There are numerous stories of Catholics from Nazi-occupied countries who put themselves at risk to save the lives of Jewish people, said Jolanta Zamecka, vice chair of the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County.
Author: Paula Katinas
Museum Shows Catholics Helped Jewish People During the Holocaust
There is a small museum in Assisi, Italy, dedicated to preserving the memory of priests and nuns who saved 300 Jews during the Holocaust by forging documents, sheltering them in convents and smuggling them out of the country.
After Careers as a Banker, a Businessman, and a Religious Brother, They Became Priests
There are many priests from the Diocese of Brooklyn who came to the priesthood relatively late in life after enjoying other long careers in various professions.
Hammer in Hand, Parishioner Uses Carpentry Skills to Serve Church
On most days, Christian Kauffmann can be found at Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen Church in Carroll Gardens with a hammer in his hand, ready to tackle his next project.
Pope’s Astronomer Tells Students to Reach for the Stars in School
The man known as the Pope’s astronomer came to Fontbonne Hall Academy in Bay Ridge to encourage students attending a science-oriented summer camp to learn more about the wonders of the universe that God created.
One Left Social Work, Another the Military, and Another Journalism, to Answer the Call to the Priesthood
As a young man, Father Michael Panicali flirted with the idea of being a news reporter, even going so far as to major in journalism at Pace University in Pleasantville, New York. But he ultimately found his way to the priesthood.
In an Evolving Neighborhood, St. Clare Church Has ‘Held the Faith for 100 years.’
Maureen Kaczynski started attending Mass at St. Clare Church in Rosedale as a young newlywed 64 years ago and she has been going there ever since.
Priests Recall Their Past Lives as a Naval Corpsman, Chef & Actuary
Father Edwin Ortiz believes that he wound up where he was always meant to be — in a parish serving as a priest. But he took a circuitous route to the priesthood that included working in St. John’s Cemetery and serving as a hospital corpsman in the U.S. Navy.
St. Joseph Dedicates New Saints’ Cove to Battle Cancer Diagnoses
When Vivian Esposti was waging a 21-month-long battle with pancreatic cancer, a disease that would ultimately take her life, she asked her husband Edward to get a statue of St. Peregrine (the patron saint of cancer patients) for their church, St. Joseph’s. On July 24, Esposti was at the church keeping his promise to his wife.
Priests Recall Their Past Lives as a Police Officer, a Steamfitter
Long before he served at St. Kevin’s Church, Father Jeffry Dillon served the public in a different way — as a New York City police officer. It was back in the 1970s and he patrolled the streets of the Upper West Side as a police officer.