By Currents News
At a stop on the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Lenten pilgrimage, students at St. Athanasius Catholic Academy got a firsthand look at faith in action.
Michael Lynch, pastor of St. Athanasius Church, celebrated Mass with pilgrims and students, encouraging young people to follow their example and grow in faith.
Later in the day, students joined Bishop Robert Brennan for the Stations of the Cross.
By Alexandra Moyen and Currents News
CYPRESS HILLS — Andy Chantes has been a part of Jornadas de Vida Cristiana for five years. In that time, he said he had gained a deeper understanding of the power of prayer, which led him to participate in a Mass for Peace.
“I wanted to take part in the Mass because of what’s going on throughout the world,” said Chantes, treasurer of the Jornadas movement, an ecclesial group serving Latino youth and young adults. “I personally feel like there is a lot of hatred and violence in the world, and I think celebrating this Mass is one of the most amazing and beautiful things you can do.”
On March 25, Blessed Sacrament Church in Cypress Hills opened its doors for an evening of prayer hosted by the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Youth and Young Adult Ministry and the Jornadas movement.
The Mass was celebrated by Father James Kuroly, the diocese’s director of youth and young adult ministry. He said the Mass was an important opportunity to commemorate the Franciscan Jubilee Year Pope Leo XIV proclaimed in January. The jubilee year started January 10 and ends on January 10, 2027, marking the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi’s death.
During his homily, Father Kuroly highlighted St. Francis of Assisi as an example of what it means to be an instrument of peace. He asked the young adults in the pews to follow in his footsteps and resist becoming desensitized to violence.
“I look at these young people today, and their life has really been a life filled with wars and conflicts,” Father Kuroly said. “How easy it is to be accustomed to that instead of being challenged as St. Francis was challenged and as he challenges us to be an instrument of peace.”
Johnny Galindo, a new member of the Jornadas movement, said it was important to attend the Mass not just to pray for an end to wars, but also for an end to the violence people experience in everyday life.
“Obviously, there’s a bunch of conflicts around the world, but it doesn’t have to be a major war. It can be anything that is harmful. It could be physical, psychological,” the 19-year-old Galindo said. “It would be nice if there was peace around the world, no matter how big or small it is.”
Felix Perez, president of Jornadas de Vida Cristiana, said he understood Father Kuroly’s message, adding that he encourages his youth group to be instruments of peace.
“We teach our kids to be peacemakers in their schools and in their homes. Not everyone has the easiest time, so we teach our kids to be there to help others to show others that they are not alone,” Perez said. “We teach all the kids in the Jornadas movement to love your neighbor the way that God told us to and to love them like you love yourself.”
By Bill Miller and Jessica Easthope
Lunchtime pedestrians and tourists took double-takes on March 25 as the normal bustle of the Financial District gave way to drums, bagpipes, and megaphones carrying slogans of the pro-life movement.
The 10th annual International Gift of Life Walk in New York City stepped off from Foley Square and quickly moved onto Broadway. The street is also known as the “Canyon of Heroes” for its legacy of hosting ticker-tape parades celebrating heroic accomplishments, like sporting championships or military victories.
Prominent in the procession were the drummers, pipers, and other musicians of the Holy Choir of Angels Band from St. Louis de Montfort Academy in Herndon, Pennsylvania. Other pro-life supporters followed the marching band whose members wore red berets or red sashes.
Paul Victory, 17, played the trombone in the procession. He said it was important to march to advocate for life.
“Murder is wrong,” Victory said. “Even someone who has just reached the age of reason can know that murder is a sin, even if it’s complicated.”
RELATED: Brooklyn Is Pro-Life: How Catholics Defend Human Dignity in New York City
St. Louis de Montfort Academy is operated by the Catholic advocacy group, Tradition, Family and Property. TFP Director John Horvat II told The Tablet that angry pro-abortion voices had opposed previous marches.
At this event, the opposition was scant, with one scowling man silently standing at a street corner, his middle finger raised as marchers passed. Two other men at different spots also cursed the participants.
The Gift of Life Walk is sponsored by Personhood Education of New York. Its president and founder, Dawn Eskew, noted the event is always held on March 25 to commemorate the International Day of the Unborn Child, as designated by St. Pope John Paul II. The day was also The Feast of the Annunciation.
She said New York City is the venue because it is widely known as the “abortion capital of the world.”
She praised the academy’s commitment to participating in the event, and credited other allies, including pro-life activist Bernadette Patel of Bay Ridge, and Auxiliary Bishop Peter Byrne of the Archdiocese of New York
Before stepping off, the prelate offered words of encouragement to marchers.
“We need people who are pro-life to show up,” Eskew said. “We have a plan for next year to get more people here.”
Catholic women are spearheading a growing national movement to pray publicly and advocate for migrants.
Young Catholics in the Diocese of Brooklyn gathered at Blessed Sacrament Church in Cypress Hills for a Mass for Peace amid conflict in the world.
Dozens marched in Lower Manhattan for the Gift of Life Walk, praying for the unborn and advocating for the dignity of life.
The Diocese of Brooklyn’s Lenten Pilgrimage continued in Brooklyn as pilgrims inspired the next generation of students to follow their faith.
By Katie Vasquez
Two boroughs faced off on the hardwood at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy as Sacred Heart Catholic Academy of Bayside took on St. Patrick Catholic Academy in Bay Ridge for the championship on March 26.
Both teams battled through a competitive field of Catholic schools from Brooklyn and Queens to reach the final, capping off a tournament designed to mirror the excitement of March Madness.
“It’s exciting,” said Estella Gomez, an eighth grader at Sacred Heart. “It’s something that we didn’t expect would happen this year, so it’s definitely something that we’re really excited about to participate in.”
The tournament featured 16 schools and was structured differently this year, with games spread out instead of being played in a single day.
“We decided this year to spread it out to kind of mirror an NCAA,” said coordinator Nicole Ramkissoon. “And we invited all the schools from Brooklyn and Queens. So we had a great turnout of 16 schools come out this year.”
Even teams that were eliminated stayed to support the finalists, cheering from the sidelines.
“I might be a little salty because the team that we lost to is playing against today,” said eighth grader Wilkin DeLeon. “But now we just hope to see a good game and cheer for whoever wins.”
The championship matchup carried added weight as a battle between Brooklyn and Queens, with both teams emphasizing teamwork and execution.
“Play as a team, big shots, play hard defense, do what we can,” said Sacred Heart’s Lochlen Griffith.
“We have to use our teamwork to our advantage and try to pass as much as we can to make open shots,” said St. Patrick’s Greta Woods.
In the end, Sacred Heart emerged victorious, defeating St. Patrick 56-48 to claim the title.
“I feel very accomplished,” Griffith said. “And I feel very hyped.”
“We’re proud of ourselves, proud of the work we put in and proud of where we got,” Gomez added.
Despite the final score, organizers and players emphasized the broader impact of the tournament.
“I think it builds a lot of community. It builds sportsmanship, discipline, and it just brings everybody together — a lot of unity,” Ramkissoon said.
“I think it’s an honor. I like playing with my team,” said St. Patrick’s Connor Anderson.
“It was a very fun experience,” added Josiah Campbell. “A lot of positivity. The competition was very fierce. I really enjoyed it.”
By Katie Vasquez
BRONX, N.Y. — Offering prayer through the streets of the Bronx, a group of Fordham Preparatory School students and community members gathered March 24 to show solidarity with immigrants.
The group said the walk was about advocacy and compassion for those whose voices often go unheard.
“To speak for those who can’t speak themselves and to be an advocate for them,” said junior Teddy Monaco.
“Just being able to kind of spread that not only awareness but like that kindness,” added freshman Sebastian Salcedo.
Led by teacher Carolyn Wright, participants walked from campus to Little Italy in the Bronx. Wright said her involvement in immigration advocacy was sparked by a trip to Arizona with the Kino Border Initiative four years ago.
“That changed me,” Wright said. “I wasn’t able to come back and do nothing. So I felt a call to speak up and use my voice and my faith to help others.”
Wright recently joined the Dorothea Project, a movement founded in May 2025 by Ohio mother Katie Holler. The initiative draws inspiration from Dorothy Day and Sister Thea Bowman, combining their names to reflect its mission.
“They are great intercessors for who we are and what we are trying to do in being with the marginalized,” Holler said.
Holler said she was moved to act after witnessing the treatment of immigrant mothers and children.
“I knew that as a Catholic, this was contrary to my faith,” she said. “And this didn’t align with how Christ taught us to treat one another.”
The Dorothea Project has since grown into a network of Catholic women across the country advocating for justice and supporting one another in their shared concerns.
“Seeing other Catholic women having the same fears and concerns that I do — so many of us come into the Dorothea Project and say, ‘I thought I was the only one,’ ” Holler said.
Wright emphasized that while prayer is essential, public action is also necessary.
“Prayer is wonderful and needed,” she said. “But we also need to be out there in public, witness and show people face to face that we are willing to stand up for their home.”
Members of the movement have written letters to bishops and organized public demonstrations in cities nationwide. They are now working to expand chapters in parishes and communities to broaden participation.
By Jessica Easthope
Pro-life advocates gathered in Lower Manhattan to pray for the unborn and affirm that every child in the womb is a person worthy of protection during the annual Gift of Life Walk.
In New York, which is sometimes called the abortion capital of the country, those present at the demonstration gave a voice to the voiceless.
By Katie Vasquez
Catholic women are joining together in prayer in cities across the United States to spread awareness of the plight of migrants – including in New York City.
The movement reflects the values of Dorothy Day, leader of the Catholic Worker Movement, and Sister Thea Bowman, Catholic educator and evangelist.
By Currents News
Pope Leo XIV met privately with the International Association of Exorcists at the Vatican, as concerns grow over an increase in cases linked to occultism, esotericism, and satanism.
The group urged the Holy Father to ensure every diocese has trained exorcist priests and stronger formation programs in place.
Stephen Rossetti, chief exorcist of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., shares insights on the reported rise in cases — and explains how practicing the faith and avoiding harmful spiritual practices can help protect against evil.
By Currents News
Young voices took center stage during the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Lenten Pilgrimage as the children’s choir of St. Helen Church in Howard Beach led pilgrims in song for the Feast of the Annunciation.
Bishop Robert Brennan celebrated Mass and reminded the faithful that God provides the grace needed to follow His call.
The night before in Jamaica, Bishop Brennan delivered a bilingual homily at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, closing out a day of confessions, rosary, and Eucharistic adoration during the ongoing Lenten journey.