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.
After a long layoff due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) indoor sports are starting up again in the Diocese of Brooklyn. But whether or not a child can participate at their local church will depend on the church’s pastor.
Parishioners all over Brooklyn and Queens reveled in the chance to enter their local Catholic churches to say a prayer as churches opened their doors for the first time in more than two months. Churches were closed as a precaution against the coronavirus.
A year after World Youth Day 2019 in Panama, the impact of the pilgrimage is still being felt by local youth who attended the event. About 200 Catholics from Brooklyn and Queens went to Panama, along with 700,000 young people from around the world looking up to deepen their faith and listen to Pope Francis.
One parish, three languages and 150 years of history. That’s the story of St. Patrick’s Church, Long Island City, which on Oct. 6 celebrated its 150th anniversary with a Mass in English, Spanish and Tagalog, reflecting its diverse base.
