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Meet the Priests: Eager to Evangelize, Deacon Callistus Ibeh is Ready to Live his Dream

By Katie Vasquez

On a spring day, you might see Deacon Callistus Ibeh enjoying a bike ride. 

After nine years of formation, Deacon Ibeh is taking on his next journey: becoming a priest. It’s a path he started at just eight-years-old in Nigeria. 

 “I guess it is a desire that was built into me, by God, obviously, but also through my family,” he told Currents News. “I was raised in a very faithful family. My grandfather, actually, was a catechist. and my mom got her faith, obviously, through him,” said Deacon Ibeh. 

In his hometown, faith was the center of his life with the entire community coming together for the Lord. 

“There’s nothing as beautiful as you wake up on Sunday and everybody knows what day it is. It’s Sunday, you got to go to church,” he explained. “And everybody just goes to church and comes back, and so my life kind of revolved around the church and school and also my community growing up. “

Deacon Ibeh lived in a rectory in his home country, which he believes helped in his discernment.

“That actually opened the way for me because I was able to see the inner life of the priest, you know, not just on the altar, but also what he’s done with the Mass. What does he do after mass?” he said.. 

Over the years, he says his vocation never wavered because he knew this is where he belonged. 

“The Lord continues to show me different ways, you know, little things to show me that yes, He wants me here,” the told Currents News. “And I just have to keep trusting him.”

Deacon Ibeh finished his diaconate assignment at Queen of Angels Church in Sunnyside, Queens.  He doesn’t know where he will be assigned as a priest but he hopes to bring more people back to the pews, so they can have the same passion for Christ as he does. 

“There’s nothing like knowing that you have God right next to you, right? Just who you can always talk to as a friend and who you can always approach at any time,” he said. 

Catholic News Headlines for Friday 6/6/2025

The path to priesthood is not always direct. But for one deacon preparing for ordination in the Diocese of Brooklyn, it was always part of the plan.

A court case that made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court resulted in a big win for Catholic Charities.

June 6, 2025 marks 81 years since the D-Day invasion. We remember one Brooklyn Coast Guard Gunner who was there on that fateful day.

Times Square Tattoo’s Catholic Shop Owner Uses Miraculous Medal to Evangelize

By Katie Vasquez

Tourists looking for a permanent souvenir of their trip to the Big Apple typically stop by Times Square Tattoo.

But along with the new ink, they go home with a miraculous medal from shop owner Tommy Houlihan.

“Oftentimes I got a big crucifix and I look up at it, and I thank Him for letting me do the work,” said Houlihan. 

Tommy is a born and bred New Yorker who grew up Catholic in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan. 

He recommitted to his faith three years ago when he heard the testimony of a friend. 

“It’s been maybe the last five or six years where I’m really, like, buckling down. And maybe it’s the last three years where I started with the miraculous medal,” he told Currents News. “The last two years, every client that comes to me gets it.”

After tattooing for decades, Tommy decided to hand over his shop which is adorned in crosses and sacred images to the Blessed mother, and vowed to use the space as a ministry. 

“She’s got nobody backing her up in tattooing, nobody,” said Houlihan. 

The artist refuses to tattoo images that he considers demonic or evil. 

“No Harry Potter, nothing from the play ‘Wicked.’ No alchemy symbols,” said Houlihan.  “I can’t do anything that’s even remotely touching witchcraft, or anything like that.”

Tommy says the shop’s location at the crossroads of the world makes the work even more necessary. 

“If you walk into Times Square and you look at the advertising, it’s nothing but blasphemy after blasphemy after blasphemy, it’s outright mockery of God,” said Houlihan. 

He hopes clients will enjoy the memento etched into their skin, and his ink will be used to evangelize others.

“I’m hoping for an instant conversion. If they’re not Catholic, right? If they are Catholic and are bad Catholics, I hope they would become good Catholics. If they’re good Catholics. I want them to become great catholics. and that metal is a very powerful tool to do that,” said Houlihan.

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday 6/5/2025

Pope Leo XIV and Vladimir Putin had their first phone call. The Holy Father encouraged the Russian leader to show he’s serious about making peace with Ukraine.

A Catholic tattoo artist in New York City’s Times Square is using his skills as a way to evangelize, leaning on his faith to guide how he runs his shop.

Connecticut is claiming to have the best pizza around, but New Yorkers may say otherwise.

$10,000 Grant Helps Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy Renovate School Playground

The eighth graders of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy are leaving behind a lasting legacy at their Brooklyn school by beautifying the playground, thanks to a $10,000 Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton grant, which provides assistance to Catholic elementary schools within the Diocese of Brooklyn.

The students added new elements to the space including sensory games like musical dance chimes, where children can jump on installed tiles to make a chiming sound.

Parents also pitched in by hiring a graffiti artist to paint a mural celebrating all of God’s creation at the playground.

Saint Aldabert Catholic Academy Students Help Furry Friends in Need

By Currents News

Saint Aldabert Catholic Academy in Elmhurst, Queens just wrapped up a service project where they cleaned used prescription pill bottles they collected for an animal shelter in Manhattan.

The bottles will be sterilized by the shelter and used to sort the pets’ medication bought in bulk, resulting in a true act of service from the students.

Bay Ridge Catholic Academy Students Present ‘Finding Nemo’ Spring Musical

By Currents News

Students at a Brooklyn Catholic Academy went on an underwater adventure — and they just kept swimming.

The fifth through eighth graders at Bay Ridge Catholic Academy recently put on a production of the popular Pixar movie, “Finding Nemo.”

They played all kinds of sea animals from the film, including sharks, jellyfish, and turtles — for three performances of the school’s spring musical. 

The kids spent months together rehearsing, memorizing lines, and learning choreography. It all paid off with close to 800 tickets sold!

Meet the Priests: Guitarist Tunes Up for Ordination in the Diocese of Brooklyn

By Katie Vasquez

The chords of this guitar are striking a note, and Deacon Juan Herrera hopes it will cause a stir in the hearts of the faithful. 

 “I like to play guitar with some people just to make fun and lift up the hearts of the people, make everybody happy,” Deacon Juan Herrera told Currents News. “I think it is also important outside of the sacraments to rally the people, to bring the people to church and show them, and a gentle and also kind face of the Church.”

The transitional deacon will be one of the new faces in the Diocese of Brooklyn as he prepares to be ordained in June. 

 “I’m waiting for this moment. It’s just unbelievable,” he explained. “I can’t believe it. I can’t believe that it is coming to fruition.”

At 6-years-old in Medellin, Colombia, he remembers being in awe of the priest at his local parish. 

“I always asked my mom, ‘Who is that guy? Who is the guy?’ And she explained to me, ‘He’s a priest. He is celebrating Mass,'” he recalled.

RELATED: Harmony in Ministry – Deacon Juan Herrera Is Hitting the Right Notes

He told his parents of his desire to join the priesthood, but they were hesitant at first. 

“My father said, ‘No, you got to go to to the university first,’” said Deacon Herrera. 

Deacon Herrera eventually graduated from college and worked as a teacher for seven years, but it didn’t feel right. 

“The desire is still there in my heart. It’s like when you have a table with four legs, but one of the legs is missing. That was my life. I was like, incomplete,” he told Currents News.

When he came to the Diocese of Brooklyn, he knew this was the place that God called him to. 

“I saw the necessity of a Spanish-speaking priest here in the diocese. I can say I think the Lord is calling me to a specific ministry in a specific town, a specific place,” said Deacon Herrera. 

On top of his musical talents, he spends his free time making rosaries. He believes both skills will help him to reach the people in the pews. 

“It will be a great opportunity to open up that opportunity for those who are thirsting for the lord,” said Deacon Herrera.  

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 6/4/2025

Deacon Juan Herrera is preparing for his ordination in the Diocese of Brooklyn — and he’s bringing his guitar and handmade rosaries with him.

Pope Leo XIV welcomed members of the National Italian American Foundation to the Vatican.

Ten million pilgrims have already traveled to Rome for the Jubilee Year — young pilgrims from Brooklyn will soon join them.

 Bay Ridge Catholic Academy students made a big splash with their “Finding Nemo” school musical.