By Katie Vasquez
Across New York City, houses of worship are on high alert as Monday, Oct. 7, marks one year since Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel. There is heightened security at many synagogues, while churches in the Diocese of Brooklyn pray for an end to the violence.
Catholics flocked to the Cathedral Basilica of St. James on Monday morning to answer Pope Francis’ call for a day of fasting and prayers for peace in Gaza.
Father Patrick Keating, Moderator of Curia in the diocese, celebrated a Holy Hour and Mass at the downtown Brooklyn church.
Monday also marked the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, the people in the pews turned to the Blessed Mother to ask for her intercession.
“We should always intercede for and pray for intercession every single day, because, as Pope Francis said, it’s very important to pray every day because prayer is that power is basically a sword against the devil,” Mena Samwiel, a junior at Cathedral Prep.
“It is a day of prayer, and as a community, we should come together and pray as one,” said Melvin Balderas, a junior at Cathedral Prep. “Because really, it is important to remember the people who lost their lives and especially those who fought for their lives.
“I think the most important thing any Catholic can do is pray. You know, the power of prayer, Jesus tells us, can move mountains and praying the rosary is focusing on those basic prayers,” Father Keating said. “We learned as the father, the words Jesus gave us when the apostles asked, and the Lord taught us to pray.”
Pope Francis wrote a letter to Catholics in the Holy Land on Monday, Oct. 7, expressing his closeness to those suffering from the devastation. Meanwhile, the Diocese of Brooklyn and Catholics around the globe will continue their prayers for peace.
On this somber anniversary, the shepherds of the Archdiocese of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, and the Diocese of Brooklyn, Bishop Robert Brennan, are joining their flock in calls for peace. In a joint statement, they said in part:
“Too often in the past, we Catholics have failed to stand with you against hatred and anti-Semitism. Shame on us for those times! We join now with religious leaders from all faiths, pledging that we will not tolerate anti-Semitism in any form.”
Numbers released by the Anti-Defamation League reveal that the U.S. is seeing the largest recorded number of anti-Semitic attacks.
The report, released on Sunday, states that 10,000 attacks have occurred across the U.S. since the assault, representing a 200% spike from the year before. New York has seen 1,218 cases, making it the state with the second-highest number of recorded incidents.