Knights of Columbus Unveil First Statue of Founder Father McGivney at Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph

By Bill Miller, The Tablet

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — The unveiling of the first in a series of statues of Blessed Father Michael McGivney spurred joyous enthusiasm on Tuesday, Aug. 13, upon its arrival at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights.

Members of the Knights of Columbus from Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island received the statue of Father McGivney, their founder, during his feast day. They honored him with an evening Mass celebrated by Bishop Robert Brennan.

The bishop also blessed and dedicated the bronze-colored statue in the sanctuary before its positioning in the Co-Cathedral vestibule.

Bishop Brennan, who joined the Knights of Columbus at age 20 before he entered the seminary, said Father McGivney represented humility and universal holiness. The statue will remind everyone entering the vestibule that they, too, should pursue those traits.

“Thank you for this image,” Bishop Brennan told the assembled Knights. “I think now of many people, especially during the holy Jubilee year coming up, who will pass through Co-Cathedral and encounter this statue of Blessed Father Michael and be reminded of that universal call to holiness.”

Father McGivney (1852-1890) founded the Knights in 1882 in New Haven, Connecticut, to ease the travails of immigrant Catholics in the U.S., especially widows and orphans.

It has since grown into a global fraternal service organization, dubbed “the strong right arm of the Church” by Pope John Paul II in 2012. An estimated 15,000 Knights belong to parishes in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Pope Francis in 2020 announced that Father McGivney’s cause for sainthood was approved for beatification and declared him “blessed.”

“[Father McGivney] said about that sense of holiness that we have to look after each other,” Bishop Brennan said. “We got to provide for the widow and the orphan, to provide for those who suffer because of tragedies that go all too common in his land.”

A total of 11 statues will soon appear at each of the other dioceses in New York State — Albany, Buffalo, Ogdensburg, Rochester, Rockville Centre, and Syracuse, plus the Archdiocese of New York.

The New York State Council of the Knights of Columbus has undertaken this initiative at the suggestion of Louis Pepe, grand knight of Bishop Thomas V. Daily Council Knights of Columbus Council, located at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Downtown Brooklyn.

He is also the Knights’ New York State administrative chairman of activities.

Before Mass, Pepe recalled how he suffered from liver ailments in 2017. He prayed to Father McGivney for intercession and subsequently had liver-transplant surgery.

He said this inspired a “brainstorm” to honor the priest with statues in all the major cathedrals in the state, the first ones being in the Diocese of Brooklyn, where the idea for the project took root.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. James will also receive one of the statues in January, said Father Michael Gelfant. He is a chaplain for the Knights of Columbus and pastor of Blessed Trinity Parish in Rockaway Point, Queens.

Father Gelfant and Pepe noted that Cardinal Timothy Dolan has directed that a statue destined for the Archdiocese of New York be posted at St. Joseph Seminary and College at Dunwoodie, Yonkers, to inspire future priests.

Father McGivney continues to inspire people to grow in faith, Pepe said.

“He did everything in his power to keep the brothers and the Catholic faith alive,” Pepe said. “That’s how we started with 12 simple men in the church basement, and now we’re two million strong.”

The Knights have raised $60,000 to purchase the statues, but they still seek donations to cover the total costs of inscriptions and other work, which is estimated to bring the total to $100,000.

Father Gelfant told the congregation that the statues’ design is copyrighted to the Knights of Columbus in New York State.

“Nobody can go and take this statue from us,” he said. “More are already on the way for councils that asked for them. So, people will see this guy — a parish priest who helped the widows, the orphans, and families — all over the place.

“That’s primarily because of you, so thank you.”

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 8/14/2024

A special Mass at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in the Diocese of Brooklyn celebrated Blessed Michael McGivney’s feast day with the dedication of a statue, marking the start of a statewide tribute.

The Vatican is investigating a possible Eucharistic miracle after Communion hosts mysteriously multiplied at a Connecticut church where Blessed Michael McGivney once served.

Bishop Robert Brennan welcomed three newly ordained clergy from other dioceses at a special Mass in Douglaston.

Eucharistic procession sails the Mississippi River, with 15 boats accompanying the Blessed Sacrament on a 130-mile journey.

Increase in Bed and Breakfasts Leads to Rising Living Costs, Gentrification in Rome

Even the Eternal City is not immune to gentrification.

People living in Rome are turning their rooms or apartments into bed and breakfasts, giving tourists the option to have a central spot within the city at a low cost.

“We are staying in an apartment two blocks from the Colosseum,” said one tourist.

“We always want to be together comfortably. And in the hotel you sleep well,” said another tourist. “It’s always clean. But in the end, B&Bs are always the cheapest, and you still sleep well.”

There are more than 23,000 B&Bs registered in Rome, along with about 12,000 illegal tourist apartments that are neither registered nor regulated.

Many of them are scams, and Italian authorities want to tackle this problem before the 2025 Jubilee.

“We expect the national government to issue a series of regulations, including the Unique Identification Code, which will allow them to find all these illegal businesses,” said Mariano Angelucci, Vice President of the Jubilee 2025 Special Commission. “They evade tourism tax, and it hurts the city.”

Two more big issues have also risen with this increase in B&Bs: less housing available for residents and skyrocketing rent prices.

“Clearly, greater demand means higher prices,” said one resident in the area. “Also, because then there are fewer available apartments. There are some, but they’re all turning into B&Bs.”

The result: residents are forced to move out of the city. This is the case for Matteo, a porter in a building with tourist apartments. He has a long commute to work because he can’t afford to pay for housing near the center.

“This unfortunately affects local people a lot because the cost of rent is very high,” said Matteo Merino, a porter at a tourist building. “I mean maybe for a tourist, it’s a normal price, but for me, living here, it’s a very high price.”

Some are proposing Rome should push for the $5 tourist tax currently in place in Venice.

This tax has raised more than 2 million dollars, but many consider it a failure because it hasn’t regulated the number of tourists coming to the floating city. The tax might even be doubled in 2025 to about $10.

The Jubilee Committee in Rome argues that the Eternal City does not have the resources to levy this tax.

“The entire city of Venice is smaller than the center of Rome, so it is clearly a completely different situation,” Angelucci said. “The issue of tolling is a sensitive issue that is met with difficulties.”

What is clear is that the city of Rome will face major challenges in the coming year: from maintaining the stability of its buildings to tourism control to, above all, ensuring that the city is up to the task of welcoming pilgrims for the Jubilee.

Breezy Point Parishioners Embrace Pickleball, Blending Sport with Prayer and Faith

By Katie Vasquez

Across the country, more and more people are picking up their paddles and playing pickleball.

More than 13.6 million people played pickleball across the U.S. in 2023, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, a 65% increase from the previous year, which saw 8.9 million players.

The rise in this sport is hitting the courts of Breezy Point, where a resident and parishioner of Blessed Trinity said her Queens community has really picked up on the game.

“There are a few different rules and very weird scoring and very hard scoring to learn, but tennis definitely helps you with the game,” Nies said. “It’s a hand-eye coordination thing. So if you are good at racket sports, you’ll be good at pickleball.”

Throughout the week, 75 people from nearby churches like Blessed Trinity gather together for a few friendly games.

“If somebody says, ‘That’s it, my back,’ then we’re like, ‘Okay, that’s it,'” said Anne Beehler. “The game’s over. And we don’t have a problem with walking away like that, right? We’re not going to the Olympics, let’s put it that way.”

It’s a chance to socialize outside of church.

“It’s a great social sport because you do get to talk,” said Kerrie Florio, a parishioner at Blessed Trinity. “Whereas in Mass, you get to see everybody, but it’s hi and then they leave.”

Though parishioners like Theresa Sullivan say there’s still a bit of faith infused into the game.

“I do try to, like, pray a little bit before I get here, you know, keep me safe,” said Theresa Sullivan. “I have a lot of back issues and am getting old. So I always ask God to bless me with some safety and not to get hurt.”

So far, God has blessed their paddles, allowing them to keep playing the game they love and connect to their church community.

“It’s just a great way to be living. So we feel very blessed.”

They say anyone who wishes to join is more than welcome.

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 8/13/2024

Pickleball fever sweeps Breezy Point as locals from Diocese of Brooklyn churches gather for fun and friendly competition.

A Ukrainian pastor races to save sacred items after a Russian rocket destroys a nearby church. We have video taken by the pastor of the catastrophic damage.

Gentrification hits Rome: tourist bed and breakfasts are hiking up rent, pushing locals out of their neighborhoods.

The Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes reopens its healing baths, ready to welcome 30,000 pilgrims for the Feast of the Assumption.

Celebrating Their History: Church Remembers 100 Years and Life-Long Parishioner

A church in Queens celebrated their history on Sunday, Aug. 11.

Bishop Brennan led the procession and liturgy in honor of St. Clare Church’s 100th anniversary.

The Rosedale parish was created in 1924 for the growing Catholic farming community.

Its masses were first celebrated at a firehouse that was rented by the parish. Possibly attending some of those first masses was a soon-to-be life-long parishioner who was also in the pews during the anniversary mass, 100-year-old Theodora Pyle.

Pastor Father Daniel Kingsley honored the centenarian at the end of the celebration, pointing out that for as long as Miss Pyle has been alive, there has been a St. Clare Church.

New Vatican Document Breaks Down Church Teachings on End-of-Life Issues

Five European countries have legalized euthanasia, and in the U.S., assisted suicide is legal in nine states and Washington, D.C.

As of June this year, voluntary assisted dying is legal in every Australian state.

The Vatican has published a document to explain its teachings on end-of-life issues amid the growing legalization of assisted suicide around the world.

‘Small Lexicon for End-of-Life’ breaks down important words and phrases dealing with topics like euthanasia, the vegetative state, and assisted suicide.

Written by members of the Pontifical Academy for Life, its goal is to reiterate the Church’s traditional stance on these topics and avoid misinterpretations.

For example, the document clarifies three circumstances where it is morally acceptable to stop artificial nutrition and hydration:

When they are no longer clinically effective, meaning when the tissues are no longer able to absorb the administered substances.

When they are unavailable in the healthcare setting.

And when they cause the patient ‘excessive burden or significant physical discomfort’ due to the instruments used.

The new Vatican document ends with a form where a person can outline how they wish to approach healthcare treatments in the face of illness, disability, and death.”

“In sickness, patients desperately need help making sense of their tremendous suffering, going beyond mere human reasoning and emotions, with a perspective that encompasses the entire spiritual and transcendent dimension of the person,” said Gabriella Gambino, Under-secretary for the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life.

This guide builds on a document the Vatican released four years ago that emphasized the importance of dialogue between patients and providers.

A Pillar for the Persecuted: Mayor Starts Organization to Help African Children

More Christians are killed in Nigeria each year than everywhere else in the world combined and one Texan decided to do what he could to help people facing this violence.

The Mayor of Blanco, Mike Arnold, founded an organization called Africa Arise in 2019 to bring support, both physical and spiritual, to these Christians.

“When they pick up their Bible to walk to church on a Sunday, they realize it might be the last thing they do. And they do it. That’s amazing. That’s where faith is put to the test,” Arnold said.
“Faith is real to them. They live it and they experience it in ways most don’t because it’s real to them.”

Another pillar of Africa Arise is working to improve the lives of internally displaced children. And it began at the request of one woman who escaped to a shanty town after her village was massacred.

“I asked her, my heart went out to her, and I said, ‘I wanna tell your story. And if people wanna respond, how can we help?’” Arnold said. “I thought she’d say running water, lodging, a house, food, clothing, healthcare, sanitation, you name it. And she said one thing. She said, ‘Help me teach these children.’”

From there, the organization founded two schools, offering classes to more than 500 full-time students. And they have broken ground on a third school.

Arnold says Africa Arise will continue to provide aid and education to the more than 5,000 children present in three camps in Nigeria.

If you want to donate to Mayor Arnold’s organization, just go to LetUsRiseAfrica.org.

Catholic Olympians Ledecky and Mead Lead the Way as Flag Bearers for Team USA

The Olympics came to a close on Sunday, and leading the way for Team U.S.A. were two history-making Catholic Olympians.

Swimmer Katie Ledecky and rower Nick Mead were the flag bearers for the U.S. during the ceremony.

Ledecky, who is the most decorated American female Olympian ever, is a devout Catholic who often prays a Hail Mary before her races.

Nick Mead, who made history as a member of the first U.S. men’s four rowing team to win a medal since the ’60s, is also a devout Catholic.

His parish church, St. Ignatius Loyola in Manhattan, congratulated him and Ledecky online for the honor.

Catholic News Headlines for Monday 8/12/2024

The Vatican weighs in on the rising debate over end-of-life care, emphasizing Church teachings amidst global shifts.

Pope Francis urges peace for Ukraine and the Middle East while remembering victims of a tragic plane crash in Brazil.

In a gripping turn of events, seven priests have arrived at the Vatican, fleeing the unrest in Nicaragua, shrouded in mystery and tension.

St. Clare Church’s 100th anniversary Mass became even more special with a double celebration—its centennial and a beloved parishioner’s 100th birthday!