by Kathleen M. Gallagher
My friend Mary is one-of-a-kind. She is a retired police lieutenant from suburban Long Island, where we both grew up. Today Mary has relocated to a rural hamlet in the northernmost county of New York State. She owns a 300+ acre farm that includes goats, cows, horses, a donkey, two dogs, and lots of chickens, some of whom occasionally roam through the farmhouse.
by Father John Catoir
Robert Louis Stevenson wrote: “Most of us reflect our surroundings. However, men (and women) with quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened; they carry on in times of fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm.”
This Oct. 4, the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, I intend to make a pilgrimage. Not to any famous Franciscan shrine, but to a place that has meaning for me and my family: Webster Hall on East 11th St., Manhattan. Though recently closed for major renovations, the hall is where, at a closely chaperoned dance 70 years ago, on Oct. 4, 1947, an 18-year-old Rosie Lusardi met an ‘older man,’ 24-year-old Clemente Ferrari. Within 10 years, this young couple would be married and have three of their eventual four children. I am the second offspring of their union.
by Richard Slizeski
The first Labor Day was held in New York City on Nov. 5, 1882. Its purpose was to celebrate the labor movement’s social and economic achievement that contributed to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country.
by Christopher White
On the same day that Pope Francis called for an end to the “collective and arbitrary” expulsion of migrants, the U.S. bishops expressed their deep disappointment in President Donald Trump’s decision to end the parole processing system for minors seeking to enter the United States through the Central American Minors (CAM) program.
It was during renovations to our house that a young worker came across a large box filled with religious articles. The young man examined the contents for a moment, and then asked, “Hey, lady, where should I put this box of holy stuff?”
A few days after attending the National Black Catholic Congress, which was attended by over 2,000 delegates representing the African Diasporas from the United States and some dioceses representing Africa, the Caribbean, the military and Rome, I placed a call to an old friend, John Baynes.
by Father Sean M. Suckiel
Pope Francis’ vision in his pontificate seeks to reawaken the Church by reclaiming the sense of mission in the hearts of all its followers once again.
Being baptized in the Holy Spirit is life changing, accompanied by the grace of the Lord to live a life of ongoing conversion.
My first week in the United States was not without its fair share of action and drama. Any new visitor to the U.S. would relish the thought of seeing sights imprinted in the minds of the rest of the world thanks to American films and television. But I had a slightly off-beat experience.
