Morristown Nuns Honored At Italian Heritage Mass, Receive $6K Donation

The Filippini Sisters were recognized for decades of service, including donations that supported a new school in Ethiopia.

By Jack Slocum, Patch Staff

Oct 20, 2026 10:35 AM EDT

The Filippini Sisters pray during the Italian Heritage Mass, which honored their decades of service to the archdiocese. (Archdiocese of Newark/Julio Eduardo Herrera)

MORRISTOWN, NJ — A Morristown-based religious congregation was honored for its decades of service during a recent celebration of Italian heritage and Catholic faith, receiving $6,000 in donations to support its charitable work at home and abroad.

The Filippini Sisters were recognized during the Archdiocese of Newark's third annual Italian Heritage Mass on Oct. 3 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark.

The event drew a record 500 attendees from across New Jersey, doubling last year's turnout, according to the archdiocese.

Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin encourages those gathered to consider how they can use their gifts to enrich the Church during the Archdiocese of Newark's third annual Italian Heritage Mass on Oct. 3, 2026, at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark. (Archdiocese of Newark/Julio Eduardo Herrera)

Following the Mass, the archdiocesan Italian Apostolate hosted a reception honoring the Filippini Sisters, a religious congregation founded in Italy with a longstanding commitment to education.

The celebration raised $5,000 to help the sisters build a school in Ethiopia, along with another $1,000 to support sisters receiving care at St. Joseph's Hall in Morristown.

The donations recognize the congregation's decades of service to the archdiocese and its ongoing educational and charitable missions.

Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, Archbishop of Newark, celebrated the Mass and spoke about the importance of faith, family and community in Italian American culture.

"When I think of the primary fruit that an Italian American identity offers, it includes a unique witness to family and community," Tobin said, pointing to family dinners and church festivals as examples of how Italian American Catholics share their faith.

"For Italians, faith has never been an isolated, individualistic concept … You are producing the sweet wine of charity and hospitality that a lonely world so desperately thirsts for," he added.

The celebration brought together Italian American priests and parishioners from throughout New Jersey, along with attendees from other cultural and religious backgrounds, including Methodists and Episcopalians.

The event concluded with a reception featuring Italian food and music at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center.