Students and seniors joined forces for a confirmation project.
Instead of giving a report on a saint, teens from Saint Thomas Aquinas and Our Lady Help of Christians in Brooklyn presented about a senior citizen with a significant presence in their parish.
The 30 confirmation students posed insightful questions to the 33 seniors, including why they continue to be involved in the church and ‘How has God played a role in their lives?’.
A New Jersey church is not just observing Arbor Day, but actively participating in a call to action, demonstrating their commitment to the care of our common earth.
These evergreen trees are the newest additions at St. Teresa of Avila Cemetery in Summit, New Jersey.
The staff there said Pope Francis’ encyclical on climate change, Laudato Si, compelled them to start a tree-planting initiative in 2021.
Their goal is to plant 500 new trees around the 18-acre grounds.
The pastor, Monsignor Robert Meyer, and Chief of Staff, Karen Imbach, have witnessed firsthand how the effects of their tree-planting initiative have spread throughout the church community, reinforcing their commitment to the cause.
“The earth is a gift to us from God, and all of us are called to take care of it not only for ourselves but for the next generations,” Msgr. Meyer said.
“When people visit the cemetery, they’re not always in a perfect state of mind, so we try to make the experience something that they walk away from with positivity,” Imbach said.
St. Teresa has already made significant progress, planting 200 trees, and they are not stopping there. They have a long-term vision, aiming to plant another 100 trees in the next three years, demonstrating their commitment to sustainable environmental practices.
The community at Bay Ridge Catholic Academy came together Thursday to celebrate STEM education. Students displayed their knowledge in science, technology, engineering and math at the school’s family stem night.
The kids took part in experiments like lego robotics and balloon-powered car racing. They gave their own lessons to the parents and other students.
By Jessica Easthope
It takes a confident teacher to admit she doesn’t have all the answers.
Mary O’Donoghue, or Ms. O as she’s known to her students at Immaculate Conception Catholic Academy in Astoria, has done it countless times over her 25-year career.
“If I don’t know the answer, I will tell them; you can’t pretend to know it all because they will see through that in a second,” O’Donoghue said.
Being approachable is one of the many reasons Will Royer said O’Donoghue has changed his life.
“She’s just a great person in general to talk to, to be around,” Royer said. “She has great energy, great vibes. She teaches us in a very unique way, like, it’s very hands-on and, like, personal.”
Mary is being honored by Futures in Education on Tuesday, April 30. The organization provides tuition assistance to families like Will’s who want their children to have a Catholic education.
“The core of what our Catholic schools are are the teachers,” said John Notaro, the Executive Director of Futures in Education.
Notaro said teachers like O’Donoghue are the reason why Diocese of Brooklyn schools are so desirable.
“It’s heroic,” Notaro said. “And I know it will inspire our donors to do more because we know it’s going to make a difference in the lives of the kids that she is teaching in our classroom every day.”
In O’Donoghue’s 8th-grade math class, her passion for numbers has rubbed off on her students. But for Emma Marina, the ways O’Donoghue has left a mark on her can’t be measured.
“Ms. O is the most wonderful teacher you could ever meet,” Marina said. She’s someone you could go up to and talk to about anything, and she helped me really achieve my dreams academically.”
Immaculate Conception’s Principal Brother Joe Rocco said O’Donoghue’s impact reflects her faith.
“She lives the gospel message of Jesus,” Brother Rocco said. “She is the model of a Catholic educator. She has a vocation, not just a job. It’s a ministry for her.”
O’Donoghue rejoices in her students’ successes and knows there’s only one answer when they’re challenged.
“They have so much doubt and uncertainty in this world,” O’Donoghue said. “And to try and see that Jesus is their friend and to pray and Catholic identity is very important.”
She’s in front of the classroom, but Mary learns from her students daily.
Futures in Education, the non-profit that awards scholarships to kids across Brooklyn and Queens, is recognizing Mary O’Donoghue at their upcoming fundraiser.
Confirmation students in Brooklyn are preparing for the sacrament in a unique way. They were paired up with elderly parishioners and instead of writing a report on a saint, they wrote about the fervent faith of these seniors.
St. Teresa of Avila Parish in Summit is planting 40 evergreens within its cemetery for Arbor Day.
Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan took to social media to thank everyone who supported the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Eucharistic Revival.
by Katie Vasquez
LONG ISLAND CITY — Along Vernon Boulevard sits St. Mary Church, a beacon above the Queens-Midtown Tunnel and the permanent home of a piece of papal history.
“It’s so humbling to know that I actually sit in front of a historical piece for the Catholic Church,” said St. Mary parishioner, Chris Obcena.
In 1995, Pope St. John Paul II visited the Diocese of Brooklyn, and celebrated a Mass at Aqueduct Racetrack for thousands of faithful.
D’Ambrosio Ecclesiastical Art studios was hired to construct a special altar for the occasion, but rather than keep it in storage, the company’s owner decided to repurpose it.
“He knew this setting would be perfect for this,” said Father Christopher Turczany, the pastor of St Mary Church. “He wanted to not have it stored, but used and he knew it would fit.”
The same altar, part of which was once touched by the popular pope saint, now serves the body of Christ every day at St. Mary Church in Long Island City. A smaller altar that supports the tabernacle and the baptismal font were also fashioned from the altar used at Aqueduct.
Father Turczany says being able to celebrate the Mass with this connection to Pope St. John Paul II, has been a highlight of his priesthood.
“I was an avid follower of him,” said Father Turczany.
As the global Church prepares to celebrate 10 years since his canonization, parishioners are proud to say their spiritual home has a connection to the beloved pope.
“We’re that much closer to God. And I think that’s part of the reason why the saints’ lives are just so interesting personally for me, where they go through so much human suffering but internally they don’t realize they’re going through this metamorphosis or transformation of being holy,” said Obcena.
If you want to also commemorate Pope St. John Paul II’s canonization this weekend, just come to St. Mary Church, where you can not only see these pieces, but this plaque recognizing this important piece of papal history.
St. Teresa of Avila Parish in Summit, New Jersey, is expanding its green footprint by planting 40 evergreen trees in its cemetery. This effort marks a significant step in the parish’s ongoing mission to introduce 500 trees across its properties.
The tree-planting program, which was initiated in 2021, aligns with the principles of “Laudato Si’,” Pope Francis’ encyclical urging Catholics to save the environment. Since its inception, the initiative has seen the planting of approximately 200 trees on the church, school, and cemetery grounds.
To see more on St. Teresa of Avila Parish’s tree-planting effort across its properties, tune into NET TV tonight at 7 p.m.
Amid pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University that have led to more than 100 arrests, forced classes online, and left Jewish students and faculty feeling unsafe and unwelcome, the university’s Catholic chaplain says the path forward “must first ensure that such malevolent protests, brimming with anti-Semitism, be stopped.”
Father Landry, Columbia’s Chaplain, said he has witnessed many pro-Palestinian protests that have taken place since mid-October — when Israel began its retaliation against Hamas in Gaza after the terrorist organization on Oct. 7 killed more than 1,200 people, and took more than 200 hostages.
Tens of thousands Gazans have died, and more than 1.5 million are now displaced.
Current protests at Columbia University boiled over last week, when students set up an encampment on the university’s South Lawn to oppose Israel’s military action in Gaza, and demand that the university divest from companies with ties to Israel. Ultimately, more than 100 demonstrators were arrested after the university called in police to help dispel the crowd.
Protests have continued this week. Protestors are now also there to stand in solidarity with those arrested last week. On April 23, about 150 demonstrators were arrested for defying a university order to leave.
The Tablet’s John Lavenburg joins Currents News to discuss the uprising.
For as long as he can remember, high school senior David Korzyrkov has dreamed of using music to make the world a better place.
But two years ago, the sounds of war changed his life forever.
“In 4 in the morning when we start to hear bombs,” Kozyrkov said. “Hear Russian flys and my father go to my room and says war started we just need to take a bag. My father says I need to choose. I need to take my bag, or I need to take my keyboard.”
With just his keyboard and the clothes on his back, Korzyrkov traveled all the way to Philadelphia with his mom and sister.
He wanted to further his education at String Theory Schools in Center City, but he longed for what he left behind.
“When I start to think about my friends who died in Ukraine, and I watch all those friends who are right here with me, I think that God gave me something,” Korzyrkov said.
While he’s made new friends, his best friend still fights in the war.
“My father in Ukraine, he’s a military Chaplin,” Kozyrkov said. “He’s my best friend. He’s my number one. I speak with him every day.”
His number one now has a reason to celebrate with his son because Korzyrkov just got into the school of his dreams.
“I looked on the Internet and just watched the school and wow I know the school and I tried to apply and I get in,” Korzyrkov said.
This fall, he will be attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
“That means a lot,” Korzyrkov said. “That’s a lot of hard work what I do. My family my parents be proud of me.”
His dream is now a reality and a chance to use his music to make the world a better place.