Prayer for Peace in Wake Of Bondi Beach Massacre
Dear Editor: What happened during the festive candlelighting ceremony on a beach in Australia was a sin.
A double sin of murder and of hatred.
It is hard to pray for forgiveness for the killers, but as it is written over the gates of one of the Nazi concentration camps, “forgive but never forget.”
It will take all the time of forgetting to even start forgiving. How could anyone do such an evil thing?
It is certainly an exposure of the evil that can lodge itself in the dehumanized human heart.
Everything in our tradition that comes to us from the Jewish people speaks of life even in the face of all the death we see around us.
It seems that nobody is exempt from hatred and violence, nobody but the Prince of Peace, our God.
May the darkness of sin be wiped out by the peace that the world cannot give. May what is left of the menorah’s light lead us to a light that dispels the darkness of our own hearts.
Father Michael Perry
Douglaston
Disagree With Gov. Hochul On Assisted Suicide Law
Dear Editor: Anyone who has lost a friend or family member to death by suicide understands the shock, the pain, the guilt of perhaps not being able to intervene.
The defense is often that a person has a terminal illness or a severe disability.
In my humble opinion, neither of these holds water.
In the case of a terminal illness, hospice affords the person and their loved ones an opportunity to say goodbye in a natural course, with medicines and counseling.
Both my parents left this world in this way.
As for disabilities, I spent my career working in nonprofits that support people with disabilities, many quite severe.
Even in such cases, there was always the joy of life.
I never experienced a person who wished to end their life because of pain or discomfort.
Finally, I have lived with varying degrees of pain in my lifetime. I have Crohn’s disease, resulting in three quite painful surgeries.
I have constant back pain, and I recently experienced a pulmonary embolism. I think we must recognize these as “gifts from God,” gifts designed to help us on our way to heaven; gifts meant to cause us to reflect and perhaps change our lives.
Yes, pain is not pleasant, but it can make us stronger as people of faith.
Physician-assisted suicide takes away that option and causes pain to people we love.
Gov. Kathy Hochul made a grievous error in signing that bill.
Deacon John Francis DeBiase
Garden City, N.Y.
Editor’s note: The author of the letter is a retired deacon from Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Bayside.
Gratitude For My Segment On Currents News
Dear Editor: Grazie Katie Vasquez!
It was an honor to be featured in the “Belief Beyond Borders,” Currents News special.
I’d like everyone to know that I created my website, HeartinSicilia.com, for those who will never visit but still want to learn more about the culture.
I also created the website, RememberOurSicilianAncestors.org, to place Sicilian flags on the resting places of those with Sicilian birth, tell their stories, and acknowledge their courageous decision to venture here.
In 2026, we will be placing a marker on two of the victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911.
In my research, I found that Laura Brunetti and Michelina Cordiano are still buried in unmarked graves. There is also a missing marker for distinguished Det. Lieutenant Charles Corrao, who followed in the footsteps of Det. Lieut. Joseph Petrosino.
It is my honor to serve my Italian community of faith, family, and tradition.
Anna Marie Mistretta Paunetto
Gravesend