“Be a Brian.” It’s a challenge that Leanne Simonsen posed to family, friends and NYPD gathered in Holy Child Jesus Church in Richmond Hill, Queens to remember her husband, Detective Brian Simonsen, who on Feb. 12, 2019 was shot and killed by friendly fire while responding to reports of an armed robbery at a neighboring T-Mobile store.
Author: Wandy Ortiz
Only in Print: With Book Clubs, Catholics Read It and Reap | February 8, 2020
“Take and read.” The words that St. Augustine once received in a divine message are taken literally by parishes in the Diocese of Brooklyn and many Catholics throughout New York City who belong to Catholic-based book clubs.
Only in Print: Diocese’s Teachers Trained on Active Shooter | February 1, 2020
One sign of the times is that teachers must know how to confront an active shooter. On Jan. 17, teachers from four Catholic schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn gathered at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy, Windsor Terrace, and St. Frances De Sales Catholic Academy, Belle Harbor, for training on what to do if a gunman enters their classroom.
Quakes Affect Local Parishioners
The earthquakes that hit Puerto Rico on Jan. 6 and 7 and last weekend have shaken those in the Diocese of Brooklyn with roots on the island, as well as those who once lived in Brooklyn or Queens.
Only in Print: ‘Miracle Baby’ Rings In New Year With Parish Family | January 11, 2020
New Year’s Day was extra special for Tamara Darnley, who celebrated the holiday with her parish “family” at St. Margaret Mary Church in Astoria. To understand the significance of Darnley’s day at the church, one must go back to 1995, when she was a newborn.
Bright Christmas Fund Boosts Youth Ministry in the Diocese
The Tablet’s Bright Christmas Fund has made the Christmas season a little more cheerful for Lauren Barriteau, 16, a parishioner of St. Clare Catholic Church, Rosedale, and a member of the parish’s youth ministry group.
‘Miracle of Christmas’ Depicts Mary and Joseph’s Love Story
This Christmas season, artists in New York are using song, dance and storytelling to tell an old love story in a new way. Centered around the relationship between the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, “The Miracle of Christmas” is a musical recounting the events that the two saints experienced leading up to the birth of Christ.
Former Tablet Paper Boy Walks the Camino
From Tablet paper boy to FBI agent to travel writer, Kenneth Strange has had a winding journey through life. In July, Strange published a book about one particular journey — the 500-mile walk he and his wife, Aurora, made in Spain last year, when they completed the “Camino de Santiago,” which is known in English as the “Way of St. James.”
Father Ortiz, a Proud Latino Vet
BENSONHURST — The U.S. military is becoming more ethnically diverse, just like the country it serves. Case in point: Hispanics are the fastest-growing minority in the military, and the number of Latino veterans is projected to double within 10 years.
Only in The Tablet: Hispanic Youth Find Ways to Stay in the Fold | November 2, 2019
In the Diocese of Brooklyn, three different charismatic movements that are popular among Hispanic Catholics — the Neocatechumenal Way, the Cursillo and the Jornadas — are giving people something different to keep them inside the church…