These days, we bishops (in Brooklyn) average 10-12 celebrations of confirmation in the spring season and 4-6 in the fall. For the past 12 years, since my ordination as a bishop in 2012, one of the most joyful experiences I have encountered is the celebration of the sacrament of confirmation.
he upcoming beatification of Father Michael McGivney (below), founder of the Knights of Columbus, was a poignant reminder of my family’s history in the Knights during its infancy in New Haven, Connecticut. My paternal great-grandfathers — Hugh Augustus Burns and William J. Fitzgerald — were members of that first council. Both had Brooklyn roots and lived in Ansonia, Connecticut, on the outskirts of New Haven, where the Knights began.
Oct. 28 marks the Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles. Tradition holds they were martyred together in the first century while preaching the Gospel in Persia, and their remains were later moved to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, where a single tomb commemorates them to this day.
Why am I, a secular Jewish girl, the product of an interfaith marriage (Jewish mother, Catholic father), so concerned about a class ring from a defunct Brooklyn parochial school dating back to before I was born?
Like everyone coming out of COVID, I was going stir-crazy. Tired of staring at the walls of my house and watching my daughters do their schoolwork, I decided to get out and about as much as possible. It was the summer of 2021. Many restrictions were still in place, and many venues remained closed. So what could one do?
When I visited the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland — a shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary — I was struck by a series of paintings depicting the stations of the cross by the late Polish painter Jerzy Duda-Gracz.
For many of us involved in 12-step recovery programs, protecting our anonymity is crucial for several reasons. The most obvious is the stigma surrounding addiction; many people do not understand its nature and may judge those trying to overcome their struggles.
In “The Divine Comedy,” Dante places a sign at the gateway to hell that reads, “Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch’entrate.” Translated, it reads, “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.”
As we embark on the 2024-25 school year, I am filled with immense pride and optimism for the journey ahead. Our Catholic schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn stand as beacons of hope, resilience, and innovation, and it is with great joy that I extend my warmest wishes to all our students, families, and educators.
“I did all the things,” said Carli, mom of four grown children who have stopped practicing the Catholic faith. “We went to Mass as a family. We sacrificed to send them to Catholic school. They went to a youth group. We did everything we thought we were supposed to do. What happened?”
