MERRY CHRISTMAS

My present to readers is this link to The Deacon Bench's Homily for Midnight Mass.

Gregory Shemitz, whose photos often appear in the Long Island Catholic, notified me that his website has just been redesigned. The site looks very sharp and contains slideshows including the Funeral Mass for Cardinal Dulles and the recent ordination of transitional deacons. Check it out!

2008

Although we are in the Season of Advent and the Christmas Season is approaching, the end of the calendar year is coming up so it is time to look back at 2008 in the Diocese of Rockville Centre:


Ordinations


There were 26 men ordained in the Diocese of Rockville Centre in 2008 as follows:


Nine men ordained to diocesan priesthood June 14


13 men ordained to permanent diaconate


4 men ordained transitional deacons




Catholic schools


St. Joseph's in Brentwood - it was announced this school is closing due to low enrollment



St. Anthony's in Huntington - the school opened its new chapel featuring a traditional style



St. Pius X in Uniondale - The Diocese seems to be getting ready to sell off this property although there has not been an official announcement. This school closed in 1983 but the building was being used to house retired priests, a health care clinic and was the site of the weekly traditional latin Mass.

Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington - Archbishop Demetrios, patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church in the U.S. spoke on St. Paul for the Pauline Year at the sixth annual Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua Lecture on Pastoral Theology

Voice of the Faithful


A Long Islander became the national head of the organization, which makes less and less news as it focuses even more on the same tired old ideas already done to death by Future Church and Call To Action. VOTF Long Island held their annual convention and it did not even register a blip on anyone's radar.

Diocese HQ

The Diocese created a Pastoral Council

Bishop Murphy issued a pastoral letter 'Do This In Memory Of Me' in which he called for an end to weekday communion services held in place of Mass.

Of interest to Catholics on Long Island:

Catholics in New York 1808 - 1946 Exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York ran from May to December

The murder of Marcello Lucero made international news and put the spotlight once again on Long Island's treatment of the (mostly Catholic) Latino immigrant community.