Frank Macchiarola left an imprint on New York City when he helped steer the near-bankrupt city out of stormy financial waters in the mid-1970s and by serving as the public schools chancellor from 1978 to 1983. 

Personal shoppers are usually a luxury service found only in high-end stores like Saks Fifth Avenue, but on Dec. 12, they were found in a church basement of all places. 

When Bishop Robert Brennan extended an invitation to lunch, little did he realize that 1,100 people would show up.

Rose Diaz stood outside of an abortion clinic on DeKalb Avenue on Friday morning, Dec. 6, and prayed as she does almost every morning. Only this time, her prayers weren’t just for the unborn. She said her prayers were also dedicated to the late Msgr. Philip Reilly — her friend, mentor, and a pioneer of the national pro-life movement.

Msgr. Edward Doran, a retired priest living at the Immaculate Conception Center (ICC) in Douglaston, visits the center’s chapel each morning to pray for active priests and his fellow retired clergymen. 

For one last time, the Nativity on the grounds of Visitation Monastery was dedicated to the Christmas season, and the trees surrounding the life-sized depiction of Jesus Christ’s birth were illuminated by hundreds of twinkling lights. 

Churches aren’t hospitals and priests aren’t doctors, but Kenneth Gibbs, president and CEO of Maimonides Medical Center in Borough Park, said religious institutions play a vital role in health care, particularly with mental health.