The Shrine Church of St. Gerard Majella, Hollis, was vandalized twice in one week in September, according to pastor Father JosephJude Gannon, who said he believes the same person was responsible for both acts. Security footage from a camera on one corner of the church caught the nighttime visitor dressed head to toe in white between midnight and sunrise on both Sept. 9 and Sept. 16 tearing down signs, destroying rosary prayer stations and damaging a sprinkler system in the parish parking lot
You can’t spell “theology,” the study of God, without T-H-E-O, as in Father Theo, the beloved and scholarly retired priest in residence at Immaculate Conception, Jamaica, who celebrated his 45th year at the parish with a Mass of thanksgiving on Sept. 15. Father Theophane Cooley, C.P., 91, who’s originally from Dublin, speaks five languages and has taught philosophy and Latin. But perhaps he’s best known as a kind and caring priest.
Michael and Illisse, both 30, make the extra effort because they feel strongly connected to Sacred Hearts-St. Stephen’s. They aren’t the only ones. A number of parishioners, who once lived near the church, still come back to Mass there every Sunday, even after they have moved away. They come from Westchester County, Long Island, Staten Island and other parts of Brooklyn.
Preachers of Christ and Mary, an order of religious sisters that was founded in 1995 in Colombia and that has been doing missionary work in Brooklyn since 2004, has made the Diocese of Brooklyn its official home.
Auxiliary Bishop James Massa blessed a new STEM lab at St. Brigid-St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Academy, Bush- wick, on Sept. 10. Bishop Massa also blessed the school’s new playground and recently renovated auditorium before celebrating a school-wide Mass.
“It seems like the Church is always asking for money,” this has been said by many parishioners and even by some priests, for as long as the Church has solicited funds. The mission of the Church is to continue God’s work of bringing about a community of faith, hope and charity.
The mission of Catholic Foundation for Brooklyn and Queens is to assist critical programs, institutions and ministries that further the Church’s mission in Brooklyn and Queens through financial support and counsel while developing and administering Foundation resources prudently and consistent with Catholic teachings.
The school, which opened its 2019-20 academic year on Sept. 4, is encouraging its students to say “hello” to their classmates and to be especially welcoming to new kids at the school. It’s part of the national “Start With Hello” initiative to show students that kindness truly matters.
The Kosciuszko Bridge linking Brooklyn and Queens is named for Polish Catholic and American Revolutionary War hero Tadeusz Kosciuszko. Father Marek Sobczak, C.M., pastor of St. Stanislaus Kostka, Greenpoint, is glad the bridge will continue to commemorate the sacrifices Kosciuszko and other Poles made to build America.
Five Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn discovered that when they wore those official-looking clothes for a day in early August during a trip they made to a shelter in El Paso, Texas. They were helping immigrants who had just been in ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) custody.
