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Winners of The Tablet’s ‘Keep Christ in Christmas’ Art Contest Announced

DYKER HEIGHTS — Student winners from across the Diocese of Brooklyn and their families gathered at the Archbishop John Hughes Knights of Columbus Council on Jan. 17 for an awards ceremony and reception honoring their entries in The Tablet’s annual “Keep Christ in Christmas” Art Contest.

Before the certificates and cash prizes were handed out, students and their families took time to browse the other winning art entries and explain how they created their submissions.

Fifth-grade winner, Vincent Randazzese from St. Bernadette Catholic Academy, described how he stuck with the theme of the contest.

“I drew Santa’s sleigh because that’s like Christmas. Then I drew Jesus,” he said. “And on the presents, I wrote some prayers.”

Mother of sixth-grade winner Olivia Nelson from Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy, Arlene Nelson, works for the Department of Corrections and said she was on her way home from her shift when she got word last week that her daughter won.

“I was so excited! I didn’t even know she had entered,” Nelson said. “I called everyone and said, ‘My daughter won! And it’s not just for her school, it’s for The Tablet.’ ”

Fontbonne Hall Academy junior Amanda Marino showed off her sketching skills with her mother, Maria, and shared how the art contest is part of her long-term goals.

“I’m looking into doing graphic design,” she said. Maria admits she’s biased but thinks her daughter’s submission was worthy of winning.

“Obviously, I’m looking at it from a point of … I’m the mom,” she said. “But, I really thought it was special.”

Joseph Sbarra, Grand Knight of the Archbishop John Hughes Knights of Columbus Council, said events like the annual art contest are vital for evangelization.

“We’re dealing with the future of our communities. We’re inspired by the children, but they learn from the adults,” he said. “Whether it’s parents, teachers, or other grownups they come into contact with, we want to advocate for their creativity, especially when it’s related to anything spiritual.”

Winners of The Tablet’s “Keep Christ in Christmas” Art Contest:

  • Suah Bae, Divine Wisdom Catholic Academy, First Place – 1st Grade
  • Olivia Quaglione, Bay Ridge Catholic Academy, Honorable Mention – 1st Grade
  • Julian Olewnicki, St. Margaret Catholic Academy, First Place – 2nd Grade
  • Giovanni Astore, Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy, First Place – 4th Grade
  • Vincent Randazzese, St. Bernadette Catholic Academy, First Place – 5th Grade
  • Olivia Nelson, Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy, First Place – 6th Grade
  • Hailey Johnson, Fontbonne Hall Academy, First Place – 10th Grade
  • Amanda Marino, Fontbonne Hall Academy, First Place – 11th Grade
  • Yi Ma, St. Francis Prep, First Place – 12th Grade

Cause for Father Capodanno Gets A Lift After Delay, Military Archbishop to Appoint Panel to Probe Sainthood Push

By Bill Miller

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — The cause for sainthood for Maryknoll Father Vincent Capodanno, a U.S. Navy chaplain killed ministering to wounded Marines on a Vietnam War battlefield, has moved slightly forward, say those advocating canonization for the man they called the “grunt padre.” 

Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese of the Military Services, USA, will appoint a three-member historical commission to help address issues that have slowed the canonization cause for Father Capodanno, who was a native of Staten Island. 

Father Capodanno died in September 1967 while helping wounded U.S. Marines and sailors during a pitched battle against communist troops. His heroism earned him the Medal of Honor, and his cause for canonization opened in 2002. 

Last summer, however, theological consultants recommended the suspension of this cause to get more details about Father Capodanno’s life story and spirituality. 

For example, the consultants felt there was insufficient information supporting the standard that Father Capodanno lived a “virtuous life.” They also suggested that the priest’s often fastidious appearance could have been a sign of sinful pride and that venerating someone from the military might be inappropriate for the Church while wars persist in the world. 

Vice Adm. (Retired) Stephen Stanley is chairman of the board of directors for the Father Capodanno Guild. He said on Jan. 9 that Archbishop Broglio went to Rome in mid-November to meet with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. 

Archbishop Broglio is the “petitioner” for Father Capodanno’s sainthood cause. Also, he recently became president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. 

However, Stanley told The Tablet that the archbishop briefed him after the meeting with Cardinal Semeraro about the consultants’ concerns. 

“The meeting was cordial and positive,” Stanley said. “It resulted in the prefect giving us the opportunity to respond formally and provide additional information about Father Vincent’s lifelong development of virtue and spirituality that led to the freely giving of his life on the battlefield. 

“[The consultants] didn’t see the information that supported the growth of sanctity. That’s what they’re looking for.” Thus, Archbishop Broglio will establish the commission to search for more information that would support the cause, Stanley said. 

“The commission will have three members,” Stanley said. “They will conduct the research and assemble the documentation. This supplemental information would focus on this area that was found deficient.” 

Of particular interest would be new testimonies from people who knew Father Capodanno in his youth, said Stanley, who lives in Waterford, Virginia. 

“That would actually be up in New York — people who knew him before Vietnam,” Stanley said. “We already have a lot of information from Marines who were with him in Vietnam. That part of his life is well defined.” 

Stanley said Archbishop Broglio is moving with urgency, although the full commission is not yet appointed, and its work could be lengthy. 

“This won’t happen in just a few weeks,” Stanley said. “This is going to take some time.” Meanwhile, he urged everyone concerned about Father Capodanno to keep praying for his cause for sainthood. 

He added that the guild is ready to share resources for group presentations at parishes, women’s groups, Knights of Columbus councils, and veteran’s groups. 

For information, visit capodannoguild.org. 

Tablet’s Editor Emeritus to Greet Parishioners at Book Signings

By Paula Katinas

BAY RIDGE — For Ed Wilkinson, it was a trip down memory lane.

Wilkinson, editor emeritus of The Tablet, who spent 50 years covering the Diocese of Brooklyn, has authored a book, “Chasing Church News,” featuring photos he has taken over the past five decades — including shots of  world-famous figures like Mother Teresa and everyday Catholics celebrating their faith in the diocese.

Wilkinson debuted “Chasing Church News” at Bishop Brennan’s Christmas Luncheon in December and is set to embark on a book-signing tour of the diocese. His first stop will be Our Lady of Angels Church in Bay Ridge, his home parish, on Sunday, Jan. 29, after the 9 a.m. Mass.

“Chasing Church News” was published for The Tablet’s new program, which is offering readers the chance to become members of The Tablet and be part of its mission of covering news from a Catholic perspective.

People have a unique opportunity to receive a copy of “Chasing Church News.” Under the newspaper’s membership program, readers who sign up for the Benefactor Level for $500 or the Founder Level for $1,000 will receive as a gift a copy of Wilkinson’s book.

In addition, members will be eligible to receive an assortment of benefits that makes them active participants of The Tablet community, including tickets and invitations to special diocesan events.

By joining, readers will also be playing an important role in the ongoing effort to help preserve Catholic journalism.

Wilkinson, who joined The Tablet as a reporter in 1970, was named editor in 1985. He retired from The Tablet in 2018 and from DeSales Media Group, the communications and technology ministry for the diocese, in 2020 — 50 years after first walking into The Tablet’s offices.

He estimated that he took hundreds of thousands of photos during his years at the newspaper and called the effort to organize the book a labor of love.

“As I was getting closer to retirement, I just looked back at all of these photos that I had,” he said. “I enjoyed photography so much, and I felt I had some good photos. So it must have been about five years ago or so that I actually began to put a couple aside.”

Looking back on his career, he realized, “I’ve always liked the photography end of the business because I felt like I was capturing moments in history.”

But while Wilkinson had some of the pictures, he didn’t have them all. He had to go hunting for many of the photos and negatives he was seeking — a hunt that had him combing through files in a storage facility in Jersey City, where The Tablet had moved many of its files after Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

“I went over there, and sure enough, I found all my negatives stored away,” he added.

At that point, Wilkinson began the painstaking task of examining contact sheets of negatives, year by year. Like any good editor, he went into it with a plan.

“I wanted to limit the book to one picture per year. But then there were a couple of years that I had more than one picture that I thought I should use because I felt there was historical significance to the photos,” he explained.

As he organized his treasure trove of pictures, he picked out his favorites.

“There are photos that I thought happened to capture a particular moment in the history of the diocese, like when Bishop [Francis] Mugavero turned 75 in 1989,” he said. “He was at Borough Hall for a ceremony, and he stood up on the stage with Mayor [Ed] Koch. I got a nice picture of the two of them talking before the ceremonies,” he said.

The first picture readers see in the book depicts parishioners marching in a Holy Name Society rally in Williamsburg. The final photo shows a lone woman sitting in the Cathedral Basilica of St. James wearing a mask during the pandemic.

There is a picture of Mother Teresa from 1992 when she came to New York to speak at the Knights of Columbus convention in Manhattan.

There is also a haunting image of pigeons sitting in a broken window in a church in Bushwick that had fallen into disrepair.

“Some people wonder why I included it,” he admitted. “But to me, it said something about the changing of the diocese — that these big old churches in what were once flourishing neighborhoods didn’t exist anymore.”

Not all of the pictures have religious themes. One of Wilkinson’s favorites is a shot he took in the 1970s of a child sipping water out of a fire hydrant.

When Wilkinson started out in 1970, photography equipment was very different than it is today.

“When I joined the Tablet staff, we were using these old box cameras. But they became cumbersome,” he recalled. “I transitioned to a 35-millimeter camera because they were just easier to handle. I think it was a Honeywell Pentax.”

The Tablet moved its offices in 2000. “We didn’t have our own darkroom anymore, so we weren’t able to develop film. That forced us to go to digital photography,” he explained.

However, one thing remained constant.

“I always took a special pride in my photos. I just thought it was one of my strengths,” he said. “I had a lot of time to shoot photos, and I just always enjoyed seeing the results as they came back.”

Wilkinson hopes readers get a sense of history by looking at the photos in “Chasing Church News.”

“I’d like it to be a snapshot of church life in the last 50 years,” he said. “They say a picture’s worth a thousand words. I think it’s true.”

UPCOMING DATES

Sunday, Jan. 29:

Kickoff signing at Our Lady of Angels Church, in Bay Ridge, 7320 4th Ave., after 9 a.m. Mass

Sunday, Feb. 5:

St. Andrews the Apostle Church in Bay Ridge, 6713 Ridge Blvd., after 9 a.m. Mass

Sunday, Feb. 12:

The Church of St. Mel in Flushing, 26-15 154th St., after the 10:30 a.m. Mass

Additional signings will be scheduled for St. Anselm Church in Bay Ridge, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church in Forest Hills, and Our Lady of Hope Church in Middle Village.

Eagle Scout Credits Catholic Priest with Being a Major Influence in His Life

Michael Palumbo recently became an Eagle Scout and says he has a Catholic priest to thank for helping him get there.

His project to earn the distinction involved restoring seating and storage areas of the local little league ball field.

Michael began his scouting career in 3rd grade, but he credits Monsignor Theo Joseph from St Ephrem’s Parish in Dyker Heights as a huge influence in his life.

Monsignor Joseph even gave the invocation and closing prayer at the scout ceremony.

Michael also got a letter of congratulations from the Bishop of Brooklyn.

This 81-Year-Old Parishioner Has an Eight Year Streak of Attendance at March for Life

By Jessica Easthope

Mary Ruane has thought of everything. In a backpack she has water bottles, Band-Aids and necessities – the things she’ll need for March for Life.

She’s ready to head down to Washington D.C. on Friday and march for hours with more than 100,000 other people who believe life is sacred.

“It’s thousands, they just keep coming when you get up to the hill they’re still coming, no one can really express how it makes you feel, it just makes me so happy that there’s hope in the world,” she said.

Mary’s attended March for Life many times over the years, but she currently has an eight year streak going. At 81-years-old, the march isn’t easy for her, but she says it’s worth it, to show up for every single soul that’s been lost to abortion.

“There’s nothing more beautiful than the gift of life and it’s our job to protect those children not to kill them,” Mary said.

Mary will make the trip on a Diocese of Brooklyn bus. Joining her is Father Michael Panicali, parochial vicar at St. Helen Church in Howard Beach.

This year there’s a renewed sense of purpose for pro-life marchers. Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, Mary and Father Michael say the work is more important than ever and far from over.

According to March for Life there are still more than 900,000 abortions every year and that number is only expected to decrease by about 200,000 in a post-Roe America.

“The right to life is still under attack in our country so we really can’t let our guard down, I think it’s easy for people to assume the abortion issue is settled but it’s far from settled but the more we acquiesce to the mentality that it’s all good the worse it may get,” Father Michael said.

“There will be people there who have so much hate in their hearts and they’re very angry Roe was overturned and they say it’s against women but it’s in favor of women, women don’t realize they’re being exploited and manipulated to believe it’s okay to kill their own child,” said Mary.

Mary says to march in solidarity alongside the teenagers and young adults who call themselves the “pro-life generation” is a gift. In 2010 it was estimated half the marchers were under the age of 30.

“It fills my heart with pride, I’m so proud of them that they know right from wrong, it’s an amazing thing,” she said.

“It’s so affirming and it’s beautiful to see God’s work in the young people, how much the faith is alive, how fervent and holy so many young men and women are, they come out year after year to defend life, it’s a great day to celebrate your Catholicism,” said Father Michael.

Mary plans to march for as long as she can, she says she’ll stop when abortion is unthinkable.