In the summers of 1959 and 1960, several seminarians and I assisted the priests of the parish of St. James Cathedral (not yet a Basilica) in taking a census of Catholics in the neighborhood.
Up Front and Personal
Genuflecting Amidst The Gentrified
The only thing I knew for sure about this daunting past year of teaching children our three-in-one God’s dimensionality is that it came after nearly two years of faith being a flat-screen experience. My surroundings of Williamsburg rose to the purpose.
The Light of Jesus In the Darkness
On Friday, June 24, on the feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the U.S. Supreme Court announced the overturning of Roe V. Wade. Among the first reactions was the outcry of a threat to freedom.
Friends Celebrate 200 Years of Service
On Saturday, June 11, 2022, three other priests and I celebrated 50 years since our ordination. All four of us are Redemptorist Missionaries.
A Newborn Child Is Always a Blessing
“This is my brother,” my 3-year-old niece Jacqueline said, gently patting my sister’s eight-month pregnant belly. Then she proudly showed us the plush lion she planned to share with her new sibling.
Pentecost Celebrated In Times Square
Pentecost is the celebration, not simply the event, that occurred in the Upper Room when the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and Mary, the Mother of Jesus. It is the celebration of the presence and action of that Holy Spirit, alive and animating the Church today. That presence and action of the Spirit were on display in Times Square, the Crossroads of the World, on Friday, June 3, in an imaginative and exciting way.
May God Go With You, the Class of 2022
As a teacher, I have mixed feelings about graduations. While commencements launch new beginnings for graduates, they are also bittersweet farewells.
Mourning a Lost Voice For Catholic News
I worked for The Tablet for 50 years, and for 33 of those years I was the Editor. Week after week, I guided the make-up and content of our diocesan weekly newspaper. So, I think I know something about putting together the news of the week.
Never Tire of Fighting The Pro-Life Fight
As people of God, we are continuing to fight for the protection of these defenseless lives. We will not tire of praying our Rosary to our Blessed Mother, a peaceful, powerful weapon to overcome this evil.
A Funeral Director’s Perspective on Rites
I never thought that as a funeral director I would become a combatant in a cultural war.