2024

A diverse group of adults in the Diocese of Brooklyn are preparing for a life-changing moment, becoming Catholic.

St. Thomas Aquinas Parish held its annual lock-in this weekend offering a holy hour, Mass, and talks to a group of young people.

Two days after a funeral Mass for a transgender activist, the rector of St. Patrick’s Cathedral has acknowledged that those at the service took part in “scandalous behavior.”

It’s been one year since Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell was shot and killed in his Hacienda Heights home.

Catholic News Headlines for Friday 2/16/2024

Watching daily masses on NET TV will soon be a little different after nearly a decade with the same graphics, DeSales Media Group is revamping the look.

Bishop Robert Brennan celebrated Mass yesterday at St. Charles Borromeo in Brooklyn Heights for the second day of the Lenten Pilgrimage.

The East Flatbush Catholic School brought back their step team, which we’re told not only reinforces their faith, but also provides a history lesson.

Students at Midwood Catholic Academy were celebrating Black History month today.

Step Team Returns to Brooklyn Jesuit Prep School

by Katie Vasquez

These Brooklyn Jesuit Prep students move as one, they’re stepping, a form of percussion dance where they stomp their feet and clap their hands,

All to make a beat of their own.

“When you step for a Catholic school, you’re stepping for a mission. and that’s the heart,” said Brooklyn Jesuit Prep Step Team moderator, Nichole Prime.

Seventh grade teacher Nichole Prime is their coach, guiding the more than 20 girls in their steps.

She says each beat brings them back to their Catholic faith.

“When you hear us chanting the chants that we say, the words that we’re saying, it has the heart and the mission of faith, of perseverance, of prayer,” said Prime.

A prayer that for two decades had been silent.

While the school had a step team at one time, at some point it stopped, until Nichole brought it back this year, giving the Jesuit prep students a boost in self-confidence.

“I used to be shy, but now I’m more outgoing and I’m more open to making new friends,” said Brooklyn Jesuit Prep Step team member, Sonyae Lashley.

“What I mostly like about it is that I can feel like I can feel happier, I can feel free,” said Brooklyn Jesuit Prep Step team member, Jayla Heslop.

The steps are also a lesson in history.

“Step has origins in slave days where they used it to communicate. Really, even in the gold mines, it was called gumboot dancing. They would use the beats and the rhythm to communicate in code and then it developed into expressions of like just joy, expressions of perseverance, of strength,” said Prime.

And in a school where 93 percent of the student population identifies as Black or African American, it is a fact that’s not overlooked.

“I was like really shocked and really happy doing something that represents my culture,” said Brooklyn Jesuit Prep Step Team member, Teaira Carson.

“That was very powerful and empowering for me as a black young individual because I know where steps’ roots are from,” said Brooklyn Jesuit Prep Step Team member, Javonee Nash.

So even when the dances get hard,

“When I started, it was like it was a lot. it was like it was just like you had to be doing a whole bunch of exercises. like i was feeling sore some days,” said Brooklyn Jesuit Prep Step Team member, Darriel Charles.

These steppers move with pride,looking to the future and maybe even one day, competing against other schools.

NET-TV Rolling Out New Graphics for Daily Masses

by Katie Vasquez

Every day, 4 times a day, NET-TV broadcasts masses to homes across Brooklyn and Queens, and an integral part of bringing that celebration to your screen, is the dedicated production team who make it happen.

“For people who are homebound and they’re not able to leave their homes, we definitely would like to bring more of the mass to them,” said DeSales Media Group Production Producer, Marilyn Arreaga.

But for the first time in a decade, that daily mass is going to look different.

Starting on February 20, the graphics broadcasted on the screen telling you about the readings or the responsorial psalms will be brand new.

DeSales Media Group director of programming and production, Dominic Ambrosio, and Production producer Marilyn Arreaga have been working on the new look since the fall.

“We’re coming up a little bit more current in our look and our feel and the colors, specifically trying to stay a little bit neutral because we want to respect the vestments and the colors of seasons,” said Ambrosio.

But the graphics go beyond looks, they’re also functional.

Viewers can scan a universal QR code, and follow along with the mass at home.

“Will take people to the net tv website and from there they can pick either english or spanish readings, and from there it’ll take them to the usccb where they will obtain the readings of psalms, the gospels, um, to follow along in the masses, because it’s just a good thing for them to be participating in the mass more,” said Arreaga.

The project falls in line with the mission of NET-TV’s parent company, DeSales Media Group, to walk along folks in their journey of faith.

While Dominic and Marilyn stress there is no substitute for attending mass in person, they hope it will also physically bring people back to the pews.

“It’s very important just so people can follow the liturgy of the word for that day. so when the priest is speaking regarding his gospel, they can take in the information more and just follow along,” said Arreaga.

“Are we reintroducing the mass to them, those folks who have kind of fallen away from attending mass by live streaming? maybe, I don’t know. but in our small way, we’re trying to make some kind of impact in their lives, and that’s our job,” said Ambrosio.

This is just the beginning, the team is also looking at ways to guide viewers with music and make the experience more tangible.

Anti-Human Trafficking Act Passes in the House, Bishops Back Bill

There’s been a win in the fight against human trafficking.

A bishop-backed bill has passed the House in a landslide vote.

The Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act strengthens and expands anti-trafficking programs.

The bill still has to go before the Senate.

American bishops have been pushing to pass the measure for years.

The National Correspondent for The Tablet and Crux, John Lavenburg, joins Currents News to discuss more about the efforts to fight human trafficking.

Police Investigate Church Vandalism, Priest Says Man With History of Disturbances Smashes Window

By Jessica Easthope

Caught on camera, but not yet caught by police. St. Rita’s Pastor Father Jose Da Silva said on the evening of Friday, Feb. 9, he heard a noise and came to his window to find it broken.

“I asked him what he was doing and he looked at me and he left,” Father Da Silva said. “He stopped by the front of the church for a few minutes then I came down, and I went to the chapel everybody was outside and we saw the window was broken.”

Father Da Silva said he knows the man who did it, not by name, but sees him regularly in the neighborhood.

The Queens priest claims over the years the man has caused disturbances inside the Long Island City church, coming in drunk and with alcohol.

Father Da Silva has been forced to ask him to leave.

“I saw him many, many times walking in the neighborhood, and I saw him in the chapel a few weeks before that when he was in the chapel, he was drunk, he was sleeping,” Father Da Silva said. “Sometimes he was drinking beer in the chapel also and one day I heard a noise, and he opened the door with his foot, and he was screaming at me, but he’s always around, always around that guy.”

The windows that were shattered are part of the church’s original stained glass and nearly 60 years old. Father Da Silva believes they weren’t his intended target.

Before causing damage outside the man entered the chapel where a charismatic prayer group was meeting, he left after only a few seconds.

“We don’t feel safe anymore,” “I believe he was trying to break the statue of the Blessed Mother. I think his intention was also to attack people and damage the chapel.”

Fatherr Da Silva said he fears for his own safety and the safety of his nearly 1,000 parishioners.

“I worry about safety during masses because we have a huge congregation and this area is not safe, it’s not safe for anybody,” Father Da Silva said. “He has mental issues, I’m very sure, but I think something must be done, something more serious. We have a system, cameras and everything but sometimes it feels like nothing is safe.”

Father Da Silva has filed a police report and detectives from the 114th precinct are investigating the incident.
He has not yet heard back from the insurance company but estimates the cost of damage is more than $10,000.

If you or anyone you know recognizes the man from that footage, please call crimestoppers at 1-800- 577- TIPS.

Catholic Mom Killed in Kansas City Parade Shooting, Bishops Pray for Victims

Bishops are praying for the victims of the shooting at the Kansas City Super Bowl Rally.

One person was killed and more than 20 others wounded.

Kansas City Police Chief, Stacey Graves, sayid the shooting appears to be a result of a personal dispute between several people.

Police have taken three people into custody.

Local Kansas bishops responded to the tragedy calling for prayers and unity.

Bishop James Johnston of Kansas City, St. Joseph, Missouri shared a message on facebook, saying:

“On this first day of Lent, we turn to God for mercy and healing for our broken world.”

Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas also encouraging people to turn to their faith,saying:

“Let us now remain united in prayer for healing, both physically and mentally, for the victims, their families, and all who are understandably shaken by the heartbreaking event near union station.”

The person killed was a Catholic mom of two.

Lisa Lopez-Galvan was a beloved dj for a Kansas City Radio Station and an active parishioner at Sacred Heart-Guadalupe Parish.

Her fellow parishioners say she was devoted to the church and her loss was “devastating” to the community.

Lopez-Galvan died in the hospital during surgery after a gunshot wound to her abdomen.

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday 2/15/2024

Someone threw a construction cone through a window near the rectory entrance at St. Rita’s Church in Long Island City.

Two local bishops are offering prayers for the victims of the shooting that happened at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory parade yesterday.

U.S. bishops are applauding the passage of an anti-human trafficking bill.

The scaffolding surrounding Notre Dame was removed this week revealing the cathedral’s new spire.

Parishioners Connect with Digital Community on New App as Lentin Pilgrimage Begins

By Jessica Easthope

The Diocese Of Brooklyn’s Pilgrimage officially began on Ash Wednesday at the Cathedral Basilica of St James. Parishioners launched their applications, a digital component to a Lenten journey that starts here but can reach every corner of the globe.

“There’s a section here called prayer intentions and you’re able to submit your own prayer intention and I think that’s a lovely way to connect with fellow Catholics and there’s a like button but it’s a prayer button and you tap on it and see that people prayed for you,” said Tim Dieterichs, a participant of the Lent Pilgrimage. “That’s my favorite part of the app.”

Dieterichs and Edgar Ochoa downloaded their apps after Mass on Wednesday, Feb. 14th, and got started, hoping to make as many churches as they can.

“That’s one of the things that attracted me to it, I always like going to new churches whether there’s a service or not,” Ochoa said. “So I’m hoping I can discover other ones and that’s one thing I’m hoping I can do this Lenten season.”

Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan is hoping people check in on the app, but during his homily said Lent is a time to check in with Jesus and leave behind all of the things that distract us from our relationship with him.

“Visiting those churches in digital, kind of way being united with one another, but it’s something new and something interesting, using modern technology to do traditional things,” Bishop Brennan said.

The app can serve as a digital diary this lent, and for Father Joseph Gibino the vicar for evangelization and catechesis, it’s a way to get in tune with your faith.

“Today we remember that prayer is the first wireless connection so even though we’re using an app and our cell phones,” Father Gibino said. “It’s the power of prayer directly to God that is so important and our hearts become the cell phone for our prayer our open hearts to the Lord.”

This year’s pilgrimage is dedicated to Sister Maryann Ambrose who made it to every stop last year. She was there Wednesday to kick start her journey, this time the sacrifice will be much harder.

“Last year it was a challenge and in August I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer so it’s a true pilgrimage,” Sister Maryann said. “Lent is a whole new journey this year. I have all of Brooklyn and Queens on my list. My oncologist said you plan your journey and we’ll work around it.”

You can download that Lenten Pilgrimage app now.
Just search “lenten pilgrimage” on the app or google play store, and you can prepare for your journey across Brooklyn and Queens.

Queens Couple Relies on Faith During 50 Years of Marriage

by Katie Vasquez

It’s been 50 years of good mornings for Kevin and Patty Harold.

Patty says this is the life she’s wanted since she first met Kevin in October of 1971.

“I just looked at him and he turned and he looked at me and I said to myself, that’s the man I’m going to marry,” said Patty Harold, a parishioner at St. Helen Church in Howard Beach.

Patty was going for a job interview at the bank Kevin worked at.

She knew immediately she’d found her soulmate, but for Kevin it took some time.

“After we gone out a couple of times, I realized, you know, she’s the one that’s for me,” said Kevin Harold, a parishioner at St. Helen Church in Howard Beach.

The couple tied the knot on October 6th, 1973 at St. Thomas the Apostle church in Woodhaven.

“I remember how happy we were, how he was making us laugh,” said Patty Harold.

And while it hasn’t always been happy times.

“We’ve been through a lot, like all couples, ups and downs, financial, everything,” said Patty Harold.

The couple never gave up on each other.

“We never, ever thought about divorcing. Never. it never entered my mind. I know it never entered your mind,” said Patty Harold.

“We worked through it,” said Kevin Harold.

Father Michael Panicali, the parochial vicar at their current parish of St. Helen church in Howard Beach, believes the Harolds are an example of what a faith-filled marriage should be.

“You can make this tremendous commitment and make this courageous step to marry in the church and to stay together, that it can be done,” said Panicali.

The Harolds say it’s that commitment to God and each other that has kept their love going for half a century.

“I firmly believe that God sent him to me because he’s been so good, so great and fabulous,” said Patty Harold.

So after 50 years, two kids, and one grandchild, the Harolds can’t help but feel every morning is a good morning, because they have each other.