New US Envoy to Vatican Emphasizes Collaboration

by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Disagreements need not hinder the Vatican and the Obama administration from collaborating on a broad range of peace and justice issues, including the promotion of religious freedom, said Ken Hackett, the new U.S ambassador to the Holy See. The envoy also told Catholic News Service that Pope […]

Pope Offers Advice At Family Festival

by ­­Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – A Catholic wedding is not simply a beautiful ceremony; through the sacrament of marriage, a couple receives from God the grace they will need to fulfill their mission in the world, Pope Francis said. Addressing an estimated 100,000 people who came to St. Peter’s Square Oct. 26 for […]

Catechetical Congress Studies Themes of New Evangelization

Following on the footsteps of the Year of Faith Catechetical Gathering at the Vatican last month, the Fall Faith Formation Congress sponsored by the diocesan Office of Faith Formation was conducted Oct. 26 at St. Edmund Prep, Sheepshead Bay. More than 450 people gathered for prayer; a keynote address by Father Anthony Ciorra, S.J., a […]

Fidelis Offers Affordable Health Care Advice

With so many choices and variables, selecting the best health insurance coverage for you and your family can be difficult. Fidelis Care, the New York State Catholic Health Plan, is making it simple, with help from the Fidelis Affordable Care Advisor. Found on Fidelis Care’s website, fideliscare.org, the Fidelis Affordable Care Advisor is an online […]

Rockaway Park, Broad Channel Sites Move Forward

by Marie Elena Giossi Water surged through the streets of Rockaway Park and Broad Channel on the night Hurricane Sandy hit the Rockaway Peninsula. Homes and buildings were damaged and destroyed, displacing residents, school children and Special Olympians. “I never expected the amount of damage, devastation and the complete change that has taken place on […]

Newly Renovated St. Luke Church Celebrates Historic Dedication

by Marie Elena Giossi The parish community of St. Luke, Whitestone, celebrated the dedication of its newly restored and renovated church at a solemn Mass of Dedication on Sunday, Oct. 20.  “Today is a day of thanksgiving; it’s a day of joy, and it’s a day of renewal,” said Auxiliary Bishop Raymond Chappetto, who presided […]

Celebration of Polish Heritage in Greenpoint

Bishop Kazimierz Gurda, auxiliary bishop of Kielce, Poland, was the guest speaker at the annual diocesan Polish Heritage Mass held Oct. 20 at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Greenpoint. The theme for the event was “The Family in Migration School of Faith and Life.” Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio joined the members of the Polish Apostolate for […]

Race with Faith to St. Peter’s Square

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Seminarians, Vatican guards, Olympic champs, regular children and people with disabilities all took part in a “Race of Faith” on Sunday, Oct. 20 to highlight how the Church can help foster a world of sport that better respects human dignity. Organized by the Pontifical Council for Culture, a 100-meter, three-lane tartan […]

Pope Meets German Bishop with Extravagant Tastes

by Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – After giving a morning Mass homily on the virtue of poverty, Pope Francis held a private meeting Oct. 21 with a German bishop under fire for a massive building project that critics have denounced as extravagant. The Vatican press office announced the pope’s meeting with Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van […]