Kaitlyn Bernhardt was 15 when she died of cancer. Kaitlyn was initially diagnosed with osteosarcoma, which later became aggressive and traveled throughout her body.

Despite the teen’s difficulty battling the cancer, Kaitlyn’s mom Jennifer says her daughter fought it with strength and plenty of faith.

Family and friends described Kaitlyn as a fearless young woman who managed to smile even through the worst of her cancer treatments and who religiously prayed the rosary every day of her young life. 

At one point, she cut off her hair and donated it to a charity that makes wigs for cancer patients. 

It’s been five years since Kaitlyn has passed away, which means she is now eligible to be considered for the process of becoming a saint. It’s an effort that’s being spearheaded by people she touched in her lifetime and others she has never met.

The National Eucharistic Revival has gained the support of Pope Francis. 

He has shown his support for the revival when he met with the leaders of the campaign recently, including Tim Glemkowski, the executive director of the National Eucharistic Congress to be held next summer.

Glemkowski sat down with Currents News’ Katie Vasquez to talk more about the event and what Catholics can expect to see.

For more information and updates on the Eucharistic Revival and the National Eucharistic Congress, check out Eucharisticrevival.Org.

Catholics in Brooklyn and Queens are preparing for their very own diocesan-wide revival event on Oct. 7 at Maimonides Park.

The whole stadium will be filled with the faithful for family catechesis, a Eucharistic procession and a Mass. 

If you want to go, you can register at DioceseofBrooklyn.org and search Eucharistic Revival. 

You can register to receive important updates for this special day for the whole family.

The three men who were ordained transitional deacons Sunday, July 9, all thought about being a priest since they were young, but each followed a different route in pursuing their vocations.

Randy Thanh Nguyen, Luis Marquez, and Caetano Moura de Oliveira were ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Robert Brennan at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James, Brooklyn, on July 9.

They, along with one more member of the class studying at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers — Tobechukwu Offiah — are scheduled to be ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Brooklyn next spring.

Msgr. Sean Ogle, vicar for clergy and consecrated life for the diocese, presented the men to Bishop Robert Brennan, saying that they have been found worthy of ordination during their time of formation.

Hundreds of enthusiastic spectators crowded onto Havemeyer Street in front of the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on Sunday, July 9, to witness a Catholic tradition that dates back to 1887 Italy: the hoisting of the seven-story Giglio.

Part of the 12-day Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in honor of the Virgin Mary, the Dancing of the Giglio featured over 100 “lifters” carrying the towering, four-ton metal monument and its platform.

The Giglio was adorned with papier-mache angels, small statues, giglio flowers, and was topped by a statue of St. Paulinus, the patron saint of Nola, Italy.

Outrage morphed into compassion Saturday, July 8, as members of Resurrection Parish in Gerritsen Beach stopped a man from spraying black paint on a new statue of Mary.

Jonathan Bulik, 37, of Brooklyn, was taken into custody at 11:30 a.m. for desecrating the white marble statue at the church on Gerritsen Avenue, said Stephan Memory, a police spokesman.

Two retired firefighters, one of them a parishioner — drove past the church around 11:30 a.m. and saw Bulik at work when they decided to get out and stop him.

After nearly a half century as a priest, and about eight years as an auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Brooklyn, Bishop Neil Tiedemann will enter retirement.

The Vatican announced that Pope Francis has accepted Bishop Tiedemann’s resignation, which he submitted when he turned 75 in March, as is required by Church law.

Bishop Tiedemann, a Brooklyn native, has been an auxiliary bishop in the diocese since 2016.

In 2020, he was named Episcopal Vicar of Brooklyn. He currently serves as pastor of St. Matthias Parish in Ridgewood, Queens, and he serves as the director of the diocese’s Ministry to Caribbean and Black Catholics.

Bishop Tiedemann said in a statement that he’s been blessed to serve the Diocese of Brooklyn.

“Throughout my priesthood, I have been blessed and I am so grateful. I thank Bishops [Nicholas] DiMarzio and [Robert] Brennan for their kindness, support, and encouragement,” Bishop Tiedemann said. “Of my 48 years as a priest I have spent 21 of them here in the Brooklyn diocese. I am thankful to my brother priests for their friendship, but most importantly, I have been blessed by the wonderful people of our diocese,” he continued. “They make you the priest that you are because they encourage and strengthen you, and teach you so much about life.”

Bishop Brennan thanked Bishop Tiedemann for his work in the diocese.

“I am grateful for Bishop Tiedemann’s many years of dedicated service here in Brooklyn and Queens,” he said in a statement. “Bishop Tiedemann has had extraordinary experience beyond the boundaries of our diocese and therefore was able to enrich us with his knowledge, passion, and dedication to the Church and all its people.”