Like so many children born of working-class parents whose defining life experience had been the Great Depression of the 1930s, I was a born Democrat.
Author: settinger
Bethlehem residents look forward to papal visit, despite inconveniences
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (CNS) — A long line of cars trailed down the road next to the Church of the Nativity as Franciscan Father Ibrahim Faltas helped coordinate the placement of the electricity generator for the May 25 papal Mass. “We are working night and day,” he said calmly May 23, as he worked to quickly free up the road while drivers waited patiently in their cars. “I think it will be very nice. The people here are happy.”
Dedication of St. Joseph’s Co-Cathedral (with photos)
More than 2,000 people made up the overflow crowd as Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio dedicated St. Joseph’s Co-Cathedral in Prospect Heights. The event, which was televised live on NET-TV, symbolized the rebirth of the 100-year-old church building and the renewal in the neighborhood. More than 270 priests, seven bishops and retired Cardinal Edward Egan, the former […]
Priests Are Marking Their 65th, 60th Anniversaries
Also celebrating significant anniversaries this year are four priests who are marking their 65th years as priests and six who are 60 years ordained. Ordained 65 years are: Msgr. Austin Bennett, special assistant to the bishop and a resident of St. Thomas Aquinas rectory, Flatlands; Father Francis J. Labita, who lives at Bishop Mugavero Residence, […]
Silver Jubilarians – Eight Diocesan Priests Have Been Serving for 25 Years
Father Richard J. Bretone, parochial vicar at St. Patrick’s, Bay Ridge, since 2011, will celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving at the church on Saturday, May 31, at 5 p.m. A reception will follow in the auditorium. The theme for the reception will be a barn dance as a fundraiser for Father Bretone’s upstate N.Y. retreat […]
Celebrating Jubilees in Priesthood
At the annual Chrism Mass celebrated during Holy Week, priests who are marking significant anniversaries of their ordinations as priests were invited to concelebrate with Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio. From left are Msgr. Nicholas Sivillo, 50 years; Msgr. Austin Bennett, 65 years; and Msgr. John Casey, 60 years.
Golden Jubilarians – Six Diocesan Priests Marking 50th Year in Priesthood
Msgr. Martin T. Geraghty, pastor of St. Robert Bellarmine, Bayside, since 2006, will celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving at the Immaculate Conception Center, Douglaston, this fall. Born in Brooklyn, he attended Cathedral College; St. Mary’s Seminary, Baltimore; and North American College, Rome. He was ordained Dec. 16, 1964 at St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome, by Bishop Francis F. Reh.
Mass of the Neophytes
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio celebrated the Mass of the Neophytes with some of the catechumens and candidates for sacraments who joined the Catholic Church this past Easter. The Mass was held Tuesday, May 6 at St. James Cathedral-Basilica in Downtown Brooklyn. About 250 people attended.
Heirs to Holiness
PORTLAND, Ore. (CNS) – Phu Nguyen, a University of Portland sophomore, is descended from a saint. Phu’s great-great-great-grandfather died for abiding by his faith. The Vatican considers the torture endured by the renowned Vietnamese martyrs among the worst in the history of Christianity. St. Matthew Nguyen Van Phuong was born in Vietnam in 1801. After his parents died, he was raised by the local priest in Quang-Binh, in the central part of the Southeast Asian nation.
Howard Beach Students Learn Math Can Be Fun
Ave Maria Catholic Academy recently held its second annual Family Math Night. The two-hour event was attended by children and their parents from the K-8 school located in Howard Beach.“At Ave Maria, we work hard to ensure that our children have a strong foundation in the subjects that they will need to be successful in life,” said Anthony Russo, principal. “One way we do that is to make learning fun. Now that Common Core has been instituted, our teachers are implementing strategies to step up our math curriculum so that we meet and exceed parochial and public educational requirements.”