By Brithney Rivera

I am 15 years old and thanks to the good teachings of my parents, I love the Catholic church. The Catholic church is my second mother because it teaches me, educates me, and reenforces my faith.

It has opened the doors for me, giving me the opportuinity to offer my service as an assistant for catechism. In this way, I have had the opporunity to spend more time working with priests.

I used to think that parish priests are constantly present in the church, always attending to their communities, celebrating Mass along with sacraments, praying, fasting, completing acts of charity, and didn’t have any time for fun and social interactions.

Sometimes, I forget priests are real people, too. Priests have the right to look for stability and maintain a healthy equilibrium for their mental and spiritual state.

Now, I know that some priests enjoy to play chess during their free time.

The Priesthood Committee of New York recently came together at Our Lady of the Angelus Church, Rego Park, to celebrate its second annual chess tournament.

The priests ate and spent time in fraternity as they competed against one another in chess. This gave them a break from thinking about church responsibilities.

Chess is not easy and requires a lot of thought and skill to play because every move counts and any move could be played against you if not thought out properly.

After many intense rounds, I’m proud to say that my pastor, Father William Chacón from All Saints, Williamsburg, won first place in the tournament this year. Msgr. Perfecto Vazquez, a senior priest who directs the Spanish Cursillo movement in the diocese, took second place.

It’s great to know that the priest from my church has a way to enjoy his time outside of religious duties.

I wish that all leaders of the church would guide their communities under God’s will while also being able to find some time for themselves.

Congratulation Father Chacón and Msgr. Vazquez!