Last year, during the height of the pandemic, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, made a special plea during a Wednesday audience to his fellow Catholics to mark the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. He said, “This is an occasion for renewing our commitment to love and care for our common home and for the weaker members of our human family.

This year, as I celebrate my 50th Anniversary of Priestly Ordination, I share with you my brother priests, especially my fellow Jubilarians, some insights that perhaps I have gathered over these many years of priesthood. There is a certain parallel, or dichotomy in some ways, between two concepts of priesthood.

This week, I would like to give some personal reflection on the recent trip of our Holy Father, Pope Francis, to Iraq. Thankfully, through our NET-TV station and online sources, I was able to follow some of his major events. Obviously, the visit of Pope Francis was historic; it also pointed out the major complexity and diversity of the population of Iraq, Sunni and Shiite Muslims and representation from almost every Eastern Church and Orthodox Church in the world.

International Women’s Day, as declared by the United Nations, is celebrated on March 8, in parallel with the designation of the month of March as Women’s History Month. This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is “Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world” which acknowledges the tremendous efforts by women around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic

In my column at the beginning of Lent, I suggested that getting our vaccination against the COVID-19 virus would be a good practice for us during Lent. Given the difficulty of receiving the vaccine and the skepticism of some about being inoculated, I write this article.

On behalf of the people who are served throughout our Diocese in Brooklyn and Queens, we begin the 2021 Annual Catholic Appeal by thanking those who generously responded to the 2020 Annual Catholic Appeal. Thanks to your support, the challenges we faced in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic were met by the Church and, as a result, our community faith grew stronger.

On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, 2020, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, called the faithful to engage in “The Year of Joseph.”

This year, we celebrate the 54th World Day of Peace. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has chosen the theme “A Culture of Care as a Path to Peace.” This can certainly bring about a peaceful situation among individuals and nations.