By Jessica Easthope
With flames in their hands and fire in their hearts, more than 1,200 adults in the Diocese of Brooklyn entered the Catholic faith at the Easter Vigil on April 4. At the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights, 12 of them โ eight catechumens being baptized and receiving Communion and Confirmation, and four candidates receiving Communion and Confirmation โ took a life-changing step. Bishop Robert Brennan said the moment proves the Church is alive.
“The church is very much alive,” Bishop Brennan said. “Here in Brooklyn, Queens, and it’s alive around the world. It’s a sign of the commitment of so many people. People are showing their faith, you know, bold, joyful and unapologetic.”
Candidate Israel Rosario’s faith journey was filled with twists and turns, but he says eventually he ended up right where God wanted him.
“I called my dad after church and he was like, when we came from Puerto Rico in the 70s, my family came here,” Rosario said of the Co-Cathedral. “So I found a picture of my late aunt and uncle and my dad on the stairs right there after doing communion. 50 years later and I’m getting my communion confirmation. So it’s definitely a full circle for me.”
The new Catholics spent two years completing the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, or OCIA. They all have a new faith to call on in moments of joy and despair.
“Keep your eyes fixed on Christ,” Bishop Brennan said. “He wants to walk with you. That’s the whole point of this week that Jesus came to walk with us, even unto suffering and death. And he conquered death by his resurrection.”
“I love to come to church,” Rosario said. “I feel at peace, most at peace when I’m at church.”