Immigration Reform: Bishop DiMarzio Prays with Latin American Community in Corona

by Antonina Zielinska As the U.S. Congress debates immigration reform, Catholic Bishops throughout the U.S. prayed with immigrant communities on Sunday, Sept. 8, in a unified effort to promote change in the country’s legal system. In an answer to the call of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio celebrated a standing-room-only Spanish […]

A woman kneels in prayer during a Mass for peace in Syria and the world Sept. 7 in the Crypt Church at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. (CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn)

Cardinal Wuerl: Universal Prayer Is a Sign of Hope

by Richard Szczepanowski WASHINGTON (CNS) – As American policymakers debated military intervention in Syria, Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl joined Pope Francis and Catholics around the world in calling for peace and a just solution to the violence that has wracked the country and other parts of the world. “Today we pray for those who are […]

Vatican Nuncio to UN: Peace Is the Only Path to Survival

Military strikes on Syria are unjustified and will create a far larger humanitarian disaster for people already suffering from hunger, displacement and critical lack of medical care, said the Vatican nuncio to the U.N. Archbishop Francis A. Chullikatt urged, instead, that world leaders work toward a “cessation of violence, not an escalation of violence” in […]

Pope Leads Prayers for Peace

by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Leading a crowd in prayer for peace in Syria, Pope Francis said that war is ultimately caused by selfishness, which can be overcome only through expressions of fraternity and never with violence. “Leave behind the self-interest that hardens your heart, overcome the indifference that makes your heart […]

Never to be Forgotten

The twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center following the Sept. 11, 2001 attack is depicted in a stained-glass window at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in the New Dorp Beach section of Staten Island. This past week marked the 12th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people […]

Ten Transitional Deacons On Their Way to Priesthood (with slideshow)

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio ordained 12 men to the diaconate as a final step before they will be ordained priests next spring. The ordination took place Aug. 31 at St. James Cathedral-Basilica, Downtown Brooklyn. Auxiliary Bishops Octavio Cisneros, Paul Sanchez and Raymond Chappetto also attended along with priests, deacons, families and friends of the newly-ordained. The […]

War Begets War

Expect to hear very little in the days and weeks ahead than attempts to stir up the American public to give Washington – and its only most likely ally, France – sufficient cover to mount some kind of retaliatory attack on the Syrian regime. A case must be built to justify a military response with […]

Bishop Joseph Sullivan Will Be Remembered at Scouting Dinner

The annual Bishop’s Dinner for Scouting, conducted by the Diocese’s Catholic Committee on Scouting, will pay special tribute to the late Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan, who served as chaplain to the Catholic Committee for Scouting. The event will be held Thursday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. in El Caribe Country Club in Mill Basin. Bishop […]

Giving Back to the Futures

Futures In Education, the non-profit organization dedicated to helping underprivileged students in Brooklyn and Queens benefit from a Catholic education, closed out the summer with a networking fundraiser at Manhattan’s Hudson Terrace. The event, held Aug. 22 and titled “Kick Back to the Futures,” drew a large crowd with 95 percent new prospects. Guests had […]

Father Gillen Leads Pilgrimage to Fatima

Father Peter Gillen recently led a spiritual pilgrimage for A&G Peace Tours to Fatima, Portugal and Santiago de Compostela, Spain. The pilgrims are shown here at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima with an image of the Blessed Mother superimposed.