Month: November 2020

Retreat Yourself!

November 25, 2020

For people who like to know what’s what (and you know who you are!), it’s a bit of a challenge sometimes to accept the mystery that is at the heart of our faith. Yet there’s a profound beauty and comfort in that, too, because it is through the Sacraments, Mass, Scripture, and Prayer that our Trinitarian God reveals Himself to us slowly, lovingly, surprisingly, if only partially. It’s an ever-evolving relationship. And when it comes right down to it, isn’t that true of all intimate relationships?

How Can We Prepare for Christmas in This Difficult Time?

November 25, 2020

The Gospel reading this year for the First Sunday of Advent tells us of a rather ominous saying of Jesus which is meant to prepare us not only for Christmas, but also for the end of time: “Be watchful, be alert for you do not know when the time will come.”

View from the Pew-St. Clement Pope Church

November 25, 2020

Beatrice Mills-Henry has been coming to St. Clement Pope since she started accompanying a friend to Mass when she was a 10-year-old Methodist. She was baptized into the Catholic faith at age 12 and has been coming to St. Clement Pope ever since.

Mexican Church, Civic Leaders: No Pilgrims at Basilica for Guadalupe Feast

November 25, 2020

Mexican church and civic officials have canceled public feast celebrations for Mexico’s patroness at her shrine in Mexico City due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The celebration normally attracts 10 million pilgrims to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the world’s most-visited Marian shrine.

Basilica’s Catacombs Tour Called Historic, Sacred, Inspiring

November 25, 2020

Since 2017, New York residents and tourists have hired Tommy’s New York to show them around the catacombs at the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral in Lower Manhattan. This underground area is the resting place for many legendary characters of New York City’s earliest history.

St. John’s Bread and Life Nourishes Souls at Christmas

November 25, 2020

When a family of eight walked through the doors of St. John’s Bread and Life last winter, staff members quickly embraced the “all hands on deck” spirit to help them. The family entered the New York shelter system from a different state with nothing except the vehicle they traveled in.

Christmas – The Very Origin of Our Faith

November 25, 2020

During the past eight years, the Bright Christmas Campaign has received well over one million dollars in donations that were distributed among parishes and groups in Brooklyn and Queens. I am overwhelmed by the generosity our readers show us each year.