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Prayers, Tears, Applause: New Priests Ordained in the Diocese of Brooklyn

By Katie Vasquez

After years of formation, seven men entered the Co-Cathedral of St Joseph as deacons and prepared to leave as priests in the Diocese of Brooklyn. 

Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan led the men in the Sacrament of Holy Orders on Saturday, June 28.

Where prostrating before the altar they offered their lives in service to the people of God.  

“I’m giving it all to God and just laying down my life just as Christ laid his, and I’m no longer the owner of my life at this point. It belongs now to the church, to Christ,” said Father Callistus Ibeh, a newly ordained priest. 

“When I lay down on the floor, that is the death of Paulo Salazar. And when I rise up, it’s Father Paulo. And to go out and to bless His people and to give them the nourishment of the food for their souls,” said Father Paulo Salazar, a newly ordained priest. 

They come from different countries and speak a multitude of languages, but the Brooklyn shepherd says their one similarity is their devotion to Christ. 

“These are very talented men, but they’re also generous, they bring a vast variety of experiences and gifts, and they’re going to be putting those gifts to work,” said Bishop Brennan.

Then the seven reached the moment they were all waiting for: Bishop Brennan placed his hands on their head followed by the priests of the diocese, officially marking them as ordained priests. 

“Now I’m moving on to this next life. Not completely sure where our Lord is going to take me, but I’m very confident in Him because of all the blessings of graces He’s brought to me into my life, through so many people and through certain prayers and intercession,” said Father Robert Ruggiero.

REALTED: Prayers, Tears, Applause as Seven New Priests Are Ordained in Diocese of Brooklyn

“To have a moment to pray and to really surrender, to hold on to God and to give myself completely to Him,” was important, Father Alvaro Moralez Sanchez told Currents News.

Their hands, which were anointed during the Mass, will lead countless other faithful throughout Brooklyn and Queens through the sacraments.

“I’m just very happy, genuinely very, very happy,” said Father Benoit Chavanne, “for the very reason that it’s through the ministry and through the hands that we will be consecrating the Host and giving the Sacrament of Confession, too.”

After the Ordination Mass ended, each one spent time blessing loved ones.

“Blessing the people through me because I’m an instrument of God, and I want to be an instrument for the faithful, to encourage them to to praise the Lord, to give thanks to Him, and to be blessed by him,” Father Juan Herrera told Currents News following his ordination.

As they prepare for their assignments, each one is ready to begin their ministry.

“I want to be involved a lot with the youth so they can think about vocation and they might have the call. But sometimes nobody talks to them about the vocation. So I want to spend some time getting to know people,” said Father Gerardo Tlatelpa.

They are spreading the Word of God across the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Priests and Principals Face Off at ‘Catholic Schools Night’ Baseball Game at Coney Island

By Katie Vasquez

The crack of a bat and cheers from the sidelines could be heard as the annual “Collars vs Scholars” baseball game kicked off in Coney Island, home of the New York Mets’ AAA baseball team the Brooklyn Cyclones, on Wednesday, June 25. 

Every year, priests and principals take the field at Maimonides Park for Catholic Schools Night, an event run by the Catholic Telemedia Network(CTN). The organization is part of DeSales Media Group, the parent company of NET-TV, to mark the end of the school year and the start of summer. in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

 “We know last year was a blowout. But I’ve heard that the collars have been practicing a lot, and we are expecting a very close game this year,” Chris Scharbach, the principal of St. Francis DeSales Catholic Academy in Queens, told Currents News leading up to the game.

“A closer game, but hopefully we still pull out a win. We’re still going to win,” hoped Associate Superintendent of Diocese of Brooklyn Schools, John O’Brien.

“It’s the end of the year to celebrate a great year, and it’s really one of the true events where all different people from the diocese get to meet and go together and celebrate the end of the year,” Laura Hickey of CTN added.

The score for this year’s game was stacked with the scholars having won three games, and the collars two throughout the years, though the priests went onto the field with a positive attitude.

“We got our team back together. It’s been a couple of years where everyone has been able to play. But everyone’s here this year. and we’re down two games to three, so it’s an elimination game here,” Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Brooklyn, Father Chris Bethge, told Currents News before his team hit the mound.

The principals furthered their lead, winning 4 to 2. Still, there was no bad blood between the teams.

“We are happy to have fun, it’s a hot day by the way, but we have fun. It was good always to bring God to the field,” said Father Elvin Torres, the parochial vicar at St. Sebastian Church in Queens.

“It makes me feel great inside that I get to work and play with the clergy and fellow principals,” said St. Athanasius Catholic Academy principal, Gina Auricchio. 

For the Brooklyn school’s principal and for all involved, Catholic Schools Night isn’t about the game: it’s about the kids. 

Valedictorians and salutatorians of Diocese of Brooklyn Catholic school were the MVPs of the game as Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan honored them for their hard work.

The students said they were able to achieve so much because they were in Catholic classrooms. 

“Well, I, of course, credit myself to my mindset, God and my environment, of course,” said Pria Moses, the valedictorian at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy in Brooklyn.

 “I like that we have an option to learn a lot about our faith, because I know in public schools they don’t have the opportunity to learn as much as we do,” added Emmett McLoughlin, the salutatorian at Holy Child Jesus Catholic Academy in Queens.

Bishop Brennan said this game also helps bring some faith to the outfield. 

“It’s showing that faith connects to real life, showing that faith is part of even the fun that we have,” he told Currents News. “It’s something that ties us together, and it gives greater joy to fun events like this. But also we’re realists: our faith gives us strength in times of sorrow, times, of worry ,in times of anxiety.”

Attendees of Catholic Schools Night also got a commemorative bobble head of Associate Superintendent John O’Brien and Principal Chris Scharbach.

Catholic News Special: ‘Meet the Priests’

This special edition of Currents News introduces you to the seven deacons who will be ordained priests in the Diocese of Brooklyn on Saturday, June 28, 2025, at 11 a.m. at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph.

Here are some of the holy men the special will feature:

– Deacon Robert Ruggiero is the oldest in this year’s ordination class. He took his time discerning the call, but his age could be an advantage.

– Deacon Benoit Chavanne may be thousands of miles away from where he grew up in France, but he says he feels right at home in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

– Deacon Alvaro Morales Sanchez thought he found his calling under the hood of a car, but God had other plans for this former diesel mechanic.

– Deacon Gerardo Tlatelpa went from serving food to serving the Lord – he gave up his day job after going on retreat.

Scholars vs. Collars: Educators, Clergy Prepare to Hit Home Runs for Catholic Education in the Diocese of Brooklyn

By Katie Vasquez

It’s a match six years in the making on June 25, 2025: the Scholars vs Collars baseball game at Maimonides Park, home of the Mets AAA team, the Coney Island Brooklyn Cyclones.

The much anticipated game is a fan favorite for Catholic school students in Brooklyn and Queens, who are the center of the Catholic Schools Night celebration during the June 25 Cyclones game.

Currents News is on the field before the bats start swinging.

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 6/25/2025

Principals and priests are taking to the field for Catholic Schools Night at Maimonides Park in Coney Island, celebrating students from across the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Three longtime Catholic school teachers were honored at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Queens for decades of dedication and service to generations of students.

One woman is making a difference every day at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Maspeth through her tireless volunteer work — you’ll meet her in this installment of “Pulse of the Parish.”

Pulse of the Parish: Marge Migliaccio, St. Stanislaus Kostka

By Currents News

In this installment of “Pulse of the Parish” you’ll meet a woman in the Diocese of Brooklyn who is so dedicated to her parish that it seems like she never takes a break.

Marge Migliaccio is a longtime parishioner at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Maspeth, Queens, but you won’t only catch her there on Sundays: she’s there all the time, giving back to her local community and growing in her own faith journey. 

Currents News Special: ‘Meet the Priests’ to Air Friday, June 27 at 7 PM

By Currents News

New York’s Catholic station, NET TV, is premiering a half-hour special, “Meet the Priests”, airing Friday, June 27, 2025, at 7 p.m. EST on Currents News.

The special introduces you to the seven deacons who will become priests in the Diocese of Brooklyn. Learn who they are before they are ordained.

Here are some of the holy men you will meet:

  • Deacon Robert Ruggiero is the oldest in his ordination class. He took his time discerning the call, but his age could be an advantage.
  • Deacon Benoit Chavanne may be thousands of miles away from where he grew up in France, but says he feels right at home in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
  • Deacon Alvaro Morales Sanchez thought he found his calling under the hood of a car, but God had other plans for this former diesel mechanic.
  • And Deacon Gerardo Tlatelpa went from serving food to serving the Lord. The Mexican immigrant gave up his day job after going on retreat.

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 6/24/2025

A Queens deacon shares how basketball, faith, and community led him to answer God’s call to priesthood in the Diocese of Brooklyn in the latest installment of Meet the Priests.

He will join six other new priests on June 28 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Brooklyn. NET-TV will be streaming the ordination live, followed by a special edition of Currents News.

As the nation marks three years since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, Catholic leaders reflect on the ongoing state-level battle to protect the unborn in a post-Roe America.

A Long Island woman affectionately known as “Nana” is spreading love by giving to families in need through her nonprofit, Love, Nana.

Long Island Non-Profit and Nun Help Families in Need

By Katie Vasquez

In New York you can find baby clothes being carefully packed by Joan Hyland, affectionately known as “Nana,” by her community.

The Long Island resident has seven children, 28 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren and she packs each baby bundle as if it were for her own family. The effort is part of a community service project she started in 2020 called “Love, Nana.”

“I want it to look just perfect there,” she told Currents News. “I try to do that every single day with every single bag.”

Her work with moms began when Hyland’s grandson asked her to help a single mother in need. 

“I got some diapers, I bought some things from the store,” she recalled. “When I put it together my husband said to me, ‘Well, it looks like a present. I said, ‘Well, that’s what I wanted it to be, a present.’ So the very next day I started to collect clothes.”

Before she got her storefront in Rockville Centre, Joan turned to Sister Barbara Faber, RSM, at Our Lady of Peace Church in Lynbrook to distribute baby clothes, books, and accessories to young mothers and families in need. 

“Some of them are in shelters, some of them are just living on the edge, just having trouble paying the rent, buying food, etc… so any help we can give them, they’re very grateful for,” Sister Faber told Currents News.

Volunteers take in donations, wash, and dry clothes up to 24 months before they are organized into bins and made into bundles. 

Hyland and Sister Faber are committed to the work because they know it’s their calling.

“I feel this is a way of really living the charism of Catherine McAuley by bringing mercy to as many people as we can,” said Sister Faber.

“What would God ask of you? I seem to be able to answer that every day, because I know what He wants me to do, and I have no problem following His wishes,” said Hyland.

With the help of Sister Faber, and the organization “Backyard Players and Friends,” Hyland has been able to make several thousand baby bundles. 

She would like to expand to a bigger space so she can help even more families in need.

If you would like to help, you can contact “Love, Nana” on their website.