This past winter, Matilde passed away on a trip to Peru, the family’s native country. The children had her body brought back to White Plains, N.Y., where they live, for the funeral. One day, while praying with the family, their cousin-in-law Manuel Mendoza felt the Holy Spirit nudge him to invite the siblings who had been married civilly back to the faith.
Author: Andrew Pugliese
McClancy Remembers 9/11 Hero and Alumnus Alvarez
Luis Alvarez learned the importance of being compassionate and serving others during his four years at Msgr. McClancy Memorial H.S., East Elmhurst. Those were values Alvarez put into practice when he served in the Marine Corps, responded to the attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, and testified on Capitol Hill in June.
St. Finbar’s Celebrates ‘Guatemalan’ Feast Day
St. Finbar Catholic Church, Bath Beach — long a parish known for welcoming immigrants — honored the many Guatemalans in its community with a vigil Mass, procession and fiesta on Sept. 28 to celebrate the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel.
Diocesan Schools Score Big Over Public Schools in State Tests
Mairen Upton, an eighth-grader at Holy Trinity Catholic Academy in Whitestone, is an example of a trend: Local Catholic schools are outpacing public schools in New York state standardized test scores.
Xaverian, Diocese Confront Teen Vaping Crisis
The danger of vaping is real. According to a Sept. 19 weekly report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of people with a deadly vaping-related lung disease rose to 530 from 380 the week before (38 states and one U.S. territory report numbers). Officials have said half of those patients are under 25 years old and 16 percent are younger than 18. Nine deaths have been reported.
First Catholic High School for Students Recovering from Addiction
Kolbe is a groundbreaking school. There are 35 high schools in the United States designed for students in recovery from substance abuse, according to the Association of Recovery Schools, but Kolbe is the first faith-based one.
Dedication Mass Shows St. Michael’s Diversity
At the dedication Mass, readings were done in Tagalog, Spanish, English and Mandarin. The church has parishioners from almost 50 countries, according to pastor Father John Vesey, and has seven Masses every Sunday. Some services were cancelled on Sept. 22 to encourage parishioners to attend the dedication Mass.
Suspect Arraigned in St. Gerard Majella Vandalism Case
Police arrested 69-year-old Nasra Alnadrahi at 10:30 a.m. Sunday on charges of cemetery desecration and criminal mischief connected to incidents at Shrine Church of St. Gerard Majella over the last few weeks.
St. Gerard Majella’s Outdoor Prayer Garden Struck Third Time
After reportedly causing more than $10,000 worth of damage during two nighttime visits last week, the suspect returned to St. Gerard Majella, Hollis, on the night of Sept. 17 to try to damage the statue of the Blessed Mother that’s in the parish’s parking lot.
Outdoor Shrine at St. Gerard Majella Vandalized Twice
The Shrine Church of St. Gerard Majella, Hollis, was vandalized twice in one week in September, according to pastor Father JosephJude Gannon, who said he believes the same person was responsible for both acts.