It was a vibrant fiesta at St. Athanasius Catholic Academy in Bensonhurst, where the after-school program celebrated Hispanic culture through lively music and dance.
The event, sponsored by the Federation of Italian-American Organizations, aimed to honor cultural diversity and bring communities together.
The non-profit organization continues to play a key role in uniting the diverse neighborhoods of New York through such celebrations.
By Jessica Easthope
Jeanne Shannon feels at home in the classroom, as long as there are children, it’s colorful, and faith is at the center, she knows exactly what to do.
“I believe in my heart this is really where I’m meant to be,” Shannon said.
Jeanne is the new principal at St. Bernadette Catholic Academy in Dyker Heights. These old halls are anything but familiar, yet she walks them, hoping to settle in deeper with every step. Before her, the school was run by the Filippini Sisters, whose ministry is devoted to education.
“I know I have big shoes to fill,” Shannon said. “I think that I bring a strong Catholic identity with me here to St. Bernadette’s. And I think Sister Joan has left me a great foundation to build upon.”
Within hours of the start of the school year, Jeanne sent out a survey to faculty, families, and students, asking their opinions about the school.
“I wanted to give people the opportunity to let me know how they felt about the school,” Shannon said. “And I wanted to learn for myself, like what I could do to continue to help this community grow and thrive.”
Jeanne is committed to celebrating learning diversity, even offering special education coaches to her teachers over the summer.
“That’s one thing I hope to bring to St. Bernadette—the opportunity to learn and teach in different ways, and to recognize that we all have different talents,” Shannon said. “Those talents make us special, unique, and important members of the community.”
After nearly 40 years as a teacher and principal at St. Elizabeth Catholic Academy, Jeanne says this change was meant to be.
“I used to read the story of St. Bernadette to my students. But also, my mom grew up in Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, and it was Our Lady of Lourdes who appeared to St. Bernadette,” Shannon said. “So I really believe my mom was nudging God, saying, ‘Send her there, send her there.'”
Now that Jeanne is at St. Bernadette, she’s hoping to stay rooted in what brought her here.
Pope Francis returns to the Vatican after a four-day visit to Luxembourg and Belgium, where he touched on critical issues like the Synod and the role of women in the Church. Watch highlights from his meetings with refugees, visits to historic sites, and a Mass attended by nearly 40,000 faithful.
Bishop Robert Brennan celebrated Mass at St. Finbar Church in Bath Beach, uniting with young people for Hispanic Heritage Month. Meanwhile, St. Athanasius Catholic Academy students got into the festive spirit with a colorful dance celebration!
Join us as we begin a new series introducing the fresh faces leading Catholic academies in Brooklyn and Queens. In this episode, Jeanne Shannon, the new principal of St. Bernadette’s in Dyker Heights, shares her plans to learn from the school community.
Witness the love as 74 couples renew their vows at the Diocesan Wedding Anniversary Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas. From newlyweds to couples married for decades, each received a special blessing from Bishop Emeritus Nicholas DiMarzio in this heartwarming ceremony.
By Katie Vasquez
Josephine and Cristobal Rodriguez pray the rosary every morning, then watch the Spanish mass on NET-TV.
The Brooklyn couple, who also celebrate mass every Sunday at Holy Family-St Thomas Aquinas parish in Park Slope, believes their faith is part of the reason they have stayed married for 71 years.
“God is so good to us that I get up in the morning and say thank god for another day,” said Josephine Rodriguez. “I have a lot of faith. And that’s the first thing I do in the morning is thank god for this day.”
“She can’t listen to mass without me; if I’m drinking coffee, I have to leave the coffee and come and listen to the mass,” said Cristobal Rodriguez.
They met in Moca, Puerto Rico, when she was 13, and he was 16, but the sparks didn’t fly until they moved to New York in 1951 and reconnected in Brooklyn.
“We met again. and then we started dating, and then we married,” said Josephine.
They married on July 3, 1953, at Queen of All Saints Church in Fort Greene. While the day looked picture-perfect, it did have some hiccups.
“We borrowed a camera from my friend,” said Josephine. “My friend, a flower girl, grabbed and dropped the camera.”
However, they will be able to celebrate their marriage again at the Diocese of Brooklyn’s wedding anniversary mass on Saturday, Sept. 28.
Josephine says seeing the other couples together and being blessed by Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan will be inspiring.
“That makes me feel like it’s something that going into our heart because we see all these people held together or marry for a long time, for a short time, but still felt good to be there and special,” said Josephine.
So what do the Rodriguezs’ say is the secret to a happy marriage?
“Well, I believe that love, respect, and communication are the most important things in a marriage,” said Josephine. “When you have that, you can survive.”
“And never go to bed and go to sleep, never go mad,” said Cristobal. “Never.”
Plus, they thank god every day for each other.
By Katie Vasquez
They have their chores and time to play, but the main purpose of their stay at St Christopher’s Inn in Garrison, N.Y. is to get sober.
The recovery program run by the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement is equipped to treat 118 clients, or “Brother Christophers,” as they are known here.
Like Victor, who has battled addiction for 40 years but is going through rehab for the first time.
“Drinking every day, and then I indulge in other drugs, but it was mainly alcohol,” says Victor, a client of brother Christopher. “I just got to a point where I just couldn’t take it anymore.”
The most recent data from the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Support says that in 2022, 2.8 million New Yorkers had a substance use disorder.
Seventy-two percent of those who sought treatment were men.
The friar’s facility incorporates spirituality into the recovery program through prayer, meditation, and mass.
“You think you can control your life, look at the mess you’ve made. Okay, so that’s the understanding. So look for a power greater than yourself outside yourself,” said St Christopher Inn’s spiritual director and president, Father Dennis Polanco.
That’s why their staff claims it’s one of the more successful programs in the state.
“There is a sense of dignity and care for one another, a lot of love, a lot of encouragement,” said Lila Stromberg, an alcohol and substance abuse counselor at St Christopher’s Inn.
John says he lost his faith and control over his life due to addiction.
“I was, I’m just going to stick it out for 90 days. it’s what’s the worst thing that could happen?”
“That’s the biggest thing that this place gave me, like a meaningful connection to a higher power,“ said John.
It’s a connection he wants to keep once he leaves.
“It’s changed my perspective on life and how I experience it on such a deep level,“ said John.
But even after treatment, relapse is common. The CDC estimates that 40 to 60 percent of addicts experience it.
Thomas says he didn’t expect to return to St Christopher’s after completing treatment in 2008.
“God kind of goes by the wayside, and you may be praying to God, but the prayers are different,“ said Thomas.
The second time around, the Catholics found God again.
“I spent a lot of time here in the chapel. I never missed a mass, ended up becoming a reader at mass,“ said Thomas.
For anyone out there struggling, Father Dennis Polanco says the first step is asking for help.
“I think one of the things is to reach out to other people, you know, and don’t be ashamed about it,” said Father Polanco. “I think one of the things that holds families back is it becomes a big secret.“
If you would like to learn more, you can visit the facility’s website, https://stchristophersinn-graymoor.org/
As Addiction Recovery Month ends, St. Christopher’s Inn offers healing through faith and therapy for men battling substance abuse.
Pope Francis deviated from his speech in Belgium to address the Church’s fight against sexual abuse before the nation’s leaders.
Explore The Tablet newspaper, where we uncover stories you won’t find anywhere else. In the latest edition, learn about the inspiring U.S. movement to replace a church bell destroyed in the Nagasaki bombing, with a Catholic institute in Massachusetts leading the charge.
Meet Cristobal and Josephine Rodriguez, a couple joyfully celebrating 71 years of marriage! Their unwavering devotion to faith shines as they attend daily Mass from home, showcasing their incredible journey of love and commitment. This weekend, they will have the opportunity to celebrate their marriage once again at the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Wedding Anniversary Mass.
At another parish anniversary celebration in Jamaica, Queens, the faithful were so grateful Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan was there, signing autographs.
Bishop Brennan helped ring in 120 years at Saint Joseph’s — a parish that first began in 1904 when the Bishop of Brooklyn helped the growing Polish community buy an old colonial house to use as a temporary church.
While the parish finished building their actual church three years later, they never forgot that it was the Bishop of Brooklyn who gave them the first down payment for their spiritual home.
So, members of the anniversary committee had Bishop Brennan sign their sashes.
A statue of Christ’s crucifixion is now proudly on display after enduring multiple attacks at its Brooklyn parish.
Holy Cross Church recently dedicated and blessed this new gold metal statue during the celebration of the parish’s 176th anniversary.
Years ago, a wooden statue of Christ crucified was stolen from its place on the cross and later found burned in a dumpster.
Though that image was restored, it was vandalized again just a few months ago, with its feet and legs cut off at the knees.
The parish came together to replace the statue, which arrived from Italy just in time for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
Vincent LeVien, director of external affairs at DeSales Media Group, was awarded the Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan Award at the Bishop’s Humanitarian Dinner of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens (CCBQ).
The CCBQ dinner, which took place at Cipriani Wall Street, was part of CCBQ’s celebration of its 125th anniversary. Founded in 1899, CCBQ provides affordable housing, sponsors senior citizen centers and food pantries, and offers counseling and other support services to the physically and mentally challenged.
LeVien, whose award was named in memory of the Auxiliary Bishop Sullivan (1930-2013), a former executive director of CCBQ, said he was grateful for the honor because he had the opportunity to meet the late bishop.
The award also meant a great deal to him, he said, because he has worked with CCBQ on disaster relief efforts following Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and the pandemic in 2020 and has seen up close the dedication of its employees.
“I’m truly honored to receive an award from a group like Catholic Charities that does such great work and helps so many people,” he added.
By Jessica Easthope
Whether it’s for business or pleasure, for good news or bad, people fly.
They all hope for safe travel, but now there’s a place where they can pray for it.
“I leave something behind but also take something with me, especially in a place that doesn’t belong to anyone,” said Father Piasta, the chaplain at LaGuardia airport. “We all share it.”
Inside Delta’s state-of-the-art Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport is an interfaith chapel. Sandwiched between gates 61 and 62, the chapel is a sanctuary — a place where people of all faiths can bring their bags, but leave their baggage. It’s a space to block out the noise and stay grounded. Airport chaplain Father Chris Piasta says the terminal will be further enriched by the people of faith who use the chapel.
“Not only will we be praying and blessing the sacred space, but they will allow others to take the blessing with them,” he said.
The space was dedicated on Tuesday, Sept. 24. Representatives from the Catholic, Muslim, and Jewish faiths gave blessings and underscored the importance of a room like this.
The chapel, which seats about 35 people, has a standout feature architect Stephan Fried says brings some old New York to the new. The stained-glass windows were from three original chapels at JFK Airport. They sat in storage for nearly 30 years and are now experiencing a rebirth here at LaGuardia.
“It’s meaningful to have that bridge from that time until today,” Fried added.
Father Piasta’s efforts to make the chapel a reality started back in 2016, after the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey offered a meditation room instead in the newly renovated Terminal B. Desales Media’s Director of External Affairs, Vincent Levien, got involved. In early 2022, officials from Delta, Desales, the Port Authority, the chaplains, and the governor’s office met, and Delta pledged to include a chapel in the new Terminal C.
“We do a lot of work that people don’t see every day, and this is one of those small things that is going to impact thousands of people,” Levien said. “That legacy — I’m truly honored to be a part of that.”