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Currents News Special: ‘School Year in Review’ To Air Friday, June 5 at 7 PM

By Currents News

“School Year in Review,” a special edition of Currents News, is airing on Friday, June 5, 2026, at 7 p.m. EST on NET-TV.

The half-hour broadcast will highlight outstanding achievements, inspiring stories, and the lasting impact of a Catholic education throughout the Diocese of Brooklyn during the 2025-2026 academic year. 

From students who exceeded expectations to teachers who shaped both minds and hearts, “School Year in Review” showcases the people and programs that continue to strengthen Catholic schools and academies across Brooklyn in Queens

The special will feature: 

  • Public vs. Private: The Catholic School Advantage 

A closer look at the data and proven outcomes behind Catholic education—and why students in Catholic schools and academies consistently outperform their public-school peers in standardized testing. 

  • Expanding for the Future 

An inside look at the growing Catholic school communities throughout the Diocese of Brooklyn. Featured stories include a Queens high school expanding to welcome middle school students and a Brooklyn school unveiling a new Exploration and Innovation Center designed to transform the student learning experience. 

  • Trailblazing Teachers 

A tribute to the educators who dedicate their lives to forming young people academically and spiritually. Among them is a pioneering educator who became the first Black Catholic school teacher in the Diocese of Rockville Centre after beginning her remarkable 40-year career in a Catholic school in the Diocese of Brooklyn.  

Currents News is produced by NET-TV, an Emmy Award-winning cable network featuring news and information from the Catholic perspective.

It is available in the New York area on Spectrum Channel 97, Optimum Channel 30, and Verizon Fios Channel 548. Viewers can also watch the programming live at www.netny.tv/watchnow and on YouTube.

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 5/27/26   

As the U.S. marks its 250th anniversary, we take a look at the New York City legacy of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American-born saint.

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage continues as faithful make their way up the East Coast, stopping in Savannah, Georgia.

One woman religious in the Diocese of Brooklyn was honored with a special tribute, marking 60 years of dedication to evangelization and catechesis.

In this installment of “Pulse of the Parish,” a Queens parishioner is sharing how involvement in parish life at St. Sebastian Church has transformed his life.

Sister Alice Michael Honored for Over 60 Years of Service to Diocese of Brooklyn

By Currents News

There was a special tribute for a sister’s more than 60 years of service to the Diocese of Brooklyn: The Holy Spirit Institute for Service and Leadership — a program designed to train active parishioners to serve as missionary disciples — honored Sister Alice Michael during its graduation ceremony at St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church in Jamaica, Queens on May 23.

Sister Michael has been working within the diocese for more than 60 years, with 40 of those years dedicated to evangelization and catechesis.

She is also known as a great spotter of talent, often identifying parishioners with leadership potential and encouraging them to apply to the Holy Spirit Institute.

The program presented Sister Alice with the Missionary Discipleship Award in recognition of her lifelong commitment to evangelization and the proclamation of the Gospel.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s Manhattan Legacy: Pregnancy Center Helps Women in Crisis

By Jessica Easthope

She’s been called a “true daughter of the Revolution,” but St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is more famously known for being a mother.

A Manhattan shrine that once housed the first American-born saint is now saving lives in a very different way on State Street.

The area has ties to George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay — and it’s where St. Elizabeth Ann Seton laid the foundation for a legacy of faith and unwavering courage.

There’s plenty of courage there to this day: Several days a week at noon, time stops as the Sisters of Life come together in prayer with volunteers to thank God and ask for His blessing in their work at the Visitation Pregnancy Center.

“We’re blessed to accompany women who find themselves pregnant and might be thinking about abortion,” the sisters say. “What are her fears? What are the pressures? And we also ask her dreams, like, what are your hopes for your life?”

Sister Gianna Maria Solomon, the Superior of the House, found it providential when the Sisters of Life moved to this historic address two and a half years ago.

It is home to the Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. The work the sisters do and the work Mother Seton did overlap, with women in crisis at the center.

“It’s providential,” Sister Solomon tells Currents News. “Her love for her students and for supporting moms and children when she was in New York… that just fits so tremendously with our mission.”

Women facing unplanned pregnancies receive free ultrasounds, material support, counseling, and hope — just feet away from the Shrine Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Mother Seton — or Betty, as she was called — lived here as a young wife and mother during the early days of the Republic.

Widowed at just 29, she converted to Catholicism against her Episcopalian socialite background, founded the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph’s, and opened the first free Catholic school for girls in the United States.

She spent her life caring for orphans, widows, and the sick, eventually becoming America’s first native-born saint.

Now, as America prepares to mark its 250th birthday, this same address continues a mother’s giving spirit.

“People would call her Mother Seton. And it was this term of endearment and affection, but also just true to who she was,” says Sister Solomon.

A daughter of the Revolution, Mother Seton never took up arms but opened her own to help shape the soul of a new nation through education and charity. Today, her legacy lives on in the center’s rooms.

“I think the best things about America and what we stand on are these virtues of faith, desiring that each person can have true freedom, to seek the good and allow that for everyone,” Sister Solomon explains. “And I think Elizabeth Ann Seton reminds us that, if our country is to go forward in peace, it must seek the true good of each person, the most vulnerable, those who are forgotten about.”

As the country looks back on 250 years, the Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton reminds us that some of the most lasting contributions to America came not from the battlefield or Founding Fathers, but from the enduring strength of mothers — biological, spiritual, and communal.

The Visitation Center is open to any woman who needs support.

It operates five days a week and is closed on Fridays and Sundays. The Elizabeth Ann Seton Shrine operates on the same hours. Visitors can simply ring the bell, though the sisters encourage people to call ahead.

Pulse of the Parish: St. Sebastian

By Christine Persichette

Along Roosevelt Avenue in Woodside, Queens amid the noise of traffic and trains stands St. Sebastian Parish, a former movie theater that now draws people in through faith.

For parishioner Nicky Torres, it is a sanctuary, a place to step away from the world.

Whether in the pews or up in the choir loft, Torres has found a spiritual home at St. Sebastian Church.

“It’s an outlet,” he tells Currents News. “I remove myself from all the worldly things and just concentrate on singing and praising.”

Torres never sang before joining the choir, one of the first ministries he and his wife became involved in after finding St. Sebastian’s.

“I was addicted,” he explains, “singing, and like Augustine said, when you’re singing, you’re praying twice. It’s not just singing those notes. You’re singing the words, and the words actually help me be in a prayerful mood.”

Beyond the choir, Torres serves in multiple roles throughout the parish: from Eucharistic minister to supporting catechists and children’s programs.

“Getting closer to God through participation or sharing time with other people… It gives me that fulfillment of being a soldier of the faith,” he explains.

Father Patrick West, pastor of St. Sebastian Church, says Torres is someone you can always count on.

“What makes Nicky so great,” he reflects, “well it depends on which hat he wants to wear today.” He describes Torres as someone “faith-filled, loyal,” who will “really love the parish and do anything to help build up the parish.”

“This is home for me, this is home for us,” Torres says of the parish in regards to himself and his wife.

His goal is simple: “I’m trying to improve myself… praying twice and praying twice better is the goal here.”

St. Sebastian Church was established in 1894. Early Masses were held in a firehouse before a small wooden church was built. The current building, which became St. Sebastian Church in 1955, was originally a movie theater.

It features a long sloped floor and no pillars, giving worshippers an unobstructed view of the altar. The parish has evolved with the neighborhood.

Once home to a largely Irish Catholic population, it now serves a diverse community, including many Hispanic and Filipino parishioners who bring rich devotions, novenas, and veneration of saints.

St. Sebastian Parish recently received a decree from Bishop Robert Brennan officially merging with Corpus Christi Parish. The merger is expected to strengthen the community and help grow Catholicism in Woodside.

Nicky Torres continues to be a visible presence in nearly every scene of parish life — a true soldier of faith and the heartbeat of St. Sebastian Church.

May 27 on Currents News: Pulse of the Parish, St. Sebastian

By Currents News

In Woodside, Queens, there’s a church that used to be a movie theater – and there’s one parishioner who’s in nearly every scene of parish life.

Nicky Torres says being involved in the Church gives him the “fulfillment of being a soldier of the faith.”

You’ll meet him and learn how he’s become the Pulse of the Parish.

Bay Ridge Catholic Academy Celebrates Spanish Culture

By Currents News

A Spanish talent show at Bay Ridge Catholic Academy included singing, dancing, and even piano performances in Brooklyn.

It was all part of the school’s celebration of “Spanish Week,” highlighting the culture in a way that was both educational and entertaining.

On top of the talent show, the students also took part in a Hispanic Fair, a Spanish Spelling Bee, and a game of Jeopardy played entirely in Spanish.

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 5/26/26   

The 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage kicked off on the feast of Pentecost in St. Augustine, Florida –   over the next six weeks pilgrims will journey through the 13 colonies, with stops in 18 dioceses and archdioceses, before ending in Philadelphia for the Fourth of July weekend.

Bishop Robert Brennan honored U.S. service members who died in war during a Memorial Day field Mass, offering prayers for innocent people caught in the crosshairs of war and violence worldwide.

What does it mean to protect our humanity in the age of AI? Pope Leo XIV seeks to answer this question with the publication of his first papal encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas.”

Students at one Queens Catholic academy celebrated Catholic education and the spirit of community with a school-wide Walk-a-thon.