By Katie Vasquez
Faithful from the Diocese of Brooklyn are participating in a Via Crucis in New York City.
In a solemn and prayerful procession, they are carrying a cross through the city’s streets and reflecting on how Christ’s crucifixion was a sacrifice freeing humanity from sin.
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.”
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.
Archbishop Ronald Hicks is marking his first Holy Thursday in the Archdiocese of New York by giving back to those in need at a food distribution site in Washington Heights.
Pope Leo XIV joined together with hundreds of priests and bishops at St. Peter’s Basilica, celebrating his first chrism Mass as the Bishop of Rome.
Bishop Robert Brennan will be celebrating the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Brooklyn.
In Queens, one 14-year-old is preparing to fully enter the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil next year. It’s a moment he’ll be reflecting on as he plays Jesus in his church’s reenactment of the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday.
By Katie Vasquez and Bill Miller
WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — Elizabeth Graham of Manhattan stood in line for two and a half hours on April 2, bundled up against chilling winds, to receive what she called “a blessing.”
Graham was among an estimated 450 families receiving fresh protein, fruits, and vegetables at the annual Holy Thursday Food Distribution conducted by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York.
Newly installed Archbishop Ronald Hicks of New York blessed food items and the families that would receive them. He then got in line and helped hand out packets of frozen salmon.
“It’s important for us to come out to get something to eat,” Graham said. “It’s a blessing. Thank God.”
The distribution was conducted in partnership with Goya Foods outside Catholic Charities’ Alianza Dominicana Cultural Center on Audubon Avenue between 165th and 166th Streets.
Thermometer readings hovered in the mid-40s, but powerful wind gusts made the temperature feel colder, according to weather reports.
Still, Archbishop Hicks and the food recipients cheerily exchanged greetings in the food distribution line, unfazed by the chill.
Moments later, the new archbishop explained to The Tablet and Currents News that, on Holy Thursday, Jesus “gives us the Eucharist, the most powerful gift that we have.”
“This is what nourishes us,” he continued. “But he also gives us, on this day, the washing of the feet. So, our prayer is connected to serving others. If we are people of goodwill, then I think we have an obligation to respond, and it’s beautiful to see it happening right here and right now.
“This is faith put into action.”
The event’s distribution tables were heaped with frozen poultry and fish, bananas, oranges, and other fruits, vegetables, eggs, and packages of Goya Foods products.
“This is the most amazing event,” said Nicholas Ryan, a recipient. “It’s Catholic Charities giving you the fresh, not old things, but super fresh — amazing oranges and apples, and good young chicken.”
Each year, the various programs of Catholic Charities serve about 400,000 New Yorkers, including more than 10 million meals at soup kitchens, community pantries, pop-up pantries, and home-delivered meals to elderly or disabled people, according to the organization.
RELATED: Era of Archbishop Ronald Hicks Begins in The Archdiocese of New York
It helps anyone in need, and with no restrictions on religion of choice, immigration status, or national origin.
Goya Foods partnered with Catholic Charities’ Feeding Our Neighbors program to provide 300,000 pounds of food this year, said Maricela Baez, a spokesperson for the Jersey City-based company.
“This year is especially meaningful for us as we celebrate 90 years of Goya Foods,” Baez said. “Our legacy is built, not just on providing quality products, but on giving back to the communities that have supported us for four generations.”
She added that Goya has donated more than 1.8 million pounds of food to Catholic Charities over the past few years and donated 1 million pounds of food nationwide on March 31, billed as “Goya Gives Day.”
Also, during the event, Archbishop Hicks told Currents News and The Tablet that he was excited to visit Brooklyn on Friday to participate in the Way of the Cross procession over the Brooklyn Bridge.
The annual Good Friday event, led by Bishop Robert Brennan of Brooklyn, begins at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Downtown Brooklyn. It proceeds across the bridge to St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Lower Manhattan. Stations of the Cross are highlighted along the way.
“It’s significant that we cross bridges,” Archbishop Hicks said.
“I think,” he continued, “that’s the message of Jesus. He teaches us how to form bridges and how to unite. It’s going to be my first visit to the Brooklyn diocese, and I cannot wait.”
By Jessica Easthope
At just 14 years old, one Queens teen is already on a powerful journey toward the Catholic faith.
After being moved by the Passion of Christ, he began searching for truth — a decision that’s now shaping his life in a big way as he prepares for baptism this Easter.
By Katie Vasquez
The most sacred time in the Catholic Church has begun, marking Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection.
It’s also a first for New York’s new shepherd, Archbishop Ronald Hicks, who began Holy Thursday by helping give back to those in need at a food distribution site in Washington Heights.
By Currents News
As the Easter Triduum approaches, students from two Catholic academies in Brooklyn and Queens came together for one final act of Lenten almsgiving.
St. Elizabeth Catholic Academy in Ozone Park hosted Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy, where students created “kindness packages” filled with essentials and handwritten notes for a local food pantry.
By Jessica Easthope and Paula Katinas
PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Seminarian Paul Zwolak had the honor of proclaiming the Gospel at the Diocese of Brooklyn’s annual chrism Mass at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph on March 31.
That, however, wasn’t the only reason for his excitement. As he entered the co-cathedral during the opening procession, he was aware that the chrism oil that Bishop Brennan consecrated was the same oil that the bishop would place on Zwolak’s hands to anoint him at his ordination in June.
While he has attended chrism Masses during his years at St. Joseph Seminary and College, he said the 2026 one was special.
“I realized that it’s finally going to be me. After all these years, the bishop will be putting this oil that he consecrates at today’s chrism Mass on my hands,” he said, adding that it was a “spiritual time, a really prayerful time” for him.
A long-standing tradition in the Catholic Church, the chrism Mass marks the time a bishop consecrates the chrism oil and blesses the other oils used by priests for baptisms, confirmations, the anointing of the sick, and other rituals throughout the year.
The Church uses three different oils. Chrism oil, made of olive oil and balsam, is used for baptisms, confirmations, priestly ordinations, and consecrations. The oil of the catechumens consists of olive oil and is used by priests to anoint catechumens. The oil of the sick, also made of olive oil, is used by priests to anoint the sick.
At one point during the Mass, Bishop Brennan breathed into the vessel containing the chrism oil — a moment that reminded all in attendance of the Holy Spirit’s presence.
This year’s chrism Mass was a first for Father Carlos Velásquez, who was recently appointed director of liturgy for the diocese. In that new role, Father Velásquez helped plan the Mass.
“I am very excited for this day,” he said.
He implemented a subtle but meaningful change. For the first time, the oils will be distributed to priests in small glass bottles, rather than plastic bottles as had been used in the past.
“It’s more dignified and a little more eco-friendly in keeping with the spirit of Laudato si’,” he explained, referring to the encyclical the late Pope Francis issued in 2015, calling on Catholics to care for Earth.
The Mass also marked a first for co-cathedral rector Father Patrick Keating, who welcomed hundreds of his fellow priests to the Mass.
“It’s a wonderful experience,” he said. “It’s really an expression of the entire diocese coming together.”
In addition to the blessing of the oils, the chrism Mass is notable for another tradition. It is also the occasion in which the priests of the diocese stand in unison and reaffirm their vow of obedience to the bishop. It was a vow they first made when they were ordained.
In the past, Bishop Brennan has used the chrism Mass to deliver an address to the diocese’s priests, lifting their spirits and carrying them through the year.
He did so again this year, telling the priests always to remember the reason they wanted to become priests in the first place as they carry out their duties.
“Let the Lord speak to you again,” he said. “Yes, your life was indeed touched by the infinite and unconditional love of God. Remember your first love.”
Prior to the Mass, Bishop Brennan recalled the chrism Masses he attended as a seminarian and as a young priest in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, where he grew up.
“It was always a very encouraging, inspiring experience,” he told The Tablet.
By Currents News
Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens welcomed new members into the Coat of Arms Club during a special Mass celebrated by Bishop Robert Brennan in Douglaston, Queens.
Founded more than 50 years ago, the club supports the diocese’s mission to serve those in need. Today, Catholic Charities assists more than 300,000 New Yorkers through programs like emergency aid, housing, counseling, and family services.