As we embark on the 2024-25 school year, I am filled with immense pride and optimism for the journey ahead. Our Catholic schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn stand as beacons of hope, resilience, and innovation, and it is with great joy that I extend my warmest wishes to all our students, families, and educators.
“I did all the things,” said Carli, mom of four grown children who have stopped practicing the Catholic faith. “We went to Mass as a family. We sacrificed to send them to Catholic school. They went to a youth group. We did everything we thought we were supposed to do. What happened?”
My spontaneous trip to Indiana to attend the 10th National Eucharistic Congress began months before in Eucharistic Adoration. I asked the Lord, “Why have you created; what is your Holy Will for me?” and when I closed my eyes, he presented his mother, Our Lady of Grace.
I have been an active member of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish for the past 36 years. I was deeply honored to participate in our pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, to celebrate our parish’s 100th anniversary. Lourdes holds a special place in the hearts of Catholics worldwide, and this journey was a profound way for us to mark a century of faith and community.
This summer, sports lovers turned their eyes toward Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
“Here on Earth, I see nothing of the Son of the Highest God, except his most holy body and blood.” These words from St. Francis of Assisi explain his devotion to the Eucharist.
I have spent all my nine years of priesthood ministering in gentrified neighborhoods. Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and now Park Slope have been the focus of my parish ministry since my ordination in 2015.
As the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage comes to a close, it’s hard to summarize everything we have experienced. For over 60 days, we traveled along the Seton route, making our journey from New Haven, Connecticut, to Indianapolis, for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress.
It is sad to note that in the developed world there is the temptation by society, the Church, and religious groups to judge their vitality by the number of members in their congregation or by the average age of the members.
On June 29, we celebrate the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, which honors the twin founders of the See of Rome for their courage in proclaiming the faith, even unto martyrdom. St. Augustine once said, “Both apostles share the same feast day, for these two were one; and even though they suffered on different days, they were as one. Peter went first, and Paul followed. And so we celebrate this day made holy for us by the apostles’ blood. Let us embrace what they believed, their life, their labors, their sufferings, their preaching, and their confession of faith.”
