Doors Close and Open For Local Soup Kitchen

Twenty six years ago, the Zion Lutheran Church on Fourth Avenue and 63rd Street, Bay Ridge, opened its doors to welcome guests coming for a meal. Joe Duerr from St. Andrew the Apostle Church and Jean De Gennaro from Lutheran Zion Church were aware of the needs of neighborhood people and, impelled by Christ’s instruction […]

Super Opportunity to Raise Awareness

by RoseAnne Cleary I am not a football fan. Yet, I probably haven’t missed many Super Bowl parties in the last 48 seasons. The annual mid-winter high point seemed a natural, and whether attending one or hosting, the date was circled on the new calendar as soon as it was hung. The sheer counts surrounding […]

One-Man Show Gets to The Heart of St. Paul

by Glenn Smith “I’ve had problems with Paul,” the woman remarked. “But now I want to read his letters. I have a whole new appreciation of him.” This comment followed my one-man performance, “A Visit with St. Paul” at St. Paul’s Church, Cobble Hill, last April. Whenever I hear this kind of response, as I […]

Consider Pastoral Ministry in New Year

by Cruz-Teresa Rosero “What did May 16, 2013 mean to you? What were your biggest struggles during the three years of study in the Lay Ministry Program? What did it mean to both of you to study as a couple?” I put these questions to Rita and Domingo Reyes, from the parish of St. Agatha, […]

Moving Advent Themes Into Christmas Season

by David H. Powell Carol and I enjoyed lessons and carol services this Advent in various diocesan settings. Lessons and carols were originally a purely Advent prayer service composed as preparation for Christmas, but over time, the format evolved into Christmas readings and carols. Usually such a service will begin with an Advent selection like […]

We Are Called to Set The World on Fire

by Veronica Szczygiel Although autumn is my favorite season, the one thing I don’t love is how dark it is by the time I leave work to go home. It feels a bit eerie to see night ushered in so early, and I often long for the long light of summer days. I think I’m […]

Priest Has Zero Tolerance For Bullying

by Father Anthony Raso I never expected to write this, due to the ongoing “macho” of a 12-year-old boy from Bay Ridge, even 50 years later. However, society has taken a decided turn for the wiser, and this was reflected on the last page of The Tablet (Nov. 16) in an article about “bullying.” I […]

Grateful Filipinos Have A Community Spirit

by Shirley F. Lascano While typhoons are a part of life in the Philippines, it is an accepted fact that they come and go. Roofs blown away, tide rising, school cancelled, flooding and evacuation. Typhoons do not allow a dull moment in the Filipino way of living. Before the arrival of the most powerful storm […]

A Happy Priest Is the Best Vocation Recruiter

by Father Kevin Abels This past May 31, I celebrated my 10th anniversary as a priest. I can’t believe it has been 10 years! I am happy as a priest. Every day, I thank God for revealing this vocation to me and, most of all, for giving me the Holy Spirit who allows me to be […]

Power of the Rosary Felt In S. Ozone Park Parish

by Walter Douglas Ollivierre Jr. The Rosary is one of the most sacred prayers that a Catholic can pray. It brings one closer to Jesus and brings peace to the mind and body. Not many things can match the spiritual power found in a person clutching the beads and calling out the Lord’s Prayer. As […]