Currents News highlights immigrants and parishioners across Brooklyn and Queens whose faith, resilience, and dedication to their communities define the living heartbeat of the Diocese of Brooklyn.
“Belief Beyond Borders” is not an immigration debate. It’s New York City’s story — a faith story, told through the lives of the parishioners who carry it every day.
In this special newscast you will meet:
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- My Nguyen, a Vietnamese refugee and parishioner at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Queens, who survived a decade of war, fled through jungles and refugee camps with her family, built a Manhattan salon from nothing, and now transforms her memories into vivid, faith-filled paintings.
- William Shahzad, a Pakistani parishioner at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Brooklyn who advocates for persecuted Christians in Pakistan, provides food, clothing, and immigration support, and helped establish the first Urdu Mass in the borough so that his community could worship in their native language.
- Christopher Chasteau, a Grenadian parishioner at St. Matthew’s in Brooklyn, who feeds hundreds of families each month in Crown Heights through the Group of Hope, carrying forward the spirit of community he learned growing up in the Caribbean.
- Olena Rogalska, a Ukrainian immigrant and full-time pattern maker for Yves Saint Laurent, who balances her high-end fashion work with weekend devotion at Guardian Angel Church in Coney Island, using both her hands and her faith to build a life of hope for her family in Brooklyn.