Creation Story Is Not Literal But It’s True

by Father John Catoir The theory of evolution has prompted many Catholics to question their faith. Before you join them in their doubt, you should know more about the troubles that surround Darwin’s theory. The doctrine of original sin is true. Even if the story of Adam and Eve is only a parable that tells […]

Remember Love of 9/11

by Father James Devlin Remember the Alamo! Remember Pearl Harbor! Remember 9/11! We say we will remember, but I am not sure we have.  We recall the faces in The New York Times, but we cannot live at the intensity of those days.  Just watching the news at night brought tears to your eyes.  It […]

Way of St. James Was Profoundly Spiritual

by Anthony Foti El Camino or The Way is a pilgrimage through the northern Spanish countryside ending at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. When Msgr. Kieran Harrington, diocesan Vicar for Communications, asked me to go on this pilgrimage he told me the Camino is a representation of life, a profound spiritual experience. I was […]

Faith, Academics and Service in Our Schools

by Sister Angela Gannon, C.S.J. In the week following Labor Day, students in Brooklyn and Queens will return to school.  Some will attend Catholic schools or academies; others will choose charter schools, public schools, magnet schools, private schools or home schooling.  The are many options in a large urban area. How fortunate we are in […]

A Pilgrim’s Progress Getting to Madrid

by Antonina Zielinska After a six-hour overnight flight, with little to no sleep and no breakfast because of turbulance, the second group of World Youth Day pilgrims from the Diocese of Brooklyn arrived in Madrid Aug. 13, exhausted but ready to to begin their spiritual journey. When the pilgrims were finally allowed out of the […]

Managing Time to Pray

by Father Peter J. Daly I wish I could find time to pray. I wish I could find time to think. I also wish I could find time to read, exercise, write and sleep. It seems like there is never time for any of those things. Busy people are stretched.  The life of a parish […]

Catholic Understanding of Marriage Gives Hope

By Father Arlen Harris, O.F.M. Cap. The Church has fallen on hard times in recent history. We read of parish closings and mergers, clergy abuse scandals and a decline in vocations. We also wonder about what may appear to be the decline of the influence of Catholicism in our society.  Despite the strong opposition of […]

Father Mann

The Call Came About Amy Winehouse

by Father Frank Mann I was deeply saddened and stunned when I learned of the recent, sudden (yet perhaps not so unexpected) passing of Amy Winehouse. She was, without doubt, a gifted musician and one of my favorites. Winehouse, only 27 when she died, was a British singer and songwriter who was primarily known for […]

Change in Greenpoint Was a Hairy Situation

by Veronica Szczygiel The Polish-American parish of St. Stanislaus Kotska Church in Greenpoint has radically changed almost overnight. I have attended Masses there often in my childhood, and I currently teach second-grade CCD religious education classes. But never have I seen the parish so vibrant and alive as it is today. What was the cause […]

A Lay Leader’s Journey in Ministry

by Carmella Dearing Ministry is the key to serving God by enriching the lives of others in a particular way. Our call to service begins at our baptism when we are enlightened by Christ and the Holy Spirit. With the help of the Spirit and the angels associated with the Pastoral Institute’s Lay Ministry Program, […]