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A Brooklyn priest reflects on how Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s groundbreaking television ministry inspired his vocation and continues to shape his faith.
The Cathedral Club of Brooklyn marked its 126th anniversary by celebrating its mission to promote the Catholic faith and expand scholarship support for students attending Catholic high schools.
Bishop Robert Brennan urged New Yorkers to advocate for the Education Freedom Tax Credit, a new federal program that could help families afford Catholic school tuition if the state opts in.
St. Joan of Arc Catholic Academy in Queens celebrated Cultural Day by honoring the many languages, traditions, and backgrounds of its students.
Young men in the Diocese of Brooklyn considering a vocation to the priesthood had the opportunity to discuss their calling with Bishop Robert Brennan.
At a “Project Andrew” event held at the San Damiano Mission in Williamsburg, Bishop Brennan shared his own journey to the priesthood.
The gathering began with Mass celebrated by the bishop, followed by brunch and open dialogue
During the conversations, participants spoke with Brennan, other priests and seminarians, asking questions to help discern what God may be calling them to do.
The Diocese of Brooklyn will hold another Project Andrew event Sunday, March 1, at 1 p.m. at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish in Jamaica, Queens.
Bishop Emeritus Nicholas DiMarzio will be the special guest.
For more information, call 718-827-2454.Those interested in exploring a vocation or seeking additional details can visit dioceseofbrooklyn.org/offices/vocations.
Bishop Robert Brennan of the Diocese of Brooklyn used his address at the Cathedral Club’s 126th anniversary dinner to call on New York families and leaders to support the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit, a program that could expand access to Catholic schools.
As spiritual director of the Cathedral Club, Bishop Brennan encouraged attendees to advocate for New York’s participation in the initiative.
The program allows taxpayers to redirect up to $1,700 of their federal income taxes to nonprofit scholarship organizations that provide tuition assistance for students.
New York families risk missing out on the benefit unless Gov. Kathy Hochul opts the state in.
“It’s a federal program; it doesn’t cost the state anything, but the state needs to opt in,” Bishop Brennan said. “So what we really want to do, in a very friendly way, is encourage the governor to sign on to this and to do so soon.”
As of two weeks ago, 23 states had opted into the Education Freedom Tax Credit. The program is set to begin in 2027.
Bishop Brennan emphasized the urgency, noting that rising education costs make such scholarship support increasingly vital for families seeking Catholic schooling.
The Cathedral Club of Brooklyn celebrated 126 years of faith and service in the Diocese of Brooklyn Feb. 5 with its annual anniversary dinner at El Caribe restaurant in Mill Basin, Brooklyn.
The Catholic lay organization promotes the Catholic faith and raises funds to provide scholarships for students attending Catholic high schools in the diocese.
Club President Harry D’Onofrio, a parishioner at Our Lady of Angels in Bay Ridge, addressed attendees and emphasized the importance of faith in today’s world.
“I think a lot of the trouble in the world is because people are lacking something,” D’Onofrio said. “I don’t care, ‘Oh, I’m not going to church’ — you know what — you need to believe in something. You’ve got to have faith. You’ve got to be centered. Without some ground or something to root you somewhere, you’re going to go astray.”
WILLIAMSBURG — Father Frank Mann remembers being a seminarian during the late 1970s when someone approached and asked for his autograph.
The request baffled him. Why would anyone want the signature of an unaccomplished young man still studying at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, New York?
What puzzled him more was the person making the request — Archbishop Fulton Sheen, who, a decade earlier, earned the reputation of a charismatic Catholic preacher on prime-time television.
They met during a pro-life event at St. Patrick’s Parish, also in Huntington. Father Mann clarified that he asked the archbishop for an autograph first.
“I wanted to preach just like him,” he said, “and when I met him face-to-face, I said that to him.”
Father Mann said he grew up in Middle Village, Queens, watching Archbishop Sheen’s TV show, “Life Is Worth Living,” so he asked him to sign his program from the pro-life event.
“And [Archbishop Sheen replied], ‘You got to sign mine first,’ ” Father Mann recalled with a laugh. “I said, ‘But why? You’re Fulton Sheen. I’m just a seminary student. And he said, ‘But you’re going to be a priest. You want to preach like me, right? So, I need your autograph.’
“That interaction — I never forgot.”
Father Frank Mann shows strands of tassels that once adorned a sash worn by Archbishop Fulton Sheen, among other memorabilia he has collected over the past 25 years. The tassel threads would be considered second-class relics once Archbishop Sheen is canonized, Father Mann said. (Photos: Bill Miller)
Father Mann lamented that Archbishop Sheen’s autographed program did not survive a basement flood several years ago. Still, he has numerous other artifacts from the archbishop that he showed The Tablet on Feb. 10.
A day earlier, Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria, Illinois, announced that the Vatican had approved the beatification of Archbishop Sheen, although no date or location for the celebration has been announced.
Father Mann is a retired priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn who helps at St. Francis of Paola Church, a part of Divine Mercy Parish in Williamsburg.
“I am a voracious collector of autographs,” he said. “And, with Fulton Sheen, I knew without a doubt that he was going to be beatified or canonized one day. So, I started collecting things that are very hard to find related to Fulton Sheen.”
The trove includes inscribed portraits of the celebrity archbishop, autographed copies of his books, and letters he wrote.
It also holds two strands of purple thread from the tassels of one of his sashes, which will be considered second-class relics, Father Mann said.
“I’ve just been gathering them up,” he said of the memorabilia, “because I think he’s an incredible figure in the Church.”
Father Mann explained how Archbishop Sheen preached with eloquent sentences and dramatic hand gestures about God’s love and mercy.
And, Father Mann added, the archbishop could also deliver a joke, like his references to the “angels” (stagehands) who wiped clean his blackboard after he chalked expansive notes onto it.
“He was a charismatic, one-of-a-kind person who will never be duplicated,” Father Mann said. “He was a spiritual man who fought communism and fascism back in the 1950s. And I often wonder, what if Sheen were alive today, looking at socialism and certain things going on in society and culture?
“I think Fulton Sheen would have a field day.”
Among Father Mann’s collection of Archbishop Sheen memorabilia are autographed books and portraits.
Bishop Louis Tylka of the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, which has led Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen’s cause for sainthood, joined Currents News from Minnesota to discuss the latest developments.
The bishop has worked closely with the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican to finalize arrangements for Archbishop Sheen’s upcoming beatification.
He described the process of reaching this milestone and reflected on the journey so far.The bishop spoke about how Sheen has personally inspired his own priesthood and ministry.
Archbishop Sheen’s message — delivered through television and radio decades before the rise of social media — resonated deeply with audiences then and continues to connect with people today, Bishop Tylka told Currents News.
When asked how Catholics can support the next steps in the canonization process, he offered practical guidance for the faithful.
Governor Kathy Hochul has signed New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act into law, prompting strong condemnation from Catholic bishops who say the measure violates the sanctity of human life.
The Vatican will soon beatify Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, advancing the sainthood cause of the influential New York bishop and TV icon.
Archbishop Ronald Hicks celebrated his first Sunday Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral as he begins his mission as shepherd of the Archdiocese of New York.
A Long Island family reflects on faith, perseverance, and sacrifice as one of three skiing triplets qualifies for the Winter Olympics.
WEST BABYLON — Long Island was still a winter wonderland in the final days of January, nearly a week after a major snowstorm blanketed much of the nation.
Helaina and Henniyah Rivers of West Babylon said they wished they had seen such snow in Argentina last July.
At the time, they were trying to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, as members of Jamaica’s Ski Team. And although July is winter in Argentina, there was only enough snow to compete in one qualifier.
The same problem existed in the U.S. for venues in Colorado and Montana out West, and Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire on the East Coast. None received suitable snow “until really late” in the season, Helaina said.
“That just set the tone for the year,” she explained. “So, it was really difficult not having enough snow to compete or even train.”
Consequently, the sisters didn’t log enough races to qualify for the Olympics. Still, they’re going with their parents to cheer for their brother, Henri IV, who qualified.
The three Rivers kids are 18-year-old triplets. For much of their lives, they were coached by their dad, lifelong skier Henri III from Jamaica, Queens.
Their mother, Karen, also a coach, is from Jamaica— hence, the triplets’ eligibility to compete on the Caribbean nation’s Olympic team.
The sisters visited with The Tablet on Jan. 30 at their home in West Babylon. Henri IV was absent because he was training in Colorado with his Jamaican teammates.
Helaina and Henniyah described a life of athletic commitments, including travel to compete in Alpine skiing events, training, and qualifying. When asked about the recent snowfall across the U.S., Helaina mused, “It’s about time,” knowing that it was still too late for the sisters to squeeze in a few more qualifying races.
“We’re always chasing snow,” Henniyah said. “I wish it was a little earlier, but you know, we just have to think, like, that’s how Mother Nature works.”
The sisters’ “long-game” mentality attests to their commitment to keep skiing competitively. Even though they won’t ski at this year’s Olympics, they and their brother have qualified for the 2026 International Ski and Snowboard Alpine Junior Ski Championships, scheduled for March 5-15 in Narvik, Norway.
They don’t plan to stop there.
“The next four years are just to prepare for the next Olympics,” Helaina said.
Karen said it is a wonderful feeling to see the triplets connect with her homeland as members of its ski team. She was born in Jamaica but spent her childhood in Brooklyn, where she attended Catholic schools.
The triplets have traveled to Jamaica since they were 8 months old.
“It’s always good to be able to have that connection, besides just saying, ‘Oh, my mother is from there,’ ” Karen said. “They know Jamaica. To be able to represent it and to allow other young children to see the possibilities, it’s awesome.”
Before moving to Long Island, the family lived in Brooklyn, where they belonged to Our Lady of Charity Parish in Brownsville, under the pastorship of Father James Goode, known as the “dean” of black Catholic preaching when he died in 2022.
The Catholic faith has always “grounded” the triplets, their mother said, during their educations in public and private boarding schools near ski areas, where they could develop their Olympic-caliber skills.
“They were raised with God in their lives,” Karen said, “and it made a difference in how they looked at others and how they perceived their successes.”
The sisters confirmed that faith helped them navigate adversity.
“Just having Mass can help you become a better person,” Henniyah said. “It definitely helped us in sports, too. It kept us calm. And no matter if you’re going through a hard time, you can always pray about it and get yourself back into your normal mindset.”
The sisters described how their love for the sport was nurtured by their parents, especially their dad, who took up skiing as a kid in the 1960s and 1970s on the snowy mountains of upstate New York.
“He didn’t have as much opportunity back then,” Henniyah explained. “But he had an idea: he wanted to share his passion with his children. He brought us onto the snow in upstate New York, and we fell in love with skiing.
“Then we started racing when we were 5, and we’ve just been racing ever since.”
Henri III said 1% of the population skiing today is people of color, so in the 1970s, it was maybe just a tenth of a percent.
Consequently, he noted that information about the sport wasn’t commonly shared in his community. Skiing for him thus became a self-taught skill.
“I would just follow behind the kids who skied well to try to become as proficient as they were,” Henri III said. “I did not know about ski academies. I found those out as I started my coaching career, and I made sure to open that pathway for my kids and other kids.”
Henri III estimated that he coached about 300 youthful skiers, and very few of them were black. Still, he thrives on sharing the sport with everyone.
“I don’t care if you’re a good skier or a bad skier,” he said. “It doesn’t matter because when you ski, it’s just enjoyment.”
Henri III proudly shared how the triplets have pledged to one day take their own children skiing.
“That’s just because skiing is such a great sport,” he said. “And it’s a family sport. It’s not like basketball, football, or anything that you just watch on TV. The whole family skis together.
“You’re out in the open, outdoors, and just enjoying nature.”
ALBANY, N.Y. (OSV News) – New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul Feb. 6 made good on her promise that early this year she would sign a bill into law allowing physicians to aid terminally ill adults in dying by suicide.
Thirteen states and the District of Columbia have now legalized assisted suicide. Illinois became the 12th state to legalize it Dec. 12 when Gov. JB Pritzker signed that state’s measure into law.
Hochul, a Catholic, had announced her plan to sign the measure in a Dec. 17 commentary in the Times Union daily newspaper in Albany, the state capital, saying she would do so once certain “guardrails” were added by the Legislature to “address the concerns of some who fear that vulnerable populations, including those with disabilities or the elderly, will be pressured into a decision they would not have made on their own.”
In her announcement on making the measure law, she said she had “secured” guardrails “ensuring integrity of patient decision and preparedness of medical institutions.”
New York state’s Catholic bishops have stated several times that physician-assisted suicide “is in direct conflict with Catholic teaching on the sacredness and dignity of all human life from conception until natural death and is a grave moral evil on par with other direct attacks on human life.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explicitly condemns the practice of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide as “morally unacceptable” and a violation of the Fifth Commandment, “You shall not kill.”
“We call on Catholics and all New Yorkers to reject physician-assisted suicide for themselves, their loved ones, and those in their care,” the bishops said in a Dec. 17 statement, which reiterated longstanding Church opposition. It was released in response to Hochul’s promise to make it law.
“We pray that our state turn away from its promotion of a Culture of Death and invest instead in life-affirming, compassionate hospice and palliative care, which is seriously underutilized,” they said.
“Tragically, this new law will seriously undermine all of the anti-suicide and mental health care investments Governor Hochul has made through her tenure,” they said. “How can any society have credibility to tell young people or people with depression that suicide is never the answer, while at the same time telling elderly and sick people that it is a compassionate choice to be celebrated?”
The “guardrails” Hochul sought that she said are now part of the law include “allowing religiously-oriented home hospice providers to opt out of offering medical aid in dying.”
The law now also includes a mandatory waiting period of five days between when a prescription is written and filled; a requirement that the initial evaluation of a patient by a physician be in person and that a verbal request by the patient for help in dying be recorded by video or audio; and a mandatory mental health evaluation of the patient seeking medical aid in dying by a psychologist or psychiatrist.
It also limits the availability of medical aid in dying to New York residents and prohibits “anyone who may benefit financially from the death of a patient from being eligible to serve as a witness to the oral request or an interpreter for the patient.”
“This historic bill signing comes after careful reflection and deliberation with the sponsors of the bill, advocacy organizations, and everyday New Yorkers brave enough to share their personal experiences in order to get this legislation across the finish line,” said a release on Hochul signing the measure.
“New Yorkers deserve the choice to endure less suffering, not by shortening their lives, but by shortening their deaths – I firmly believe we made the right decision,” Hochul said in a statement.
The law goes into effect in six months from her signing it to allow the Department of Health to put into place regulations “to implement the law while also ensuring that health care facilities can properly prepare and train staff for compliance.”
Besides the state’s Catholic bishops, other Catholics and other pro-life advocates have long made their objections known to lawmakers’ efforts to legalize assisted suicide, most recently with four candlelit vigils held in the bitter cold in early December.
One vigil took place Dec. 4 outside the Sen. John H. Hughes Office Building in downtown Syracuse. A second one held the same evening took place outside Hochul’s office in midtown Manhattan.
The evening before a vigil was held just outside the front gates of the governor’s mansion in Albany, the state capital, and another one took place in Tonawanda near Buffalo in western New York.
They were organized by Chris Fadden, president of Syracuse Right to Life, in collaboration with the Albany-based New York Alliance Against Assisted Suicide. In all, more than 350 attended the four candlelight vigils.
“This is a very dangerous bill,” said Dr. James Mostrom, a retired anesthesiologist from the Syracuse area. “I’m totally against it because it really compromises the physician-patient relationship. The patient can’t be sure that the doctor is always working in their own interest,” he told The Catholic Sun, Syracuse’s diocesan news outlet, during the vigil outside the Hughes building.
He also emphasized that the American Medical Association is strongly opposed to assisted suicide. “It conflicts with our normal duties. I took an oath (that) I would do no harm. … There’s no place for physicians in suicide.”
Bishop Robert J. Brennan of Brooklyn and Auxiliary Bishop Peter J. Byrne of New York were among the participants in the Manhattan vigil opposing the measure.
Bishop Brennan told reporters at the vigil, “The taking of a life is the taking of a life. … In a situation like this, there is no compromise. I think we have to respond with incredible compassion, first of all — to accompany and to help people in those moments of pain, to make those final moments of life meaningful; there are all kinds of palliative care treatments that are available.”
The era of Archbishop Ronald Hicks as shepherd of the Archdiocese of New York officially began on Feb. 6 with his installation Mass at a filled-to-capacity St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Archbishop Hicks became the 14th leader — and 11th archbishop — of the archdiocese since its creation in 1808. During his homily, he described a mission statement of evangelism to mark his episcopacy.
“The Church,” he asserted, “exists to proclaim Jesus Christ and the Gospel to everyone — publicly and credibly, without fear, to every culture and circumstance. That is the kind of Church I believe we are called to be here in the Archdiocese of New York.
“We are called to be a missionary Church, a Church that catechizes, evangelizes, and puts our faith into action, a Church made up of missionary disciples who go out and make disciples, passing the thing on from one generation to the next.”
The congregation heartily applauded when Archbishop Hicks proclaimed that such a Church, “takes care of the poor and the vulnerable” and “defends, respects and upholds life from conception to natural death.”
Such a Church, he added, “cares for creation, builds bridges, and listens to and protects children.”
Further, he said, it “promotes healing for survivors and all for those who have been wounded by the Church.”
Also, during his homily and closing remarks, Archbishop Hicks expressed gratitude.
“To all the people of New York,” he said, “and everyone in the three boroughs, the seven counties of the archdiocese, the clergy, religious, the laity, and all the faithful — thank you for your prayers, thank you for your enthusiasm, and thank you for your warm welcome.”
The archbishop, a native of South Holland, Illinois, then turned his attention to the Diocese of Joliet, which he served until Pope Leo XIV announced in mid-December that he would become the spiritual father of the Archdiocese of New York.
“To everyone from Chicagoland and from the Diocese of Joliet, I carry you in my heart,” he said. “Thank you for being disciples, who make disciples.”
Next came his parents, Ronald and Roselee Hicks, who, he said, were watching the installation via live stream.
“To my mom and dad,” he said. “You are the best. Thank you for always showing me what unconditional love looks like.”
Archbishop Hicks succeeds Cardinal Timothy Dolan, now archbishop emeritus, who retired after leading the archdiocese for more than 16 years.
As per custom, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, was on hand to represent Pope Leo XIV. The nuncio read the pope’s appointment letter declaring Archbishop Hicks as the new leader of the archdiocese.
But first, Cardinal Pierre had a few words about Cardinal Dolan.
“By the way,” the nuncio said, “it is his birthday.”
He then led the congregation to sing “Happy Birthday” to Cardinal Dolan, who beamed with his quintessential joviality.
Archbishop Hicks also praised his predecessor.
“Thank you for your magnanimous leadership here for 17 years,” he told Cardinal Dolan. “In a particular way, I want to thank you for your gracious support of me, both personally and publicly.”
“I have been working with you and learning from you for over 11 years now,” Archbishop Hicks said. “Thank you for your example and your mentorship.”
Prelates from all over the country attended the installation Mass, including Bishop Robert Brennan and Bishop Emeritus Nicholas DiMarzio, and Auxiliary Bishops James Massa, Octavio Cisneros, Witold Mroziewski, and Raymond Chappetto, all from the Diocese of Brooklyn.
Joining them in the procession was Father Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez, the current pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Corona, Queens, who will soon become bishop of the Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida.
Bishop Brennan congratulated the new archbishop and added that the cathedral, “was filled with great faith, joy, and love.”
“Archbishop Hicks is a wonderful man and a powerful evangelizer, filled with the spirit of the Gospel,” Bishop Brennan said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to working alongside Archbishop Hicks as we serve one city together, a rare occurrence in which one city is home to two dioceses.
“May the faithful unite in prayer for Archbishop Hicks, in gratitude for Cardinal Dolan, and in asking for God’s blessing upon all of us here in New York City.”
In closing, Archbishop Hicks invited everyone to join him in the mission statement of evangelism.
“So, as always, let’s go out, strengthened by the Eucharist, set by the Lord and guided by the Holy Spirit,” he said. “The mission is before us. The world is waiting with hope.
