By Jessica Easthope
In the Diocese of Brooklyn, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of a unique pilgrimage that will bring the faithful to churches across Brooklyn and Queens. And this year, the journey parishioners will take over the next 40 days has a popular saint as its guide.
By Currents News and Courtney Mares
ROME (OSV News) – On Ash Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV encouraged Catholics to ask the Lord for “the gift of true conversion” at the start of the 40-day penitential season of Lent.
Speaking to English-speaking pilgrims at his Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square Feb. 18, the pope encouraged people to approach Lent as a time of “conversion of heart” so that “we may better respond to his love for us and share that love with those around us.”
“At the beginning of Lent, I urge you to live this liturgical season with an intense spirit of prayer so that you may arrive, inwardly renewed, at the celebration of the great mystery of Christ’s Resurrection, the supreme revelation of God’s merciful love,” Pope Leo added in Italian at the close of the audience on a sunny winter day in Rome.
Before the audience, the pope greeted pilgrims from the popemobile, frequently stopping to bless babies as he made his way through the square.
Continuing his weekly catechesis on the documents of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Leo offered a reflection on “Lumen Gentium,” the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, which he explained “presents the Church as both a sign and an instrument of this plan of salvation.”
He said the Church is a sign “because the Church community makes the unity established by Christ through his Cross and Resurrection visible to the world today” and an instrument as
“It is through the Church that God achieves the aim of bringing people to him and uniting them with one another.”
“As we journey through a world still marked by division, let us ask the Lord to continue to guide his Church in the mission of sanctification and reconciliation,” he said.
In his message for Lent this year, Pope Leo encouraged the faithful to embrace the “ancient ascetic practice” of fasting, as well as “refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor.”
Lent is a liturgical season of penance stretching from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday, during which Christians are encouraged to undertake voluntary acts of self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, along with charitable and missionary works.
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On Wednesday afternoon, Pope Leo will lead a solemn procession on Rome’s Aventine Hill from the Benedictine Basilica of Sant’Anselmo to the Dominican Basilica of Santa Sabina, retracing a papal procession route that dates back centuries.
The procession will culminate with the pope offering Ash Wednesday Mass at Santa Sabina, one of the oldest surviving Christian basilicas in Rome.
Built in 422 A.D., the ancient church is the first stop in the Lenten Station Church pilgrimage, a tradition rooted in the early practice of the Bishop of Rome celebrating the liturgies of the church year at various churches throughout the city. By the latter half of the fifth century, a fairly fixed calendar had developed, with Mass held at different churches throughout Rome each day of the Lenten season.
The station church tradition has experienced something of an Anglophonic revival in recent decades, spearheaded by the Pontifical North American College, which has offered a 7 a.m. English-language Mass at the station churches each day of Lent in recent years.
On Feb. 18, hundreds of people, including many American college students and seminarians, attended an English-language Ash Wednesday Mass at Santa Sabina organized by the seminary.
By Currents News
Palm Beach Bishop-designate Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez will be ordained and installed as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Palm Beach on Tuesday, February 24, at 2 p.m. EST at the Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola.
On Monday, Feb. 23, Currents News will air a vespers service led by the bishop-designate via livestream on YouTube and Facebook.
Currents News will air the Mass live on cable and via livestream.
Viewers are encouraged to tune in at 1:30 p.m. for a special Currents News episode featuring in-depth coverage of Bishop-designate Rodríguez, the installation Mass, and the events surrounding the historic day.
By Currents News
Bishop-designate Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez has chosen his episcopal coat of arms as he prepares to become the sixth shepherd of the Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida.
The design combines elements honoring his new diocese, his personal history, his spiritual journey and his Dominican heritage.
The shield is divided into two principal sections: the left side represents the Diocese of Palm Beach. It features a blue field with two small wavy silver bars at the base, evoking the Atlantic Ocean that borders the region.
At the center stands a gold bar bearing a green palm branch, directly referencing the name Palm Beach.
Above are two gold crowns topped with stars, honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary under her titles of Queen of Heaven and Star of the Sea.
The right side displays Bishop-designate Rodríguez’s personal coat of arms.
The green field ends in a division line shaped like a line of fir trees, suggesting a forest in tribute to St. John Bosco —whose name means “woods” or “forest” in Italian.
St. John Bosco founded the Salesian order, to which Bishop-designate Rodríguez belonged before incardination as a priest in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
Centered on this section is a gold sword, the emblem of St. Michael the Archangel, with a fleur-de-lis pommel that nods to St. Joan of Arc.
Flanking the sword are two silver crescents, symbols of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception — patroness of both the United States and the Diocese of Brooklyn.
Two additional symbols pay homage tohis native Dominican Republic: At the base is a locomotive, representing Moca, his hometown.
At the top is the national bird of the Dominican Republic.
Bishop-designate Rodríguez will be ordained and installed on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 2 p.m. EST at the Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola in Palm Beach, Florida. NET-TV will air the Mass live.
Parishioners at Our Lady of Sorrows in Queens give an emotional farewell to Bishop-elect Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez as he celebrates his final Mass before beginning his new role in the Diocese of Palm Beach.
Twenty-nine ethnic apostolates come together for a vibrant Migration Day Mass in the Diocese of Brooklyn, celebrating unity amid growing immigration debates.
The Diocese of Brooklyn is launching its annual Lenten Pilgrimage, inviting Catholics to visit parishes across Brooklyn and Queens in the days leading up to Easter.
By Katie Vasquez and Bill Miller
CORONA — Parishioners of Our Lady of Sorrows, the Diocese of Brooklyn’s largest parish, packed the 3 p.m. Mass on Feb. 15 to say goodbye to their pastor of nearly six years.
Bishop-designate Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez will be installed as the new bishop for the Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida, on Feb. 24.
As those balmy environs await him, the sky over the parish’s neighborhood in Queens was overcast. The thermometer hovered around 32 degrees, with snow forecast for the night.
At the start of the Mass, a solemn tone hung over the congregation, which filled all the pews and had some people standing in the side aisles. Others found chairs set up in the foyer, and entire families sat on the sanctuary steps.
Some people dabbed at tears, and Bishop-designate Rodríguez also briefly removed his eyeglasses to wipe his eyes.
“This is a very tough day for me,” he said after the Mass, “because this concludes my 17 years in this diocese.”
A native of the Dominican Republic, Bishop-designate Rodríguez came to Brooklyn in 2009 and became incardinated here two years later. He has served the diocese as a canon lawyer while handling his pastoral assignments.
He served as parochial vicar for St. Michael Parish in Sunset Park (2009-2011); pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Williamsburg (2011-2014); pastor of Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Jamaica (2014-2020); and pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows since 2020.
He led the parish through the COVID-19 pandemic and the influx of immigrants to New York City during the crisis at the U.S. border with Mexico.
His accomplishments include starting new food ministries to help the needy and working to ease the plights of immigrants while also respecting and praying for law enforcement. Just six days before Christmas, Pope Leo XIV named him to succeed the retiring Bishop Gerald Barbarito, 75, and formerly of Brooklyn, as the next prelate for Palm Beach.
Despite his many accomplishments, Bishop-designate Rodríguez leaves Brooklyn with a servant’s heart.
“I look back with joy and gratefulness and in a spirit of humbleness,” he said, “thanking the Lord for this great privilege of being part of a diocese that cares about God, but also cares about people, with love, commitment, and service.”
Our Lady of Sorrows is the parish home to an estimated 17,000 people, making it the largest church community in the diocese. Most are of Ecuadoran heritage, reflecting the dominant population group in Corona.
Each Sunday, the parish celebrates nine Masses — one in English and eight in Spanish, as was this farewell Mass.
The mood lightened during the homily as Bishop-designate Rodríguez’s towering frame ambled up and down the center aisle, expressing gratitude to the congregants and urging them to embrace fraternity.
“The faith that we have been blessed with is to be transmitted and shared in a world that is, unfortunately, growing in animosity, confrontation, and violence,” he said.
The solemn mood gave way to a celebration as representatives of parish groups added gifts to the offertory.
To recognize the pastor’s programs for families, a couple brought their baby girl, and he blessed and kissed the child.
Two parish youths brought a basketball and a soccer ball in recognition of the sports programs he shepherded. He lightly tossed each ball upward; then he blessed them.
Last came parishioners carrying one of the pro-life placards used each month while praying outside one of the 14 abortion clinics in Corona, a practice fostered by Bishop-designate Rodríguez.
Some of the people at Mass came from parishes where he previously served.
Marlana Toledo-Gonzalez said she and her husband, Christopher Gonzalez, grew up in St. Michael’s Parish, and they have known him since they were kids.
“He’s basically been a part of our life since I was a teenager, and I’m 28 now,” she said, describing how Bishop-designate Rodríguez was invited to the couple’s wedding, and although he couldn’t make it, he was with the family in their times of grief.
“He was there when my mother passed away,” Toledo-Gonzalez said. “He was there when (her husband’s) grandmother passed away.
“We’re going to miss him, but we’re very proud of him.”
Another St. Michael’s alum at the Mass was Matthew De Luna, who is discerning a priestly vocation while serving as Bishop-designate Rodríguez’s master of ceremonies for the past few weeks.
De Luna also has childhood memories of the priest — one of the many Catholic clergymen who inspired his discernment.
“He got this parish through COVID and brought them back,” De Luna said. “I would say it is even more alive than before the pandemic. There’s always something going on here, and that’s because of him. He doesn’t stop, and he loves his people.”
Bishop-designate Rodríguez’s final urging to the congregation was to stay committed to their parish — a beacon of God’s love and mercy to Corona, Queens.
“Our commitment,” he said, “should be to keep Our Lady of Sorrows alive for many years to come, at the service of its people, and at the service of the community of the greater Corona.
He noted that the parish just celebrated the 154th anniversary of its founding.
“And we look forward to the next 155 years,” he said. “That is because this church is a blessing, not only for Catholics, but for everyone.”
By Katie Vasquez
Parishioners packed Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Queens to say goodbye to Bishop-Elect Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez as he prepares to lead the Diocese of Palm Beach.
Students from Catholic academies across Brooklyn and Queens put their skills to the test at the Diocese of Brooklyn’s annual Math Bee.
Italian Olympic figure skater Daniel Grassl showcases his Catholic faith on the world stage with a performance inspired by the film “Conclave” and its papal themes.
Ahead of Presidents’ Day, Currents News looks back at more than a century of historic meetings between U.S. presidents and popes.
By Katie Vasquez
The champions from elementary schools across the Diocese of Brooklyn were greeted with applause as they entered the gym at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy for the diocese’s annual Math Bee.
Students from various Catholic academies gathered to solve challenging math equations in front of an audience of nearly 200 people.
“I just love doing it, it just makes my brain work and I like that,” said Leon Latayf, a fourth grader at St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy.
The competition tested more than math skills. Moderator Timothy Dillon, principal of Good Shepherd Catholic Academy, said the event also strengthens students’ confidence and public speaking abilities.
“I think it’s not just the math, also just the public speaking skill,” Dillon said. “It’s very difficult to do math under high pressure in front of an audience of almost 200 people. So they really do a phenomenal job just gathering that skill.”
Christian Cheng, a fifth grader at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy in Queens, recruited his family to help him prepare.
“My parents were asking me questions from the math bee, and then I had to answer them,” Christian said.
He earned third place and said he enjoyed the structure of the competition.
“I like the rounds. I like the different questions they ask,” he said. “For example, round 10 is division, round eight is addition. So all different things.”
Second-place winner Benjamin Tastaca, a fifth grader at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy, said he did not have a specific strategy heading into the contest.
“I just winged it pretty much all. I studied a bit,” Benjamin said. “I was really nervous but now I feel proud.”
Leon Latayf ultimately took first place for St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy, though he admitted he was unsure of the outcome beforehand.
“I was nervous I was going to lose,” Leon said. “I was really nervous but it was kind of easy.”
Dillon emphasized that every student who stepped onto the stage demonstrated courage.
“It takes a tremendous amount of bravery and courage just to get up in front of all these people,” he said. “So we want to make sure the kids know that they’re all winners.”
Students said they hope to return to the stage next year for another chance to compete.
By Katie Vasquez
Quick thinking and math skills are front and center as elementary school champions from across Brooklyn and Queens compete in the Diocese of Brooklyn’s annual Math Bee. With only seconds to solve each problem, students put their knowledge to the test in a fast-paced academic showdown.