Catholic New York

The morning the impending closure of the domestic bureaus of Catholic News Service was announced May 4 began like many others over the years. I had received an email from CNS staffer Carol Zimmermann … more

By JOHN WOODS | 5/18/22

Young Men Growing in Discipleship Near Home

Father George Sears, the director of vocations for the archdiocese, said the new regional approach to priestly vocations … more

By JOHN WOODS | 5/4/22

Archbishop Gudziak’s Powerful Message

Archbishop Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia … more

By JOHN WOODS | 4/20/22

Father Kelly’s ‘Second Thoughts’ Offers Great Reflections

With Lent turning toward Holy Week and Easter, this is a time of year many people like to take up some spiritual reading. I would like to suggest “On Second Thoughts: A Book of Stories” by Father … more

By JOHN WOODS | 4/6/22

Catholic Schools, Students Offer Prayers, Support for Ukraine

The war in Ukraine, which started a week before Lent began, is very much on everybody’s minds, whether you live in New York, Poland or Argentina. In our interconnected world, it becomes … more

By JOHN WOODS | 3/23/22

Two ‘Lifers’ Share How They Responded to God’s Call

Other than their common Mass of ordination to the episcopacy March 1, Auxiliary Bishop John Bonnici and Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Espaillat also shared a similar roadmap to the priesthood a dozen years … more

By JOHN WOODS | 3/9/22

Deacons Hear From Their Shepherd at Weekend Retreat

Earlier this month I went to Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington, L.I., where Cardinal Dolan was leading a retreat for the archdiocese’s permanent deacons. I arrived in time to attend … more

By JOHN WOODS | 2/23/22

Deanery Listening Sessions for Synod Planned in Lent

The Synod listening sessions to take place during Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday, March 2, were initially planned for five regional sites across the archdiocese. Then the deans of the … more

By JOHN WOODS | 2/9/22

‘Small’ Gifts Add Up at March for Life

Coming back to Manhattan from last Friday’s March for Life in Washington, D.C., our bus captain, Sister Mary Margaret Hope, S.V., called for short testimonies of “graces” that her fellow riders … more

By JOHN WOODS | 1/26/22

Her Job Is to Help Schools Understand Their Catholic Identity Makes Them Unique

Linda Mele Dougherty said she is old enough to remember when many Catholics identified where they lived by their parish affiliation. In her family’s case, the parish was Our Lady of Mercy in Forest … more

By JOHN WOODS | 1/12/22

Ignacio House: a Place for Men to Study and ‘Thrive’ After Prison

This month, Cardinal Dolan visited formerly incarcerated men now living at Ignacio House in the Bronx, where they’re transforming their lives as they pursue college studies in a supportive … more

By JOHN WOODS | 12/29/21

How She Shared Her Gifts

My mother, Mary L. Woods, died at her Long Island home during the first week of Advent. She slipped away peacefully in her sleep the morning of Dec. 2 at age 88. Mom had battled a progressive … more

By JOHN WOODS | 12/15/21

An Advent Invitation

Last Sunday was the start of the holy season of Advent, the annual period of preparation leading to Christmas and the celebration of the birth of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. It should be a fruitful time, … more

By JOHN WOODS | 12/1/21

At Mass for Young Adults, Dorothy Day’s Cause Will Be a Focus

As the diocesan phase of her cause for canonization draws to a close, Dorothy Day probably would have felt right at home at a Mass in St. Patrick’s Cathedral to mark the occasion. The Mass, to … more

By JOHN WOODS | 11/17/21

New Executive Director Wants You to Experience Sheen Center’s Catholic and Family-Friendly Programs

As the Sheen Center for Thought & Culture comes back to life, there’s a new executive director in charge. William “Bill” Biddle brings a host of experiences leading artistic and performing … more

By JOHN WOODS | 11/3/21

A Shepherd and His Priests ‘Cast Out to the Deep’

At times, being the editor of Catholic New York brings me to places I would otherwise have no business going. One of those times occurred this month when I went out to Huntington, L.I., to cover a … more

By JOHN WOODS | 10/20/21

Scott Hahn Delivers ‘Family’ Talk at St. Joseph’s Seminary

Dr. Scott Hahn, the noted theologian and evangelist, kept it all in the family—the Holy Family, that is—in his public lecture at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie, Oct. 1. Acknowledging … more

By JOHN WOODS | 10/7/21

Sheen Center Reopens With ‘Portraits of Grace’

On Sunday afternoon, the Sheen Center in lower Manhattan hosted its first live event since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. Appropriately enough, the reopening was for a … more

By JOHN WOODS | 9/22/21

A Promising Sign for Fall

As far as signs of progress go, the Out and About listings in this issue of Catholic New York might not be on many people’s Top Ten list, but they are on mine. There are about a dozen listings for … more

By JOHN WOODS | 9/8/21

Two Very Different Public Witnesses

Early on Saturday morning, Aug. 14, I drove into Brooklyn for a story. That’s not a normal occurrence because Brooklyn and Queens form the neighboring Diocese of Brooklyn, which is outside Catholic … more

By JOHN WOODS | 8/25/21