Blind Catholic Community Gathers at St. Francis Xavier Church for Annual St. Lucy Mass

The Catholic visually impaired community gathered at a Manhattan church Wednesday, Dec. 13, to celebrate the feast day of their patroness, St. Lucy.

The annual Mass at St. Francis Xavier Church is organized by the Xavier Society for the Blind, a Catholic organization that provides biblical sources and faith materials in Braille for free to blind Catholics across the globe.

Father Jamie Dennis, a blind priest from the Diocese of Owensboro, Kentucky, used their materials to celebrate the liturgy for St. Lucy. He said the Mass helps the community grow together in faith.

After Mass the people in attendance were able to venerate the relics of St. Lucy and St. Angela Merici, another patroness of the blind.

Blind Catholic Community Gathers at St. Francis Xavier Church for Annual St. Lucy Mass

The Catholic visually impaired community gathered at a Manhattan church Wednesday, Dec. 13, to celebrate the feast day of their patroness, St. Lucy.

Father Jamie Dennis, a blind priest from the Diocese of Owensboro, Kentucky, used their materials to celebrate the liturgy for St. Lucy. He said the Mass helps the community grow together in faith.

After Mass the people in attendance were able to venerate the relics of St. Lucy and St. Angela Merici, another patroness of the blind.

Playing With Heart: Brooklyn Lacrosse Player Returns After Surgery

by Katie Vasquez

You can’t miss Terence Hughes on the field, with his red metallic helmet.

Every Tuesday and Thursday he’s at practice at the Red Hook soccer fields, playing lacrosse for Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School, a sport and team that he loves.

“I’ve just felt really a part of this team because, you know, the coaches, all my teammates,” Hughes said.

For Huges, being on this field is a feat he’s grateful for, because one year ago he didn’t think he’d ever be here again.

“I was worried that I wasn’t ever going to play lacrosse again,” Hughes said.

The 14-year-old was born with a heart murmur but was told by his doctor that he wouldn’t need surgery until he became an adult.

That all changed in November of last year when Terence returned from gym class with crippling chest pain.

“Right as I was about to cross over, like, I get the door, I fell and almost hit the wall,” Hughes said. “And that’s when I started, like, just, you know, feeling and it was all hitting me right there. Like, I felt it all through my body and everything, and the pain was just unbearable.”

He had open heart surgery in February which took him off the lacrosse field for nine months. He cheered his team on from the sidelines.

“It was tough because he’s watching kids play the game he wants to play, and he kind of feels like the waterboy, right? it’s not the role that he wants to play,” said Nick Dilonardo, the head lacrosse coach at Bishop Loughlin.

But his teammates cheered him on during his recovery.

“A lot of the team went to the hospital he was staying at and we brought him books and stuff and we checked up on him, made sure he was good and let him know we were there with him,” said Josiah Celius, Hughes’ lacrosse teammate.

Now he’s back playing the sport he loves, and not taking any moment, on or off the field, for granted.

“A lot of people when they’re really committed to something, they lose sight of that and you know, put that off for later as if it doesn’t matter,” Hughes said. “But, you know, we can’t be out here, we can’t be here in this beautiful world without our health.”

And while he doesn’t know what this season holds, Huges will give it his all, for the game and the team that he loves.

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 12/13/2023

The Tablet’s Bright Christmas Campaign is moving along but the paper still hasn’t reached its goal.

Laura Arcuri, from St. Matthias Church in Ridgewood, knows what it’s like to not have a picture perfect childhood.

A Special Mass was held today at the Church of St. Francis Xavier in Manhattan.

The lacrosse team at Bishop Loughlin High School in Brooklyn is celebrating after Terence Hughes returned on the field from open heart surgery.

Family Shares Story from Hamas Attack With Faith Leaders

New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Brooklyn’s Bishop Robert Brennan met with survivors of the attack that prompted the terror in the Holy Land.

The “commission of religious leaders” held the meeting last week and heard the survivors’ story.

On Oct. 7, the grandmother and her two 15-year-old granddaughters hid in a safe room for more than 30 hours while terrorists tried to get inside.

The grandmother’s home was ultimately destroyed, leaving the family displaced.

At the end of the meeting, the faith leaders laid their hands on the survivors, thanking God for protecting the women during the attack.

Thousands Celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe in Diocese of Brooklyn

by Katie Vasquez

The beats of dancers echo in the Co-Cathedral of S.t Joseph.

More than 3,000 parishioners of Latin American heritage displaying their faith and culture during a mass for a popular marian apparition.

“We Mexicans believe it,” said St. Athanasius Church parishioner, Erick Morales. “She has done very, very much miracles for us. and it is very special for us.”

“We grow with it. Since we were kids we hear from our Lady of Guadalupe and always we pray to her and we’re asking to intercede for us,” said St. Finbar parishioner, Lazaro Bulux.

It’s the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and even though the devotion dates back almost 500 years, it’s so strong in the Diocese of Brooklyn that this celebration had to be split into two masses, one for Brooklyn and one for Queens.

“It’s incredibly exciting to see so many people here,” said Bishop Robert Brennan of the Diocese of Brooklyn. “And this is one mass. So these are the parishes in Brooklyn who gathered and we filled the cathedral.”

But these devotees aren’t just here to celebrate mass with Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan, they’re here to spread the word of Christ.

Bishop Brennan lights dozens of torches that the runners will bring back to their parishes.

The flame symbolizes the light of Christ, and their journey, a way to share their love of Jesus and the blessed mother.

“It’s a very powerful sign of evangelization. It’s a very visible sign of who we are and what we’re about. and our love for the blessed mother, our love for Jesus Christ, said Brennan.

“You know whatever light we can get, we’re going to share it. so that’s very, very important. and we are happy to be here. to be part. and we are blessed,” said Bulux.

And just as the torches light the streets of the Diocese of Brooklyn, the light of Christ enters into the homes and hearts of the faithful.

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 12/12/2023

The faithful from all over the Diocese of Brooklyn are converging at the Co-Cathedral of St Joseph to celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The origins of the feast come from 1531, when the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared on a hill in Mexico to a peasant named Juan Diego.

The Tablet Newspaper is still raising money for its Bright Christmas campaign.

Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens has a similar goal.

Hamas Frees Daughter of Man Who Visited Pope Francis to Ask For Her Release

Among the hostages released in early December from the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict are the daughter and wife of Moshe Leimberg, one of the family members of those kidnapped by Hamas who met with Pope Francis on Nov. 22.

In a meeting with the press, Leimberg said his life had changed radically since Oct. 7. He recounted how in the mornings he waited to hear the voice of his daughter and wife and, almost 50 days later, that moment hadn’t come.

“I’m sorry, I can’t have faith,” Leimberg said. “I’m hoping for the best but until I see them, until I hold them, I can’t.”

During the meeting, Leimberg shook Pope Francis’ hand but his pain was clear. Now, with his wife and daughter released, it is hoped that his life may return to normal.

A Display of Faith During a Time of Hate

by Katie Vasquez

It’s a holiday tradition Joseph Borgen remembers fondly from his childhood, lighting the menorah every year with his Modern Orthodox Jewish family.

“When I grew up in my household, it was always a big thing for us to gather around the menorahs, light the candles as a family,” Borgen said.

On the first night of Hanukkah, Borgen proudly placed his menorah in the window of his Upper East Side apartment.

It’s a display of faith he says is just as important as lighting the candles.

“Part of the commitment to light a menorah it’s called in Hebrew pirusumei nisa, which means publicizing the miracle,” Borgen said.

But more Jewish families are opting not to display their menorahs this year, afraid that the lights in their windows will attract antisemitism.

“I’m not afraid to display my menorah and I hope no one else would be,” Borgen said.

Since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began on October 7th, hatred towards the jewish people has skyrocketed.

The Anti-Defamation League reported a 388 percent spike in harassment, vandalisms, and assaults that month alone.

In New York City –the NYPD said crimes against Jewish people increased by 214% in October.

“I hate to say it, but, you know, you look around the United States, you look around New York and the imagery of what we saw 75, 80 years ago in Germany is, it’s not so dissimilar,” Borgen said.

Borgen isn’t a stranger to antisemitism. In May 2021, as he headed to a pro Israel rally near Times Square, he was attacked.

“They kicked me, punched me, hit me with weapons, cursed at me, shouted anti-semitic chants and slurs at me,” Borgen said.

Even now, more than two years later, he continues to deal with emotional and physical pain from the incident.

But he refuses to let it stop him from celebrating his faith and proudly proclaim his jewish heritage.

“I just don’t want what happened that day to change how I live my life,” Borgen said.

So Borgen’s menorah will stay in his window until the last night of Hanukkah, as he continues to pray for peace for his people.

Traditions Are Passed on at Annual Lithuanian Kūčios

by Katie Vasquez

The tables were packed at Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Annunciation Parish in Williamsburg as 200 people celebrated Christmas Eve early.

“I like that there’s so many food and stuff,” said Kristupis Sadzevius, a parishioner at Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Annunciation Parish.

“You feel happy because, like, you’re with your family, everybody’s, like, joyful,” said Vakaris Vidugirs, a parishioner at Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Annunciation Parish.

They’re taking part in a special Lithuanian holiday tradition called Kūčios. The festivities are typically held on Dec. 24, and include 12 dishes meant to symbolize the Twelve Apostles.

“This is Jesus Christ, the coming,” said Father Valdemaras Lisovski, the parochial vicar at Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Annunciation parish. “So we have Twelve Apostles that he gathered together and 12 dishes remind us of this tradition.”

Christ was at the center of the Mount Carmel celebration from hosts called plotkeles.

“It’s like the host and it has been blessed,” said Vida Jankaus, a parishioner at the parish.

The candles on the table were lit by the Lithuanian Scouts from the Peace Light, a flame that has been burning in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem for more than 1,000 years.

“It’s a symbolic way of sharing the peace of Bethlehem and the celebration of Christmas,” said parishioner Nida Stankunas Schmedlen, “And it’s meant to bring warmth and light and hope to everyone.”

Kūčios centers on Christ’s birth, but it’s also about spending time together with loved ones.

“We come together as a family. We come to the table, we share experiences that we had,” Father Lisovski said. “We ask for forgiveness if we offended somebody because the coming of Jesus Christ is the celebration.”

As the kids put on a story about God’s creation of the world and eat the traditional dishes their parents brought, the older generation hopes the meal will be passed on.

“We’re very proud of our heritage and we want our children to be proud of it also,” said Arnas Nemickas, a Lithuanian Scouts leader.