On Feb. 2, Catholic and cultural traditions combined during a Lunar New Year celebration. Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan handed out those iconic red envelopes at a Mass at St. Michael’s Church in Flushing. The liturgy was steeped in Chinese tradition, including an “ancestors veneration ceremony,” where the parish gave thanks to God and their ancestors. After the Mass, Bishop Brennan joined the parish for a reception that included traditional food and some performances.

It was a slow Monday in dozens of cities around the country as businesses closed for a “Day Without Immigrants.”

The nationwide demonstration is meant to give a glimpse into what life without the new arrivals would be like as mass ICE arrests continue.

According to recent estimates, roughly 8.3 million undocumented immigrants work in the U.S. Bishops throughout the country have been speaking out against Trump’s immigration plans.

Bishop Mark Seitz, who leads the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, said in a recent statement: “We urge President Trump to pivot from these enforcement-only policies to just and merciful solutions, working in good faith with members of Congress to achieve meaningful, bipartisan immigration reform that furthers the common good with an effective, orderly immigration system.”

To read more about the bishops’ response to recent migration policies, just go online to TheTablet.org.

We’re a little over a month away from St. Patrick’s Day, but over the weekend, the Diocese of Brooklyn celebrated the patroness of Ireland. Bagpipers led the way as hundreds packed the pews of the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Downtown Brooklyn for the first-ever diocese-wide celebration of the Feast Day of St. Brigid! Among the other cultural elements included in the Mass, celebrated by Bishop Brennan, were Irish step dancers and a performance of the song St. Brigid of Ireland.

Young people from across Brooklyn and Queens celebrated life on Saturday, holding a day of service to help moms in need. The kids came together for the Pro-Life Youth Day at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, where they filled up goody bags for new mothers that included onesies, baby blankets, and other essentials, plus greeting cards made personally by the kids! They also held a candle ceremony to pray for mothers everywhere.

More than 100 religious from around the Diocese of Brooklyn came together on Sunday to celebrate the World Day of Consecrated Life. Bishop Brennan was the main celebrant of the Mass at St. Thomas More Church, located in the center of St. John’s University. The day is meant to unite the brothers, sisters, and priests and express gratitude for answering God’s call. In honor of the 2025 Holy Year, the religious also reflected on how they can become pilgrims of hope during the Jubilee.

On Sunday, Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan celebrated what he calls a throwback to Christmas the Presentation of the Lord. The feast day which takes place forty days after the birth of Jesus marks when Mary and Joseph brought the Son of God to the Temple. In a message from Bishop Brennan on his Twitter, the shepherd of the Diocese of Brooklyn talked about how this fulfilled God’s promise of the birth of the Son of God.

As recovery efforts continue in the Potomac River, days after an Army helicopter and passenger jet collided midair, prayers for the 67 people killed onboard are pouring in from across the country. From college assemblies to church services, the victims are being remembered.