“For a chaplain or priest to be there, it gives them some sense of peace and calm … and moments like this put us [chaplains] in a situation to exercise pastoral judgement. It’s about giving compassion, empathy and care. Bringing comfort to the family — that’s at the core of pastoral care, of what we do.”
This past winter, Matilde passed away on a trip to Peru, the family’s native country. The children had her body brought back to White Plains, N.Y., where they live, for the funeral. One day, while praying with the family, their cousin-in-law Manuel Mendoza felt the Holy Spirit nudge him to invite the siblings who had been married civilly back to the faith.
The danger of vaping is real. According to a Sept. 19 weekly report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of people with a deadly vaping-related lung disease rose to 530 from 380 the week before (38 states and one U.S. territory report numbers). Officials have said half of those patients are under 25 years old and 16 percent are younger than 18. Nine deaths have been reported.
At the dedication Mass, readings were done in Tagalog, Spanish, English and Mandarin. The church has parishioners from almost 50 countries, according to pastor Father John Vesey, and has seven Masses every Sunday. Some services were cancelled on Sept. 22 to encourage parishioners to attend the dedication Mass.
Police arrested 69-year-old Nasra Alnadrahi at 10:30 a.m. Sunday on charges of cemetery desecration and criminal mischief connected to incidents at Shrine Church of St. Gerard Majella over the last few weeks.
After reportedly causing more than $10,000 worth of damage during two nighttime visits last week, the suspect returned to St. Gerard Majella, Hollis, on the night of Sept. 17 to try to damage the statue of the Blessed Mother that’s in the parish’s parking lot.
The new CYO Kings County boys’ basketball league will feature the same rules, mission and values as the parent diocesan CYO league.
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.
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.
On Sep. 13, the Holy Child Jesus Academy community gathered for its annual back-to-school barbeque, where they also paid special tribute to members of a local family who perished in a house fire over the summer.
