Coming Home: WWII Hero’s Remains Returned to Brooklyn After 83 Years

Eighty-three years after he was killed in a wartime plane crash in the South Pacific, the remains of a World War II airman were finally returned to his native Brooklyn, giving his family the chance to gather for his funeral Mass at the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on April 24.

The Meaning Behind Vestments

When a priest processes up the aisle of the church at the start of Mass, some Catholics in the pews notice the vestments he wears, each of which, according to Father Carlos Velásquez, carries deep significance.