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Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 4/29/26

Futures in Education raised more than $1.5 million at its annual gala to help thousands of students attend Catholic schools across Brooklyn and Queens.

Futures in Education “Angel” donor says he is paying it forward after a random act of kindness changed his life forever.

The Diocese of Springfield, Illinois announced plans to build a shrine honoring Father Augustus Tolton, the Church’s first African American priest born in the United States.

In this installment of Pulse of the Parish, meet a volunteer at St. Andrew the Apostle Church, who is helping immigrants learn English and build community.

Bishop Robert Brennan Celebrates Mass for St. Francis College Class of 2026

By Currents News

Graduating seniors at St. Francis College received a meaningful sendoff as Bishop Robert Brennan celebrated a special Mass, reminding them their college journey was a pilgrimage of growth and faith. The day also included the school’s Charter Day Convocation, honoring student leaders inducted into the Duns Scotus Honor Society.

Diocese of Brooklyn Sends Hundreds to World Youth Day with Foundation Support

By Currents News

Each World Youth Day, the Diocese of Brooklyn brings one of the largest groups of young pilgrims to join Catholics from around the world. Thanks to support from the Catholic Foundation for Brooklyn and Queens, hundreds of teens and young adults are able to take part in the life-changing experience.

New Padre Pio Prayer Space Opens in Queens After Years of Faith, Planning

By Jessica Easthope

It was a vision — Joe Oppedisano’s long-held dream of creating a sacred place dedicated to Padre Pio where the public could come to pray and reflect.

On April 26, that dream became a reality. After years of planning, a space dedicated to the beloved Italian saint officially opened around the corner from Oppedisano’s Little Neck restaurant, Il Bacco.

“It’s for everybody to come and reflect and pray and hope and don’t worry. Like Padre Pio said — that was his famous words,” Oppedisano said. “I only got to know him 15 years ago, almost 16, and it changed my life. He changed my life. Obviously, I’m here talking to you right now, so it’s a powerful man… In life you’ve got to believe. And I do believe tremendously.”

Oppedisano’s devotion to Padre Pio deepened after a life-altering experience. In 2020, he was involved in a fatal plane crash and suffered severe injuries. While recovering in the hospital, he said Padre Pio came to him. In the years that followed, he set out to create the space as a way of giving thanks for what he believes was divine intervention.

His journey also strengthened the faith of those closest to him, including his daughter, Tina Maria.

“My dad has always been very ambitious. And he had this vision and he has had this idea, and I’m so happy that he pulled through and I’m so proud of him. I really am just so proud of him,” she said.

At the opening ceremony, Bishop Emeritus Nicholas DiMarzio of the Diocese of Brooklyn blessed the bronze statues installed throughout the space. Father Joseph Fonti, pastor of St. Mel’s Parish in Flushing, was named chaplain.

“To create a place for people to come to commune with God in a time when all of us are stressed, all of us overwhelmed, is a great awareness to God’s goodness to him and God’s nearness to us,” Father Fonti said.

As the gates opened, hundreds of visitors poured in, many hoping to take photos and venerate a relic of Padre Pio. Among them was Maria Bertolino, who attended with her 25-year-old son, Salvatore.

“My son has autism. Padre Pio is very special to us. When he was born, I prayed to him that he would be a little better, and he has gotten a lot better,” she said. “I truly believe Padre Pio and Jesus Christ have a lot to do with this. This is just a beautiful testament of everyone here and how special he is — and how special he is to my family too.”

The Padre Pio prayer space, located on Northern Boulevard, is open to the public seven days a week from sunrise to sunset.

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 4/28/26

A Queens restaurateur opened a new prayer space dedicated to Padre Pio, fulfilling a yearslong vision inspired by his devotion to the saint.

St. Francis Preparatory School says its new no-cell phone policy is improving student focus, academic performance, and social connections.

Currents News anchor Christine Persichette served as keynote speaker at St. Francis College’s Charter Day Convocation, where students were recognized for academic and leadership achievements.

Researchers in Pompeii are using artificial intelligence to digitally reconstruct a victim of the Mount Vesuvius eruption.

At St. Francis Prep, Phone Ban Boosts Student Social Life and Academic Focus

By Katie Vasquez

FRESH MEADOWS, N.Y. — Walk the hallways of St. Francis Prep this year, and one change is immediately noticeable: it’s louder.

School leaders and students say the shift comes after the implementation of a stricter phone policy, requiring devices to remain in lockers from the first bell to the last.

“It was almost like zombies last year, where people just walking through or sitting in the cafeteria looking at their phone, even not communicating with people in front of them,” said Assistant Principal Diane Haussermann.

Students say the absence of phones has helped rebuild social connections.

“I think definitely I was able to make more friendships this year and reconnect with old friends,” said senior Reagan Clemente.

Sophomore Brandon Henderson said he has seen classmates come out of their shells.

“I think that’s the best improvement that we’ve had, seeing some students go from very introverted and then start to grow out of their shell,” he said.

The benefits, students say, extend beyond social life.

“I think my math grade has been going up. I’m in AP calc, and at the beginning of the year I was struggling a bit. But I’ve been getting better with fasting from my phone,” one student said.

School leaders say that outcome was intentional.

Under the state policy, phones must remain stored away throughout the school day. St. Francis Prep enforces the rule with strict consequences for violations.

“If you play on a sports team and you get a three-hour detention, you’re basically missing the entire practice,” Henderson said.

Haussermann said compliance has improved compared with last year.

“We only have about 2.5% of the student body with an infraction, using their cell phones, as compared to about 4% last year,” she said.

The policy comes as new research highlights the potential downsides of constant phone use. A 2025 report from the University of California found that heavy social media use may negatively affect memory, attention span and vocabulary in children.

For some students, the change has altered habits beyond school.

“It’s been more of a problem than it is a good thing, especially in school environments with kids and things get posted,” Clemente said.

Another student said the impact carries into study time at home.

“At home now when I’m studying, it’s a lot easier to put away my phone and study and concentrate,” Alexia said.

School officials say the results are clear: stronger friendships and improved focus throughout the academic year.

Coming Home: WWII Hero’s Remains Returned to Brooklyn After 83 Years

By Jessica Easthope and Paula Katinas

WILLIAMSBURG — Eighty-three years after he was killed in a wartime plane crash in the South Pacific, the remains of a World War II airman were finally returned to his native Brooklyn, giving his family the chance to gather for his funeral Mass on April 24. 

Staff Sgt. Nicholas J. Governale’s remains were positively identified thanks to DNA, decades after his death.  

“You think the impossible can’t happen,” his nephew Edward Veneziano said. “But with divine intervention and technology and all those things working together, anything can happen. 

“And that’s the one thing we’ve learned from all of this.” 

Relatives of Staff Sgt. Governale — many who are far too young to remember him, but who grew up hearing older relatives tell stories about him — were joined by members of local chapters of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars at the funeral Mass at the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Williamsburg. 

“And now, at long last, he is home,” said Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, who was the celebrant for the Mass. 

Staff Sgt. Governale was a 22-year-old gunner in the U.S. Army Air Forces when his B-25C-1 bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean shortly after takeoff near Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands on July 10, 1943, killing four of the five men on board. One airman managed to escape before the plane sank into the ocean. 

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The U.S. Navy dispatched divers to search for the wreckage, but the plane and its airmen were not found. 

Staff Sgt. Governale’s family was informed by letter that he was missing in action and presumed dead. The U.S. military officially declared him “nonrecoverable” in 1949. 

However, in 2022, thanks to technology that was not available during World War II, the Defense Department POW/MIA Accounting Agency and Project Recover, an organization dedicated to finding and identifying the remains of lost military servicemembers, recovered remains at the crash site. 

In 2025, Staff Sgt. Governale was positively identified after a DNA sample submitted by his sister, Marion Veneziano, years earlier was analyzed. She passed away in 2019 and never learned that he had been identified, according to her son Edward Veneziano.  

Staff Sgt. Governale’s remains were returned to his relatives, who arranged for a funeral Mass and burial at Linden Hill United Methodist Cemetery in Ridgewood. 

“It means so much to my family to be able to do this for him,” said his grand-niece, Christina Mace, who is a parishioner of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. “We feel he can finally rest in peace.” 

As the casket was carried from the church, military veterans formed an honor guard and saluted Staff Sgt. Governale. 

John Pieprzak, a Marine veteran of Operation Desert Storm and a Veterans of Foreign Wars member, said he wanted to pay tribute.  

“World War II vets always hold a special place in everyone’s heart because they are the Greatest Generation. They gave the most,” he said. “So, when you find someone who has been lost for so many years, you have to make a big deal out of it.” 

RELATED: Lost WWII Purple Heart Medal Returns to NJ Family After 31 Years

Sgt. Governale’s parents and siblings are all deceased, but the younger members of his family grew up hearing stories about him, Edward Veneziano said. 

“You certainly felt the love and the concern and the loss that our parents, our grandparents felt whenever they talked about him,” he explained, adding that “we all had little Uncle Nick shrines in the house…his picture was there.” 

As the older relatives passed away, the younger members relied on their Catholic faith and hoped that he would one day be returned home. “His family that remained prayed and never forgot him,” Msgr. Gigantiello said. 

Nicholas Governale was born on July 26, 1920, and grew up in Bushwick. He was the eldest son of five siblings. He went to East New York Vocational High School to learn to be a mechanic, but dropped out at 16 to get a job and help support the family during the Great Depression. In 1939, he joined the Army and trained as an Air Force gunner before being eventually sent to the Pacific Theater, where he met his fate. 

It was important to his family that Staff Sgt. Governale received a Mass of Christian Burial, Edward Veneziano said. 

“That was one of the first things that we talked about when he was identified was that he needs a Catholic burial,” he added. “It’s one of the sacrifices he was denied, and it’s important to us to get it.”