Twenty-four years after he lost his firefighter son in the terror attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, retired FDNY Deputy Chief James “Jim” Riches was laid to rest on Dec. 1. Riches died on Nov. 27 from a 9/11-related illness, according to the Uniformed Fire Officers Association. He was 74 years old.
The Tablet’s time-honored tradition of raising money to ensure every child has a gift to open on Christmas morning has officially begun, and we are asking our readers to contribute what they can to the 2025 Bright Christmas campaign.
Here, you make the news. Your faith makes the news. Your culture, your sacrifices, your stubborn hope that refused to die on the boat, on the plane, in the holding room at JFK — these are the stories that matter.
At Our Lady of Hope Church, parishioners are working to solve the Catholic Church’s shortage of priests one prayer at a time. The Vocations Committee leads a parish-wide effort to pray for vocations — an endeavor that lasts throughout the year.
Catholic schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn outperformed their public school counterparts in statewide reading and math tests. And one school, Our Lady of Martyrs Catholic Academy in Forest Hills, stood out for its high scores.
John Rindone, a member of Gen Z, is eager to help kids in Gen Alpha get a leg up in life. Rindone, 27, and his fiancé, Nicole, donate money each year to Futures in Education, the organization that provides scholarships and other forms of financial assistance to children attending Catholic schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
In the wake of a serious accident in which two Xaverian High School students were struck by a car and injured while walking home from school, three fellow students have created a campaign to improve safety on local streets.
On Nov. 15 the diocese welcomed a record 1,853 young Catholics to its annual Catholic Youth Day celebration — a number Father James Kuroly, director for Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the diocese, attributed to the dedication of youth ministers.
In 1963, Pearl Bernardin, now 87, was one of the first black teachers in the diocese. Unbeknownst to her, she would go on to become a pioneer in diversifying Catholic school faculties throughout the metro area.
As Archbishop Kenneth Richards of Kingston, Jamaica, spoke with people in the communities hardest hit by Hurricane Melissa, he was amazed by their faith and fortitude in the face of unimaginable circumstances.
