As we celebrate Independence Day, perhaps we should think about the role that our nation plays in the world and if our country’s quest for freedom and liberty is compatible with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

We have seen the fight for religious freedom recently here at home. The Diocese of Brooklyn sued to get fair treatment in regards to capacity limits so that the faithful could safely attend Mass when many retail stores were allowed to operate at what appeared to be full capacity.

For all these reasons, we are blessed by the dedication of the statue of Mother Cabrini in Carroll Gardens. We know that she is one of the many great women that built New York City and we hope to get more people to know all about her!

Sometimes the ordination classes are large, sometimes they are smaller, but, because of God’s providential care for us, there have always been priestly ordinations in our diocese. This is not always the case in some other dioceses in the country. There are some dioceses that have not had an ordination to the priesthood in several years.

Increased policing, effective community programs, and prosecuting criminals is important to curb violence, but one solution that is often overlooked is supernatural. Society must turn to a concentrated reorientation of the Lord.

Thanks be to God, in many places, especially here in the United States, the COVID-19 pandemic is subsiding. With more than half of the population vaccinated, and new infection cases dwindling, people are regaining their confidence to resume many activities they may have taken for granted before the pandemic robbed them of many freedoms.

We as pro-lifers face a tremendous challenge with the possible repeal of the Hyde Amendment. Abortion is legal in the United States of America and, sadly, it does not look like this law will be going away any time soon, especially not during this current presidential administration.

Our nation, and New York, in particular, are experiencing a massive increase in anti-Asian violence. Innocent people are being attacked for no reason, simply based on their ethnicity.

This week, we celebrate Mother’s Day. In the U.S. the annual celebration dates back to 1907 by when it was started by Ann Jarvis in Saint Andrew’s Methodist-Episcopal Church in West Virginia, the first state to make Mother’s Day an official holiday.

In a perfect world, these migrants would be able to follow proper protocols and procedures. In a perfect world, these migrants would be able to formally request asylum and legal entry into our nation. But this is not a perfect world.