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More Than 1,200 Adults Enter Catholic Church at Easter Vigil in Diocese of Brooklyn

By Jessica Easthope

With flames in their hands and fire in their hearts, more than 1,200 adults in the Diocese of Brooklyn entered the Catholic faith at the Easter Vigil on April 4. At the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights, 12 of them — eight catechumens being baptized and receiving Communion and Confirmation, and four candidates receiving Communion and Confirmation — took a life-changing step. Bishop Robert Brennan said the moment proves the Church is alive.

“The church is very much alive,” Bishop Brennan said. “Here in Brooklyn, Queens, and it’s alive around the world. It’s a sign of the commitment of so many people. People are showing their faith, you know, bold, joyful and unapologetic.”

Candidate Israel Rosario’s faith journey was filled with twists and turns, but he says eventually he ended up right where God wanted him.

“I called my dad after church and he was like, when we came from Puerto Rico in the 70s, my family came here,” Rosario said of the Co-Cathedral. “So I found a picture of my late aunt and uncle and my dad on the stairs right there after doing communion. 50 years later and I’m getting my communion confirmation. So it’s definitely a full circle for me.”

The new Catholics spent two years completing the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, or OCIA. They all have a new faith to call on in moments of joy and despair.

“Keep your eyes fixed on Christ,” Bishop Brennan said. “He wants to walk with you. That’s the whole point of this week that Jesus came to walk with us, even unto suffering and death. And he conquered death by his resurrection.”

“I love to come to church,” Rosario said. “I feel at peace, most at peace when I’m at church.”

Queens Pre-K Students Celebrate Easter with Indoor Egg Hunt

By Currents News

Easter joy was in full swing at St. Elizabeth Catholic Academy in Ozone Park, where Pre-K students took part in a fun indoor egg hunt.

The children searched, counted, and sorted colorful eggs — all while learning about a tradition that dates back to early Christianity, symbolizing Christ’s resurrection.

Queens Catholic Academy Students Bring the Passion of Christ to Life

By Currents News

Students at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy in Belle Harbor brought the story of Holy Week to life through a moving Passion play.

From Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection, seventh graders reenacted the key moments of Christ’s journey.

Good Friday Way of the Cross Draws Faithful Seeking Deeper Walk With Christ

By Katie Vasquez and Jessica Meditz

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — For many participating in the Way of the Cross over the Brooklyn Bridge on Good Friday, the procession wasn’t simply a tradition — it meant taking steps toward Christ. 

“It’s important for me to participate because I can take what I believe, turn it into reality, and live it. To take this abstract claim about what Good Friday is and turn it into something tangible,” said Nicholas Arcati, a Staten Island resident and member of Communion and Liberation, the Catholic lay movement that has organized the procession since 1996. “This is what we live for.” 

Hundreds of Catholics and Greek Orthodox Christians came together at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James on April 3 to begin the pilgrimage into Lower Manhattan with the first Station of the Cross. 

Bishop Robert Brennan, who was there to greet them with Archbishop Ronald Hicks of New York, reflected on the significance of this time of year. 

“It is a time of tremendous grace,” Bishop Brennan said. “We are living in a world that’s longing for peace, longing for unity, and for us Christians, it’s what you remember when our Holy Father keeps telling us, in the one Christ, we are all one when we’re looking for all of those other things.” 

For Archbishop Hicks, the experience was his first as archbishop of New York.  

“This is my first time [to Brooklyn], and to do so in the spirit of unity and of prayer and togetherness, it’s the perfect setting,” Archbishop Hicks said. “We are reminded that we not only walk with each other … but Jesus is walking with us.” 

Archbishop Hicks said a record number of people are joining the Catholic Church this year, adding that it’s much like the bystanders on the bridge that joined the procession. 

“We want to see an increase in that,” he said. “Jesus is the way to truth in life and salvation.” 

Tian Wu is among those preparing to enter the Church this year, set to be baptized during the Easter Vigil in the Diocese of Brooklyn. Walking the Way of the Cross helped her better understand the meaning of Christ’s death and the new life she will soon enter. 

“I’ve participated in Easter Mass before, but I didn’t fully understand what was happening,” she said. “This year, I was introduced to the true meaning — the resurrection of Jesus and new life. It’s a very nice feeling.” 

For Jenna Abazia, the public witness of faith on Good Friday is part of a much deeper return to Christ. After years away from the Church and struggling with addiction, she said she turned back to God at her lowest point and found a sense of peace she hadn’t known before. 

“I realized he was always there,” she said. “It was me that was turning my back.” 

Now an usher at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James and preparing to become a lector, Abazia said she feels called to live her faith openly to inspire others. 

“People need to know that we haven’t forgotten what Jesus has done for us,” she said. “Sometimes, someone else’s testimony can be the thing that helps another person come back.” 

Bishop Brennan gave three more Gospel reflections during the pilgrimage, which continued through Lower Manhattan and ended at Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine. 

After being welcomed by Bishop Nektarios of Diokleia, national chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Bishop Brennan thanked all in attendance for their public display of faith. 

“Your witness to the people of New York on both sides of the river is a powerful sign of your faith in Jesus Christ, crucified and risen,” he said. “For 30 years, this [procession] has given us the privilege to walk with Christ in a tangible and palpable way.” 

Good Friday observances continued in the Diocese of Brooklyn with the Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James. 

Catholic News Headlines for Friday 4/3/26   

In New York City, Bishop Robert Brennan, Archbishop Ronald Hicks, and Catholics from the Diocese of Brooklyn and the Archdiocese of New York marked Good Friday with a Way of the Cross Procession across the Brooklyn Bridge.

At the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Mass of the Lord’s Supper as pontiff and washed the feet of 12 Roman priests at the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

Catholic academies in Brooklyn and Queens solemnly reflected on the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday and preparing for the Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Teen to Portray Jesus in Via Crucis While Preparing to Receive Sacraments in the Diocese of Brooklyn

By Jessica Easthope

In the basement of Our Lady of Fatima Church in East Elmhurst, Queens, 14-year-old Gianlucas Goncalves Cunha doesn’t break character. His conviction comes from within. He’ll need it to play Jesus in the church’s Via Crucis — a reenactment of the Stations of the Cross.

“I accepted the role. I’m really excited for the production. I hope it goes really well. And I’m just really glad about it,” Goncalves Cunha said.

Despite having the lead role, Goncalves Cunha is missing something.

“My faith journey is a little bit complicated,” he said. “So when I started taking my faith seriously, I was like, I need to go to church because it’s really important. Before that, I hadn’t gone to church since I was in the Dominican Republic.”

He’s waiting to receive First Communion and Confirmation — sacraments he didn’t realize he needed until he watched “The Passion of the Christ” last Easter.

“Even though it wasn’t close to the pain that he really felt, it did something to me,” he said. “It made me emotional and it made me take it way more seriously.”

A freshman in high school, Goncalves Cunha is growing up in the age of social media. He admits that before he began the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, or OCIA, he strayed from the faith he was baptized into. But he knew enough to find out the truth for himself.

“So there’s this dude on social media, he says all these things like Catholics worship Mary, which is stereotypical and isn’t true at all,” Goncalves Cunha said. “We venerate Mary. We give her something called hyperdulia, which is a Greek term for the highest level of veneration. Social media can either break your faith or it can help you. So you have a platform where you can search for the truth and find what you should believe in.”

Gianlucas still has one year of OCIA until he can receive his sacraments at next year’s Easter Vigil — but his passion hasn’t wavered.

“I’m really looking forward to actually take the Eucharist, which is the literal body and blood of Christ,” he said. “And maybe even bring new people to Catholicism so that they can know who created them and who will save them. And that’s Jesus. And I’m really excited for that.”

Bay Ridge Catholic Academy Hosts Family STEAM Night Ahead of Easter

By Currents News

Bay Ridge Catholic Academy brought together faith, family, art and science for a fun-filled Family STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) Night.

The Brooklyn school offered students and parents hands-on activities exploring the structure, behaviors and habitats of animals.

Participants used Legos, robotics, Play-Doh, popsicle sticks and even M&Ms to engage in creative experiments.

Organizers described the evening as an enjoyable way for children and adults of all ages to learn about God’s creations through interactive discovery.