VATICAN CITY (CNS) – In a move reflecting both his drive to reform the Vatican bureaucracy and his oft-stated desire to include laypeople in the leadership of the Church, Pope Francis established a new panel – to include almost as many lay members as clerics – to oversee the finances of the Holy See and […]
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Bishop: Parishes Must Welcome Immigrants
by Dennis Sadowski WASHINGTON (CNS) – Catholic parishes are called to build communion with immigrants and newcomers so people unite in faith rather than solely because of their cultural backgrounds, said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio. Brooklyn’s bishop, who has worked for 38 years to improve immigrant relations, told a Feb. 24 conference on the integration of […]
Second Annual Bilingual Women’s Conference
“Mary, a Role Model for Women” is the theme for the diocese’s second annual Bilingual Women’s Conference, which is set for Saturday, March 22, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Immaculate Conception Center, Douglaston. Activities for the day will include Mass with Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, speaker presentations, a concert, a prayer service and […]
Ireland to Reopen Its Embassy at the Vatican
DUBLIN (CNS) – Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin welcomed an Irish government decision to reopen a Vatican Embassy just over three years after closing it. Foreign Affairs Minister Eamon Gilmore announced Jan. 21 that Ireland was preparing to open a scaled-back embassy but gave no date for the reopening.
Spain’s Bishops Back Abortion Restrictions
MADRID (CNS) – A Spanish bishop urged medical personnel to stop performing all abortions, even though the Church has backed new legislation that would still allow abortion in cases of rape. “Those who assist with abortions are seen as automatically excommunicated because the Church wants to defend the weak,” said Madrid Auxiliary Bishop Juan Martinez […]
Pope Renews Argentine Passport and ID Card
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis is the sovereign of Vatican City and has a Holy See passport. But even dressed in papal white, Jorge Mario Bergoglio is an Argentine citizen with a brand new passport and national identity card. “The pope wanted to continue having normal Argentine documents,” said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican […]
Slain Sister’s Story Inspires Local Filmmakers
By Antonina Zielinska A love and passion discovered thanks to an NYU film class landed one Brazilian-American couple on hammocks in the Amazon rainforest. Vincent and Cristina Biscione met when they were both doing post-graduate work at New York University. Cristina was an exchange student with a bachelor’s in journalism. Vincent, a Xaverian H.S., Bay […]
Bayside School Hosts Students from Korea
This past January, Sacred Heart School, Bayside, hosted several foreign exchange students from Korea. The students spent the month going to classes and learning about life in America. Dennis Farrell, principal, said that he was very proud of his students for helping the exchange students to acclimate to the American style of learning. “The students […]
Pope: Love Means Always Saying You Are Sorry
by Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Greeting thousands of engaged couples on the feast of St. Valentine, Pope Francis told them not to be afraid of building a permanent and loving relationship in a culture where everything is disposable and fleeting. The secrets to a loving and lasting union, he said, include treating each […]
Christ Renews His Parish: Green Bay Parishioners Introduce Powerful Retreat Experience to the Diocese
Seventy-five parishioners from three diocesan parishes – St. Mary Gate of Heaven, Ozone Park; Good Shepherd, Marine Park; and Holy Trinity, Whitestone – recently gathered at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, Huntington, L.I., to begin a process called Christ Renews His Parish. Christ Renews His Parish, or CRHP, is a powerful experience of Christian […]