My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, The “door of faith” (Acts 14:27) is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into His Church. So writes Pope Benedict XVI, in his Apostolic Letter, Porta Fidei, announcing the Year of Faith, which will open on the […]
Put Out into the Deep
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, the seventh Bishop of Brooklyn, has led the Diocese since 2003. He is a forceful voice on behalf of migrants and immigrants, whose causes he has worked for through most of his priestly ministry. Complete Bio
Catholics Witness to the Truth
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, This is the first of a series of columns pertaining to the November elections. As Americans, we find ourselves in the heat of the political campaign season and may feel a bit overwhelmed by all the rhetoric, advertisements, direct mail, Facebook postings, e-mails and telephone calls. Like […]
Be Part of the New Evangelization
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, On Sept. 16, the Church in the United States celebrates Catechetical Sunday, an annual event which reminds us of the responsibility of the Church to teach and hand on the faith. This year’s theme is “Catechists and Teachers as Agents of the New Evangelization.” As I have […]
Grandparents Instill Love and Faith
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, Grandparents Day has been celebrated on the first Sunday after Labor Day for almost 30 years. The celebration originated through the work of Marian McQuad, a native of West Virginia and a wonderful mother of 15 children, 40 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. In 1973, the governor of […]
St. Gregory Knew Devotion, Balance
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, On Sept. 3, we celebrate the feast day of St. Gregory the Great. He was given this title because of his pivotal ministry at a time of monumental transition in the Church and of the world. Historians view him as one of the prime architects of the […]
Saints of Perseverance and Zeal
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, On Aug. 27, the Feast of St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine, will be celebrated. Monica is a great example of a mother who never lost confidence in the possibility of conversion for her son. Born a Christian, Monica was married to Augustine’s father, a non-Christian who […]
St. Bernard Was a Righteous Crusader
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, The 12th century in the history of the Church has been called by some the Bernadine Period. St. Bernard of Clairvaux, born in 1090 and canonized only 21 years after his death in 1153, was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1830 by Pope Pius VIII. […]
Giving Up One’s Life for Another
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, In the coming week, on Aug. 14, we celebrate the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe. He is a saint of modern times who met his death in Auschwitz in 1941. Maximilian was a Polish Conventual Franciscan Friar who volunteered to die in place of a stranger in […]
Patron Saint of Parish Priests
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, As I continue my summer focus on the lives of saints, I write this week about the life of St. John Marie Vianney, the Curé D’Ars, whose feast day is Aug. 6. The story of St. John Vianney is a captivating one. This man who began his […]
Ignatius Began by Changing Himself
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, As I continue my “Summer with the Saints” series, it will be good to speak about a man who was actually converted by reading the lives of saints: St. Ignatius Loyola. His feast day is July 31. In his early days, Ignatius was a man addicted to […]