Photo of the day: JESUS ‘CROSSES’ THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE
Called The Way of the Cross, the traditional Catholic pilgrimage began at St. James Cathedral in Downtown Brooklyn where Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio presided over a short service. Observers then spilled out of the church doors to follow the Rev. Richard Veras, who carried a large wooden cross over the bridge.
The Way of the Cross procession in Brooklyn began in 1996 with a small group of friends. Participants visit five symbolic stations of the cross at St. James Cathedral, a point on the Brooklyn Bridge, City Hall Park, Ground Zero, and finally ending at St. Peter’s Church on Barclay Street in Manhattan.
People of all ages followed the somber Friday morning procession — some praying and singing out loud while others stayed silent. My Swiss guests were astounded to see so many people in the procession. I told them, “Having once lived at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, I have seen all sorts of people cross the bridge, from racers, protestors, 9/11 survivors and politicians – now I have seen Jesus crossing too.”
Photo of the day: LILIES OF THE FIELD
| HOUGHTON LEAVES A RYUKYU – Louis Houghton, a soldier during World War I, is responsible for the popularity of the Bermuda lily, better known as the Easter lily, here in the U.S. In 1919, he brought hybrid bulbs home with him to the southern coast of Oregon and gave them to family and friends to plant.
Today, ten growers, most located along the California-Oregon border, in an area known as the “Easter Lily Capital of the World,” produce 95 percent of all bulbs grown commercially in the world. They produced almost 11.5 million bulbs last year for commercial greenhouses in the U.S. and Canada. Easter lilies are the fourth largest crop in wholesale value in the U.S. potted plant market despite a sales window of only two weeks. The Easter lily is native to the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. The cultivar “Nellie White” is the most popular form of Easter lily in the U.S. To prolong the life of an Easter lily’s blossoms, remove the yellow anthers (pollen-bearing pods) found in the center of each flower. |
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NEW YORK CITY - IN THE WIT OF AN EYE 