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 […]

U.S. Student Tucks Message in a Skullcap

by Carol Glatz The “zucchetto switcheroo” is a long-held tradition for popes and pilgrims. A guest presents the pope with a brand new white skullcap, and the pope is expected to take it and swap it with the one he’s wearing on his head. While many pilgrims are familiar with the practice, a newly elected […]

Vatican Clarifies Position on Divorce

by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Amid rising expectations that the Catholic Church might make it easier for divorced and remarried members to receive Communion, the Vatican’s highest doctrinal official reaffirmed Church teaching barring such persons from the sacrament without an annulment of their first, sacramental marriage. But Archbishop Gerhard L. Muller, prefect […]