Dear Editor: The article “Brooklyn Teen on Early Road to Sainthood Remembered at St. Bernard’s Parish,” by Antonina Zielinska, on July 6 was a moving eulogy and testimony of the short but magnificent life and ministry of Kaitlyn Rose Bernhardt… a very beautiful, blessed instrument and messenger of God’s love and desire for the salvation of His earthly creations.
Author: settinger
Mother Cabrini’s Legacy of Service Lives On
by Msgr. Gregory MustaciuoloWhile there are differences in approaches and solutions, there is broad agreement that more needs to be done to improve health care in our nation. The same is true for this state we call home.
The Value of Persistence in Prayer
by Msgr. Joseph P. Calise Several years ago, I was asked to visit a parishioner on one of the upper floors at Memorial Sloane Kettering Hospital. It was clear that he was near the end of his life, and so I certainly wanted to seize the opportunity to spend some time with him and his family.
The Many Ways That God Cares
by Father John Catoir God cares enough to call you his child: “You are a child of God, by faith in Jesus Christ.” Gal 3:26. “Do not fear, I have called you by name, for you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1.
About Human Composting
Dear Editor: Will George Weigel never tire of his quest to prove the superiority of his personal preferences over those he chooses to call the “unchurched,” but also those of many of the Christian — and Jewish — faithful? In his column on “composting,” (“On the Composting of Thee and Me,” May 11) he makes sport of anyone who has the temerity to hold that our human bodies are but “microbes on a grain of dust,” despite the fact that the Church has proclaimed exactly that on every Ash Wednesday since time out of mind.
Are We Still Capable of Coming Together?
Dear Editor: These are scary times. We no longer seem capable of coming together to fix our problems. The two sides disagree on who runs this country. And, sadly — it is no longer possible to settle the question through elections, because they don’t even agree that elections are how you decide who’s in charge. That’s the basic issue here. Who decides — who runs the country? When parties hate each other and can’t accept the election results, you have what our country is about now! When you stop accepting election results you have a countdown to a civil war.
Some Thoughts on Priestly Celibacy
The Tablet has reported — and this editorial space has addressed — the idea of ordaining older married men as priests, which in addition to many other matters the upcoming synod for the Amazon region will discuss. There is much to consider.
Ministering to Youth in Our Church
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,Each year, for the past several years, the Diocese of Brooklyn has hosted a major youth program sponsored by the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio.
Choosing Between Good and Better
As part of a “Sunday Scriptures” reflection a few weeks ago, I referenced the book “The Biggest Lie in the History of Christianity” by Matthew Kelly. I wrote, “The book challenges us to ask ourselves four questions: Who am I? What am I here for? What matters most? What matters least?” That understanding of what is important, what matters, certainly has a central role in this Sunday’s Gospel.
Receiving the Spirit
Third in a series’For me, reading Pope Francis’ Exhortation “Christ Lives: Addressed to Young People and to the Entire People of God” is like making a day of prayer. Of course, whenever I read anything that any pope has written I pay close attention to it. However, Pope Francis’ writing and speaking touches me on a special level. This has been true from the start of his pontificate. I continue to hear rumors that some people in the church are trying to force Pope Francis to retire. This is a complete mystery to me. I have found every document that Pope Francis has written inspiring. The following statement from the Exhortation could sum up an entire spirituality, could be a succinct statement about what is happening in our lives because of God’s presence: