When the Chinese community gathered at St. Agatha’s Church, Sunset Park, Sunday, Feb. 18, to celebrate the Lunar New Year, its members put first things first. “After we give thanksgiving to God, we give thanksgiving to the ancestors,” said Father Vincentius Do, pastor.
Pope Francis has named Auxiliary Bishop Robert J. Coyle of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services to be an auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Rockville Centre.
“Evil is contagious but so is Goodness,” said Auxiliary Bishop Roy Campbell of Washington, D.C., as he addressed the Mass of thanksgiving celebrated Feb. 17 at the Immaculate Conception Center, Douglaston, to celebrate Black History Month.
Sara Nespoli runs the faith formation program at SS. Simon and Jude parish, Gravesend. She is just months away from receiving a master’s degree in theology from St. Joseph Seminary. Sara believes her studies are an invaluable asset in teaching children and adults about the Catholic faith.
Finding a just solution for the so-called Dreamer-immigrants in the United States must be part of a larger reform of immigration policy in the country, said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio.
Never baptized in any Christian tradition, these catechumens – as they are called – are enrolled in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), and will enter the Church at the Easter Vigil, March 31, in their home parishes.
Auxiliary Bishop Octavio Cisneros formally accepted the names of more than 80 children who are preparing to be baptized into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. The ceremony with the bishop – the Rite of Election for Children of Catechetical Age – was held Feb. 17 at St. James Cathedral-Basilica, Downtown Brooklyn.
The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops encouraged Catholics across the nation to join with Pope Francis Feb. 23 for a special day of prayer and fasting for peace, with special prayers for Congo and South Sudan.
The Diocese celebrated Ash Wednesday in various ways.
The youth group from Incarnation parish, Queens Village, has one special goal in mind come January 2019: attending World Youth Day in Panama City, Panama. To help bring that to fruition, Father Christopher Bethge, parochial vicar, and Youth Minister Rose Ruesing are coming up with creative ways for the teens to offset the steep costs of the trip.
