Father Velásquez Set to Become Director of Liturgy in the New Year

Father Carlos Velásquez, pastor of St. Brigid Parish in Bushwick, has been appointed the new director of liturgy for the Diocese of Brooklyn. Inspired by the beauty of the Mass since childhood, he hopes to ensure that the diocese’s diverse celebrations of worship — offered in nearly 30 languages — reflect the reverence and unity of Catholic liturgy.

Brooklyn Man Recalls Surviving Shipwreck of the Andrea Doria in 1956

Ralph Taverniti, 91, was an apprentice tailor in his early 20s, but his future was bleak as his Italian homeland struggled to rebuild from the carnage of World War II. Opportunity awaited in Brooklyn, where his father’s uncle, also a tailor, offered work. So, in 1956 Taverniti booked third-class passage to New York City on a new luxury ocean liner, the SS Andrea Doria.