The Official Catholic Directory for 2011 arrived on my desk the other day. It is the official compilation of the statistics from every diocese in the United States. Those of us who frequently use this volume refer to it as the Kennedy Directory because it is published annually by P. J. Kennedy and Sons. This […]
Author: Ed Wilkinson
Gearing Up for World Youth Day
This week’s cover story about the cloistered Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará Sisters in Flatlands who sewed penitential stoles for the upcoming World Youth Day is the kickoff of our coverage of the historic event which will take place in Madrid, Spain, Aug. 16-21. Between now and the opening ceremonies, The […]
What Happened to Objective Truth?
Less than a week after New York State radically altered the definition of marriage to include people of the same-sex, Rhode Island has taken a different tact. By a vote of 21-16, the State Senate approved legislation, already approved by the House, that approved same-sex unions, without calling those arrangements marriages. The legislation grants the […]
We’re Moving, We Are Not on Vacation
As I write this, there are boxes all around me. I need to pack. Outside the office, summer interns are busy clearing cabinet files. Documents containing business transactions and editorial matters are being stored in cardboard boxes as they are made ready for another move of The Tablet’s office. As you should already know, there […]
Switching Sides on Gay Marriage
Three local State senators switched their votes from “No” to “Yes” on the subject of same-sex marriage, putting much of the Church’s social ministry in jeopardy. Sens. Joseph Addabbo and Shirley Huntley of Queens and Sen. Carl Kruger of Brooklyn made their last minute U-turns in the midst of dramatic politicial arm-twisting as the possibility […]
The Drama of Ordination Day
There are many dramatic moments in any ordination ceremony. In the past two weeks, we have experienced two ordination liturgies. The first, at Our Lady of Angels Church, Bay Ridge, saw 27 men raised to the ministry of deacon. This past weekend, three young men were ordained priests at St. James Cathedral-Basilica in Downtown Brooklyn. […]
Local Senators Key To Same-Sex Bill
Right now, pressure is building on Albany politicians to pass a Marriage Equality Act which would make gay couples the same as heterosexual couples. As it stands, the bill does not have enough votes to pass the State Senate and Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he will not bring the bill to a vote unless he […]
Church Has Learned A Lot About Abuse
One week after the John Jay Report issued its conclusions about the causes of sex abuse among the clergy, the Diocese of Brooklyn could take consolation in the fact that it already had put into place many of the recommendations of the report. A line-up of guests appeared on the talk shows produced by The […]