Alleluia ... He is risen!

Many of the priests of the diocese gathered in St. Agnes Cathedral for the annual Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday.

To read Bishop Murphy’s homily from the Mass please click here.
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TLIC photo/Gregory A. Shemitz

Virtus trainers help ensure children’s safe environment
By Mary Iapalucci Staff Reporter

“Ensuring that our young people see the Church as a safe environment begins with us, as adults,” wrote Bishop William Murphy in a February 2003 letter introducing the Virtus training program, Protecting God’s Children, to the diocese. “I know that it is a commitment of time for all of us, but the children in our diocese deserve this commitment from us all.Full Story

Priests join lay volunteers to raise awareness
By Mary Iapalucci Staff Reporter

The responsibility of creating a safe environment in the parish ultimately rests on the pastor. “Pastors have realized the best way to mitigate the problem (of child sexual abuse) is to educate people,” said Eileen Puglisi, director of the diocesan office for the protection of children and young people.
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Sharing sandwiches and spirituality on Saturdays
By Mary Iapalucci Staff Reporter

Wantagh — A problem with the electricity meant the coffee wasn’t ready. The guest speaker was running late. But little things like that could not stop the 60 people who had gathered at St. Frances de Chantal parish here from praising the Lord. With the leadership of In the Way music ministry, they sang and prayed until the speaker, Franciscan Friar of the Renewal Glen Sudano, danced his way into the room.
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Peace Mass

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church in Wyandanch was filled to capacity for a Mass for Peace sponsored by Pax Christi Long Island to note the start of the sixth year of the war in Iraq. In the photo at left, Father William F. Brisotti, pastor of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, center, assisted by Deacon Don Zirkel, left, receives a cross presented by Frank O'Lear of St. Rose of Lima parish, Massapequa, during the Offertory procession.

‘Small things are what help me to be faithful’
By Michael Bartels

‘I know what I believe in’
By Allison Cummings

I am proud to be Catholic for many reasons, including community, comfort and faith, all of which play a major role in my faith and everyday life. These aspects of Catholicism help me to be a better person every day.
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My Catholic School Experience

I attended Catholic schools for 12 years, first at St. Brigid’s in Westbury and then at Sacred Heart Academy, where we were blessed to have a priest in residence, Father Farley. As Pope John Paul II states in Ecclesia in America, “The formation process for young people must be constant and active, capable of helping them to find their place in the Church and in the world.”
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‘Poe-try’ symposium brings author’s works to life
By Pete Sheehan Senior Reporter

Hicksville — Nineteenth-century literature and 21st-century technology met at St. Ignatius Loyola School here March 5 as students held their first “Edgar Allan Poe Symposium.” Eighth-graders used a SmartBoard, a video, a digital movie, and PowerPoint presentations to explore the life and work of Poe (1809 to 1849), whose poetry, detective stories, and horror tales continue to resonate with readers and audiences more than a century and a half after his death.
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Weekly articles highlight ministries of ‘small but active parish’
By Mary Gorry Staff Reporter

Hauppauge — The time, talent, and treasure of the parishioners of St. Thomas More Church here have been front and center for the past year thanks to a special stewardship project highlighting a different parish ministry every week for an entire year.
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K of C national telecast to preview pope’s ‘Journey of Hope’ to U.S.

New Haven, Conn. — The Knights of Columbus will sponsor a nationally-broadcast television discussion program previewing Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the United States in April.
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Going Green

St. Patrick's Day has come to be associated with everything Irish: anything green and gold, shamrocks and luck. Most importantly, to those who celebrate its intended meaning, St. Patrick's Day is a traditional day for spiritual renewal and offering prayers for missionaries worldwide. At Dominican Village, an independent and assisted living retirement community, merrymakers included Joseph Grossi and Mary Walsh in the photo at left, and Margaret Tappin and Mary Bungert.

$4,000 grant a ‘great gift’ for St. Anne’s music program
By Mary Gorry Staff Reporter

Brentwood — St. Anne’s Church here was one of 44 parishes from around the United States to be a 2008 recipient of a grant from OCP, a not-for-profit publisher of liturgical music and worship resources.
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Pastoral Formation Institute announces schedule of spring 2008 sessions

Rockville Centre — The diocesan Pastoral Formation Institute (PFI) offers an integrated approach to discipleship through instruction, prayer, faith sharing and the development of leadership skills.
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The saint and the actor:
Scofield seemed to become Sir Thomas More
By Msgr. Francis J. Maniscalco

Rockville Centre, N.Y. (CNS) — Paul Scofield’s portrayal of Sir Thomas More in “A Man for All Seasons” became a constant fixture in my memory from the first time I saw it at the ANTA Theater in New York in 1961.
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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.