Chinatown, NY

Think of New York's Chinatown and Mott and Mulberry Streets come to mind.

On Pell looking toward Mott.

Transfiguration on Mott and Mosco

Hop Kee across from Transfiguration

Coulmbus Park surrounded by Baxter, Bayard, Mulberry, and Worth supposedly has replaced the infamous Five Points of the 19th century.

Chess games galore (NB photo taken from the open air deck above the public bathhouse)

Cross the Bowery and follow Division to under the Manhattan Bridge and you'll be in another world.

The Lower East Side has been incorporated into Chinatown.

This is perhaps little explored by tourists.

I believe many of the residents are of the Fujian Province

Pace Highschool affords a charming view of the Empire State Building from Forsyth and Canal

There's also a neat view of the Chrysler Building looking up Eldrige

A Synagogue on Eldridge between Canal and Berry serves as a reminder that this neighborhood has seen its share of immigrants in the past two.

Another sign of previous immigrants, the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Barbara's is on Forsyth between Canal and Berry

Virginian Wine

Support the American Wine Industry!


From left to right: Chardonnay, a Blend, a Riesling, and a Cabernet Sauvignon. (click photo to read labels)

Recently, I had my first experience with the above Barboursville wines of Virginia.
Interestingly, the vineyard owner and cultivator is a Zonin.

Although I generally prefer red wines, I very much enjoyed the Barboursville whites the best. The Riesling was very good and the Viognier (not pictured) was decent. And even though in general I stay away from Chardonnay, I hope to soon imbibe their Chardonany again.

The 2004 Octagon is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. In my opinion, it was a very good wine. Although a bit pricey, it was worth the money to at least try it. But, for the same price I would in the future probably prefer an Amarone (even though saying this goes against the patriotic nature of this post!).

The Cabernet Sauvignon was decent, but the finish was somewhat disappointing.

In rating wines I am certainly an amateur and I regret being vague above. However, the goal of this posting is to encourage the support and the growth of our American wine making industry, especialy the consumption of wines of the lesser regared East Coast.

I hope this posting will encourage the consumption of Virginian wines and even a visit to a Virginian winery.

Katz's Deli, Lower East Side

On the corner of Houston and Ludlow, Katz's is celebrating 120 years.

The walls are covered with pictures of better-known patrons.

On entering, you'll be told the routine. After getting your ticket, get on a line to make your order. Then, make a bee-line for a table. N.B. They don't take credit cards and prices are a bit high. A pastrami on rye (including 3 pickle slices) costs 14.95! It's good, but after all, it is still only pastrami.

Along the wall to the left of this somewhat startled customer are special tables which get waiter service. Otherwise, feel free to sit anywhere.

Extraordinary Form Update: Archdiocese of New York

The August 14th, 2008 printed edition of the Catholic New York reports some of the following Extraordinary Form Mass. I have added those which were not included and arranged them according to the counties of the Archdiocese.
Those marked with an * indicate a post-Motu Proprio Mass.

1. New York (Manhattan):
-Holy Innocents (128 W 37th St.) *
Saturdays @ 1 pm
Weekday Holy Days @ 6:15 pm

-Mount Carmel (448 E 116th St.)
Sundays @ 10 am

-Guardian Angel (193 10 Ave.) *
First Fridays @ 6:30 pm

-St. Agnes (143 E 43rd)
Sundays @ 11:00 am

-Good Counsel (230 East 90th St.)
Saturdays @ 1:00 pm

-Church of Our Saviour (38th and Park Ave.)*
Sundays @ 12:05 pm


2. Bronx:
-Mount Carmel (627 E 187 St.)*
Sundays @ 8:30 am

-St. Anthony (1496 Commonwealth Ave.)*
Saturdays @ 5:00 pm


3. Richmon (Staten Island):
None reported

4. Westchester:
-Sacred Heart (229 Willet Ave., Portchester)
Sundays @ 8:30 am

-St. Eugene (707 Tuckahoe Rd., Yonkers)*
Sundays @10:30 am

-Immaculate Conception (199 N Broadway, Sleepy Hollow)
Sundays @ 3 pm

5. Putnam:
None reported.

6. Dutchess:
- St. Joseph (9 Lafayette Pl., Poughkeepsie)
Sundays @12:30 pm
Holy Days @ 7:15 pm

-St. Sylvia (104 Broadway, Tivoli)*
Sundays @12:00 pm

7. Rockland:
None reported.

8. Orange:
-Mount Carmel (Rte. 17, Tuxedo)
Sundays @12:15 pm

9. Ulster
None reported.

10. Sullivan
None reported.

Note that 7 regular extraordinary form Masses have been added each week since the Pope's Motu Proprio. Also, the traditional Mass is found in 5 out of the Archdiocese' 10 counties. Hopefully, this will soon increase.
Why not ask your local parish?
(PS Thanks to an anonymous comment, I've added to this post.)

Good News, Bad News: St. John the Evangelist, NYC

New Yorkers who know St. John the Evangelist's (the church under the administrative offices of the Archdiocese, a.k.a. 1011 55th St. at corner of 1st Ave.) know how ugly the interior is. The good news is that the new pastor seems to be making imporvements. Sometime within the last year this crucifix replaced the "impression" of Christ crucified.



Unfortunately, the bad news is that the tabernacle is still located at the rear of the church on the ambo side. Note that it is not even in a separate chapel for prayer but in an undeniably awkward place for adoration. There seems no reason why our Lord should not be enthroned in the sanctuary. Let's hope this will be the next bit of good news to report on St. John's.

Bloomberg at Museum of the City of New York

It was an interesting day. While on my way to the Museum of the City of New York I received an interesting phone call from someone complaining that a flock of birds was watching him. Then, just as I arrived at the Museum at about 11 a.m., I happened to spot Mayor Bloomberg who was exiting.

I'll never make it as a paparazzo....

More on the Museum in days ahead.

Tivoli, I LOV IT - Extraordinary Form Masses

Remnant News delivers the following good news for those in the northernmost parts of the Archdiocese of New York, and any refugees Albanians (i.e. those of the Diocese of Albany):

St. Sylvia's Catholic Church
104 Broadway
Tivoli, New York

Telephone Number: 845-757-3501

Directions: Turn onto Broadway into Tivoli from New York State Route 9G (in northern Red Hook, NY – just south of Clermont NY).

Schedule: The Tridentine Latin Mass is now scheduled for 12:00 Noon every Sunday at St. Sylvia’s Church, Tivoli, New York. The Celebrant is Msgr. Joachim J. Olendzki. He has recently been assigned to St. Sylvia’s.

About the Celebrant: Msgr. Joachim J. Olendzki, now retired and in residence at St. Sylvia's, Tivoli, had served as pastor of St. Stanislaus, Pine Island, since 1989. He was founding director of Our Lady of Fatima Portuguese Catholic Center in Yonkers, 1977—1979. He was parochial vicar of Our Lady Star of the Sea, Staten Island, 1979—1989; Our Lady of Victory, Mount Vernon, 1973—1977; St. Frances de Chantal, the Bronx, 1961—1973; and Assumption, Staten Island, 1960—1961. Msgr. Olendzki, a native of Brazil, was ordained in 1958, incardinated into the archdiocese in 1974 and named a monsignor in 2006.

N.B. Tivoli is almost a palindrome for I lov(e) it.

Pius XII on Authentic Teachers in the Church

The following is excerpted from Fr. Joseph Clifford Fenton's December 1958 article Pope Pius XII and The Theological Treatise on the Church:

Si diligis is the allocution delivered by Pope Pius XII on May 31, 1954, to the Cardinals, Archbishops, and Bishops who were present in Rome for the canonization of St. Pius X. It contains a magnificent explanation about the relation of the Sovereign Pontiff and the other members of the apostolic college to the men they employ to aid them in their work of teaching the faithful. As such it brought needed clarification to one part of the theological treatise on the Church of Christ.

Christ Our Lord entrusted the truth which He had brought from heaven to the Apostles, and through them to their successors. He sent His Apostles, as He had been sent by the Father (John, 20:21), to teach all nations everything they had heard from Him (cf. Matt., 28:19 f.).
The Apostles are, therefore, by divine right the true doctors and teachers in the Church. Besides the lawful successors of the Apostles, namely the Roman Pontiff for the universal Church and Bishops for the faithful entrusted to their care (cf. can. 1326), there are no other teachers divinely constituted in the Church of Christ. [This is of major importance when we recall the attempts to set up a parallel anti-Magisterium by dissenter theologians after Paul VI's Humanae Vitae.] But both the Bishops and, first of all, the Supreme Teacher and Vicar of Christ on earth, may associate others with themselves in their work of teacher, and use their advice; they delegate to them the faculty to teach, either by special grant, or by conferring an office to which the faculty is attached (cf. can. 1328). Those who are so called teach not in their own name, nor by reason of their theological knowledge, but by reason of the mandate which they have received from the lawful Teaching Authority. [The Mandatum.] Their faculty always remains subject to that Authority, nor is it ever exercised in its own right or independently. [Here we see that a theologian does not have a "right" to express publically his or her opinion.] Bishops, for their part, by conferring this faculty, are not deprived of the right to teach; they retain the very grave obligation of supervising the doctrine which others propose, in order to help them, and of seeing to its integrity and security. Therefore the legitimate Teaching Authority of the Church is guilty of no injury or no offense to any of those to whom it has given a canonical mission, if it desires to ascertain what they, to whom it has entrusted the mission of teaching, are proposing and defending in their lectures, in books, notes, and reviews intended for the use of their students, as well as in books and other publications intended for the general public. [19: The text and the English translation of Si diligis are carried in American Ecclesiastical Review, CXXXI, 2 (August, 1954), 127-37. The passage cited is on pp. 133 f.]

Prior to the issuance of the , there was a tendency on the part of some popular writers in the field of religion to imagine that any one at any time might set himself up as a teacher of Christian doctrine within the Catholic Church. The masterful allocution delivered by Pope Pius XII effectively disposed of this pernicious mistake.

Jon Voight on Obama

I am not usually interested in what actors and actresses have to say. Their job is to entertain us not to form public opinion. Moreover, most also support radical leftists America hating agendas. That's why the following stands out (thanks to proecclesia). Not only are Mr. Voight's ideas rational and pro-America, I'm sure they come at a cost. For an actor to denounce publically the Socialist left takes courage. Essentially, this native New Yorker and one time DC resident who was raised Catholic and whom I believe now practices his Faith, has aborted his acting career since the leftist Hollywood elite have no tolerance for dissent.
On the other hand, perhaps Voight can find a role in a future Mel Gibson movie.

VOIGHT: My concerns for America
Obama sowing socialist seeds in young people
Monday, July 28, 2008

Washington Times

We, as parents, are well aware of the importance of our teachers who teach and program our children. We also know how important it is for our children to play with good-thinking children growing up.

Sen. Barack Obama has grown up with the teaching of very angry, militant white and black people: the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farrakhan, William Ayers and Rev. Michael Pfleger. We cannot say we are not affected by teachers who are militant and angry. We know too well that we become like them, and Mr. Obama will run this country in their mindset.

The Democratic Party, in its quest for power, has managed a propaganda campaign with subliminal messages, creating a God-like figure in a man who falls short in every way. It seems to me that if Mr. Obama wins the presidential election, then Messrs. Farrakhan, Wright, Ayers and Pfleger will gain power for their need to demoralize this country and help create a socialist America.

The Democrats have targeted young people, knowing how easy it is to bring forth whatever is needed to program their minds. I know this process well. I was caught up in the hysteria during the Vietnam era, which was brought about through Marxist propaganda underlying the so-called peace movement. The radicals of that era were successful in giving the communists power to bring forth the killing fields and slaughter 2.5 million people in Cambodia and South Vietnam. Did they stop the war, or did they bring the war to those innocent people? In the end, they turned their backs on all the horror and suffering they helped create and walked away.

Those same leaders who were in the streets in the '60s are very powerful today in their work to bring down the Iraq war and to attack our president, and they have found their way into our schools. William Ayers is a good example of that.

Thank God, today, we have a strong generation of young soldiers who know exactly who they are and what they must do to protect our freedom and our democracy. And we have the leadership of Gen. David Petraeus, who has brought hope and stability to Iraq and prevented the terrorists from establishing a base in that country. Our soldiers are lifting us to an example of patriotism at a time when we've almost forgotten who we are and what is at stake.

If Mr. Obama had his way, he would have pulled our troops from Iraq years ago and initiated an unprecedented bloodbath, turning over that country to the barbarianism of our enemies. With what he has openly stated about his plans for our military, and his lack of understanding about the true nature of our enemies, there's not a cell in my body that can accept the idea that Mr. Obama can keep us safe from the terrorists around the world, and from Iran, which is making great strides toward getting the atomic bomb. And while a misleading portrait of Mr. Obama is being perpetrated by a media controlled by the Democrats, the Obama camp has sent out people to attack the greatness of Sen. John McCain, whose suffering and courage in a Hanoi prison camp is an American legend.

Gen. Wesley Clark, who himself has shame upon him, having been relieved of his command, has done their bidding and become a lying fool in his need to demean a fellow soldier and a true hero.
This is a perilous time, and more than ever, the world needs a united and strong America. If, God forbid, we live to see Mr. Obama president, we will live through a socialist era that America has not seen before, and our country will be weakened in every way.

Jon Voight is an Academy Award-winning actor who is well-known for his humanitarian work.

Our Lady of America in New York

Roving Reporter #8: Our Lady of America in NYC Ave Maria!

Video at gloria.tv.

Their commentary:

"It was a while coming, but worth the wait. Wow! What an event, a lifetime experience, and so much video footage to edit! Thanks for your patience. It is a bit longer than most of our videos here on AirMaria, but every deletion was heart rending. We will hopefully be posting a shorter version tomorrow. This segment includes Our Lady of America at St. Peter's, enthronement on the fire tuck, the trip past Ground Zero, Her arrival at St. Patrick's and the devotions there. Many thanks to Denise Parlacoski and Kevin McCarthy for making this happen. Thanks to the Fire and Police Departments of Newark and New York, to the Port Authority, the dioceses of Newark and New York and to Fr. Kevin Madigan, pastor of St. Peter's and Monsignor Robert T. Ritchie, rector of St. Patrick's and many others. Thanks to all who attended these events and, finally, thanks to Our Lady of America for taking center stage in our troubled times. Our Lady of America, pray for us. Ave Maria!"