Parishioners of Annunciation Church, Williamsburg, gathered at Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish hall for their traditional Christmas Eve celebration on Dec. 18.  Parishioners followed the traditional Lithuanian custom of a shared a meal before Christmas, consisting of 12 meatless dishes in honor of the 12 apostles.  The celebration featured the creation of intricate, handcrafted […]

Father Joey Francisco and the ladies of Our Lady Help of Christians parish, Midwood, prepared hundreds of Christmas presents collected for the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara Sisters of the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton community, which serves the people of St. Gabriel, St. John Cantius, and St. Michael churches in East […]

Performers take their bows after presenting a living manger story about the birth of Jesus in Scripture and songs at Our Lady of Hope Church, Middle Village.  The players are members of the parish’s Padre Pio Prayer Group.  The tradition of depicting the Nativity was begun by St. Francis of Assisi in 1223 in Greccio, […]

Head of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, Ja Seung, left, a Catholic priest and Buddhists and Catholics pose during an event to light Christmas trees at Jogyesa temple in Seoul, South Korea, Dec. 16. The Christmas trees were installed at the compound to show the peace and understanding between different religions, according to the […]

by Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has opened a window of opportunity for renewed dialogue and possible reunification of the peninsula, said two South Korean bishops. Bishop Peter Kang U-il of Cheju, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, said the leader’s death Dec. […]

by Patricia Zapor WASHINGTON (CNS) – Pope Benedict XVI’s trip to Cuba in the spring will have multiple layers of meaning for the Church and for Cuban society, said a U.S. archbishop who pays close attention to Cuba. The pope will go there as a symbol of peace and hope, as a pilgrim participating in […]

In the Diocese of Brooklyn, blood drives will be held on the following dates, in the following parishes: • Our Lady of Perpetual Help, S. Ozone Park, Jan. 8, 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. • St. Columba, Marine Park, Jan. 15, 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. • Queen of Angels, Sunnyside, Jan. 15, 9:30 a.m.- 2:30 p.m. • St. Margaret’s, Middle […]

At a prayer service at St. James Cathedral-Basilica, Downtown Brooklyn, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio presented 80 students from elementary schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn with certificates representing $1,000 scholarships donated by the Tri-State Italian American Congress. Bishop DiMarzio thanked the group for its generosity, and also recognized the parents who sacrifice to pay tuition so […]

by Nancy Frazier O’Brien WASHINGTON (CNS) – With cohabitation, single-person households and single parenthood on the rise, the percentage of Americans who are currently married has reached an all-time low. A new report from the Pew Research Center analyzing Census Bureau data found that only 51% of Americans 18 and over were married in 2010, […]

St. Adalbert in Elmhurst conducted its Greccio service Dec. 17.  The re-enactment by Secular Franciscans of the “living manger scene” (crèche) that St. Francis created in 1223 in a cave above Greccio, Italy, recalls the Child who was born in Bethlehem.