The Passing of Father Michael Zunno
Dear Editor: It was a blessing to have known such a unique and special priest as Father Michael Zunno (obituary, page 13).
He was born into a large Italian family in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. While he always stayed connected to his roots and his home parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, he spread his wings, spending 50 of his 69 years of priesthood as a Maryknoll missionary in South Korea.
As he committed his life to building churches and spreading the gospel in a foreign land, he always remained humble and kept a sharp wit and often hysterical sense of humor to his last days.
To know him truly was to love him and to be inspired by his unending teachings of the life of Jesus and the Church.
He will be sorely missed.
John Notaro
Middle Village
Thank You For Your Coverage
Dear Editor: Kudos to The Tablet for dedicating much of the Nov. 12 edition to the military and its chaplains and veterans, who have served our nation throughout its history. Well done.
As a retired United States Air Force chaplain who served on active duty for over 25 years, I wish, on behalf of those men and women who have worn the uniforms of our Armed Forces, to thank you and the people of our diocese for your support and prayers. It was heartwarming to be thanked, recognized, and appreciated for our service.
The attention and applause received by military members on Veterans Day, as well as your featured articles and kind editorial, was greatly appreciated by many vets.
Embedded with our young men and women service members, military Catholic chaplains serve God, the Church, and our nation. Chaplains today serve approximately 1.8 million men, women, and their families throughout the U.S. and in 134 countries worldwide in the Archdiocese for the Military Services.
I thank our Ordinaries for allowing me the great honor and privilege of exercising my priesthood to minister to those who put their lives on the line to keep us safe and secure, assuring our American way of life. It was a most rewarding privilege to serve God and country.
Please pray during this month — dedicated to remembering the dead — for those who paid the ultimate price and the families who mourn them.
Let us also pray for the brave men and women who serve now and are willing to defend our freedom.
Father William C. Farrugia
Chaplain, Colonel USAF (Ret.)
St. Joseph Church
Astoria
She Will Always Be Your Little Girl
Dear Editor: I would like to say to Cristian Ortiz, God bless your baby girl, Valentina (Up Front & Personal, “We’ll Never Forget Our Daughter,” Nov. 12).
I pray that going forward, all women will be afforded proper prenatal care. In a country where life is dispensable, we tend to forget that parents grieve the loss of their preborn children in all different ways.
My prayer for Cristian and his wife is to know that Valentina is in paradise, in the loving embrace of our Lord, a place that all of us strive to get to.
Catherine Donohoe
Fresh Meadows
A Priest’s Priest
Dear Editor: In reading the story in The Tablet (“Diocesan Priests of the Past Receive Visit on All Souls’ Day,” Nov. 12), I found it especially interesting to learn that Bishop Joseph Sullivan, who graduated from St. Michael’s DHS, the precursor to Xaverian High School, which I attended, is buried with his fellow priests rather than his fellow bishops.
Vincent Maligno
Staten Island