By Jessica Easthope
WILLIAMSBURG — The 80-foot Giglio is the centerpiece of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel feast in Williamsburg but the devotion that flows out onto the streets starts inside church.
Catholics of all backgrounds share a common thread of faith and on July 16 the fabric came together for Our Lady of Mount Carmel. People packed the pews of the church by the same name for the first of several Masses held on Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s feast day. The 10 a.m. mass was celebrated by retired Diocese of Brooklyn Auxiliary Bishop Raymond Chappetto. Later in the day a statue of Our Lady is processed through the blocks to spread a message — during a festival that weaves together faith, culture and tradition, the Blessed Mother should always be in focus.
“Bringing her around the streets of the neighborhood and asking people to respect her. To love her as we do,” Bishop Chappetto said.
“Our Lady of Mount Carmel has been in my family for generations. My grandmother was actually baptized in 1914 at this church, and we’ve done the walk ever since. And this is our next generation. Her name is Carmela,” said Deborah Cervo who stood with her daughter Lynda and granddaughter Carmela.
“If we don’t pass it on, who will? That’s how traditions phase out. And we don’t want that to happen,” said Lynda Cervo.
After Mass Bishop Chappetto said there are many things about the feast that never change and that’s by design — because Mary never loses her importance and her place in our lives as a mother.
By Katie Vasquez
A Sicilian chef who spent a decade cooking at the Vatican is bringing his family recipes and faith-filled approach to a restaurant in SoHo.
In the debut of our new Supper Series, discover the story behind the chef who cooked for Popes St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI — and the dish inspired by the Vatican that still appears on his menu today.
By Currents News
The next generation took center stage at the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Paulinus as children carried a scaled-down Giglio through the streets of Williamsburg.
The Children’s Giglio Lift gives young participants the chance to take part in one of New York City’s oldest Italian-American traditions, which has been celebrated in Brooklyn since 1887. While smaller than the towering 70-foot Giglio carried by about 100 men, the children say the lift is still a true test of strength.
By Currents News
A new federal scholarship tax credit program could make Catholic education more accessible while giving taxpayers a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit for supporting student scholarships.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, eligible taxpayers will be able to redirect up to $1,700 of their federal tax liability to scholarship-granting organizations, including Futures in Education, instead of paying that amount to the IRS. New York is expected to participate in the program pending final IRS guidance.
Officials with the Diocese of Brooklyn and Futures in Education are encouraging donors to learn about the program now and prepare to help expand tuition assistance for students attending Catholic schools in Brooklyn and Queens.
By Jessica Easthope
WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, N.Y. — For some the sound of running water is soothing, for Elsa it’s stressful. Her faucet has been on for hours and won’t shut off. When she calls her super, she gets his voicemail. She’s lived in her Washington Heights apartment for more than 40 years and the problems have added up. Her stove won’t light, her toilet leaks and her floor is crumbling. That’s why fellow tenant Anna is helping to rally her neighbors, hoping it will spark some action on the part of her landlord A&E Real Estate.
“We have really started to work together and to make more collective demands on, getting these things fixed in our apartment,” Anna said.
Anna, who’s keeping her last name private, moved in in 2021. Since then she’s seen crumbling walls and doors, roaches, mice, dark hallways, broken elevators and laundry machines and outside scaffolding has been up for years.
A&E Real Estate has held top spots on the New York City Public Advocate’s Worst Landlord Watch List for years. Their properties account for about 9,000 open housing violations across 60 buildings in the city. Earlier this year the city settled a lawsuit with A&E Real Estate for $2.1 million over hazards and neglected repairs in 14 of their buildings.”
We have to do things like try to involve 311, and we have to do things like try to, you know, write to rentals at A&E media at A&E and just see if there’s anybody that would get back to us,” Anna said.
“So far in A&E buildings, we’re definitely pursuing to have ownership be transferred to more responsible hands,” said Gisell Rondon, a tenant organizer with the Met Council on Housing.
Rondon says New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) will be launching a new program later this year that could take A&E Real Estate’s buildings out of its hands. It’s called “Fix the City” and will serve as an enforcement tool, allowing the city along with other city and state agencies to take legal and financial action against repeat offender landlords, going as far as transfer of ownership.
“A&E is not doing a good job. So if you can’t do a good job – you have to give up this ownership that is keeping folks in conditions that are less than, less than humane,” Rondon said.
“Our neighbors feel very forgotten in this apartment,” Anna said. “So what we are really fighting for now is each other.”
By Katie Vasquez and Paula Katinas
LITTLE ITALY — A map issued by the Mamdani administration to showcase New York’s international neighborhoods during the World Cup didn’t score a goal with some City Council members who expressed outrage when several communities famous for their immigrant roots — such as Little Italy — were omitted by cartographers.
And while council members who spoke to The Tablet on July 10 said they were pleased that Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated at a press conference that the map would be updated to include Little Italy, at least one lawmaker said she intended to keep putting pressure on City Hall to include other ethnic neighborhoods.
“We’re going to keep pushing,” said Councilwoman Joann Ariola, a Republican who represents Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Breezy Point, and other Queens neighborhoods. “Little Italy isn’t the only Italian community in our city. There’s Howard Beach and Arthur Avenue in the Bronx.”
The controversy erupted after the city released a map on July 8 titled “New York City Immigrant Enclaves” to promote the city as an international hub during the World Cup.
The map included such communities as Little Bangladesh in Flatbush, Little Egypt in Astoria, Little Palestine in Bay Ridge, and the city’s three Chinatowns in Manhattan, Flushing, and Sunset Park, but Little Italy didn’t make the cut. Neither did Borough Park, the traditional Jewish community, and Irish neighborhoods like Woodside, Queens, and Woodlawn in the Bronx.
Facing fierce backlash — that included a statement from the City Council’s Italian Caucus demanding that the map be redrawn — the Democratic mayor said the city would make an adjustment.
RELATED: As World Cup Begins, Queens Priest is Feeling the Fever
Speaking at a press conference on an unrelated topic on July 10, Mamdani also defended the map, saying it was initially created by the Adams Administration.
“This map was initially created by the prior administration in 2023, and when we inherited it, we added a few additional neighborhoods. It’s clearly not an exhaustive list of the more than 200 ethnic communities that call our city home,” the mayor told reporters. “We’re going to be making additional changes in the future to reflect that, and that includes adding Little Italy to the map.”
Ariola, co-chair of the council’s Italian Caucus, said that she’s glad “to see that the mayor has seen the light,” but added that the map mess should not have happened in the first place.
“My initial reaction was outrage. Little Italy was the original “Little” neighborhood going back more than 100 years,” she added. “And you’re just going to cancel it? It’s an example of the mayor’s selective inclusivity.”
Councilman Frank Morano, a Republican whose district includes the South Shore of Staten Island, said that while he was happy with Mamdani’s promise, he added, “It’s too bad it took a ruckus from us to get him to move on this.”
Morano, co-chair of the Italian Caucus, said the map disrespected many of the immigrant communities that helped build the city. “It’s like they tried to wipe away history,” he said.
RELATED: How Immigrants Helped Shape the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Growth
Objections to the map came from both sides of the political aisle.
Councilman Christopher Marte, a Democrat who represents Little Italy and is a member of the council’s Irish Caucus, said he was disappointed when he saw the map and pleased to hear that the mayor is willing to redraw it.
“I look forward to seeing the new map. Immigrants have contributed so much to our city, and any map meant to highlight their importance should reflect that,” he said.
Councilmember Eric Dinowitz, a Democrat who represents Riverdale, Spuyten, and Kingsbridge in the Bronx, said the map “erases the contributions of major communities who helped build this city into what it is today.”
Dinowitz, who noted that the city “was built by immigrants,” called New York “the most diverse city in the world.”
By Katie Vasquez
WILLIAMSBURG, N.Y. — Visitors to Most Holy Trinity-St. Mary Parish in Williamsburg can now embark on a self-guided spiritual journey inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, as the parish launches CANTICO, an interactive prayer circuit celebrating the Church’s Year of St. Francis.
The experience opened July 15, the feast of St. Bonaventure, and invites pilgrims to reflect on The Canticle of the Creatures, the hymn St. Francis composed more than 800 years ago praising God through creation.
The launch comes during the Year of St. Francis, proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the Transitus, or passing, of St. Francis. By decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary, Franciscan churches worldwide have been designated official pilgrimage sites during the jubilee year, allowing pilgrims who fulfill the Church’s usual conditions to receive a plenary indulgence.
“Our goal was to take this great poem he wrote 801 years ago, praising God for creation, and make it accessible to people,” said Friar Richard Riccioli, pastor of Most Holy Trinity-St. Mary Parish. “Pope Leo has designated all Franciscan churches as pilgrimage sites.”
As visitors move through the church, they encounter 12 pieces of sacred art inspired by each stanza of The Canticle of the Creatures. The illustrations, created by artist Piero Casentini of the Shrine of San Damiano in Assisi, accompany reflections on St. Francis’ praise of “Brother Sun,” “Sister Moon” and the rest of creation.
Parishioner Antonio Cuccu said the experience offers an opportunity for quiet prayer and reflection.
“The silence and the contemplation of a true relationship with God,” Cuccu said. “As I moved through the church in prayer, I thought that would help me find reflection and find a way that I could personally do it in my own life.”
The exhibit combines traditional displays with digital technology. Visitors can scan a QR code to access audio reflections by Franciscan Sister Caryn Crook, available in English, Spanish and Polish.
“We have the canticle on the poster boards with the images, but we also have an audio reflection by Sister Caryn Crook,” Riccioli said. “You can just scan the QR code, get it on your phone and listen to it as you go — like a museum.”
The reflections invite participants to contemplate the relationship between humanity, creation and God through the lens of Franciscan spirituality.
Deacon Eric Peterson said the pilgrimage also carries a timely message about caring for the world.
“It’s a good reminder for how we need to be concerned for the planet and for the rest of creation, for the rest of humanity,” Peterson said.
The prayer experience concludes with an invitation for participants to write a personal prayer intention and place it before a statue of St. Francis.
Inspired by the theology of St. Bonaventure, who taught that beauty and creation lead people to God, CANTICO is designed for parishioners, pilgrims, school groups and visitors, as well as those seeking to reconnect with their faith.
The prayer circuit is available during the church’s regular hours: Monday, Tuesday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Sundays before and after all Masses.
Tenants in a Washington Heights apartment building are organizing to demand long-overdue repairs and hold one of New York City’s most criticized landlords accountable.
New York City leaders are calling for changes to the city’s new immigrant enclaves map after several longtime ethnic communities were left off the initial version.
Diocese of Brooklyn schools are encouraging taxpayers to prepare for a new federal scholarship tax credit program that could help fund Catholic school tuition through donations to scholarship organizations.
Children carried a scaled-down Giglio through the streets of Williamsburg as the annual Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast continued its tradition of passing the beloved celebration on to the next generation.
by Jessica Easthope
In a building run by one of the most notorious landlords in New York City, tenants are organizing to get faster repairs, responses and resolutions to issues that have plagued their apartments for years.