PERSPECTIVES
OPINION
'Special interest' is not a dirty word
In laying out his 2011-2012 state budget plan, Gov. Andrew Cuomo lashed out against the "special interests" he says control Albany and state spending. In speech after speech, he continues this attack, going so far as to call special interests "the enemy."<
LENTEN REFLECTION
Great fast brings grace
How did we get anywhere before GPS (Global Positioning System) or Mapquest? Now we rely on the computer rather than the compass for making a trip. Lent has its own GPS. Fasting points the direction for Lent. Our Orthodox brothers and sisters rightly call Lent "the Great Fast."
LENTEN REFLECTION
Walking through Lent
Walking is a wonderful experience. We take walking for granted. Studies reveal walking is good for physical health. It also is conducive to emotional health. Walking improves memory.
SEMINARIAN'S DIARY
Why purgatory is a plus
One of the best parts of my time as a seminarian-intern at Immaculate Heart of Mary parish in Watervliet in 2008-09 was the chance to participate in the RCIA process with the catechumens and candidates.
PERSPECTIVE
Let's hear it for comfort and inspiration
Picture nonagenarian Mary Pidgeon tearfully kissing and closing the doors of her life-long, beloved St. John the Baptist Church in Schenectady, for the last time on the evening of June 24, 2009, following the solemn vesper service for the feast of the birth of St. John the Baptist.
PERSPECTIVE
Education for all students: A public duty
With the release of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposed budget, we are reminded more than ever of the difficult economic times in which we find ourselves. The proposed cuts in education, however, are not equitable between the public schools and the independent and religious schools.
RECONCILIATION REFLECTION
Finding forgiveness, face-to-face
Through the sacrament of reconcilation, the young families of our parish - Mater Christi in Albany - not only learn that our Father is a loving and forgiving God, but also that He welcomes us back no matter what.
EASTER REFLECTION
Alleluia time
No other feast rivals Easter. Easter is the central event of Christian faith. Jesus rose from the dead. Christians will celebrate this glorious event by sunrise services. On Easter morn, believers will wait for the dawn to recall the rising of Jesus from the dead. Alleluia!
PERSPECTIVE
An open letter to parents
(Editor's note: Nicki Foley teaches second-grade faith formation at St. Helen's parish in Niskayuna. While leading one class, she talked about Mass attendance. She told The Evangelist that her students' "hands were going up: 'I don't go to Mass; my parents just drop me off here [for class]!'...
250 X 250 AD
250 X 250 AD
Events
250 X 250 AD