At another parish anniversary celebration in Jamaica, Queens, the faithful were so grateful Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan was there, signing autographs.

Bishop Brennan helped ring in 120 years at Saint Joseph’s — a parish that first began in 1904 when the Bishop of Brooklyn helped the growing Polish community buy an old colonial house to use as a temporary church.

While the parish finished building their actual church three years later, they never forgot that it was the Bishop of Brooklyn who gave them the first down payment for their spiritual home.

So, members of the anniversary committee had Bishop Brennan sign their sashes.

A statue of Christ’s crucifixion is now proudly on display after enduring multiple attacks at its Brooklyn parish. 

Holy Cross Church recently dedicated and blessed this new gold metal statue during the celebration of the parish’s 176th anniversary. 

Years ago, a wooden statue of Christ crucified was stolen from its place on the cross and later found burned in a dumpster. 

Though that image was restored, it was vandalized again just a few months ago, with its feet and legs cut off at the knees. 

The parish came together to replace the statue, which arrived from Italy just in time for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Vincent LeVien, director of external affairs at DeSales Media Group, was awarded the Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan Award at the Bishop’s Humanitarian Dinner of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens (CCBQ).

The CCBQ dinner, which took place at Cipriani Wall Street, was part of CCBQ’s celebration of its 125th anniversary. Founded in 1899, CCBQ provides affordable housing, sponsors senior citizen centers and food pantries, and offers counseling and other support services to the physically and mentally challenged.

LeVien, whose award was named in memory of the Auxiliary Bishop Sullivan (1930-2013), a former executive director of CCBQ, said he was grateful for the honor because he had the opportunity to meet the late bishop.

The award also meant a great deal to him, he said, because he has worked with CCBQ on disaster relief efforts following Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and the pandemic in 2020 and has seen up close the dedication of its employees.
“I’m truly honored to receive an award from a group like Catholic Charities that does such great work and helps so many people,” he added.

By Jessica Easthope

Whether it’s for business or pleasure, for good news or bad, people fly.

They all hope for safe travel, but now there’s a place where they can pray for it.

“I leave something behind but also take something with me, especially in a place that doesn’t belong to anyone,” said Father Piasta, the chaplain at LaGuardia airport. “We all share it.”

Inside Delta’s state-of-the-art Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport is an interfaith chapel. Sandwiched between gates 61 and 62, the chapel is a sanctuary — a place where people of all faiths can bring their bags, but leave their baggage. It’s a space to block out the noise and stay grounded. Airport chaplain Father Chris Piasta says the terminal will be further enriched by the people of faith who use the chapel.

“Not only will we be praying and blessing the sacred space, but they will allow others to take the blessing with them,” he said.

The space was dedicated on Tuesday, Sept. 24. Representatives from the Catholic, Muslim, and Jewish faiths gave blessings and underscored the importance of a room like this.

The chapel, which seats about 35 people, has a standout feature architect Stephan Fried says brings some old New York to the new. The stained-glass windows were from three original chapels at JFK Airport. They sat in storage for nearly 30 years and are now experiencing a rebirth here at LaGuardia.

“It’s meaningful to have that bridge from that time until today,” Fried added.

Father Piasta’s efforts to make the chapel a reality started back in 2016, after the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey offered a meditation room instead in the newly renovated Terminal B. Desales Media’s Director of External Affairs, Vincent Levien, got involved. In early 2022, officials from Delta, Desales, the Port Authority, the chaplains, and the governor’s office met, and Delta pledged to include a chapel in the new Terminal C.

“We do a lot of work that people don’t see every day, and this is one of those small things that is going to impact thousands of people,” Levien said. “That legacy — I’m truly honored to be a part of that.”

For Maureen O’Doherty, a book is more than just pages bound together—it’s a lifelong passion. “I love reading. I really do love reading,” she recalls. “From the time I was a little girl, I read and read and read. My mother worked in the library, and she used to bring us home all sorts of books.”

In 2020, Maureen channeled this love of literature into something more communal. Along with a few others, she founded the St. Gregory the Great Book Club, a close-knit group of around 10 parishioners at Bellerose Parish who gather in the church basement. Their shared love of books and faith make this literary circle a special experience. Unlike many modern book clubs that indulge in wine and cheese, theirs remains serious in tone, focused solely on the discussion.

“It’s very serious. A lot of book clubs have wine and cheese or dinners, but we don’t do any of that,” O’Doherty says with a smile. “We come, we meet, we have a good time, we talk, and then we discuss our book. We all know which one each one of us is gonna like anyways.”

But Maureen’s story at St. Gregory the Great doesn’t stop with books. For 55 years, she has been a dedicated parishioner, taking on roles such as Eucharistic Minister, member of the Rosary Altar Society, and part of the Consolation Ministry. These various roles, she says, are different chapters in her life of faith, all reflecting a common theme: her unwavering dedication to the church and community.

“My faith is very important to me because it has gotten me through a lot of problems,” she explains. “When my husband lost a job, we had our faith to go back to. When he died, I knew where he was… That helped me, and I always wonder how people without faith get through things.”

Maureen’s contributions haven’t gone unnoticed. Father Ed Kachurka, pastor of St. Gregory the Great, speaks highly of her commitment. “To me, they live the Gospel message,” Father Kachurka says of parishioners like Maureen. “There’s the two tenets that Christ gave us—he said to love God and to love neighbor, and the people here do it.”

Though Maureen juggles numerous responsibilities at the church, she shows no signs of slowing down. “They keep me going, and I enjoy it,” she says. “Sometimes I say I do a little bit too much, but you know what? It’s all very worthwhile.”

For Maureen O’Doherty, her faith and community are intertwined, and she remains an integral part of the pulse that keeps St. Gregory the Great Parish alive.