Bensonhurst celebrates the new saints
Roman Catholic parishes in Bensonhurst and Borough Park were packed on Sunday as Brooklyn celebrated the canonization to sainthood of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II. In particular, the canonizations had special meanings for St. Frances de Chantal parish, which is a Polish-speaking congregation.
Rev. Antoni Zemula, S.A.C., parochial vicar at St. Frances de Chantal presided at a Polish-language Mass which filled the sanctuary to standing room and out into the street. (S.A.C. stands for Society of the Catholic Apostolate, and its members are familiarly known as Pallottines.) Brooklyn’s Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio was also present and marched in the procession up 13th Ave. from St. Frances de Chantal Church to Regina Pacis Basilica, about eight blocks away.
Pictured here are the flag bearers) in national costume, the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, and a uniformed Polish cultural league of volunteer firefighters. The NYPD 66th Precinct assisted ably in keeping the marchers safe and managing traffic. Earlier on Sunday morning, St. Athanasius Church on Bay Parkway also held a procession in honor of the new saints.
