Meet The New Boss, Same As The Old Boss?

(She Said) ~ 

The 22nd Annual Hot Rods & Harleys returned to Downtown Rahway, NJ, May 10, 2025, for one of the state’s most exciting spring traditions. This free, family-friendly event transformed the streets of Rahway into a celebration of classic cars, motorcycles, live music, local vendors, and community spirit.

Hot Rods & Harleys draws thousands of visitors each year to admire hundreds of vintage muscle cars, choppers, and custom motorcycles lined up throughout the streets.

Beyond the cars and bikes, the event featured multiple live music stages with performances from local bands and musicians, filling the streets with energy and entertainment. Visitors were also able to shop from local vendors and artisans, explore a wide variety of food trucks and beer gardens, and enjoy fun activities for all ages.

Hot Rods & Harleys was hosted by Mayor Raymond A. Giacobbe, the Rahway City Council, the Rahway Special Improvement District and U4 Guys, and supported by local sponsors and businesses. This event was the perfect way to kick off the warm weather season and experience everything Rahway has to offer.

It was a marvelously sunny May afternoon. Rahway welcomed families, neighbors, and those seeking to expand their social network, and make new friends.

I would be remiss in my duty if I did not mention man’s best friend, the furry, loyal, four-legged DOG! Greyhounds, Boxers, Mastiffs, Labradoodles, and Chihuahuas strutted and playfully demanded pets. We happily obliged. 

Street vendors proudly offered familiar foods such as tacos, wieners, and zeppoles. To accompany the delicious bites, a variety of alcoholic and non- alcoholic beverages were available.

Musical acts crooned, belted, and tested the limits of their vocal cords with 80’s metal anthems. 

Local businesses garnered new clientele and profited from the day’s events. Eateries greeted the hungry crowds with smiles and warm welcomes. Everyone left with a full belly.

An unassuming, cordial police presence was noted. However, the festivities never required their assistance. The public and police force enjoyed the celebrations without incidents.

The warm weather accompanied everyone throughout the entire day, and we were happier because of it. 

I will return to this event next year and beyond, and next time I’ll make sure to have a super-sized Piña Colada served in a whole pineapple!

(He Said … in other news) ~

There’s a new sheriff in town, well at least a fresh pontiff.

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost’s historic selection as pope was confirmed May 8, 2025.

The new pope was born in Chicago in 1955, according to Vatican News. His father is of French and Italian descent, while his mother is of Spanish descent.

He makes history as the first American pope, though he is also a dual citizen of Peru.

In 2023, Pope Francis appointed Prevost as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, which oversees the selection of new bishops from across the globe, and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. He officially became a Cardinal in January 2024. 

Prevost is regarded by many as a centrist, (i.e. having moderate political views or policies).

According to The New York Times, Prevost gave an address to bishops in 2012 in which he expressed disapproval with how Western news media and popular culture fostered “sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel.”

Pope Leo XIV has previously expressed concerns about what he views as Western culture promoting the “homosexual lifestyle.”

The Catholic Church has been firm on its stance that homosexuality is a sin and that same-sex couples cannot be married within the Church.

However, in October 2023, a letter by Francis in support of the blessings of same-sex unions on a case-by-case basis was made public. “We cannot be judges who only deny, push back and exclude,” Francis wrote to a group of conservative cardinals. “As such, pastoral prudence must adequately discern whether there are forms of blessing, requested by one or several people, that do not convey a wrong idea of a matrimony. Because when one seeks a blessing, one is requesting help from God.”

Leo’s stance on LGBTQ+ Catholics marks a departure from the late pontiff, according to the College of Cardinals’ report on him. In October 2024, Prevost voiced the need for greater conversations between each “episcopal conference” to discuss the blessings of same-sex couples and apply them in a way that aligned with cultural differences across the globe as some countries still criminalize homosexuality.

“The bishops in the episcopal conferences of Africa were basically saying that here in Africa, our whole cultural reality is very different … it wasn’t rejecting the teaching authority of Rome, it was saying that our cultural situation is such that the application of this document is just not going to work,” Prevost reportedly said. “You have to remember there are still places in Africa that apply the death penalty, for example, for people who are living in a homosexual relationship.”

In addition, while he was working as a bishop in Peru, he opposed a government plan to implement more gender education in schools. And, Leo has been firm in his stance against the ordainment of women.

“Something that needs to be said also is that ordaining women – and there’s been some women that have said this interestingly enough – ‘clericalizing women’ doesn’t necessarily solve a problem, it might make a new problem.”

He did mention the appointment of women to higher leadership positions under Francis as evidence that women contribute “a great deal to the life of the Church.”

“BRAVO,” your fallacy. 

Let us try and focus on the betterment of an organization with a beyond checkered past, and at times, one which has been guilty of disgraceful indiscretions and subsequent cover ups. 

Rejoicing in the fact that Leo is a Wildcat, (he graduated from Villanova University), and hails from the U.S. of A., may be a little less important in the grand scheme of Christ’s plan.     

And remember, measuring the advancement of the Catholic Church – in terms of empathy, flexibility, and transformation – is like calculating the evolution of microbes, which has been taking place for billions of years.

Good Luck, Your Holiness, and godspeed!

Did You Know? The Roman Catholic Church executed William Tyndale in 1536 for translating the Bible into English. He was not just executed, he was tried for heresy, choked, impaled, and burned on the stake. Roughly 83% of the New Testament in the King James Bible is Tyndale’s translation. Additionally, roughly 76% of the Old Testament is his translation.