Catholic New York

Catechumens and godparents, standing, join in the rite.

More Than 300 Catechumens at Cathedral Rite of Election

On the first Sunday of Lent, Cardinal Dolan celebrated the annual Rite of Election at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, welcoming and congratulating more than 300 catechumens who have been preparing to join … more

By ARMANDO MACHADO | 3/13/19

People watch a tractor excavate the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash March 10 near Bishoftu, Ethiopia.

Four CRS Staffers, Humanitarian Workers Aboard Ethiopian Jet That Crashed

Four Catholic Relief Service staff members on their way to a training session in Nairobi, Kenya, were among the passengers aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed moments after takeoff in … more

By DENNIS SADOWSKI | 3/13/19

Cardinal Dolan greets college students at Rockland Community College’s Student Union building in Suffern Feb. 28.

College Students Discuss Church Issues With Cardinal Dolan

Students representing about 20 colleges listened to a 30-minute talk by Cardinal Dolan before he answered their questions at Rockland Community College’s Student Union building in Suffern Feb. … more

By DAN PIETRAFESA | 3/13/19

#IPRAYED—The kindergarten students in teacher Deborah McVey’s class at Transfiguration School in Tarrytown fold their hands in prayer on Ash Wednesday, March 6.

And the Children Shall Lead Us

Catholic school kids in the archdiocese are practicing the virtue of daily prayer during the 40-day season of Lent that began Ash Wednesday, March 6. They’re seeking to amplify their prayers by … more

By JOHN WOODS | 3/13/19

Msgr. Edmund Whalen, vicar for clergy in the archdiocese, talks during the panel discussion at the third annual Student Leadership Conference at the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture in Manhattan March 8. Other panelists were Sister Nancy Usselmann, F.S.P., director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies in Los Angeles; Georgia-Renee Boamah, a junior at Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx; and Obinna Nwako, a junior at Regis High School in Manhattan.

Student Conference Looks at How Media Climate Affects Catholics

Isabella Acierno said she will read and watch news differently after attending the third annual Student Leadership Conference at the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture in Manhattan March 8. The … more

By DAN PIETRAFESA | 3/13/19

Meeting Reviews Study of Young Catholics Who Have Left Church

Seeking to identify “points of hopefulness,” archdiocesan leaders met at the New York Catholic Center in Manhattan for a gathering called “Conversation About Young Catholics Leaving the … more

By ARMANDO MACHADO | 3/13/19

A photo exhibit of the Irish Mission at Watson House opened March 7 in the Archives Building at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie. Dr. Maureen Murphy, featured speaker at the exhibit opening touches a trunk used by her paternal grandmother, Martha Thompson, when she emigrated from Ireland in 1900. With Dr. Murphy is Kate Feighery, archdiocesan archivist.

Irish Mission Exhibit at Seminary Focuses on Women and Their Work

On the eve of International Women’s Day and 10 days before St. Patrick’s Day, a photo exhibit featuring young single Irish women who immigrated to New York opened in the Archives Building at St. … more

By ARMANDO MACHADO | 3/13/19

AFFIRMING LIFE—A panel discussion follows the screening of the pro-life movie “Unplanned” Feb. 21 at the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture in lower Manhattan. From left: Chris Jones, producer; actress Ashley Bratcher; Abby Johnson, founder and director of And Then There Were None, and panel moderator Kathryn Jean Lopez, senior fellow at the National Review Institute and an editor-at-large of National Review.

Pro-Life Movie ‘Unplanned’ Carries Redemptive Theme

The venue for a pre-screening of “Unplanned,” a pro-life movie about the conversion story of Abby Johnson, a former Texas Planned Parenthood clinic director who is now a pro-life activist, was apropos. more

By CHRISTIE L. CHICOINE | 3/1/19

The Because We Can Sports basketball championship game begins with a jump ball at the CYO Center at Port Richmond on Staten Island Feb. 24. The game ended in a tie.

Coaches Share Love for Sports With Special Needs Players on Staten Island

Sal Fabozzi used his passion for basketball to create opportunities in athletics for young athletes with special needs by starting Because We Can Sports on Staten Island. “I love the expressions … more

By DAN PIETRAFESA | 2/27/19

BEAUTY OF BUTTONS—Art teacher Jill Holmes, center in photo with students, guided more than 70 students in the school beautification project. Principal Joanne Kelly is at far left.

Mary and Baby Jesus Welcome All to New Rochelle School

At Holy Family School in New Rochelle, a newly constructed image of the Madonna and Child, made almost entirely of buttons, is on display. It is the creative work of Mrs. Jill Holmes, who came on … more

By ARMANDO MACHADO | 2/27/19

Cardinal Hayes Claims Archdiocesan Basketball Championship

Joe Toussaint collected 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, leading the Cardinal Hayes High School boys’ basketball team to the archdiocesan championship with an 86-65 victory over St. … more

By DAN PIETRAFESA | 2/27/19

MOM’S BIGGEST FAN—Sister Maeve Nativitas, S.V., holds young Sena Love, as her mother, Brhane, speaks during a Feb. 18 press conference in which Cardinal Dolan and others confirmed the archdiocese’s commitment to helping pregnant mothers in need.

Cardinal Dolan Reaffirms Pledge To Help Pregnant Women in Need

Cardinal Dolan, backed by clergy, religious and lay professionals, reaffirmed the archdiocese’s long-standing commitment to stand with all pregnant women who seek its assistance. “I renew and … more

By JOHN WOODS | 2/27/19

CHILDREN FIRST—The Holy Father and Church leaders from around the world attend the third day of a meeting Feb. 23 at the Vatican on the protection of minors in the Church.

After Vatican’s Summit on Abuse, The Stakes Ahead Are Very Clear

The long-awaited “Meeting on the Protection of Minors in the Church,” nicknamed the abuse summit, was an extraordinary and historic gathering that surpassed many expectations while perhaps … more

By GREG ERLANDSON | 2/27/19

HIS COMMISSION—Father Ubald Rugirangoga discusses his life following the Rwandan genocide of 1994. The conversation was held Feb. 22 at the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture in lower Manhattan following a screening of a related documentary. Next to him is Father Christopher Argano, vocations director for the archdiocese, who was a moderator of the panel discussion.

Rwandan Genocide Documentary, Discussion Show Path to Peace

Would you be able to forgive the man who murdered your mother? Father Ubald Rugirangoga was faced with that momentous question when he returned to Rwanda from exile in neighboring Burundi … more

By RON LAJOIE | 2/27/19

Joining Cardinal Dolan at the Feb. 18 press conference reaffirming the archdiocese's commitment and support for pregnant women and their unborn children are, from left, Dr. Anne Nolte, M.D., co-founder of the Gianna Center for Women's Health and Fertility in Manhattan; Mother Agnes Mary Donovan, S.V., superior general of the Sisters of Life; Dolores Ortiz, assistant executive director of Catholic Guardian Services; and Christopher Bell, president of Good Counsel, which runs four homes in the Archdiocese of New York for single pregnant women and their children.

Cardinal Reaffirms Archdiocese’s Commitment to Pregnant Women in Need

Cardinal Dolan, backed by clergy, religious and lay professionals, reaffirmed the archdiocese’s long-standing commitment to stand with all pregnant women who seek its assistance. more

By JOHN WOODS | 2/19/19

TO BE A SAINT—Blessed John Henry Newman is seen in a portrait provided by the Catholic Church in England and Wales. Pope Francis signed a decree Feb. 12 recognizing a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Newman, the English cardinal, clearing the way for his canonization.

Sainthood Causes of Blessed Newman, Cardinal Mindszenty Advance

Pope Francis has signed a decree recognizing a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed John Henry Newman, the English cardinal, clearing the way for his canonization. The Vatican … more

By CINDY WOODEN | 2/15/19

Sister Ritamary Schulz, A.S.C.J., provincial superior for the U.S. Province, holds Blessed Clelia’s reliquary before a postulant in prayer.

Cathedral Mass Honors Blessed Clelia and Her Sisters Serving Here

A Mass of thanksgiving celebrated the beatification of Blessed Clelia Merloni and served as an opportunity for archdiocesan officials to thank the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at St. … more

By DAN PIETRAFESA | 2/14/19

ACTOR AND AUTHOR—Actor Gary Sinise is pictured at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., in 2015. Sinise, who converted to Catholicism in 2010, has a newly published book titled “Grateful American.”

Actor Gary Sinise Describes His Road to the Catholic Church

Gary Sinise, the actor perhaps best known for playing Lieutenant Dan in the 1994 movie “Forrest Gump,” followed an unusual path to becoming a Catholic. In a Feb. 4 telephone interview with … more

By MARK PATTISON | 2/14/19

Auxiliary Bishop Guy Sansaricq of Brooklyn was the principal celebrant of this year’s Black History Month Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral Feb. 3.

Black History Month Mass, Service Day Focuses on ‘Power of Love’

Lucy Konadu, a parishioner of St. Luke’s in the Bronx, said the annual Black History Month Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral is “special for all black people, no matter what culture, all over the … more

By ARMANDO MACHADO | 2/13/19

CURÉ OF ARS—A first-class relic of St. John Vianney, his incorrupt heart, will visit the archdiocese in April as part of a national pilgrimage sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. The patron saint of parish priests, he was known for his holiness and charity in 19th-century France.

Major Relic of St. John Vianney to Visit Cathedral, Make Other Stops in the Archdiocese

A national pilgrimage of the relic of the incorrupt heart of St. John Vianney, the famed Curé of Ars and patron saint of parish priests, will visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral Saturday and Sunday, … more

2/13/19