Parishioners flocked to St. Brigid Church on Saturday for a Mass for the repose of the soul of Father Jorge Ortiz-Garay, their beloved late pastor, on the first anniversary of his death from complications of COVID-19.
Month: March 2021
Holy Water Fonts Adapt to Pandemic Times
Holy water fonts have remained dry since churches in Brooklyn and Queens reopened on May 26, due to health and safety measures. However, companies and entrepreneurs have gotten creative while expressing their faith by building touch-free holy water font dispensers.
Chinese Faith Community Clears Trash, Shares the Gospel
About 30 members of the Asian faith community at Basilica Regina parish assemble for the weekly cleanup each Sunday after their noon Chinese-language Mass. Msgr. Ronald Marino, pastor, said their work is courageous, especially while Asian people across the U.S. face violent hate crimes or verbal abuse and blame-laying for the pandemic.
Survey: More U.S. Catholics Concerned about Global Persecution of Christians
An estimated 340 million Christians worldwide face persecution for their beliefs, according to data from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). Christians are increasingly getting that message, but ACN officials are concerned that people might become numb to that magnitude.
Project Hospitality to Help Homeless Get Vaccinated
Project Hospitality, one of the city’s only providers to operate both street outreach and shelter programs, will be helping to vaccinate dozens of homeless community members across Staten Island on March 27.
‘We Are Here for the Unborn,’ Activist Says at Gift of Life Walk
Speakers at the 2021 International Gift of Life Walk-NYC, March 25, called attention to the statistic that more than 62 million babies disappeared via abortion since 1973, the year Roe v. Wade determined that abortion was a constitutionally protected “right.”
Outdoor, High-Risk Sports Can Resume for Local Catholic High Schools
The New York City Department of Health (DOH) has given clearance for outdoor competitive play for high-risk sports to resume across the city in mid-April. This includes competitive team practices, games, scrimmages, meets, matches, and tournaments for football and contact lacrosse.
New Staten Island Ferry Will Bear Name of a Revered Catholic Activist
Already a servant of God, Dorothy Day has long been revered by Catholics for her social activism. Now, with the announcement that a new Staten Island ferry will bear her name, thousands of ferry patrons will also recognize her name on a daily basis.
Critics Charge German ‘Synodal Path’ Exploits Suffering of Abuse Victims
As what’s come to be called the German “Synodal Path” begins forwarding its mid-term conclusions to Rome, many lay activists and bishops are describing the process as an historic and inspiring moment, a potential springtime of sweeping reform and renewal in Catholic life.
Obituaries, Week of March 27, 2021
Sister Jeanne Francis Budd, OP; Sister Joan Mary Finn, OP; Sister Rose Lanzone, CSJ.