Msgr. Perfecto Vazquez reflects on leading 48 Brooklyn and Queens residents on a pilgrimage to the shrines at Fatima, Portugal; Lourdes, France and Santiago de Compostela, Spain, over the summer.
Diocesan News
Local Colombians Celebrate Papal Visit to the Homeland
When Pope Francis addressed the Colombian people during a prayer meeting in Villavicencio, he told them that with the help of Christ alive in the midst of the community, it is possible to conquer hatred and death. He told them it was possible to begin again and usher in a new Colombia, despite more than 50 years of civil war.
Regina Pacis Basilica Mass Honors St. Teresa of Calcutta
Msgr. Ronald Marino led prayers to Mother Teresa in St. Joseph’s Chapel of the Columbarium beneath Regina Pacis Basilica, prior to the celebration of her feast in the upper church.
A Shift in the Morning Menu At the Center in Douglaston
Theresa Polese has hung up her apron after 33 years of serving seminarians and retired priests in the dining room at the Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston.
Pastoral Year Opens
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, the auxiliary bishops and other priests in diocesan offices, celebrated Mass at Holy Name Church, Windsor Terrace, with diocesan employees to mark the opening of the pastoral year.
Bishops Mourn Losses Caused By Two Destructive Hurricanes
The U.S. bishops’ Executive Committee Sept. 12 prayed for “the safety and care of human life” after two catastrophic hurricanes and urged Catholics around the country to offer their prayers as well as financial support and volunteer help as they can.
Special Needs Youth Learn Where Nuns Lived
At the old convent building at St. Finbar, Bensonhurst, where nuns once prayed and worked, children now learn and play.
Queens Rectory Hosts Papal Trip Viewing Party
Through a television screen setup in the rectory of St. Mary Gate of Heaven in Ozone Park, Colombian parishioners witnessed the second day of their beloved home country welcoming Pope Francis with open arms, setting the stage for talks on reconciliation and peace during his visit to Villavicencio, Sept. 8.
Bushwick Parishioner Was An Advocate for Tenants
People of Bushwick came together Sept. 9 to elevate the name of one of their own, who died last year, and honor her legacy as a hero of the community.
On 9/11, B’klyn Battalion Continues to March, Pray
Just as in previous years, FDNY Battalion 57 marched from the World Trade Center, across the Brooklyn Bridge, to St. Joseph Co-Cathedral, Prospect Heights, to remember the fallen heroes of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.