and is the latest in a long history of actions taken by the Diocese of Metuchen to ensure protection of all of the faithful.”