The Grace of Youth Ministry in Whitestone

by Tom Lynch I am the youth ministry coordinator at Holy Trinity parish in Whitestone. I was commissioned in 2008 from the Pastoral Institute’s Lay Ministry Program. I absolutely believe that studying in that program was crucial, not only in my discerning to work with the youth, but also in giving me the tools that […]

CHIPS Director Quietly Retires After 26 Years

by Brother Michel Bettigole, O.S.F. Twenty-six years ago, Sister Mary Maloney, a native of Bay Ridge and a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor, arrived home in Brooklyn after having served for 14 years as a missionary nurse in Senegal, Africa, and Brazil, South America. She hardly had time for a rest when […]

Pope Francis blesses the chalice that Father Lee will use after his ordination as a priest on June 29 at St. James Cathedral-Basilica, Downtown Brooklyn.

Ordinand Receives Advice from Pope

by Deacon Jun Hee Lee Recently, I was given an amazing opportunity to meet our Holy Father, Pope Francis. I went with my chalice – the chalice that I will be using after I am ordained a priest for the Brooklyn Diocese on June 29 – with the hope and desire to see him and […]

Father’s Day Tribute to a Stay-at-home Dad

Last year, my husband joined a time-honored fraternity that spans generations, continents, cultures and ages. He became a father. Much like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day is a day of recognition that is not given but rather earned.

Hope in the Future of Religious Life

by Brother Gregory Cellini, O.S.F. Having been born in the late 1950s, I know virtually nothing about Vatican II. As little as my knowledge is about the Second Vatican Council, that is how great my belief is in the future of religious life. Vatican II has empowered a generation that very much desires to change […]

Msgr. Cooney’s Ministry Continues to Give

by Father James Sweeney Recently, the Church of Brooklyn buried Msgr. James Cooney, one of its brightest lights and dearest blessings. He touched countless people with his humor, his dedication and his self-sacrificing service to others. I had the privilege of serving in the parish of Our Lady of the Presentation, Brownsville, where he had […]

Don’t Make New York Next Gosnell Haven

by Kathleen M. Gallagher It was more than two years ago that I read the Philadelphia grand jury report on Dr. Kermit Gosnell. It made me sick to my stomach. The report begins, “This case is about a doctor who killed babies and endangered women.” It describes unspeakable conditions and atrocious crimes which continued for […]

The Spirit Is No Longer The Holy Ghost

by Veronica Szczygiel If each member of the Trinity had his own Facebook page, the Holy Spirit would have the least number of “friends.” This is a brute statement, perhaps, but it highlights a discomforting truth. Out of the three persons of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit does not garner nearly as much attention or […]

Carolyn Woo

May Is the Month of Marian Memories

by Carolyn Woo May is the month of Mary, and memories come to mind about how much she has been a part of my life. These reminiscences are like going through a family album and sharing stories of those moments that jump out from the pages. In kindergarten in Hong Kong, I played Mary in […]

Abortion Trial Testifies to A Downward Spiral

by Tony Magliano “This case is about a doctor who killed babies and endangered women. What we mean is that he regularly and illegally delivered live, viable babies in the third trimester of pregnancy – and then murdered these newborns by severing their spinal cords with scissors,” states a Pennsylvania grand jury report regarding the […]