by Antonina Zielinska The Diocese of Brooklyn welcomed two Polish seminarians, who left their former lives behind and crossed the Atlantic Ocean to answer the call of Jesus. Cezar Jastrzebski and Marcin Chilczuk were ordained May 12 as transitional deacons on the path to priesthood by Auxiliary Bishop Paul Sanchez at Our Lady of the [...]

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by Marie Elena Giossi “We Remember, We Celebrate, We Believe” was the theme of this year’s diocesan celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life, which drew more than 100 attendees to the Immaculate Conception Center, Douglaston, April 27. The celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life, instituted by Pope John Paul II in 1997, is [...]

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by Jim Mancari Couples from around the Diocese of Brooklyn reaffirmed their love for one another “in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, all the days of their lives” at the annual Diocesan Eucharistic Celebration of Wedding Anniversaries, held April 27 at Immaculate Conception Monastery, Jamaica. Auxiliary Bishop Octavio Cisneros celebrated [...]

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by Ed Wilkinson A new deanery structure for the diocese has begun with enthusiastic prayer. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio conducted a vespers service during which he formally installed 22 priests as deans April 28 at St. James Cathedral-Basilica, Downtown Brooklyn. Deaneries, or groupings of parishes in specific neighborhoods, replace parish clusters for the purpose of planning [...]

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Auxiliary Bishop Octavio Cisneros led more than 40 pilgrims from Brooklyn and Queens on a diocesan Year of Faith pilgrimage to Italy, April 11-19. Organized by diocesan pilgrimage director, Father Gerard Sauer, the nine-day sojourn featured visits to various holy sites and shrines in the cities of Florence, Assisi and Rome. However, the highlight was [...]

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The officers and board members of the Cathedral Club of Brooklyn gathered with Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio at his home in Clinton Hill to present him with checks totaling $100,000 in donations to the charities of his choosing. The donations represent the profits from the club’s last two dinners. The mission of the Cathedral Club of [...]

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by Ed Wilkinson When Bishop Frank Caggiano visited Epiphany Church on the south side of Williamsburg, it was to dedicate three renovated parish halls. But the celebration also included a Confirmation, blessing of a marriage and another blessing for a recently retired cop. Bishop Caggiano, who serves as vicar general of the diocese, was paying [...]

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by Lauren Colegrove VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Even with modern scientific technology, the Shroud of Turin continues to baffle researchers. Barrie Schwortz was the documenting photographer for the Shroud of Turin research project in 1978, an in-depth examination of what many people believe to be the burial cloth of Jesus. Raised in an Orthodox Jewish [...]

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by Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis may publish his first encyclical this year, the Vatican spokesman said. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi said he “would not exclude” the possibility of the publication of the pope’s first encyclical “within this year,” Vatican Radio reported. The spokesman told reporters that retired Pope Benedict XVI had [...]

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by Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Israeli President Shimon Peres officially invited Pope Francis to Israel and left their meeting at the Vatican telling the pope, “I am expecting you in Jerusalem and not just me, but all the people of Israel.” Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, told reporters, “The pope would be [...]

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