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The Nativity of St. John the Baptist was commemorated on June 23 with a festive, concelebrated liturgy, at which Capuchin Provincial Fr. Michael Greco was the presider.  In his homily, Fr. Greco referred to this birthday celebration highlighting John’s potential...

The Easter celebration of Jesus’ resurrection proclaims the truth that amid all of the powers on earth that surround us and threaten to engulf us – cultural, financial, political, military, biological or any other – it is the G-D who raised Jesus from the dead who truly reigns in our lives and at the heart of the world...

We gather this night to eat as refugees do – on the run, under fire, terrified, tired, teary-eyed and trampled. Such was the first Passover – a band of slaves running for their lives, escaping the long coercive arm of Pharoah and his monstrous army. An uncharted journey into a menacing night. Exposed. Hunted. Haunted. Panting for breath. Yearning for safety...

Since this Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week, during which sinners were reconciled, it was called Dominica indulgentioe, competentium, and capitilavium from the practice of washing and shaving of the head as a bodily preparation for baptism. During the early centuries of the church, this sacrament was conferred solemnly only on the night of Holy Saturday – the text of the creed had been made known to the catechumens on the preceding Palm Sunday....

Prayer, yes. But decidedly not a multiplication of words. Rather our prayer begins and ends with listening. We pray so as to listen through all of the raucous voices of our day seeking to hear the word that took flesh in Jesus of Nazareth.....

After an Advent of expectation and hope – a season of hard labor carving a highway through rugged and desolate terrain to welcome the One who would set us free from every ancient burden and fear – we now greet . . .

The Catsimatidis family, WABC Radio, Gristedes, D’Agostinos, Bank of America and St. Francis Food Pantries provided food for 100,000 New Yorkers in need at St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church.

On Saturday November 6, Provincial Minister Fr. Michael Greco, OFM, CAP presided at a Memorial Mass for 4 Capuchin friars who had served the community at St. John the Baptist. Remarks of remembrance were offered by the current friary staff, brief vignettes which encapsulated an aspect of each friar....

A celebratory liturgy on September 23, the feast of St. Pio, was the culmination of 4 days of sacramental, healing, and devotional prayer at the Church of St. John the Baptist. Hundreds of people from the Metropolitan Area participated in these worship services.

O God, you are the source of life and peace. Praised be your name forever. We know it is you who turn our minds to thoughts of peace. Hear our prayer in this time of war...

The paschal mystery of Jesus crucified and risen sits at the heart of our Christian faith. The claim that in Jesus’ cross and resurrection death has been defeated and life indestructible is now on offer through the Risen One is a core feature of the gospel we proclaim for the salvation of the world. To better understand the mystery of the cross and its relationship to both the divine will and human will, we do well to reflect upon the shape of human desire – a shape that is decidedly triangular...

As we enter into the eucharistic mystery this Sunday, we gather twenty years after terror attacks perpetrated here in our land – indeed our very city – by those persuaded to slaughter in the very name of G-D: a perplexing human delusion tragically haunting human history...

We welcome Fr. Victor Garcia, OFM Cap. to our pastoral staff here at Holy Cross—St. John the Baptist parish. Fr. Victor is a native son of the parish who worshipped among us prior to his...

Fr. Michael leads the congregation in prayer before blessing the new organ.

On June 24 the Church of St. John the Baptist celebrated its patronal feast with a majestic liturgy at 5:15 p.m. In his homily Fr. Michael spoke of John the Baptizer, the last of the prophets, as one who sought to right the wrongs of his day...

It’s that time of year when those of us in the Roman Catholic tradition reacquaint ourselves with the taste of tuna fish, haul out the family recipe for macaroni and cheese or spread a couple of slices of bread with some good old-fashioned peanut-butter and jelly. Perhaps we have made yet another commitment to trim back our eating habits or to dig a bit more deeply into our pockets to offer aid to another. Some of us have probably shown up for Mass more often, if not daily. Prayer, fasting and almsgiving – why do we do these things? Why now? Why Lent?

Prayer, yes. But decidedly not a multiplication of words. Rather our prayer begins and ends with listening. We pray so as to listen through all of the raucous voices of our day seeking to hear the word that took flesh in Jesus of Nazareth. After a season of distorted, manipulative words, a time of deceitful speech, our prayer is meant to help us salvage the truthfulness of our shared speech. To cherish the divine gift that is our human capacity for communication. By divine grace, a people devoted to dwelling in the Word made flesh.

In over 50 years in the organ business, I have learned that few organs were as heavily used as those in Catholic churches during the mid-20th century. I recall working in Waterbury, Connecticut, in the mid 1970's, releathering the organ at just such a church, where there were often 100 masses a week, plus a very active funeral and wedding schedule. Fast-forward to 2010, when we were called to Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church on West 42nd Street in Manhattan.

We know that Joseph was a lowly carpenter, betrothed to Mary. He was a “just man,” ever ready to carry out God’s will as revealed to him in the Law and through four dreams. After a long and tiring journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, he beheld the birth of the Messiah in a stable, since “there was no place for them” elsewhere. He witnessed the adoration of the shepherds and the Magi, who represented respectively the people of Israel and the pagan peoples.

May the Holy Spirit instill in our president the values and principles to exercise the sacred trust of administering the nation....