What Is a Mother?
Dear Editor: A mother is a friend, companion, confidante, and comforter.
A mother gives unconditional love and support to her family in good times as well as during bad times. She is compassionate and firm and a precious gift from God — a gift that we all should greatly appreciate and love.
This coming Mother’s Day, let us give thanks to God for all of our mothers, both living and deceased. A mother and her love are irreplaceable, always and forever.
John Amato
Fresh Meadows
Sister Francis Dominic
Dear Editor: What a wonderful article in the April 29 edition of The Tablet (“Many Birthday Wishes for the Oldest Nun in the U.S.”).
Sister Francis Dominic was my eighth-grade teacher in 1944 at St. Michael’s Elementary School in the East New York section of Brooklyn. A few years later, she was again my teacher at Dominican Commercial High School.
I am 92 years old, and it was thrilling to read about this amazingly talented woman. It brought back wonderful memories.
Therese Sullivan Carillo
Douglaston
Diocesan Churches on TV
Dear Editor: As a fan of “Blue Bloods” I enjoyed reading John Alexander’s article about several churches in the Diocese of Brooklyn being featured in movies and television (“From ‘Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ to ‘Blue Bloods,’ Diocese Churches Being Featured in Movies and Television,” May 6).
Another example is the new police drama “East New York,” where both the exterior and interior of my childhood parish of St. Martin of Tours in Bushwick were featured several times.
When watching the show, I thought the church looked familiar as I had lived in that parish and graduated from the parish school. I had also been back to the church
several times after moving from the area in 1972.
It was good to see that it is still as beautiful a church as I remembered it. Seeing St. Martin’s on television brought back many fond memories.
Karen Boldizar
Garden City
Churches in Movies
Dear Editor: Regarding the article in the May 6 edition (“From ‘Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ to ‘Blue Bloods,’ Diocese Churches Being Featured in Movies and Television”), there was also a great shot, however brief, of St. Raphael Church in the movie “Ghostbusters.”
It was taken from the service road of the LIE.
Anthony S. Ercolano
Flushing
Facing God at Mass
Dear Editor: Latin is the official language of the Roman Catholic Church.
It is said the devil hates Latin. Therefore, the priests should have their backs to us because then, they are facing God.
Wanda Lucci
Bath Beach
What’s the Fascination with Latin Mass?
Dear Editor: Regarding the letters on Latin Mass and one that said it is “to remind those present that it is the sacrifice of the Lord that we are to focus on,” I would like to point out that also applies to the priest, for when facing the altar, there are far fewer distractions for him.
I distinctly remember being at a Mass with the priest facing the congregation when a woman came in about six minutes after Mass had begun. The priest stopped and stared at her for a long time, so much so that I felt like saying, “Father, why are you staring? Perhaps she has a reason for coming in now, a sick child or other family members, but she is here.”
As a manager, I always asked first of an employee who is late how they were, and invariably there was a good reason. However, in that case, I considered it a “public humiliation,” and I often wondered afterward if the “poor woman” ever came back again.
There was wisdom in having everybody — the priests and congregation — facing in the same direction. It served very well for close to 2,000 years.
Thomas Cullinane
Bayside
