by Father Jean-Pierre Ruiz I WOULD BE acknowledging my inner nerd if I were to admit in print that I’m a big fan of the Mythbusters show on the Discovery Channel, but so be it! Do plants have feelings? Is it dangerous to take a shower during a thunderstorm? Can somebody swim through syrup just [...]

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by Father Robert Lauder I HAVE NO IDEA what the television viewing habits of readers of this column might be. It is no secret that there is an enormous amount of junk on television. The complaint, “There is nothing to watch,” is one I hear frequently. So when there is something good on television, I [...]

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by Dr. Steven Garner, M.D. Dear Dr. Garner, About five weeks ago, I was walking outside my home in Queens and fell. When I tried to get up, I couldn’t. An ambulance took me to the hospital, where I found out that I had a hip fracture and osteoporosis as well. I thought this was [...]

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by Ed Wilkinson When Father Charlie Keeney went on an African safari several years ago, he expected to be on vacation. Instead, he came back with a whole new ministry. “The last day I was there, I met a Polish-born priest who told me about a home he started for little children whose mothers were [...]

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by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, This week, as the Diocese celebrates its 22nd annual World Communications Day Conference, let me briefly reflect on the Second Vatican Council’s “The Decree on the Media of Social Communications.” The Latin title for this document, Inter Mirifica, means “Among the Wonderful.” It [...]

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by Veronica Szczygiel If each member of the Trinity had his own Facebook page, the Holy Spirit would have the least number of “friends.” This is a brute statement, perhaps, but it highlights a discomforting truth. Out of the three persons of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit does not garner nearly as much attention or [...]

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by Father Jean-Pierre Ruiz I’VE HAD PEOPLE applaud after homilies I delivered (perhaps to express their delight when I finally stepped away from the pulpit), and people have laughed during homilies I’ve preached (sometimes with me, and sometimes at me). Yes, people have fallen asleep during homilies of mine (possibly lulled into a few moments [...]

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by Father Robert Lauder AS I WRITE this column I am trying to tie up some loose ends in a course I give at St. John’s University. The course deals with what we can know philosophically about the mystery of God. At the beginning of the course, and indeed from time-to-time during the semester, I [...]

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by Dr. Steven Garner, M.D. Dear Dr. Garner, I have a big problem. I am 45 years old and in good health overall. I do have mild high blood pressure, and I have been treated for depression. I have a wonderful family with two children, ages nine and 15. My problem is that I am [...]

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by Ed Wilkinson The Chinese represent one of the largest groups of immigrants currently coming to our diocese. There are more than 380,000 Chinese immigrants living in Brooklyn and Queens. Among them are many Catholics, who bring with them their religious traditions and practices. Last weekend in Flushing, hundreds of Chinese Catholics gathered for the [...]

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