TONIGHT AT 7: Despite Cancer Battle, Queens Priest Leans on Faith to Persist in Ministry

By Katie Vasquez and Bill Miller

BRONXVILLE, N.Y. — A thought came to Father Mortimer “Morty” O’Shea on March 5 while putting Ash Wednesday blessings on parishioner foreheads at St. Sebastian Parish in Woodside.

This priest, who has dual citizenship in the United States and Ireland, has battled multiple myeloma cancer since 2013. He began treatments in 2021 at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan.

But, he explained, the medical insurance industry in Ireland does not cover the higher levels of cancer treatments that are available in the U.S.

“So,” he recently told The Tablet, “I was out at St Sebastian’s on Ash Wednesday, and I was putting [the ashes] on people’s foreheads, and it just hit me.

Father Morty O’Shea delivers the homily during a recent Mass at St. Sebastian Parish in Woodside. He helps out there when he is not undergoing cancer treatments in Manhattan. (Photo: Katie Vasquez)

“If I was anybody else in Ireland, without this wonderful care at Sloan Kettering, I would be [these ashes]. I mean, because that’s what we are after four years inside the coffin.”

Chemo Blasts

Father O’Shea praises God that his days on earth were extended. Still, he knows his days are numbered.

Multiple myeloma cancer, which forms in bone marrow, is a “very clever cancer” that develops resiliencies to even the most modern treatments, Father O’Shea said.

His options, he added, seem limited, so he has been undergoing chemotherapy “blasts” to buy more time.

“Maybe another trial will come up,” Father O’Shea said. “It’s a big exercise in kicking the can down the road.”

Still, he pushes on, like he has no time to waste. When he’s able, he helps out with pastoral duties at St. Sebastian Parish in Woodside, Queens.

But even while recovering from harsh treatments like chemo, he maintains a missionary zeal, sharing the Gospel and proclaiming pro-life positions via his blog — simply titled, “Fr Morty O’Shea” — at frmorty.wordpress.com.

A Mighty Adventure

With a name like O’Shea and his obvious Irish brogue, it’s easy to surmise that this priest hails from the Emerald Isle, where he spent most of his childhood. However, he was born in Detroit to parents from Ireland who returned to raise the family in County Kerry, on that country’s southwest coast.

Father O’Shea graduated from college with a degree in electrical engineering. He returned to the U.S. to begin his career and settled in Boston.

“And that was a mighty adventure, I must say,” Father O’Shea said. “That was for nearly three years. But, on Mother’s Day 1990, I felt called to a kind of religious life.”

He then joined the Society of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity, headquartered in Corpus Christi, Texas, which has worldwide missions.

A Complete Inspiration

During his 28 years as a priest, Father O’Shea’s ministry has taken him to Texas, New Mexico, England, Wales, and back to Ireland before his 2013 cancer diagnosis.

The fight continued for several years until, in 2021, his treatment options in Ireland started dwindling due to Irish insurance restrictions. That’s when his younger brother, Jack O’Shea, who had settled in Bronxville, got involved.

Cancer treatment options for Father O’Shea were limited in Ireland, but his younger brother, Jack, (shown here at right) helped arrange treatments at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. (Photo: Courtesy of Father Mortimer O’Shea)

“My wife and I started looking for options here in New York,” Jack said. “We were fortunate enough that Sloan Kettering opened the doors to my brother.”

Jack recalled how, when he made his own return to the United States in 1984, his brother, the electrical engineer in Boston, helped him get settled.

“I’ve always looked up to my brother,” he said. “He was just a complete inspiration of truthfulness, honor, hard work, and loyalty to his family.”

‘Half the Man He Is’

Jack said his brother has never complained about cancer and has remained faithful to his calling. Case in point: Father O’Shea did not want to be idle during his latest round of cancer treatments, which began last November.

Father O’Shea approached Bishop Robert Brennan at the Dec. 9, 2024, funeral for Msgr. Philip Reilly, a nationally known pro-life champion who inspired the Irish priest’s own work in that field. He offered to help out at a parish, and Bishop Brennan accommodated him. Father O’Shea subsequently began helping out at St. Sebastian Parish in Woodside until his most recent “chemo blast” in April.

“He never said ‘Why me, or poor me,’ ” Jack said. “When I got the news in 2021 that his life was coming to a short end, I was not going to give up on my brother.

“I wish on my best day that I would be half the man that he is.”

Ultimate Life Insurance

Father O’Shea said he has made peace with death.

“I guess I am kind of running out of clear light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.

Still, he said, there is more reason for hope over grief, considering an eternity spent with Christ.

“This is such a dangerous world that none of us gets out alive,” he said. “But, as I told one of the nurses yesterday, if we believe in Jesus, then that’s the ultimate life insurance policy.

“You can’t beat that.”

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 5/14/2025

A seminarian in the Diocese of Brooklyn once worked restaurant jobs across New York City. But after rediscovering his faith, he’s now just weeks away from becoming a priest.

Pope Leo XIV welcomed Eastern Catholics to the Vatican during a Jubilee celebration.

Currents News breaks down the elements of the Holy Father’s new coat of arms.

Meet the Priests: Deacon, Former Waiter, Anticipating Ordination in the Diocese of Brooklyn

By Katie Vasquez and Paula Katinas

WOODSIDE — At first glance, working as a waiter in restaurants like Olive Garden might not seem like good training for the priesthood. However, Deacon Nelson Gerardo Tlatelpa said the two occupations have something in common. “When you work as a waiter, you have to create conversation with people,” Deacon Tlatelpa explained. “In order for you to be a priest, you need to talk to people. You have to create conversation.”

Deacon Tlatelpa, 43, is one of seven men who will be ordained as priests of the Diocese of Brooklyn at an ordination Mass at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph on June 28. He was ordained as a transitional deacon — a step men take a year before ordination — in 2024, and is now completing his studies at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts.

The Tablet met him on April 22 at St. Sebastian Church in Woodside. He chose that church as the place for the interview because that is where he spent his pastoral year. He admitted he is the last person he would have thought would wear a Roman collar. For one thing, he was never religious growing up in Mexico. And once he moved to New York City, he loved working and making money. Even after he decided to answer God’s call to the priesthood and entered the Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary, he failed his first philosophy exam and was ready to quit.

Deacon Nelson Gerardo Tlatelpa recalls a homily Father Michael Perry, former pastor of Our Lady of Refuge Church in Flatbush, gave at an Easter Vigil that inspired him. Father Perry later told him he enjoys delivering homilies because of how much he loves God’s people. (Photo: Courtesy of Deacon Nelson Gerardo Tlatelpa)

However, Deacon Tlatelpa said he had mentors who helped him and kept him on the straight and narrow along the way. Born in Chinantla, a small town 135 miles from Mexico City, Deacon Tlatelpa was one of eight children. “My life in Mexico was very joyful,” he said, noting that he was raised by his aunt because his parents moved to the United States when he and his siblings were young. “She really taught me good values, like not to steal, to behave, to respect elders, to come back home early. I always had chores in the house.”

Deacon Nelson Gerardo Tlatelpa comes from a large family. He is one of eight children. Many of his relatives from Mexico plan to attend his ordination in June.

Religion was not a big part of his life, he acknowledged. “I did my sacraments in Mexico, yes, but I didn’t practice,” Deacon Tlatelpa said. At age 20, he moved to Brooklyn with four of his siblings and worked in restaurants in Brooklyn and Manhattan, “working two jobs and making money.” However, Deacon Tlatelpa said he felt something was missing, so when two friends invited him to a religious retreat in the Bronx, he went. That led him to go to church at Our Lady of Refuge Church in Flatbush.

He became an active parishioner, serving as an usher and working with young people, and drew the attention of the pastor, Father Michael Perry. At one point, Father Perry suggested he consider the priesthood. “I said, ‘Father, you know what? I do not speak English that much. Second, that’s for younger guys. Third, that’s gonna cost a lot of money,’” he recalled. “And I thought that was just for people who were really intellectual.”

But Deacon Tlatelpa heard God calling him and decided to answer the call. He entered the Pope John Paul II House of Discernment in Ridgewood and then enrolled in Pope St. John XXIII, a seminary for older vocations. At first, he said, he had trouble finding his footing. In a philosophy course, he failed his first test. He sat with his advisers and cried. They encouraged him to keep going, and he came to realize that while he didn’t have academic strengths, he had other gifts — like an outgoing personality — that he felt God wanted.

“He doesn’t choose because someone is more intellectual than other people. It is because he wants somebody to be a priest,” Deacon Tlatelpa said. “He has a purpose for each of us.”

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 5/13/2025

After his first public address where he called for peace, Pope Leo XIV was invited to visit Ukraine by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The new Holy Father also made a visit to the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, where he prayed before the tomb of Pope Francis.

A Wisconsin nun is sharing joy and disbelief that her former student, Robert “Bob” Prevost, is now the leader of the Catholic Church.

In Chiclayo, Peru, Locals Are Celebrating the Newly Elected Pope Leo XIV as One of Their Own

By Currents News

In Rome, a new pope has been unveiled. And 6,000 miles away in Chiclayo, Peru where Robert Prevost lived much of his adult life, virtually everyone seems to have a story about the new pontiff.

“I interviewed him once… one of those people that light you up just by talking,” says Antuanné Bravo, a local journalist, proudly holding today’s newspaper in her hands.

Here, the title says: “We have a pope from Chiclayo!”

Leo XIV first moved to Peru in 1985 as a missionary. By 2014, he was the bishop of this city.

His dedication to the poor and the most vulnerable is still evident among those who knew him best, like Noelia.

A plant for oxygen that we have thanks to Cardinal Prevost, she says.

“These saved many lives…we had to work three shifts because there were so many people that needed oxygen during the pandemic. Some of the gas tanks still have the names of the patients.

Prevost made an impact on the lives of many: Peruvians and also migrants – an issue that puts the first American pope at odds with the current U.S. administration.

Lisbeth, who came to Chiclayo in 2018, was one of the beneficiaries of the programs for migrants that Prevost established.

“He advocated for migrants so much here. I’m sure he will keep doing that and work toward that peace, where we can all have a place in the countries where we are,” she says.

Rise and Shine: ‘Christ Is Risen’ Art Contest Celebrates Student Artists

By Currents News and John Alexander

DYKER HEIGHTS — Students from several diocesan schools celebrated a significant achievement May 6 as St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy in Belle Harbor, Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy in Forest Hills, St. Peter Catholic Academy in Bensonhurst, and St. Saviour High School in Park Slope each had multiple winners in The Tablet’s “Christ Is Risen” Art Contest.

Students use their artistic gifts to create art that celebrates the glory of Christ’s resurrection. Some dappled their canvases with paint, some used charcoal, and others demonstrated their skills through elaborate sketches and other forms of traditional art.

Nearly 200 entries were submitted from students attending Catholic schools and academies within the Diocese of Brooklyn.

For over 20 years, The Tablet has collaborated with the Archbishop John Hughes Knights of Columbus Council No. 481 for the Easter season tradition. It started when The Tablet’s Editor Emeritus Ed Wilkinson formed a camaraderie with then-Grand Marshal of the Knights Camillo Casano, wherein the Knights donated awards and cash prizes to students who crafted faith-based artwork inspired by the Scriptures.

The awards ceremony began with prayers and comments from the clergy in attendance, including Father Jeremy Canna from The Shrine of St. Bernadette in Dyker Heights, Father John Maduri of St. Bernard Clairvaux Parish in Bergen Beach/Mill Basin, and Father Guy Sbordone of Our Lady of Grace in Gravesend.

Father Sbordone reminded the students of the true inspiration for their work.

“The Holy Spirit is the driving force of our Church that leads us and guides us in everything we do as we think about the inspiration that you received to create these beautiful images and the award that you will receive for the talent that you have shared with us in creating this image of Christ being raised from the dead,” he said.

This year, 20 students were honored for their artwork.

The Tablet’s Editor, Michael Gray, emphasized the essential role of The Tablet.

“The Tablet is your voice on any topic,” Gray said. “Whether it’s religion, politics, faith, we speak to you and we get your opinions out, and we give you news that’s important for your Catholic life.”

Distributing the awards at the ceremony were the Knights’ financial secretary, Joe Sbarra, and its faith director, Steve Bilardi. Sbarra said he was impressed by the submissions.

“The talent is getting better and better. I’m always impressed when I see the artwork, especially from the younger grades,” he told the audience. “I think this year is a banner year that is going to set records as the bar keeps on reaching higher and higher.

“This contest is very special to the Knights, and we hope that it will continue for many years to come.”

St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy principal Chris Scharbach said that whether it’s the school’s own monthly art contest or The Tablet’s Easter one, “it’s nice to see [students] being inspired and expressing their faith in this way.”

Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School ninth grade winner Erica Avendano said that she “didn’t expect to win,” but was excited when she found out she did.

“I really like art and it inspires me,” Erica said.

Erica was cheered on by Michael Savoca, the head of the Art Department at Monsignor McClancy, who attended to support his three students who won first place and earned two honorable mentions. “The kids are amazing,” he said.

“God gives us so many gifts, and he’s the greatest artist, and how wonderful that he shared that gift with us, and we are able to reciprocate that,” Savoca added. “I’m just lucky I have wonderful students.”

And the Winners Are:

Kindergarten:

James Wallace

St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy

1st Grade:

Gaelle Armand

Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy

2nd Grade:

Jane Hornblower

St. Saviour Catholic Academy

Honorable Mention: Yara Desalu

St. Saviour Catholic Academy

3rd Grade:

Andrew Mullen

St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy

4th Grade:

Jemma Zaloga

St. Peter Catholic Academy

Honorable Mention:

Maja Ostrowski

St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy

5th Grade:

Winner: Anson Xie

St. Peter Catholic Academy

Honorable Mention: Elena Cortes

St. Helen Catholic Academy

Honorable Mention: Maxwell Huldisch

Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy

6th Grade:

Abigail Ortiz

St. Stanislaus-Kostka Catholic Academy of Queens

7th Grade:

Vivian Xiong

Our Lady of Mercy

Honorable Mention: Kheera Seenarine

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Academy

8th Grade:

Mayuri Burbano

Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy

Honorable Mention: Blondine Sillon

St. Bernard Catholic Academy

9th Grade:

Erica Avendano

Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School

Honorable Mention: Justine Demafeliz

Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School

Honorable Mention: Melissa Lopez

Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School

10th Grade:

Shayna Mahon

St. Saviour High School

11th Grade:

Lillian Murphy Jones

St. Saviour High School

Diocese of Brooklyn Celebrates New Pope Leo XIV at St. James Cathedral

By Currents News

Celebrating the new pope continues in the Diocese of Brooklyn with faithful coming together at The Cathedral Basilica of St. James.

The Sunday Mass was celebrated by Bishop Robert Brennan.

In his homily, he called Pope Leo XIV a blessing and went on to discuss the pope’s first message to the world.

At the end of his homily, the bishop also wished a Happy Mother’s Day, saying mothers are shepherds too, that with their gentleness, they are showing their children they are safe in the hands of God.

Catholic News Headlines for Monday 5/12/2025

Currents News was at the Vatican as Pope Leo XIV delivered his first Sunday address and blessing from St. Peter’s Square.

The Diocese of Brooklyn celebrated the election of the new pontiff with a special Mass.

In Peru, Pope Leo XIV is known as Bishop Robert Prevost of Chiclayo, where his commitment to the community has left a lasting impact.

Chicago Cathedral Holds Hometown Mass Celebrating Leo XIV’s Election as Pope

By Jenna MacDermant

In the pope’s hometown of Chicago there’s fierce pride and joy for their native son. At Holy Name Cathedral, a special Mass was held for Pope Leo XIV.

“Let’s take a moment of silence to pray for our new Pope Leo XIV,” the celebrant of the Mass said to parishioners.

It was an overflow crowd for Holy Name Cathedral’s 10:30 Sunday morning Mass.

Kevin Schwehs couldn’t miss the moment.

“We got the pope, we got love, we got sunshine. We got Mother’s Day. We’re winning,” he said.

His mother and a friend of the family, Nancy Cobb, say Pope Leo XIV gives them hope.

“He seems so down to earth and we all need hope,” she said. “I think he will unify a lot of us.”

Alice Villalobos is from Los Angeles and came to Chicago to celebrate her 62nd birthday. She says she’s a proud Catholic, so it was a must to attend Church.

“As soon as it was announced and we were coming here, we gotta come to a Church. And we were going to go to his hometown, but we slept late today,” she told Currents News.

Villalobos also wanted to share in baseball fandom with the pope.

“We’re going to a White Sox game just for him, even though we’re Dodger fans. Go Dodgers,” Villalobos said.

While part of the Mass was dedicated to Pope Leo XIV, many parishioners came to celebrate Mother’s Day.

“I think it’s a combination of both. Also the beautiful spring weather here in Chicago, graduation for college students, so families are in town,” explained. Father Andy Matijevic, director of worship at Holy Name Cathedral. “It’s a great day to celebrate, it’s a great day to be Catholic, and a great day to come together to thank God for the gift of so many things.”

Besides Leo XIII, 12 Other Popes Have Shared That Name With New Pontiff; 5 Are Saints

By Currents News and Michael R. Heinlein

ROME (OSV News) – When Catholics heard on May 8 the new pope had chosen the name Leo XIV, the thoughts of many turned immediately to Leo XIII, the last pope to bear the name.

That most recent Leo, who served as pope from 1878 to 1903, is especially remembered for articulating the church’s teaching on social justice in a rapidly changing and ever industrialized society. He was also interested in promoting the political, theological and philosophical vision of St. Augustine, the namesake and inspiration of the new pope’s religious congregation, and St. Thomas Aquinas.

Leo XIII, was also known as “the Rosary Pope” for his unmatched 11 encyclical letters on Marian devotion.

Aside from Leo XIII, himself not canonized, there have been 12 others who share a name with the new pope, and five of those predecessors attained the heights of sanctity and have been proclaimed saints.

The first pope to bear the name, Pope Leo the Great (c. 400-461), truly had the character of a lion, from which the familiar papal name draws its meaning. A bold defender of the faith amid times of controversy and division, Leo is also remembered for successfully persuading Attila the Hun to spare Italy from an intended invasion of Italy. In doing so, Leo the Great is credited as one of the most influential patristic-era popes, who greatly increased the church’s influence and authority.

Leo the Great was a steady and sure leader amid many threats to the peace and stability of Roman culture at his time, including famine, disease, poverty and a rise in immigration.

His homilies and writings are evidence of the teaching that helped the church overcome various Christological controversies in the fifth century, in the lead up to the Council of Chalcedon in 451. For his doctrinal clarity and ability to articulate unity, Leo the Great was declared a doctor of the church in 1754, one of only two popes so designated.

Pope Benedict XVI said that Leo the Great taught the church “to believe in Christ, true God and true Man, and to implement this faith every day in action for peace and love of neighbor.”

St. Leo II (611-683), who was elected Peter’s successor two centuries later, only reigned for just under nine months. Remembered for a love of music and a unique skill for preaching, Leo II’s brief pontificate is best remembered today through various hymns he composed for the Liturgy of the Hours.

St. Leo III, who reigned as pope for nearly two decades before his death in 816, crowned Charlemagne Holy Roman Emperor in 800. This honor stemmed from, no doubt, Leo’s gratitude for Charlemagne’s protection of him after an attack on his reputation and his life.

St. Leo IV, whose eight-year pontificate ended in 855, restored several churches in Rome after Muslim invaders plundered the sacred structures. The Italian Renaissance painter Raphael commemorated various scenes associated with Leo IV’s time in office. One fresco called “Battle of Ostia” recalls how Leo IV assembled various naval fleets to defend the ancient port at the mouth of Rome’s Tiber River. Another, “The Fire in the Borgo” depicts how Leo’s blessing extinguished a fire near the Vatican in 847.

The relics of popes Leo II, Leo III and Leo IV are enshrined in an altar in St. Peter’s Basilica, close to another altar that contains the relics of St. Leo the Great.

The most recently sainted Leo, St. Leo IX (1002-1054), brought reform to the church, reiterating mandatory clerical celibacy and defending the church’s belief in Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist amid scandal.

A native of modern-day France, Leo IX was allegedly born with red crosses marking his entire body, considered by some as a form of the stigmata. Divisions between Eastern and Western halves of the church intensified during his pontificate, with the Great Schism coming amid the interregnum just after his death.

The relics of St. Leo IX are also separately enshrined in an altar in St. Peter’s Basilica.