By Katie Vasquez
Students at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Academy in Queens marked Black History Month with a vibrant Caribbean-inspired celebration featuring soca music, carnival dancers, and traditional foods. The event highlighted cultural pride, diversity, and the shared heritage of many families in the school community.
By Currents News
Two weeks into the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Lenten pilgrimage, the faithful gathered at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Ridgewood, Queens for Mass with Bishop Robert Brennan. Pilgrims and students from Notre Dame Catholic Academy filled the church before continuing the day in prayer with the Rosary.
By Jessica Easthope
It’s a graceful step toward understanding and a bold move of inclusivity. St. Athanasius Catholic Academy doesn’t have a big population of Chinese students, but here they have endless love for their neighbors.
“I mostly go with my mom,” said Ryan Jaya-Cen, a fifth-grader at St. Athanasius Catholic Academy. “We usually go to supermarket, buy festive candy for Chinese New Year.”
Diversity and inclusion is the goal behind the Bensonhurst school’s Lunar New Year celebration. Jaya-Cen says he’s grateful to celebrate his Chinese roots at home and at school.
“It makes me really proud to be Chinese,” Jaya-Cen said. “I feel proud of my school they celebrate everyone together from every nationality, it’s really great.”
On March 5, students ate Chinese food for lunch, watched a traditional Chinese dance performance and then one-by-one volunteered to present facts about Lunar New Year.
“The horse has energy and the red gives good luck,” one student said.
“We have to wear red for our protection, because there’s a monster named Nian, and he hates red. So we have to wear this to keep us away from Nian,” another said.
“If you behave good you get a red envelope with money inside,” a student said.
“On the last day they put lanterns, and they either float, are manual or you can carry them,” another student explained.
The Year of the Fire Horse began on February 17, and while the traditional festival lasts 15 days, Principal Gina Auricchio says it’s another stop on the school’s mission of celebrating diversity.
“Everyone who is in Saint Athanasius Catholic Academy is accepted, valued and supported,” Auricchio said. “So showing that even though we have a small population of Asian students, they’re still recognized. And the celebrations that they will celebrate at home, seeing it in school really, really brings it all together for them.”
Fighting intensifies in the Middle East as Israel and Iran exchange strikes for a sixth day.
The Diocese of Brooklyn’s Lenten pilgrimage continues at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Queens for Mass and the rosary with Bishop Robert Brennan.
By Jessica Easthope
At St. Athanasius Catholic Academy in Bensonhurst, students are celebrating the Year of the Fire Horse. They’re partaking in Lunar New Year traditions and learning about some of the diverse cultural traditions members of their student body celebrate.
By Katie Vasquez
After a delay due to winter storms in New York City, students at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Academy are now celebrating Black History Month with warm, Caribbean flair: they’re learning about the rich history and traditions connected to carnival celebrations.
By Currents News
Nearly two weeks into the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Lenten Pilgrimage, Bishop Robert Brennan led the faithful in prayer at Holy Cross Church in Flatbush. The day included Mass, reflection on the Gospel, and participation in a parish-wide week of Eucharistic adoration during Lent.
By Currents News
Cathedral Prep captured the CHSAA inter-sectional championship in a dramatic overtime victory. Bishop Robert Brennan opened the game with prayer and later presented the championship awards after the Crusaders’ 59-57 win.
By Jessica Easthope
For years Cardinal Timothy Dolan offered counsel, comfort and compassion to police officers in an unofficial capacity and now he can call himself co-chief chaplain of the New York City Police Department.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan was welcomed with a standing ovation from members of the NYPD on March 4 as he and Rev. A.R. Bernard, a Pentecostal pastor and founder of the Christian Cultural Center, were sworn in as co-chief chaplains of the New York City Police Department.
“I’ve had the honor of being with you at funerals of those fallen, honors bestowed, retirements reached,” Cardinal Dolan said. “I’ve seen your eyes damp while you would line in the hospital corridor as I went to visit officers wounded. I’ve hugged and lost a lot of handkerchiefs to grieving spouses and hurting families. And now, now I get to do it a bit more often, in a more formal and official way.”
Cardinal Dolan’s installation comes one month after his successor’s, Archbishop Ronald Hicks now shepherds the Archdiocese of New York’s nearly 3 million Catholics. Officials said Dolan’s service has always extended far beyond the pulpit.
“Cardinal Dolan has stood as a spiritual beacon for almost 3 million Catholic New Yorkers, leveraging the power of the church to support all those in need, including migrants, refugees, at-risk youth and our city’s hungry and homeless,” said Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
While the official religious demographics of the NYPD are not public, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said both new chief chaplains are well equipped to serve members of all faiths.
“In a department made up of many faiths, that kind of service is something that we all understand,” Tisch said. “Today, Cardinal Dolan and Reverend Bernard step into that responsibility. They are being brought forward not only because of the titles they hold, but because of the lives that they have lived and the people that they have led for decades. They have shaped the moral and religious landscape of this city.”
NYPD Chaplain and retired Diocese of Brooklyn priest Monsignor David Cassato said the addition and leadership is a blessing.
“He has a tremendous personality. He’s a very gifted,” Monsignor Cassato said. “And it seems like Reverend Bernard has got the same kind of gift. The ability to speak, the ability to communicate, and the ability to go out and reach the NYPD. They need so much. And today, we’re blessed.”
Cardinal Timothy Dolan is sworn in as co-chief chaplain of the NYPD, supporting the spiritual needs of more than 36,000 officers and their families.
Pilgrims are continuing the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Lenten pilgrimage at Holy Cross Church in Flatbush for Mass, prayer, and reflection led by Bishop Robert Brennan.
Cathedral Prep’s basketball team captures the CHSAA inter-sectional championship in an overtime thriller.