Religion

The Chromebooks were awarded to district officials during the Center’s annual school supply giveaway to Center children. Students enrolled in the school district’s Road to Success program will get a little help from the Jain Center of New Jersey on Cedar Grove Lane. That help is in the form of 75 Chromebooks the Center donated to the Board of Education …

Fr. Douglas Haefner. (Photo: Marilyn Parente) The former senior pastor at St. Matthias Church was sentenced to seven years in state prison on August 4 for stealing more than $500,000 from church coffers. Fr. Douglas Haefner pleaded guilty to one count of 2nd Degree Theft in May for diverting $516,984.56 to his personal use. Fr. Haefner must report to the …

The Rev. Douglas Haefner, center(File photo). The Rev. Douglas Haefner, the former pastor at St. Matthias Church on John F. Kennedy Boulevard, pleaded guilty on May 19 to one count of theft, admitting that he stole more than $500,000 in parish funds. Haefner entered the plea before Superior Court Judge Peter J. Tober, sitting in Somerville. Haefner was released on …

A new state-local partnership to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to the state’s underrepresented population kicked off February 15 at First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens. A state-local partnership designed to vaccinate 15,000 residents kicked off February 15 at the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens. Under the program, about 1,500 local residents will be vaccinated at the church over the next …

The Rev. DeForest “Buster” Soaries told more than 400 people on an October 30 conference call that First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens would remain closed throughout 2021. (File photo.) First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens will remain virtual throughout 2021, the church’s senior pastor said during an October 30 telephone conference. Citing the recent surge in positive coronavirus tests …

Father Abraham Orapankal, who has served as interim Pastor at St. Matthias Church since 2018, has been named permanent Pastor. The announcement was made March 13 by Bishop James F. Checchio of the Diocese of Metuchen. Orapankal was named to the interim position following the resignation of Fr. Douglas Haefner, after financial irregularities were found in the church’s accounts. The …

Masjid-e-Ali co-founder Alex Kharazi, center, is flanked by the Franklin Food Bank’s Kevin McGuinness, left, and Mike Rossi. A $7,000 donation to the Franklin Food bank highlighted the celebration of Eid-al-Fitr June 5 at the Masjid-e-Ali mosque on Cedar Grove Lane. Eid-al-Fitr is the celebration marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. During Ramadan, Muslims must fast …

Members of the Masjid-e-Ali mosque sit down for their Iftar on May 20. Members of the Masjid-e-Ali Mosque on Davidson Avenue are in the middle of celebrating their holy month of Ramadan and, as they do each year, they have issued an open invitation to the community to share their nightly meal, or Iftar.The Ramadan celebration this year began on …

It was delayed three days by constant rain, but the 2019 edition of the St. Matthias Carnival opened May 17 in almost perfect weather. There was a little sprinkle at about 7 p.m., an hour into opening day, but that did not chase anyone away. In fact, the crowd grew as the evening wore on. The incessant rain made it …

Life lessons told through a series of skits were presented May 5 at the Srivari Sri Balaji Temple on Elizabeth Avenue. The five skits – four performed by children and the finale by adults – were based on stories taken from the Mahabaratham, one of the two religious books followed by the Hindu sect, said Vijay Poondi, the temple chairman. …