by Marie Elena Giossi Representing various backgrounds, dialects, parishes and ministries, local black Catholics converged on Our Lady of Light parish, St. Albans, for the 32nd annual diocesan Black History Month Mass of thanksgiving last Sunday, Feb. 19. Sponsored by the diocesan Vicariate of Black Catholic Concerns (VBCC), this year’s celebration focused upon the history, […]
Author: Marie Elena Giossi
New Marian Shrine in Sheepshead Bay
by Marie Elena Giossi Despite temperatures in the teens, dozens of parishioners gathered for the blessing and dedication of a Marian Prayer and Memorial Garden at St. Mark Church, Sheepshead Bay, last Sunday, Jan. 15. After the 12:30 p.m. Mass, clergy led the congregation outdoors to the newly constructed garden area, located on the Jerome […]
World AIDS Day – Remembrance, Education, Hope
In Park Slope, the fifth annual World AIDS Day Interfaith Candlelight Memorial Service was held at St. Augustine Church.
History on Display in Park Slope — St. Francis Xavier Marks 125th Year (with slide show)
An inscribed trowel, handwritten ledgers and golden monstrances, all circa 1900, were among the local treasures on display in Park Slope last weekend. St. Francis Xavier parish opened the doors of its 125-year-old Victorian-style rectory to exhibit historical photographs, artifacts, documents and memorabilia as part of its quasquicentennial celebration. The five-room display began in the […]
Canarsie Parish Celebrates 50 Years of Faith Building
Sunlight streamed through the stained-glass windows of the Shrine Church of St. Jude, Canarsie, as Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio gathered with parishioners and clergy to celebrate the church’s Golden Jubilee Mass, last Sunday, Oct. 30. Blessings were also bestowed upon the parish’s new prayer garden, dedicated in memory of Father Rosario Pitrone, founding pastor.
Closed Parish School Sends Desks to Haiti
by Marie Elena Giossi Following last year’s devastating earthquake in Haiti, many schoolchildren have taken to learning daily lessons while sitting on debris in lieu of chairs. That thought didn’t sit well with one Queens pastor who had perfectly good chairs sitting unused in his now-closed parish school. “I found out schoolchildren in Haiti were […]
A New Day: Hispanic Renewal Groups Move To New Sites in Brooklyn
After sharing memories and shedding tears, Jornadistas said their final farewell to the SS. Peter and Paul Spirituality Center in Cobble Hill on July 1, before processing to their new home at Transfiguration Church, Williamsburg, for a midnight Mass. The Diocese of Brooklyn is closing both the Brooklyn and Queens campuses of the SS. Peter […]
Constituents Urge ‘No’ Vote on the SSM Bill (with slide show)
by Marie Elena Giossi Nearly 30 concerned Catholics protested Queens State Sen. Joseph Addabbo’s support for same-sex marriage legislation and rallied outside his Howard Beach district office June 15. Most participants arrived on buses sponsored by the diocesan Government Affairs Office, which organized the rally. Carrying signs affirming traditional marriage, the intergenerational group prayed the […]