For many Christians during Lent, fasting is often a grudging afterthought: smaller meals on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, no meat on Fridays. The idea of fasting, along with prayer and almsgiving, is to repent and grow in faith.
Diocesan News
Local Nigerian Catholics Honor Holy Family’s Flight to Egypt
The Nigerian Igbo community celebrated its annual remembrance of the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt with a Mass and fellowship Feb. 23 at St. Fortunata Church, East New York.
Bridge to Life Needs Help to Move
The Bridge to Life is a nonprofit that depends on donations. It is trying to help save the lives of the unborn in a city that’s unofficially the abortion capital of world.
Catholic Hero Honored on 75th Anniversary of Iwo Jima
An American who risked his life in one of World War II’s most vicious battles was honored during the 75th anniversary of Iwo Jima, Feb. 19, at the Staten Island U.S. Marine Corps League headquarters. Veteran Nick Troianiello believed he survived his wounds during that bloody battle, because of God.
Only in Print: From Palms to Ashes, the Church’s Annual Cycle | February 22, 2020
On Ash Wednesday, millions of Catholics around the world will wear a mark of ashes on their foreheads, gathered from the palms that are burned after Palm Sunday the previous year.
Chinese Catholics Welcome Cardinal Zen
Chinese Cardinal Joseph Zen visited the Diocese of Brooklyn last weekend to meet with Chinese Catholics of Brooklyn and Queens. His visit also coincided with the continuing coronavirus epidemic in China and was part of his broader worldwide tour to advocate for religious freedom in the country.
Young Musician Is in Tune With Ministry
As a first-generation Haitian/Mauritian-American, Laguerre knew choosing a career that wasn’t going to lead him to medicine or business might raise some eyebrows in his family. And even though he had expressed interest in robotics and engineering, his natural proficiency in mathematics and connecting parts together pointed to his true vocation: leading others to Christ through sound and songs as a church music director.
Brooklyn, Rockville Centre Dioceses Celebrate Black History Month Mass in Douglaston
At the Black History Month Mass Feb.16, faithful from both the Brooklyn and Rockville Centre dioceses celebrated Mass with thanksgiving and praise at Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston.
Statement by The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, on the Apostolic Exhortation by Pope Francis: “Querida Amazonia”
The Holy Father’s Apostolic Exhortation, Querida Amazonia, or Beloved Amazon, is a sensitive document that vividly describes the cultural and ecological challenges of the Amazon.
Queens Parish Remembers Fallen NYPD Detective
“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.