Faith and Flour: Local Bakery Owners Enter Sweet Goodies in the NYC Great Borough Bake-Off

By Jessica Easthope

Sugar, spice, and a skating rink with ice make up this replica of the Sailors and Soldiers Memorial Arch at Grand Army Plaza.

Susan Caliendo and Mario Dibiase’s seasonal structure isn’t just detailed, it’s delicious.

“Candy, isomalt, chewing gum, candy horses, the angels, everything there is completely edible and it’s filled with popcorn,” Dibiase said.

Caliendo, owner of Something Sugared in Bay Ridge, and Dibiase, owner of Sottovoce in Park Slope are two of about 25 bakers entered into the Museum of the City of New York’s Gingerbread NYC Great Borough Bake Off.

The two have already won the Best in Brooklyn title, but they’re hoping to also get “People’s Choice” with the help of visitor votes.

You can marvel at the gingerbread molding, but what stands out for Caliendo and Dibiase, is more spiritual than sweet.

“Keeping Christ in Christmas is obviously a big part of it and part of that is gathering and getting together and that’s what Jesus taught us in Scripture,” Dibiase said.

“This exhibit is about soldiers that have defended our country and the angels represent guidance and faith and support from God,” Caliendo said. “So this exhibit completely fills that for me.”

Visitors can vote using a QR code at the exhibit, which is open until Jan. 15.

Christian Tries to Help Family in the Holy Land Selling Handcrafted Pieces at the Mall

The desperation in the Holy Land has motivated another Christian to sell his wares at the mall.

For the first time this Christmas season, Jack Mansour has set up shop at the Staten Island Mall. His kiosk Jerusalem Handcrafts sells carved olive wood items his family members in Bethlehem make.

Mansour is there every day the mall is open through the end of the year.

He said due to the tourism troubles caused by the Israeli-Hamas conflict, his relatives are more desperate than ever to sell enough wares to make ends meet.

Bishop Brennan Celebrates the First Sunday of Advent With San Damiano Mission

This weekend marked the beginning of Advent, a time when Advent wreaths were lit in parishes and dioceses across the country.

Bishop of Brooklyn Robert Brennan spent his first Sunday of Advent at the San Damiano Mission in Williamsburg.

It’s a church that’s directed by the Shalom Catholic Community, an international association of faithful, recognized by the Vatican.

After celebrating Mass, Bishop Brennan joined the community at their weekly breakfast at the Shalom Cafe.

Each of the candles lit on Advent wreaths holds a special meaning. The three purple candles represent prayer, penance and preparation.

Historically, Advent was known as “little Lent”, which is why the color purple is used.

The rose/pink-colored candle, which is lit on the third Sunday, marks the midway point of Advent, and since it’s supposed to be a day for rejoicing, its color is different.

Tourism Troubles Cause Financial Strain for Bethlehem Christians

by Katie Vasquez

The holy items being sold are intricately designed and handcrafted, and made by 200 Christian families in the birthplace of Jesus, bringing a piece of Bethlehem to the Diocese of Brooklyn.

“Most of them [customers] have never been to the Holy Land,” said Samer Awwad, the Land of Peace representative. “So this is as close as they can get.”

Awwad has been selling the items at Brooklyn and Queens churches for more than a decade.

But he isn’t collecting a profit for himself. He’s part of the organization Land of Peace, which sells the art to support organizations and missions in the Middle East.

“Currently we are the only source of income for them. There’s no tourists out there,” Awwad said.

Before the conflict in Gaza began, the Middle East was actually enjoying a boom in visitors.

According to the U.N. World Tourism Organization, the area posted the biggest gain among global regions, exceeding pre-pandemic levels by 20% during the first seven months of the year.

“I was actually in the Holy Land in August,” Awwad said. “When I was there, they had mentioned that all the hotels were booked, everything was perfect.”

The war has hurt the tourism industry. Around 90% of hotels in the West Bank are empty.

“There hasn’t been any, [not] a single tourist going to the Holy Land,” Awwad said.

And that’s having a trickle-down effect on the rest of the economy.

“A cycle that restaurants work, buses work, hotels work,” Awwad said. “They are all in the same tourism sector. So when that stops, basically that life is dead there.”

It means each purchase from parishioners at the Shrine Church of St. Jude in Canarsie is a show of support.

“That is the Holy Land, right? This is where Jesus Christ was born. So we have to support them,” said Cecelia Mejia, a parishioner at Shrine Church of St. Jude.

“There is no greater opportunity, especially at this time of the year, in this moment right now for us to give back to God,” said Carmelle Smith, another parishioner at the Shrine Church of St. Jude.

And Awwad hopes soon the artists behind these items will find peace in their homeland.

“A two-state solution that we can both live peacefully. Because without that, I don’t think it will ever be a peace deal there,” Awwad said.

You can also purchase an item on their website: bcfmission.com

St. Anselm Students Raise Money For Church Bell Restoration

A Bay Ridge church lit up some trees for the start of Advent.

St. Anselm held their 12th Annual Tree Lighting on Saturday, Dec 2.

The church now has 113 trees that surround it, which were donated by families from the parish.

This year, students from Bay Ridge Catholic Academy also took part by selling cookies and hot chocolate to help restore the church’s bell tower.

They raised more than $1,000.

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 12/5/2023

The conflict in the holy land is having a huge effect on the tourism industry there.

The Peace Light has arrived in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Bishop Robert Brennan celebrated the first Sunday of advent with Mass at the San Damiano mission in williamsburg.

Two bakers from Brooklyn modeled their gingerbread house entry after the Grand Army Plaza arch.

Breakfast With Santa: St. Saviour Students Raise Money for Charity

Students at St. Saviour Catholic Academy got a sneak peek of Santa over the weekend.

The Park Slope school held its annual “Breakfast with Santa” event and it wasn’t just St. Nick doing the giving.

Second graders sold handmade ornaments and Christmas cards for charity.

They raised $137 for St. Saviour Church’s Brown Baggers, a group that makes lunches for people in need.

Celebration of Light Maimonides Helps Churches Decorate for Christmas

Get ready! Christmas lights are coming to a Diocese of Brooklyn church near you.

More than 40 churches received money for Christmas decorations on Monday.

The donation was from Maimonides Medical Center in Borough Park as part of their “Celebration of Light.”

The initiative has helped churches spread some Christmas cheer since 1995.

For the parishes that received the decoration funds, they said the money goes a long way for the holiday season.

Brooklyn Girl Receives Message from Mother of Soon-to-Be Saint

by Katie Vasquez

Khloe Chavez isn’t tired of watching one video she received. It’s not from TikTok or Instagram. It was personally sent to her from the mother of what could be the first millennial saint, Blessed Carlo Acutis.

“Like, I was, like, kind of surprised,” Khloe said.

Khloe first learned about Blessed Carlo at her school, Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Academy.

A relic of the Italian boy who died at 15 from leukemia stopped at the Corona, Queens, school.

When she touched a few pieces of his hair, he touched her heart.

Khloe said, “I admire him because like, he’s young like me, like he, I can relate to him.”

She started learning about the teen, how he brought people around the world closer to Christ by creating a website of all the Eucharistic miracles.

“It was a blessing because the school exposed them to this, this young boy that was always with a boo bag talking about Christ, wearing Nikes the same clothes that we wear,” said Khloe’s father, Johnny Chavez.

Chavez’s family is part of the Neocatechumenal Way, a spiritual movement designed to deepen the faith of its members through ongoing formation.

When a fellow Neocat spotted Carlo’s mother, Antonia Salzano, at a conference in Manhattan, she told her about Khloe and Salzano sent her a special message

In the video, Antonia Salzano, the mother of Blessed Carlo Acutis, said, “Khloe, I wanted to say hello to you. I know you love Carlo very much and Carlo loves you very much.”

“A soon-to-be saint like, mother, like, sent me a video,” Khloe said. “Like, that’s crazy to me.”

Not only that, Salzano gave her a tiny piece of the future saint.

“So this is a relic of Carlo Acutis, this is a piece of his sweater,” Khloe said.

Word soon spread around school about the video.

“They were, let me tell you, when I showed them this video, they could see their mouths when the jaw dropped,” said pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows, Father Manuel Rodriguez.

Khloe isn’t looking to impress, she’s trying to spread awareness.

“He needs, like, one more miracle, and he could be a saint. Like, that would just touch me a lot,” Khloe said.

Father Rodriguez is trying to get a statue of Blessed Carlo Acutis at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Academy and to get Salzano to visit so that Khloe can thank her in person.

Catholic News Headlines for Monday 12/4/2023

One student at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Academy in Corona received a personal message from the mother of Blessed Carlo Acutis.

Churches across the Diocese of Brooklyn are being decorated this month to celebrate the birth of Christ.

Some second graders showed how fundraisers are done at St. Saviour’s Annual Breakfast with Santa event.

Pope Francis says he’s feeling better.