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Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 3/17/26   

Millions lined Fifth Avenue as the 265th New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade marched through Midtown.

Archbishop Ronald Hicks celebrated his first St. Patrick’s Day Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral as the new shepherd of the Archdiocese of New York.

A sober St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Manhattan is challenging the holiday’s drinking stereotype by focusing on heritage and history.

Pope Leo XIV will receive the Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center for promoting religious liberty.

Sober Celebration Highlights Irish Heritage and Ukrainian Solidarity in New York City

By Katie Vasquez

Amid the sea of green and Guinness flowing along Fifth Avenue, one group is offering a different way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day — one that puts heritage, history, and community ahead of alcohol.

Now in its 15th year, the Sober St. Patrick’s Day event was founded by William Spencer Reilly, who sought to shift the holiday’s focus away from binge drinking and back to its cultural roots.

This year’s celebration is being hosted at the Ukrainian Institute of America, a historic Gilded Age mansion on East 79th Street — just steps from where the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade concludes.

Organizers say the partnership between Irish and Ukrainian communities is intentional, rooted in shared histories of hardship and resilience.

“There’s a long common heritage and mentality of our peoples,” one organizer said. “The Irish have been subject to colonial powers for centuries, and Ukrainians have also lived under colonial rule. Our cultures have been suppressed, and we are both fighting for a rebirth and reestablishment of ancient traditions.”

The parallels run deep. Ukraine endured a devastating famine under Soviet rule that claimed millions of lives — a tragedy often compared to Ireland’s Great Famine. Both nations also share similar timelines in their struggles for independence and ongoing efforts to preserve their cultural identities.

“With what’s going on today, Ukraine is still facing foreign occupation,” the organizer added. “In many ways, the histories align. It felt like a natural partnership.”

After marching in the parade, participants will gather at the institute to continue the celebration into the evening, featuring traditional Irish and Ukrainian cuisine, music, and cultural programming.

While the crowds outside may raise a pint, this event offers a quieter, more reflective alternative — one that honors the enduring spirit of two nations bound by history, struggle, and pride.

Annual Brooklyn St. Patrick’s Day Parade Honors Irish American Culture and Faith

By Currents News and Bill Miller

WINDSOR TERRACE — Declan Carroll hopped and jigged on March 15 in a “fisherman” sweater just like the ones worn by his parents, aunts, and uncles at the 51st annual Brooklyn St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

It was perfect attire for the breezy, overcast conditions that hovered over this year’s parade. Still, the frigid weather was ignored by the joyous crowd assembled on the parade route.

Each of the 12 Carroll family sweaters — characterized by their intricate, raised, cable-knit designs — was knitted by Declan’s grandmother, Gloria Carroll. This style was popularized by the seafaring culture from the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland.

“Each one takes a good six months to knit,” Carroll said. “If you look at the pattern, they’re all different.”

Since 1975, the annual parade has honored the patron saint of Ireland and the intertwined histories of Ireland and the U.S.

One of the parade’s early remembrances in 1976, the nation’s bicentennial, was for the Battle of Brooklyn, Aug. 27, 1776.

Fifty years later, the Brooklyn parade again honored the battle in which British forces routed Gen. George Washington’s army.

Still, a rear-guard action pressed by 400 Maryland troops gave the future first president a nighttime window to evacuate the rest of his army, which survived and eventually won the war.

Those early American heroes were represented in the 2026 Brooklyn parade by a color guard from the Sons of the American Revolution’s Battle of Brooklyn Chapter, whose members dressed in replica uniforms of Washington’s army.

The lineup also included several pipe-and-drum corps marching bands, local traditional Irish dance clubs, Scouting troops, and politicians.

RELATED: Pipe-and-Drum Lessons Ignite Harmony at St. Patrick Parish

Magee Hickey, PIX11 reporter, was the 2026 parade grand marshal. She was born in Brooklyn but spent most of her life in Manhattan. She later relocated to Brooklyn, where her family’s rich Irish heritage runs deep.

Hickey proudly described how her ancestors, displaced by the Great Famine of the mid-1800s, came to America, prospered, and eventually donated a stained-glass window for St. Thomas Aquinas Church at 4th Avenue and 9th Street.

“The St. Patrick’s Day parade,” she said, “is a celebration of all the values we learned growing up — the importance of family, the importance of Church, the importance of community, and just helping others.”

Before the parade, Auxiliary Bishop Witold Mroziewski of Brooklyn celebrated a special 10:30 a.m. Mass for parade participants at nearby Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Windsor Terrace.

“They have eyes to see,” he said of the Irish. “They have a heart to be open. They have a mind to share everything that is good.”

At Mass, Bishop Mroziewski, who is from Poland, closed with a traditional Irish blessing.

“May the road rise up to meet you,” he said with his Polish accent. “May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields, and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.”

St. Saviour High School Legacies Are Basketball Legends After Back-to-Back Championship Titles

By Jessica Easthope

When the St. Saviour High School varsity basketball team laces up, they lock in. There’s no rest for this team — not even when you’re back-to-back New York City Catholic high school champions.

“Last year we went undefeated and won the championship,” junior, co-captain Brielle Gardner said. “So we knew that this year we had a target on our back. Whoever was going to work the hardest, whoever wanted it the most was going to get it. And so I think that’s exactly what we did.”

With a 9-3 record in the regular season, no one saw it coming—but Catholic High School Athletic Association Coach of the Year Bria Jackson had a vision. And co-captains juniors Brielle Gardner and Ellie Browne had a plan. The one-point game came down to seconds—with Brielle securing the 26th point with a free throw. St. Saviour’s grit and grind came out victorious.

“Last year we weren’t expected to go back-to-back,” Coach Jackson said. “So I felt this one was sweeter than last year.”

And the girls had an unbeatable cheering section. But one group of former St. Saviour pandas was the loudest—their moms.

“Our sister-Saviour-hood is all connected through generations,” Browne said. “I think that’s really cool.”

Several girls on the team are legacy students. Brielle and Ellie’s moms Danielle and Ellen walked these same halls—and shared this same bond.

“They really are like sisters,” Danielle Gardner said. “All of them. It makes me really happy as a mom to see them thrive in high school.”

“You get the chills thinking this is home,” Ellen Browne said. “This is still home. And it will be Ellie’s home. Just like it’s my home still to this day.”

Coach Jackson says her players have a work ethic that can’t be coached—and a cohesion that can’t be faked.

“Just being that sisterhood, that camaraderie, it shows on the court,” Jackson said.

Faith is the sixth woman on the court—and she’s unstoppable.

“You’re playing to represent your school, but you’re also representing your faith,” Browne said.

“The C in CHSAA is always with us,” Jackson said.

The support was louder than the doubt—and St. Saviour managed to turn one purpose into two championship titles.

Catholic News Headlines for Monday 3/16/26   

St. Camillus Church in Rockaway, Queens will remain open despite previous plans to close due to declining attendance and financial challenges.

Brooklyn’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade brought marchers to Park Slope for its 51st annual celebration honoring Irish heritage and American history.

St. Saviour High School celebrated a second straight city basketball championship.
Pope Leo XIV has moved into newly renovated apartments at the Apostolic Palace.

St. Camillus Church Will Remain Open After Outpouring of Support

By Katie Vasquez and Tablet Staff

ROCKAWAY PARK — When Father James Rodriguez informed St. Camillus Church parishioners of Bishop Robert Brennan’s decision to preserve the church on March 15, Barbara Buffolino experienced a congregation overcome with joy.

“Everybody in the church got up on their feet, clapping and hooting and hollering because we’ve been working on this for a while to prove that we still love and needed St. Camillus here in the Rockaway community,” said Buffolino.

The announcement came about nine months after parishioners were informed that the church would close due to declining attendance and debt.

“Throughout this time, there was a growing sentiment that this could not be the end, that there had to be something we could do,” said Father Rodriguez, the church administrator. “In October, we met with Bishop Brennan, who agreed to prayerfully consider the upswell of support and hope represented in that crowd. He heard you.

“I am happy to tell you that our bishop has decided that St. Camillus is to remain open.”

St. Camillus, which was founded in 1908, merged with St. Virgilius Church in Broad Channel in 2008.

At the time the decision to close St. Camillus was announced, the church averaged 175 people at their Sunday Mass and was more than $3 million in debt, which the diocese said, “can only be addressed by selling or leasing this expansive property.”

Father Rodriguez said the church now averages 266 people at their Sunday Mass.

“People really stepped up,” he told The Tablet. “To see that was quite beautiful.”

“I really think the effort showed Bishop Brennan that we seriously wanted to keep St. Camillus open — that we needed it,” Buffolino added.

As part of the decision, Father Rodriguez, who is also pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church, said Bishop Brennan will assign a new administrator to St. Camillus, “whose attention can be solely focused on building up with you what you have so lovingly fought for.”

In his announcement, Father Rodriguez also acknowledged that the diocese’s decision to preserve St. Camillus “does not mean that our work is done.” He noted that while Mass attendance has “consistently and dramatically” increased, solving the church’s financial challenges will require “inventive solutions and sacrifice.”

“Over the next few months,” he said, “we will continue planning fundraisers and events, praying together for guidance from God, who is the source and summit of all our joy.”

Buffolino similarly noted that the parishioners haven’t organized any fundraisers since the closure was announced last June due to the uncertain future. However, now that a decision has been made to keep the church open, she said a lot of work lies ahead.

“We can’t rest now,” she said. “Now the real work begins because if we want to sustain this and keep St. Camillus open, we’re going to have to do some serious fundraising and set up some more events to keep parishioners engaged with us.”

St. John’s Men’s Basketball Captures Second Straight Big East Tournament Title, Heads to NCAA Tournament

By Currents News

St. John’s University men’s basketball team is celebrating after claiming its second consecutive Big East Tournament championship.

The Red Storm defeated UConn 72-52 on March 14 to secure the title.

St. John’s became the first program in Big East history to win both the regular-season and tournament championships in consecutive seasons.

The victory sends the Red Storm to San Diego for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Faithful Press Forward With Lenten Pilgrimage in the Diocese of Brooklyn

By Currents News

Faithful across the Diocese of Brooklyn are pressing forward with their Lenten commitment, visiting a different church each day through Easter.

On March 16, the pilgrimage brought Bishop Robert Brennan and a group of pilgrims to Queen of All Saints Parish in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, despite rainy weather.

Bishop Brennan celebrated Mass and thanked those who joined him on the wet day.

In his homily, he reflected on the Gospel story of the official’s son healed by Jesus, noting how the miracle led the entire family to believe in the Son of God.

“Always know that Jesus engages his people,” the bishop told the faithful.

Following the Mass, Bishop Brennan led the congregation in Benediction.The Lenten pilgrimage remains open to anyone who wishes to participate.

The Diocese encourages people to download the Lenten Pilgrimage app from the App Store or Google Play. More information is available at lent.dioceseofbrooklyn.org.