Group Offers Rosary Prayers During Rush Hour at Grand Central Station

by Katie Vasquez

Amid the sounds of evening rush hour at Grand Central Station, with thousands of people heading home from a busy day at work and in the middle of the hustle and bustle, one group stops, taking their time to pray.

“The rosary, as Padre Pio said, is the greatest weapon of all time,” said rosary prayer group member Ray Reyes.

For almost 40 years, members of the Legion of Mary at the Church of St. Agnes in Manhattan have come every Tuesday to recite the rosary outside the entrance to the 4, 5, and 6 trains.

The former associate pastor at St Agnes, Father William Shelley, started the rosary prayer group in the transit hub to help spread the faith.

“To stand up and represent the Catholic Church in public and, you know, in front of people of different walks of life, you know, and say, I’m proud to be Catholic,” said rosary prayer group member, Richard Harris.

Before he passed in 2012, Father Shelley entrusted them to keep the prayers going.

“When he knew that his time on earth was coming to a close, he asked Harris and myself to please continue this subway rosary,” said Reyes.

Over the years, as trains rushed by and the city changed, the rosary group has remained.

“You know, we’ve given out a lot of rosaries along the way,” said rosary prayer group member, Virginia Hill.

They even picked up some new members along the way, some temporary.

“I remember one time one of the police officers came over to me and said, ‘you know, would you pray for my father? He’s in the hospital.’ And she stayed and said a decade with us as well,” said Hill.

Some felt called to come back.

“One day I was coming out of the train station and I saw a group praying the rosary and I was so touched and inspired. I said, Oh, I got to come back,” said rosary prayer group member, Patrick LeBlanc.

No matter what the reason for their prayers, “you pray for peace, you pray for the sick,” said Reyes. The message has stayed the same.

“I really think it’s a way of telling people, you know, there are people, people of faith in this city,” said Hill.

You can join the rosary group, just enter the Grand Central Terminal through the Lexington Avenue side, they will be near the subway entrance around 5:45 pm.

You can also meet the group at the Church of St. Agnes on 43rd Street, they will meet after the 5:10 pm mass and walk to Grand Central together.

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 1/10/2024

There’s a whole group of people who say prayers every week at one New York City subway station.

New York City’s Comptroller launched an investigation into an eviction policy announced by Mayor Eric Adams last July.

Hundreds of thousands of Catholics marched in Manila for a centuries-old religious tradition in the Philippine capital.

Students in grades 1st through 12th in Brooklyn and Queens are invited to express their faith through art with the theme “Keep Christ in Christmas”.

Largest Collection of Brooklyn History Available to the Public

If members of the Diocese of Brooklyn want to take a look at their own past, the largest collection of Brooklyn history in the world is now available to the public.

The Center for Brooklyn history features tens of thousands of books, photos, maps, artifacts and more, detailing life in the borough going back to the 1800s.

Operated by the Brooklyn Public library, you can see bits of the Diocese of Brooklyn within the collection,

like photos of an Italian-American Catholic family in Williamsburg in the 1950s, or school work from Holy Cross students in Flatbush from the late 1800s.

You can also see some old editions of the Tablet, going back to its founding in 1908.

Archivist Dee Bowers says even if you’re not from Brooklyn, you can still find a connection to the collection.

“This statistic is oft repeated, not necessarily proven, but a lot of people say as many as one in seven Americans have history in Brooklyn. So that is a huge part of our national identity and our regional identity here. Another thing to note is that Catholic history and the history of faith in Brooklyn is integrally intertwined with immigration. And that’s another huge part of Brooklyn history, the Brooklyn story and, of course, the American story at large,” said Center for Brooklyn History at Brooklyn Public Library archivist, Dee Bowers.

The Center for Brooklyn history is located in Brooklyn Heights and is open to the public.

Archivists encourage you to come explore and even donate to the collection!

The Brooklyn Public library is accepting artifacts, personal records and other items from the public.

To contribute head to their website:

https://www.bklynlibrary.org/cbh/collections/contribute

Mary of Nazareth Church Parishioners Share Experience of National Catholic Youth Conference

by Katie Vasquez

The season of giving may be over, but for young parishioners like Jamie Rodriguez from Mary of Nazareth Church in Fort Greene, giving happens all year ‘round.

“Personally, it just gives me a good feeling,” Rodriguez said. “It feels like, it feels warm, feels nice.”

That charitable spirit was one of the many reasons why Rodriguez and four other young people were picked by their pastor for the experience of a lifetime.

They went to the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis, which brings young people from across America together for an encounter with Christ.

“I feel it changed my life in a very significant way,” said Lewis Pena, a parishioner at Mary of Nazareth.

The conference is a three-day experience of prayer, community, evangelization, catechesis, service, and empowerment for Catholic teenagers.

As young people listen to some or the best speakers in the Catholic space and music from award-winning artists, they also celebrate Mass and sit in adoration.

The goal, according to Father Henry Torres, is to find a faith all their own.

“We get our kids to see that this faith is fun. This faith is alive and this faith is as much theirs as it is their parents’ as it is ours,” said Father Torres, pastor of Mary of Nazareth.

Whether they were returning to the conference or this was their first time, each young parishioner at Mary of Nazareth took their own special message.

“I started becoming a lector in the church, and that’s like something I was scared of doing,” Rodriguez said.

“A message I want to focus on is if someone is in need, you should always try to lend a hand,” Pena said.

But Father Torres says it’s now up to them to bring the message of Christ to their community.

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 1/9/2024

The teens from Mary of Nazareth Church in Fort Greene attended the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis.

As New York City braces for a major storm to blow through, there are reports Floyd Bennett Field will be evacuated.

Former NYPD Chief of Department Joe Esposito has died after a battle with cancer.

The Center for Brooklyn History has the largest collection on the subject in the world.

New Jersey ‘Superman’ Takes on Hero Persona, Feeding the Hungry at Church Food Pantry

By Jessica Easthope

When Phil Stafford pulls up to WaWa and jumps out of his van, he takes on a new persona.

It comes with a cape and a lot of compassion. He’s there to pick up excess food to give to the hungry.

“More people know me as ‘Superman’ than know me as Phil,” Stafford said. “Basically I started off by helping a food pantry years ago and I saved Thanksgiving for a lot of people and they said ‘you’re Superman’ and then it’s stuck.”

Stafford quit his job as a painter and interior designer 10 years ago to be “Superman” full time.

Now, he feeds more than 2,000 families a week as the executive director of his nonprofit, New Jersey Food and Clothing Rescue.

During the week Stafford hits up around 10 grocery stores taking whatever they don’t want and giving it to those who do want it. Every day in New Jersey, 4 million pounds of food gets thrown out.

“The supply is there; there’s plenty of food for everybody and even enough to give some away. The problem is the logistics and that’s where we come in, they say hey, can you pick up on a Tuesday or Friday or Sunday or a holiday? And we say ‘yes’ and we pick it up.”

It all leads up to Saturday, when New Jersey Food and Clothing Rescue runs a pop-up food pantry at Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Wallington, New Jersey. Stafford isn’t Catholic, but his heart and mind are aligned with what the Church says about charity.

His life’s purpose is to do for others.

“I’ve always believed in helping people, and the Church has always taught to help people so it aligns. There’s no way you can put a monetary value on the feelings that you get when you see someone in trouble and you help them out.”

Over the years Stafford has realized that his cape has given him super powers.

“I don’t think I’m Superman,” Stafford said. “Other people call me Superman and it’s cool and I wear a cape to fool around, but it’s a very serious thing and people need help more than anybody realizes. It’s really becoming a crisis, so the more help we can give out the better off they’ll be.”

What makes him a hero isn’t the ability to fly, but the ability to be kind.

If you too would like to be a superhero and donate to New Jersey Food and Clothing Rescue, just go to NJFOODCLOTHINGRESCUE.ORG.

Bishop Brennan Celebrates Three Kings Day Masses

Saturday, Jan. 6, marked the Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day.

And on Sunday, Jan. 7, hundreds braved the bad weather in Bushwick in order to celebrate two Masses with Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan at two different churches.

At one of those celebrations that included the three kings themselves.

Three magi reenacted the giving of gifts to baby Jesus at All Saints Church.

Bishop Brennan said he was impressed by all the young people who “made it a priority to adore Christ the Lord”.

Diocese of Brooklyn Sending Two Buses To Attend March For Life Rally

Working towards a culture of life is the goal of this year’s March For Life.

Tens of thousands of people will be heading to D.C. for the annual march at the end of next week and many Catholics from the Diocese of Brooklyn will be taking part.

You can join them.

The diocese is providing two buses to D.C.

One will depart at 6 AM on Friday Jan. 19th, from the Diocesan Office in Brooklyn at 310 Prospect Park West.

At the same time another bus will travel from St. Kevin Church in Queens at 45-21 194th St. in Flushing.

For more information on the buses, just email [email protected]

Before the marchers head to D.C., their support for the unborn will begin in Brooklyn.

The diocese will have a Holy Hour For Life the night before the march on Thursday Jan. 18th.

It’ll kick off at 8 PM at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Downtown Brooklyn.

A Holy Hour For Life will also kick off the march in D.C. at the Basilica of The National Shrine of The Immaculate Conception that same night, thursday jan. 18th.

You can watch that mass live right here at 5 p.m. on NET TV.

Currents News will have team coverage of the March For Life on the ground at the National Mall.

Jessica Easthope, John Lavenburg, and Katie Vasquez will be giving you exclusive coverage, so be sure to tune in that Friday, Jan. 19th.

Catholic News Headlines for Monday 1/8/2024

We’ll introduce you to Phil Stafford, a New Jersey man who, about ten years ago, quit his job to feed and clothe people.

In April, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments regarding Idaho’s near-total abortion ban.

Pope Francis wants a global ban on surrogacy.

Diocese of Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan celebrated the epiphany with a Mass at All Saints Church in Williamsburg.

Threats and Poor Reviews Overwhelm Palestinian Restaurant

by Katie Vasquez

Dozens of loyal customers continuously come to Ayat for the Palestinian dishes. The restaurant is located in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn.

Customers like Pegah Pasalar have stopped by three times since the location opened on December 21st.

“The food is great. I mean, Palestinian food is just one of my most favorite cuisine. But also this restaurant is amazing,” said Ayat customer, Pegah Pasalar.

But recently, the eatery has been caught in the middle of a war happening thousands of miles away.

Since the conflict between Hamas and Israel began in October, all of Ayat’s five locations in New York City have been bombarded with one star reviews.

“We were at five and then it kept going down,” said Ayat owner, Abdul Elenani.

Elenani says he’s used to terrible feedback now and again, but he says the comments online have taken a frightening turn

“These messages came out about, we’re going to bomb, you were going to bomb your places, we’re gonna do all this,” said Elenani.

And makes him fear for the safety of his family.

“Now we have a baby so it’s different. so that that care level just kind of like, spikes up and you become more protective.”

Many people are attacking Ayat’s menu, its named “from the river to the sea”

They say it’s a call to action against Jews, erasing the state of Israel.

Elenani said, “they have this idea that I’m an anti-semite and I want to kill Jews when it’s nowhere near the case.”

Elenani says he doesn’t care about the bad business, he just wants the war to end.

“If I lose everything, I don’t care. It’s more about people living in normal peace. It’s waking up in the morning knowing that my child is safe to go to school, not be bulldozed or killed by this random missile or rocket,” said Elenani.