Kristi Kollar has put her pro-life views into practice. The 19-year-old who now lives in Astoria said she was raped two years ago, and despite being shunned by her church at the time, she kept her baby. Her daughter, Adeline, is now about 14 months old.
Parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes in Queens Village held a procession to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Velankanni (Our Lady of Good Health), known as “the Lourdes of the East,” a growing Marian devotion in our diocese, on Sept. 8.
The Shrine Church of St. Gerard Majella, Hollis, was vandalized twice in one week in September, according to pastor Father JosephJude Gannon, who said he believes the same person was responsible for both acts.
You can’t spell “theology,” the study of God, without T-H-E-O, as in Father Theo, the beloved and scholarly retired priest in residence at Immaculate Conception, Jamaica, who celebrated his 45th year at the parish with a Mass of thanksgiving on Sept. 15. Father Theophane Cooley, C.P., 91, who’s originally from Dublin, speaks five languages and has taught philosophy and Latin. But perhaps he’s best known as a kind and caring priest.
Michael and Illisse, both 30, make the extra effort because they feel strongly connected to Sacred Hearts-St. Stephen’s. They aren’t the only ones. A number of parishioners, who once lived near the church, still come back to Mass there every Sunday, even after they have moved away. They come from Westchester County, Long Island, Staten Island and other parts of Brooklyn.
On Sep. 13, the Holy Child Jesus Academy community gathered for its annual back-to-school barbeque, where they also paid special tribute to members of a local family who perished in a house fire over the summer.
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio recognized “Court of Honor” donors to the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Annual Catholic Appeal in a celebration Sept. 14 at the Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston.
“By coming to things like this, you’re planning ahead, you’re looking forward to something all of the time.”
Preachers of Christ and Mary, an order of religious sisters that was founded in 1995 in Colombia and that has been doing missionary work in Brooklyn since 2004, has made the Diocese of Brooklyn its official home.
Auxiliary Bishop James Massa blessed a new STEM lab at St. Brigid-St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Academy, Bush- wick, on Sept. 10. Bishop Massa also blessed the school’s new playground and recently renovated auditorium before celebrating a school-wide Mass.
