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Catholic News Headlines for Friday 5/1/26

Bishop Robert Brennan celebrated a special Mass at Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, encouraging eighth graders across Brooklyn and Queens to stay rooted in their faith as they prepare to graduate.

A senior at St. Edmund Preparatory High School is making history as the first student from his school accepted into United States Military Academy West Point.

Catholics are marking the anniversary of the Catholic Worker Movement, founded by Dorothy Day.

The popemobile will travel across the United States this summer as part of a national charity tour to raise funds for victims of war.

Catholic Youth Organization Coach Is Honored by Jr. Knicks

By Katie Vasquez and Jim Mancari

For more than half of his adult life, Jerry Kokkinos has devoted himself to the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) of the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Recently, he was honored by the Junior Knicks as the organization’s Coach of the Year. Over nearly two decades, Kokkinos has been a shining example of what it means to be a volunteer youth sports coach and administrator.

Growing up in Astoria, Kokkinos was surrounded by sports in the community. He specifically gravitated toward soccer and basketball.

As an 18-year-old college student, he embarked on his CYO coaching journey by leading a sixth-grade boys’ basketball team at St. Francis of Assisi parish in Astoria. The following season after St. Francis discontinued its program, Kokkinos coached many of the same players over at St. Joseph’s parish in Astoria.

He remained at St. Joe’s in various coaching roles across multiple sports for the next 11 years. He then moved on to his current stop, Immaculate Conception parish in Astoria, where he currently serves as the CYO parish athletic administrator and the basketball athletic director.

This is all in addition to his full-time job in higher education administration at Columbia University in Harlem. He also coaches middle school basketball and high school varsity soccer at the all-girls’ Young Women’s Leadership School of Astoria, whose home gymnasium is at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish.

Under Kokkinos’ leadership, the Immaculate Conception basketball program grew to 32 teams this past season — 21 boys’ teams and 11 girls’ teams from grades 2-8. He helps to coach some teams when needed and also oversees the parish’s skills-based instructional program for the younger children.

Serving more than 400 kids, the Immaculate Conception CYO program is one of the few in the Northwest Queens area.

RELATED: CYO Names First Woman Executive Director in the Diocese of Brooklyn

While coaching at St. Joseph’s, Kokkinos ensured the girls had equal opportunities as the boys. The girls did not have their own teams, yet a small handful played on boys’ teams.

In one memorable instance, while coaching third graders, Kokkinos started five girls on the court at once against a team of all boys. The girls held their own very well, which led to a larger discussion about starting a specific girls’ league.

“That’s where the inspiration came from,” Kokkinos said. “Why do we not have all-girls’ teams?”

At Immaculate Conception, he began a full girls’ CYO hoops program, among the first in the area. He and the fellow volunteer coaches have given these young women a chance to build their confidence and learn valuable life lessons through the sport they love.

Without his knowing, several parents nominated Kokkinos for the annual Junior Knicks contest, now in its eighth year, presented by the Hospital for Special Surgery. Among thousands of nominees, 15 — including Kokkinos — were selected as semifinalists. Each semifinalist was interviewed, and then three finalists were picked.

Kokkinos was among the final group invited to the Feb. 19 Knicks game at Madison Square Garden. As he was seated for what he thought was his final interview, Knicks small forward Mikal Bridges surprised him with the award trophy, since the committee had already decided that Kokkinos was the winner.

Right before the game, Kokkinos appeared on the jumbotron to the crowd and was presented with a $20,000 check, which will be used for CYO equipment and to refurbish parts of the Immaculate Conception gym.

“We appreciate the Junior Knicks recognizing this program and the work being done at the local level,” said CYO Executive Director Daniela Cracolici. “This funding will have a meaningful impact on the athletes and help continue to grow opportunities within the parish community. Congratulations to both Jerry and our CYO Immaculate Conception program.”

Kokkinos also met Knicks legend John Starks backstage. Overall, it was a whirlwind experience that he’ll never forget.

“This is not only for Immaculate Conception; it’s a community award,” Kokkinos said. “It’s definitely a CYO award. I couldn’t have done the work without my colleagues, who also have volunteered their time over these last two decades.”

RELATED: Catholic Youth Organization Coach Honored for 50 Years of Dedicated Service

When it comes to the meaning of youth sports, Kokkinos has stayed the course in this changing environment. He’s kept his sights on what is truly important: the development of young people through friendly competition.

“It’s meant to be for the kids to grow as people and to learn values on and off the court or field,” Kokkinos said. “Responsibility, respect, teamwork: These are things they need to know in school and when they get jobs. They’re also developing social skills as they make new friends. It’s never only about wins and losses.

“As long as I do this, I will always try to have the kids as the highlighted center stage. It’s about them and their experience, and I want them to look back and say that they had a really positive experience.”

Kokkinos now moves on to the national level of the Junior NBA Coach of the Year competition. He said he’s continuously learning new things and is always happy to pass along his knowledge and experience to CYO coaches from any sport and any parish throughout the diocese.

While this is an individual award, the support of the parish and the families helped make it all possible. This is the ultimate example of someone who’s paid it forward in the neighborhood that was such an integral part of his own upbringing.

“When I started volunteering at 18 years old, I never thought it would reach this point,” Kokkinos said. “It was nice to be acknowledged, but without the program and without the kids, the award doesn’t happen. It’s all about them.”

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday 4/30/26   

Parishioners and OCIA students at American Martyrs Church in Queens gather each week to pray the rosary publicly, joining a growing global movement.

A longtime volunteer coach at Immaculate Conception Catholic Academy in Queens was named Coach of the Year, honoring his nearly two decades of mentoring and building opportunities for young athletes.

The Vatican Observatory has named an asteroid after Pope Leo XIII.

George Washington took the oath of office on April 30, 1789, in New York City, marking the first presidential inauguration in U.S. history.

Weekly Public Rosary Draws Faithful, Inspires Community Prayer

By Katie Vasquez

After work or school every Wednesday, a group gathers outside American Martyrs Church in Bayside to pray the rosary.

“This group prays the rosary outside American Martyrs Church in Bayside,” parishioner Jetulio Cury said. “Every time we meditate in the mysteries, something else, something more, something always comes.”

Students in the OCIA program have also joined, sharing their faith publicly with the community.

“It’s good because it helps us, you know, share the gospel and share it to others that want to learn, obviously,” said James Scavone, an OCIA student.

“I felt close to God, and that he loves me,” added fellow student Alejandro Dickson.

The effort is part of a broader movement that began in Austria in 2021 and eventually reached the Diocese of Brooklyn. Michael Shoule joined a group at St. Josaphat before bringing the practice to his home parish two summers ago.

“It occurred to me, you know, why am I driving all the way over there when I can do it right here at my own parish,” Shoule said.

The weekly public prayer has influenced parishioners like Margaret MacPherson, who says it has become part of her daily life.

“Well, actually, doing the rosary at all on a daily basis has now become part of my life. And only because we have gathering here,” MacPherson said. “I just don’t think you could find a more peaceful way to end your day.”

Participants say the gatherings serve as a public witness to their faith.

“Praying the rosary in public, in my mind, is a way of showing God that we trust him and that we are so desperately in need of prayers,” Shoule said. “And we’re praying not out of worry, but out of thanksgiving for all the good that he’s given us and all the good that he has in store for us.”

Three other churches in the Diocese of Brooklyn also host public rosaries: St. Thomas More in Breezy Point, St. Josaphat in Bayside and Immaculate Conception in Astoria. Shoule said he hopes more parishes will be inspired to begin their own gatherings.

TONIGHT AT 7: Public Rosary Movement Grows in Queens Parish Community

By Katie Vasquez

Every week in Bayside, a group of faithful gathers outside American Martyrs Church with a shared purpose: prayer.

What began as an international movement is now taking root in the Diocese of Brooklyn, bringing parishioners and students together in a visible act of faith.

First U.S.-Born African American Priest to Be Honored With New Shrine

By Currents News

A new shrine is in the works to honor Father Augustus Tolton — the first African American priest born in the United States.

The Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, has launched fundraising efforts to establish the shrine in Tolton’s hometown of Quincy. Born into slavery in 1854, Tolton escaped to freedom, pursued his calling overseas when U.S. seminaries refused him, and was ordained in Rome in 1886.

He returned to serve the Church in the United States, becoming a powerful witness of faith and perseverance.

Plans for the shrine are still in the early stages, with no set timeline as fundraising and development continue.

$1.5M Raised for Catholic School Students at Futures in Education Gala

By Currents News

At Cipriani Wall Street, hundreds gathered for Futures in Education’s annual scholarship gala — the Diocese of Brooklyn’s largest fundraiser supporting Catholic school students.

With moving student performances and heartfelt testimonies, the night highlighted how scholarships are changing lives across Brooklyn and Queens. More than $1.5 million was raised to help students access a Catholic education.

Pulse of the Parish: St. Andrew the Apostle

By Christine Persichette

Inside a small classroom at St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Bay Ridge, LaNell Schultheis is opening doors — one word at a time.

For more than two decades, she has welcomed immigrants from around the world, teaching them English through creativity and patience. What began as noticing a need in the Diocese of Brooklyn has grown into a ministry where every student is seen, supported, and encouraged.

Futures in Education Donor Pays Forward Random Act of Kindness That Changed His Life

By Jessica Easthope

Many of Lester Owens’ memories live in a box. Through flashes of his grandparents who raised him after his mother passed away young, his siblings and friends — there’s one memory that will never leave his heart.

“There was a field trip, and we didn’t think we were going, financially wise, and there was a woman who came up to me and my brother and says, by the way, you’re going on a field trip,” Owens said.

The woman paid — and the boys went. They never knew where she came from or who she was.

“There are things that you learn and remember in life so that you can carry it forward,” Owens said. “And that’s what Catholic school is all about, right? Trying to help the next person.”

For Lester and his brother Michael, that woman was an angel. And today Lester is her, he’s a Futures in Education angel, donating every year to give deserving kids a Catholic education.

“It’s very simple. It’s all about the kids,” Owens said. “There’s an advantage in going to those type of schools. It was beneficial to me. You know, just the teachers care and quite frankly, the Futures in Education, what they do is just tremendous.”

Owens says his Catholic education changed the trajectory of his life. He went on to work tirelessly to provide for his family, rising through the ranks at different financial institutions and banks, eventually becoming the first Black operating committee member in Wells Fargo history, responsible for 80,000 employees across 100 countries.

Owens has contributed and helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for Futures in Education for nearly two decades — allowing generations of students to attend Catholic school in Brooklyn and Queens.

“To be able to get a scholarship, go to school year over year, to not have to worry about whether or not they can pay for it, makes all the difference in the world,” he said.

That woman’s act of generosity changed everything for Lester and his Catholic education taught him exactly what to do with his own.