Bishop Robert Brennan celebrated a special Mass to honor all of the Jubilarians at the Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston on Saturday, May 20.
Bishop Brennan congratulated the religious women and men on their years of commitment to God and communion of life.
He then led the men and women religious in the renewal of their vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
Deacon Ernesto Alonzo is one of the new priests we’ll meet who will soon serve the Diocese of Brooklyn.
Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan helped sisters and brothers celebrate their annual Jubilee Mass this weekend at the Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston.
A big fundraiser was held over the weekend to help send some parishioners in the Diocese of Brooklyn to the National Black Catholic Congress in Maryland this summer.
Nearly 1,000 newly confirmed or soon-to-be confirmed young people from the Archdiocese of Genoa met with Pope Francis.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams called on the White House to expedite work authorization for asylum seekers in New York City on Monday.
The mayor first made this call over a month ago before Title 42 expired.
“When I speak with my Asylum Seekers at the hotels or on the streets, they tell me, they state clearly, ‘we don’t want your free room and board, and food, and clothing,” Mayor Adams said during a press conference on Monday. “‘We want to work. We want to have an opportunity to provide for ourselves.’ And right now we are denying that opportunity by refusing to let them work legally.”
New York City is housing more than 41,000 migrants in more than 150 sites and there are no signs of things slowing down any time soon.
Mayor Adams said the city will spend $4.3 billion on migrants who continue to arrive by the busload.
The Diocese of Brooklyn’s Eucharistic Revival got a big boost this weekend thanks to the Knights of Columbus.
The Saint Ambrose Council, based out of College Point Queens, presented Bishop Robert Brennan with a $25,000 donation.
That money will be used to fund different diocese activities that promote a better understanding of Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist.
The diocesan-wide revival will be one of the biggest events of the year, happening on October 7th at Maimonides Park.
The entire 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.
From there you can register to receive important updates for this special day for the whole family.
By Jessica Easthope
You can feel their bond right off the bat, and catch a glimpse of their communication skills. The players on Archbishop Molloy High School’s varsity softball team say that’s what makes them a true team.
“A lot of teams struggle with communication because the girls don’t get along but our girls love each other, we always have someone to pick each other up,” said captain senior, Jackie Piazza.
Jackie’s positivity has been developed right along with her talent, head coach Maureen Rosenbaum is the voice in her head.
“I’ve heard girls who didn’t play softball in college because of their high school coach but she’s so pushing and motivates us that’s why a lot of our girls want to play,” said Jackie.
“My goals as a coach is getting the kids to talk on the field I think it’s really important they develop social skills as well as their athletic skills and that softball is a gateway to making lifelong friends,” said Rosenbaum.
Rosenbaum started Molloy’s softball program when the school went co-ed in 2000, 23 years later her methods on and off the field still work.
“I always tell them I want you to play softball for yourself that you have a heart and a passion for the game and not to be here for anybody else but yourself because that’s when you truly play your best,” she said.
When Jackie’s not crouched down behind home plate, she’s lifting up her teammates, one of whom is her sister, Marylou. Both girls have committed to playing softball in college, in the fall Jackie will play Division II at New Haven and a year later, Marylou plans to play for Iona College.
Senior Jordyn Ferrandino is also playing in college, Division I at Prairie View A&M University in Texas.
“It’s always been my dream since I was very young to go D1 and play softball in college so going to Texas has been a dream for me,” Jordyn said.
As Jordyn and the other seniors round the bases on their high school careers they say their love for the game and their faith have grown –
“Faith bonds us, knowing we all have faith and we’re all connected to it and by softball,” she said.
Maureen says years from now, they won’t remember batting averages but they’ll never forget how it felt to make magic on the field.
by Michael Rizzo
JAMAICA — What a difference 39 years makes.
On May 20, 1984, 21-year-old Robert Brennan graduated summa cum laude during the commencement exercise at St. John’s University in Queens. Fast forward to May 21, 2023, and now Bishop Robert Brennan was back at St. John’s, but this time to give his first commencement invocation as the bishop of the diocese.
Bishop Brennan described being excited and grateful to be at the ceremony. He also seemed a bit wistful in thinking about his own graduation in an interview just before this year’s ceremony. He nodded in realization that “it has been nearly 40 years” and said being at the commencement brought back memories of the hard work it takes to graduate.
“I’m very proud of the St. John’s students,” he said, “but I’m also thinking of the parents and families of the students and all the support they provided to get the students to this day.”
Having Bishop Brennan as part of the event was especially notable to Father Aidan Rooney, CM, the university’s executive vice president for mission.
“This solidifies our connection with the Diocese of Brooklyn,” Father Rooney said.
Following the national anthem, Bishop Brennan was introduced for the opening prayer.
In his invocation, the bishop called it a day to rejoice in the hard work, intellectual curiosity, and thirst for knowledge the graduates represented.
He referenced “our alma mater” in his prayer, connecting himself personally with the 2,377 graduates standing before him, many with heads bowed, on the university’s Great Lawn.
“Create new leaders in these graduates,” he prayed, “to have them apply Your teachings in their lives, in their communities, and in the Church. Let them share their God-given talents and apply their skills to make You visible to all.”
The commencement address was given by Cardinal Timothy Dolan. In his address, Cardinal Dolan thanked the students for the lessons they had taught him, including their embrace of learning with and from others, of sharing their knowledge, and of community.
He praised them for not pursuing the acquisition of material things but opting instead to focus on their education and to be “centered in the roots of truth.”
Graduating senior Brady Snyder was happily surprised to find out that Bishop Brennan was not only an alumnus of St. John’s but that both were graduates of St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School in West Islip, New York. Snyder professed being inspired by what he heard.
“This shows the Church recognizes us as its future,” Snyder said. “That puts the onus on us to be part of the Church and give back to our communities through service.”
The 2 1/2-hour event concluded with the traditional singing of the St. John’s alma mater. After exiting the stage, Bishop Brennan reflected one more time on the day.
“It was great to see all the pride and joy in the students, families, and faculty,” he said.
Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul are joining forces today to put pressure on the federal government to expedite work authorization for asylum seekers.
Hundreds of St. John’s University graduates are now entering the workforce.
The Archbishop Molloy High School Girls Softball Team is playing for The Brooklyn-Queens Championship Today.
The Knights of Columbus are coming through with a big donation for The Diocese of Brooklyn.
One senior at the Mary Louis Academy was accepted to 15 colleges, including four ivy league schools.
Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn are outperforming the city’s public schools in their state exams, especially in their reading scores.
One Brooklyn couple decided to send their son to a Diocesan School, even though they are not Catholic.
Students at St. Saviour’s High School collected non-perishable items and donated the supplies to CHiPS, a soup kitchen in Park Slope, amid the city’s migrant crisis.
The future is here.
Tomorrow’s scientists are the Catholic school students of today.
Students at Our Lady of Grace showcased their STEM skills at this year’s Invention Convention.
Fourth to eighth graders designed more than 120 inventions as part of Catholic Schools Week in February.
The students worked on their projects for months.
For some, like Khloe Chavez, it was a chance to promote her newly upgraded umbrella dubbed “the tornado.”
At the end of the convention, five winners from each grade were chosen and presented with a certificate.
STEM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, is a priority throughout the diocese.
Every school offers some kind of specialized STEM program, according to the superintendent’s office.
It is programs like this that make the Diocese of Brooklyn schools so sought after.
This year the schools had a new leader, Deacon Kevin McCormack.
He joins Currents News with a look back on his first year as superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Brooklyn.
If you’re interested in sending your children to a Catholic school near you, just visit catholicschoolsbq.org or call 718-965-7380 for more information.
Chloe Riche’s time at The Mary Louis Academy is coming to an end. It’s all been leading up to a moment she’ll never forget, when she opened her acceptance letter from Princeton University.
“I started sobbing immediately, just fell in my chair crying, it was a wash of relief,” She said.
But Chloe’s acceptance into Princeton started many years ago, in her family’s kitchen. The admissions essay that won them over was about the time she spent baking with her grandmother.
“She left me some of her recipes to bake so I can always think of her I learned so many baking techniques from her and I keep them dear to my heart still to this day,” said Chloe.
Her grandma passed away in 2020 but the times they had together are some of her most cherished, they made her who she is.
“Ever since I was a little kid the kitchen is my home, it started with cooking but it led to baking because I realized how much I loved baking and eating the sweet result of it, it was more rewarding,” she said.
In total, Chloe was accepted into 15 colleges including four Ivy League schools. 26 of her classmates will also be attending Ivy League schools. The Mary Louis Academy Principal Ann O’Hagan-Cordes says it’s been an exceptionally competitive year, Ivy League acceptance rates have hit a record low.
“The data that’s been coming out of colleges and all the reports that Ivys aren’t accepting many students this year the acceptance rate has been lower than in many recent years so to have someone like Chloe, I’m so proud of all of them,” said O’Hagan-Cordes.
At The Mary Louis Academy, Chloe’s been challenged and pushed academically. Her work ethic has been molded by her teachers and peers since day one.
“I feel accomplished I feel like everything I’ve done all the hard work, all the late nights have been worth it,” she said.
Chloe will be a tiger by fall, wearing her stripes confidently at Princeton. She says she knows her grandmother is looking down, proud of her and that is the sweetest result.