Parishioners at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament in Bayside, Queens wanted to celebrate their 90th Anniversary with a dinner/dance, but the pandemic squashed their plans. Instead, they chose to divert ticket money for the event into charitable giving. And they didn’t stop there.
Author: Bill Miller
Lloyd Austin, Biden’s Pick for Secretary of Defense, Approved by Senate
Lloyd Austin, a retired four-star Army general, is President Joe Biden’s pick for secretary of defense. On Thursday, both houses of Congress voted to approve a waiver for him to be considered for confirmation since he has been retired for only four years, not the required seven. Now the Senate must vote on the actual confirmation.
Turmoil, Progress Resonate for This Year’s MLK Holiday
The visions of peace, equality, and love will resonate powerfully during the 2021 Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, as the tumult of 2020 continues into the new year, said clergy and laity in the Diocese of Brooklyn. The annual MLK day prayer service is set for noon Jan. 18 at Our Lady of Victory Church, in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Focolare Members From Egypt Share Gospel, Urge Unity
Several families of Coptic Catholics from Egypt have settled in Staten Island where they continue their pursuit of the Focolare movement, sharing the Gospel in Arabic and English, urging unity, and welcoming all.
Focolare Catholics, Friends Strive to Ease COVID Suffering
By learning the scriptures, local followers of the Focolare movement find ways to be like Jesus, which opens doors to serious exchanges between Catholics and other religions. Service to people in need is also key, so some members volunteered to assemble respirators soon after the COVID-19 pandemic reached New York City.
‘Concert for Healing’ at St. Pancras Showcases Christ’s Power of Redemption
The thematic arc of “A Concert for Healing” allows viewers of this online performance to experience Christ’s power of redemption, said its organizers at St. Pancras Church, Glendale, Queens. It was videotaped and produced at the church to help its members mend from a tumultuous year for their parish.
‘It was Like an Answer to a Prayer for me’
Father Brian Shanley is the new president of St. John’s University, with a start date of Feb. 1, 2021. He is the former president of Providence College, Providence, R.I., where he earned notoriety for improving campus facilities, increasing the faculty, and building a more diverse student body.
Woman’s Cancer Journey Inspires Trust, Prepares for Eternity
Sandy Gross of Longmont, Colorado, believes there is redemption in suffering. She knows, having endured aggressive treatments in her nearly two-year fight with breast cancer.
Protestors At U.N. Accuse China’s Government of Brutality
Protestors representing ethnic minority groups under the control of China gathered Dec. 10 near the United Nations headquarters to assail China’s government for alleged crackdowns on friends and family in their homelands. Religious freedom was among their top concerns.
Pandemic Crimps Attendance But Not Joy at Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Brooklyn
The 220 attendees also paid loving honor to the late Father Jorge Ortiz-Garay, who died in March of COVID-19.