Hosanna in the Highest...

Bishop William Murphy shares his thoughts on this Easter season

Please click here to read Bishop Murphy's
Easter 2008 letter.
Full letter

The Liturgies of Holy Week

Msgr. Charles Fink and Father Richard Henning provide us with food for thought on the season to go along with photos from this holiest of weeks.
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Photo left shows a stained glass window from Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Church in Bridgehampton.
TLIC photos/Gregory A. Shemitz

Students reach into their hearts to ‘Live Mercy’
By Mary Gorry Staff Reporter

Riverhead — The stage in the auditorium at McGann-Mercy Diocesan High School here was covered with colorful items — shirts, handbags, chocolate bars, coffee, metal figurines, and jewelry, as volunteers from the World Village Fair Trade Market store in Hampton Bays used the items to illustrate to the students products that can be bought at fair trade prices, and what exactly fair trade is. Full Story

Why is Easter so early this year? It’s a lunar thing
By Pete Sheehan Senior Reporter

If you think Easter comes as early as it does this year only once in a blue moon, you don’t quite have it right.
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For family viewing ...
(CNS)

New York (CNS) — “A person’s a person, no matter how small!” So runs the motto of the title character in “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who” (20th Century Fox), an enchanting computer-generated animated adaptation of Theodore Geisel’s classic 1954 children’s book.
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Palm Sunday celebration with the deaf community

Bishop Peter Libasci celebrated Palm Sunday with the deaf community, presiding at a Mass sponsored by the Pastoral Ministry with the Deaf at St. Ignatius Church in Hicksville. Several people active in that ministry assisted in the day, including Father Thomas Costa, Father Martin Hall, Deacon John Audia, Sister Joan Finn, Sister Maura Costello and Patricia McCarthy. Diane Wener was a reader, and Mary Golden provided music and song. Here, Bishop Libasci reads the opening prayer as Father Costa interprets in sign language.

TLIC photo/Jack Healy

Of sweet potatoes, roller hockey and joy-filled faith
By Nicole O’Loughlin

Amid Spitzer scandal, Catholics lobby in Albany to urge focus on family, life, and human needs
By Rick Hinshaw TLIC Editior

Albany — As the state capitol buzzed in stunned anticipation of Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s imminent downfall, Catholics from around the state worked hard to bring attention to a range of critical issues as they gathered here March 11 for the annual public policy day of the New York State Catholic Conference.
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Pope on archbishop’s death:
‘Enough with the bloodshed in Iraq’
(CNS)

Vatican City (Zenit) — Pope Benedict XVI led world religious leaders in expressing sorrow and outrage at the kidnapping and death of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mosul, Iraq.
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Pope will offer Americans insights of a ‘world-class intellectual’
(CNS)

Rome (CNS) — The new U.S. ambassador to the Vatican expects Pope Benedict XVI’s upcoming visit to the United States to be a thought-provoking event for Catholics, non-Catholics and international representatives.
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Respect Life Youth Awards

More than 150 contestants gathered in the auditorium of Kellenberg Memorial High School in Uniondale March 13 for the annual diocesan Respect Life Youth Awards. Level 1 (grade school) and Level 2 (high school) honors were awarded in the categories of poetry, photography, essay, bookmark design and music. Above, Bishop Peter Libasci, left, and diocesan Respect Life director Msgr. Francis Maniscalco, right, join Level 1 music winners Amy Cook of St. Jude, Mastic Beach (third place), Christopher Pashagan, Our Lady of Peace, Lynbrook (second place), and Matthew Nicholls, St. Matthew, Dix Hills (first place). For a complete listing of winners, see the Web site of the diocesan Respect Life Office at www.drvc.org/respect.html.
TLIC photo/Peter Accardi

The Liturgies of Holy Week

It was in the original Holy Week that the ministry and mission of Jesus came to completion and fruition. In the sublime liturgies of our Holy Week, the events immediately preceding and culminating in the Resurrection are re-presented to us so that we can enter into them and be drawn more deeply into the life of Christ.
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Students carry the cross for life in campus ministry event
By Mary Gorry Staff Reporter

Hempstead — The skies threatened rain and some passing cars beeped their horns as a small group of people with the diocesan Catholic campus parish carried a seven-foot tall cork and metal cross March 14 from Nassau Community College to a Planned Parenthood facility here, praying the Stations of the Cross as they went.
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Father Kevin Mackin named next president of Mt. St. Mary’s

Newburgh, N.Y. — The Mount St. Mary College board of trustees has appointed Father Kevin E. Mackin, OFM, as the fifth president of the college. Mackin will succeed Sister Ann Sakac, O.P., who will retire June 30 after 31 years as president.
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50 Years as a Diocese

Please click here for articles
from this special edition of our newspaper.

Beginning after the new year, Msgr. Francis Maniscalco will offer a monthly Question and Answer column in TLIC designed to respond to inquiries from readers about Church teachings, practices and various aspects of the Catholic faith. Currently director of the diocesan Respect Life Office, Msgr. Maniscalco is a former editor of The Long Island Catholic and former director of communications for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

We invite readers to submit your questions to Msgr. Maniscalco c/o The Long Island Catholic, P.O. Box 9000, Roosevelt, NY 11575. You may also fax them to us at 516-594-1092. Or you may e-mail your questions to editor@licatholic.org.