By Jessica Easthope

Matthew McKeon-Slattery is part of a team coordinating every step of the journey to a once-in-a-lifetime faith experience. They’re driving every street and walking every set of subway stairs, all to ensure that thousands of people arrive safely at the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Eucharistic Revival.

“We put together a map, we gave it to the pastors,” said McKeon-Slattery, Deputy Director of External Affairs for DeSales Media Group, the communications and technology arm of the Diocese of Brooklyn that operates NET-TV. “But we just want to make sure and go through it ourselves to see if there’s anything that could be dangerous along the way; even though it’s been approved by the NYPD, we have to see it for ourselves.”

“If everything goes the way that we want it to, they won’t even know that we were there or had anything to do with it at all because that’s the point of doing logistics like this,” McKeon-Slattery said. “It’s to make sure everything goes smoothly on the day of the actual event.”

DeSales’ External Affairs team, along with the NYPD and MTA, is responsible for the logistics of thousands of people on two different pilgrimages.

Pilgrims from Our Lady of Sorrows and St. Leo’s Parishes in Corona and St. Michael’s Church in Flushing will walk to Louis Armstrong Stadium. Meanwhile, thousands of others will take the 7 train. Bishop Robert Brennan will ride the rails, too, getting on at Court Square and ending at Citi Field, the stadium stop. Parishioners are encouraged to join him at any of these five stops.

“We looked at all of the subway stations in Queens and figured out which were the ones that most people could access,” McKeon-Slattery said. “We’re going to have some of our staff so the parishioners, congregations who are wanting to do it this way will know where to go. We’ll know where to stand, and they’ll make sure they get on the same seven train as Bishop Brennan.”

Wil Vega, DeSales Media’s police liaison, says keeping the crowd together and separate from the public is essential for a safe and accessible pilgrimage.

“Every place has a police precinct, which has a community affairs office, and this is who we coordinate with just to get a feel of what the neighborhood is, who the people are,” Vega said. “Also, we know what their needs are and how to move forward to help.”

Though there are many moving parts, there’s only one goal: to bring the faithful together to encounter Christ.

“It’s been truly an honor, just to serve as a Catholic myself, the church, in its capacity on how it helps different communities and people and just the fact that knowing that we’re just helping people, in general, is something that I hold dear to my heart,” Vega said.

The team’s preparation has been months in the making. They say that come April 20th, they’ll be prepared for anything.

By Katie Vasquez

Everything will be preserved in translation at the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Eucharistic Revival on Saturday. The app Interprefy will be available to all, translating five languages for patrons in real time. Len Camporeale, the director of Marketing at NET TV’s parent company, DeSales Media, said they expect about a third of the 10,000 faithful in attendance to use it.

In the more than 35 apostolates, the five most common languages are Spanish, Haitian Creole, Polish, Mandarin Chinese, and Korean.

So, how does the app work? Live interpreters from around the globe will be listening in and interpreting in real-time. That’s ten translators who will be available for the 7-hour revival event.

“The interpreters do a wonderful job, and they usually alternate every 20 to 30 minutes,” said Kate Accetti, a sales and account manager at Interprefy. “So there are multiple reasons, just in terms of excellence and delivery, making sure no degradation of content is lost, and also just to give the interpreters a backup.”

The process for parishioners couldn’t be more simple. Before the event, users can download the app at the Apple Store or Google Play Store, click on Interprefy, and then Connect. Attendees will be given a code at the event, which they can use. Afterward, users can simply select their language.

The idea of using translators came to the Diocese of Brooklyn during the Synod process. They often heard that language was a barrier in multilingual events.

“We wanted to be able to have everybody come to the stadium and hear the reflections and prayers in their native language and the language there that they use to worship in,” Camporeale said.

The need to pray together as one diocese is something that Interprefy, a global provider of language access, understands all too well.

“Nelson Mandela, I think, said it best,” Accetti said. “You know, when you speak to a man in a language that he understands, it goes to his head. But when you speak to a man in his native language, it goes to his heart, and as a second language learner for me, I can attest to that because we feel things more impactful. I think when you’re talking about things like faith, something so deeply personal like this, you really want to have a true impact on somebody.”

The diocese hopes to expand the app’s use within the next 18 to 24 months, ensuring that everyone hears the word of the Lord in their native tongue.

Results of an investigation issued by New York Attorney General Letitia James highlights both shortcomings and positive initiatives taken by the Diocese of Brooklyn in its handling of clergy sexual abuse allegations over the past 22 years.

The 75-page document, published on April 16, focuses on allegations since 2002, when the Catholic Church first set up a comprehensive set of procedures, still in place today, called the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.”

It found that the diocese, on multiple occasions, did not always complete investigations in a timely manner, properly monitor clergy with credible abuse allegations against them, or be transparent with parishioners about a priest’s status.

The FDNY has deemed the Easter Sunday fire at Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii accidental. Investigators said a hot object and hot embers sparked the five-alarm fire at the Bushwick parish.

About 150 parishioners were at 1 p.m. Spanish language mass on Easter Sunday when smoke filled the church. They quickly evacuated, and more than 200 firefighters responded to the scene. While no one was seriously injured, the rectory and parish center were destroyed.

In a statement, Bishop Robert Brennan said he was grateful the FDNY prevented any further tragedy.

For now, the faithful of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii are attending Mass at their sister church, All Saints.

Bishop Brennan says the property lost to the fire has been safely secured and is pending demolition.

The Diocese of Brooklyn Eucharistic Revival, which will be held on Saturday, Apr. 20, has undergone much planning for the highly anticipated celebration.

Father Joseph Gibino, vicar for evangelization and catechesis for the Diocese of Brooklyn, is helping to lead the preparation for the revival. He joins Currents News to discuss how much planning has gone into the revival.

An imposter priest who fooled people into accessing churches and rectories in Brooklyn and beyond has been caught. Police in Riverside, California, arrested the man, saying he’s been victimizing churches across the country.

While he claimed to be ‘Father Martin’ at those parishes, police have identified him as 45-year-old Malin Rostas, a New York resident.

His modus operandi was to pose as ‘Father Martin’ at various parishes. This ruse allowed him to enter the American Martyrs rectory in Bayside last March, where he allegedly made off with $900.

Rostas was caught last Wednesday when police said they recognized the vehicle connected to the robberies. They said, before his arrest, he had just tried to steal from another local church.