MLK Mass Shines Spotlight on Youth as ‘Future Leaders, Agents of Change’

By Katie Vasquez and Paula Katinas

FLATLANDS — Dorene Allman said she remembers watching Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral procession on television in April 1968. She was 11 at the time.

“I saw his wife, Coretta Scott King,” she recalled. “She was holding the hand of their youngest, Bernice, who followed in his footsteps as a pastor.”

Allman, now a parishioner of St. Martin de Porres Parish in Bedford-Stuyvesant, was one of many who came to St. Thomas Aquinas Church on Jan. 19 to attend the diocese’s Mass honoring King’s legacy.

Organized by the diocese’s Vicariate Office of Black Catholic Concerns, the Mass is the diocese’s official celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the federal holiday that celebrates the birthday of the slain civil rights leader.

King, born Jan. 15, 1929, spent much of his adult life leading non-violent protests against racism, and was assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968.

With many members of the Vicariate’s Youth Ambassadors in attendance, much of the Mass focused on young people.

The homilist, Father Patrick Winbush, subprior of the Benedictine Monks of Newark Abbey in Newark, urged young people at the Mass to carry forward King’s legacy of working toward peace and justice worldwide.

“You are the future leaders and the agents of change,” he said.

After Mass, Father Winbush told The Tablet that he has always admired King’s courage in standing for the rights of black people in the 1950s and 1960s.

“And some people are doing it today. And some people are afraid to do it,” he added. “And that’s why I was insisting in my homily, especially to our young people, that they have to get out and fight for equality in our country.”

Sitting in her pew, Allman admitted that she was also thinking about young people. “They need to understand the legacy of Dr. King,” said Allman, who attends the Mass annually. “Considering the state of our nation and the world today, I believe the legacy of Dr. King is more important now than ever.”

Bishop Robert Brennan, who celebrated the Mass, called it “a great diocesan celebration,” telling The Tablet that he loves King’s religious message of “peace and working together.”

Much of King’s message of promoting peace, love, and understanding is “so much alive here in Brooklyn and Queens,” where “all of our communities interact with one another,” Bishop Brennan added.

During his lifetime, King was known as a great orator, and some of those in attendance at the Mass reflected on their favorite King sayings.

Allman pointed to his famous saying, “If you can’t run, walk, and if you can’t walk, crawl,” because of its emphasis on the importance of having the determination to carry on despite whatever obstacles are in one’s path.

For Kayon Johnson, it was his warning that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

“We’re all God’s people, and we should help each other in the best way we can,” Johnson said. “If we see something happening to our brothers or sisters, we should get involved in helping in any way we can.”

Diocese of Brooklyn Students Celebrated in The Tablet’s “Keep Christ in Christmas” Art Contest

By John Alexander and Currents News

DYKER HEIGHTS — The Tablet’s annual “Keep Christ in Christmas” art contest awards ceremony on Jan. 15 was a big night for students from 11 Catholic schools in the diocese, including eight academies and three high schools.

This year, The Tablet received more than 300 entries from students.

The eight winning academies are Holy Child Jesus in Richmond Hill, St. Francis de Sales in Belle Harbor, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Sunset Park, Our Lady of Mercy in Forest Hills, St. Thomas the Apostle in Woodhaven, St. Sebastian in Woodside, St. Patrick in Bay Ridge, and The Mary Louis Academy Middle School in Jamaica Estates. The winning high schools are Christ the King in Middle Village, Archbishop Molloy in Briarwood, and Saint Saviour in Park Slope.

Many schools had multiple winners from first to 12th grade. In all, there were 11 first-place winners and nine honorable mentions who received an award and cash prize from the Knights.

Angela Esquen, mother of the fifth-grade winner, Paula Esquen, said she is extremely proud of her daughter’s artwork, which depicts a manger scene with the Holy Family and the Magi’s camels under a heavenly star.

“I always teach my kids about faith and believing in Jesus and his almighty power, so this really is a reflection of what my kids are growing up with,” Esquen said. “This was her idea and inspiration. She just created a picture from what she believes in.”

St. Thomas the Apostle seventh grader Stella Martinez, who received an honorable mention, said the mosaics at churches inspired her to create a unique mosaic of the Holy Family.

“At my church, there are some pretty mosaics, and I really love seeing them,” Stella said. “When I visited other churches on field trips, I saw their mosaics, and I was inspired to make one.”

For over 20 years, The Tablet has collaborated on the art contest with the Archbishop John Hughes Knights of Columbus Council No. 481 in Dyker Heights. Grand Knight Sean Flanagan and financial secretary and past grand marshal Joe Sbarra helped welcome guests to the ceremony. Sbarra offered the opening prayer, and Flanagan thanked all the children for their creative artwork.

“I hope you understand the meaning of this as you grow older,” Sbarra said. “Christmas is not all about Santa Claus, but about our Lord and Savior.”

The Tablet’s Editor, Michael Gray, said the art contest aims to evangelize.

“This art contest and the Easter art contest are baby steps to building their faith,” Gray said. “The Tablet covers student sports, and we have our monthly Tablet Jr., where students themselves write for the paper.

“So, we are helping lead the chilldren on their faith journey.”

The Tablet’s Editor Emeritus Ed Wilkinson, who helped start the art contest with the Knights, highlighted parents’ decision to send their children to Catholic schools.

“Kids, be glad your parents sent you to Catholic school,” Wilkinson said. “You’re lucky because you are … learning things that other kids are not. ‘Keep Christ in Christmas’ was started to remind everybody that Christmas is not just a holiday, but it’s a holy day.”

St. Francis de Sales Principal Chris Scharbach, St. Patrick Principal Kathleen Curatolo, and Saint Saviour High School Principal Carolann Timpone were in the audience to support their students. Scharbach said the art contest was a primary focus at his school in December.

“The contest is festive, and allows the kids to demonstrate their God-given talents of artwork, and they really get to show the true meaning of Christ and the true meaning of Christmas,” Scharbach said. “The winning artworks are all well-deserved and really highlight the season of Christmas.”

National Eucharistic Pilgrimage Returns to Unite Catholics Across America

By Katie Vasquez and Currents News

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is returning this year, bringing the Body of Christ to communities across the United States. Honoring the 250th anniversary of the country, theme is “One Nation Under God.”

Currents News reporter Katie Vasquez reflects on covering the first historic pilgrimage and the powerful impact it had on the faithful.

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday 1/15/26

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is returning this year, honoring America’s 250th anniversary under the theme: “One Nation Under God.”

Currents News reporter Katie Vasquez reflects on the powerful moments and spiritual impact of the first National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which energized thousands of Catholics across the country.

The Tablet announced the winners of its annual “Keep Christ in Christmas” art contest, celebrating the creativity of 300 students from Catholic schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

The Diocese of Palm Beach is celebrating the birthday of Bishop-elect Manuel de Jesus Rodriguez.

Beach Bound Bishop-Designate Packs Faith, Memories for Florida

By Katie Vasquez

CORONA — As Bishop-designate Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez contemplates moving in February to his new episcopacy in the Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida, he’ll carry two recently received items: a red zucchetto and a pectoral cross.

Both are gifts from Bishop Robert Brennan, who, when asked to contribute three names of priests from the Diocese of Brooklyn as recommendations for future bishops, according to protocols, he included the pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish.

Bishop-designate Rodríguez has served as the parish’s pastor for six years. On Dec. 19, Pope Leo XIV named him to succeed Bishop Gerald Barbarito, 75, as shepherd of the Diocese of Palm Beach.

Along with the red skull cap and cross, Bishop Brennan also offered vital counsel to Bishop-designate Rodríguez, who said he was shocked and humbled to be chosen by the pope.

“Bishop Brennan gave me wonderful advice and reassurances,” he recalled. “Then I went to the chapel upstairs (in the rectory), and I stayed there a couple of hours trying to make sense of this, because it is a big thing.

“One of the first things coming to my mind was, ‘I’m going to have to leave Brooklyn.’ I mean, that’s not easy.”

Now, with his episcopal ordination and installation set for Feb. 24, the native of the Dominican Republic began reflecting on his nearly 16 years serving parishes in Brooklyn and Queens.

He first came to the diocese in 2009 and became incardinated here two years later. He said his work in the diocese has prepared him to lead the flock of Palm Beach.

For one, he is a canon lawyer who has also served the diocese as a promoter of justice and as a delegate of the bishop for penal cases.

But he speaks the most happily about his accomplishments with youth, the poor, and newcomers to the U.S. in the four parishes he served in “the Diocese of Immigrants.”

Included are 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 Parish in Corona since 2020.

“I feel particularly happy for the different ministries (of) evangelization works,” he said. “For example, when I was in St. Michael’s, we had Bible studies for anybody interested; same thing in Williamsburg at Sts. Peter and Paul.

“Out of those groups, I have the joy to say, vocations were born.”

As examples, he mentioned Deacon George Velez at Sts. Peter and Paul, who is now the coordinator for clergy personnel in the diocese, and Deacon Hugo Morel of the same parish.

Bishop-designate Rodríguez and his parish staff created new programs for youth at the two Brooklyn parishes, as he did for the two parishes in Queens.

But, at Presentation in Jamaica, he especially appreciated the opportunity to teach second-year confirmation students in the religious education program.

“That really allowed me to connect with those kids,” he said, “the way they see things and their struggles.”

Our Lady of Sorrows is known as the church home for Ecuadoran, Mexican, and other Hispanic groups, including a few Venezuelans, he said. There, as with his previous parishes, he facilitated opportunities for food pantries to help the poor, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He chuckled at the memory of how, in July of 2020, he received a visit from Corona’s representative in Congress, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who came to explore helping with a food distribution.

For that, Bishop-designate Rodríguez confirmed he took “some heat” from people who assail “AOC” for her progressive agenda, especially as an advocate for abortion.

Meanwhile, his pro-life record is clear. At both Queens parishes, he organized regular demonstrations outside abortion clinics. He said there are 15 of them near his parish in Corona.

“The last Saturday of every month, we have a pro-life Mass at 8 a.m., and then we have our pro-life march to a clinic, and we pray very respectfully,” he said.

Still, he added, he avoids partisan politics and would meet with anyone willing to support a ministry of the Church, whether it be AOC or President Donald Trump, who owns a significant piece of property in the Diocese of Palm Beach — the exclusive club Mar-a-Lago.

The bishop-designate said he is eager to join the ministries in his new diocese, where the clergy, religious, laity, and parishioners have welcomed him “with open arms.” He has no doubt they will continue to make him feel at home.

For now, he is bracing for the jolt of leaving the people he has served for the better part of two decades.

“Here in the parish, my people are still adapting to the idea,” he said. “So there is joy, but there is sadness too.

“But, at the end of the day, we are soldiers of the Church. And, if God thinks I should go there, then I go, praising God.”

Vatican Completes Official Mosaic Portrait of Pope Leo XIV for Papal Basilica

By Currents News and The Tablet Staff

(OSV News) – The Vatican has completed the official mosaic portrait of Pope Leo XIV, continuing a centuries-old tradition that marks the election of each new pontiff. The circular mosaic, known as a tondo, was created by the Vatican Mosaic Studio of the Fabric of St. Peter’s and will be installed in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

The pontiff blessed artists Jan. 14, smiling at the sight of his own image, even as he battled a cold.

The tiles for the mosaic tondo were created using the ancient cut mosaic technique and fixed with traditional Vatican oil stucco – at the request of American Cardinal James Michael Harvey, the archpriest of the basilica.

The mosaic tondo, about 54 inches in diameter, was created with vitreous enamels and gold on a metal structure at the Vatican Mosaic Studio of the Fabric of St. Peter’s.

According to the studio’s website, “the history of the Vatican Mosaic Studio dates from the beginning of the sixteenth century, when Pope Gregory XIII Boncompagni decided to entrust the painter Girolamo Muziano with the mosaic decoration of the dome of the Gregorian Chapel of the Vatican Basilica (1578-1580).”

“Following its success, it was decided to extend this type of decoration also to Michelangelo’s large dome (1603-1612) and to all the domes of the basilica.”

Today, the studio performs a dual function: the conservation of the basilica’s mosaics, with restoration work, and the production of mosaic works for sale to the public.

“Thanks to the skill and experience of its mosaicists, who still use the ancient technical-artistic procedures, works inspired by masterpieces of sacred and profane art are executed. The studio also carries out works on commission and can be visited by appointment,” the studio’s website said.

The mosaic tondo was executed based on a pictorial sketch by Rodolfo Papa, the Vatican said, calling it “an oil on canvas of the same dimensions as the mosaic tondo, specifically conceived for transposition into a mosaic.”

The work will then be installed in the space next to the portrait of Pope Francis, in the right nave of the Basilica, at a height of approximately 42 feet.

Texas Mom Welcomes Nearly 13-Pound Baby Boy in Christmas Miracle

By Jenna MacDermant

Life delivered an unexpected surprise for Markie Smith, a mother from Azle, Texas, who was eagerly awaiting the arrival of her baby. What she received was a much bigger blessing than anticipated.

When her son Canyon was born via C-section just days before Christmas, the delivery room erupted in astonishment.

“Everybody, the whole room just was like, ‘Oh my God’. Like, ‘What, what, what,’” Smith recalled.

“They pulled the curtain down and he was just massive.”

Canyon weighed in at an astonishing 12 pounds, 10.5 ounces—nearly 13 pounds—earning him the affectionate nickname “Grand Canyon.”

Smith described her newborn as having “rolls for days” and looking “like the Michelin Man.”

Though Smith has gestational diabetes, which can lead to larger babies, her previous two children were both 8.5 pounds.

“I was expecting maybe a 10-pound baby, but definitely not a 12-pound baby,” she said.

Now three weeks old and already wearing three-month-old clothes, Canyon is perfectly healthy and thriving.

For Smith, his arrival came at a pivotal moment.

“God blessed me with this baby and I was going through some hardships last year,” she shared. “Literally, he saved my life.”

A true Texas-sized blessing and Christmas miracle, Canyon’s grand entrance has left his mother in awe.

“Like who has a 13-pound baby. Like, what?” she marveled. “I just don’t understand. I didn’t think babies got this big.”

Cypress Hills Catholic School Blends Karate and Faith for Students

By Katie Vasquez

Every Wednesday and Thursday, students line up in the gym at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy, trading recess for roundhouse kicks and quiet focus.

The Catholic school’s growing karate club gives students a chance to practice self-defense techniques, but school leaders say the lessons go far beyond learning how to fight.

“We learn self-defense, and we learn how to block ourselves,” said second grader Dylan Bermeo.

The program is rooted in Catholic values, emphasizing self-control, discipline, and peace over aggression.

“It’s not like, ‘I know karate, I’m going to chop you,’” said Principal Andy Estevez. “It’s really about maintaining calm, focus and control — the things karate and martial arts teach.”

More than 40 students in grades two through eight now participate in the club. For many, the lessons are already shaping how they behave both inside and outside the gym.

“So, like, peace,” said fifth grader Ashley Munoz. “He always tells us the 10 values of karate and the rules everyone has to follow.”

Fifth grader Derek Henriquez said those values help guide his actions. “They teach me how to behave,” he said.

The club is led by Fernando Gonzalez, a first-degree black belt who hopes the skills students learn will carry into their daily lives.

“They promise that whatever they learn here is to do good,” Gonzalez said. “It’s always about helping them understand what’s right and what they should be doing.”

The karate club began with middle school students about two years ago, but its popularity quickly led the school to expand the program to younger grades.

“I really like this class,” Munoz said. “We do a lot of exercises, like pushups and the horse stance.”

Estevez said he has already noticed positive changes in students’ concentration, focus and self-discipline.

“The students are developing a level of focus and self-control that wasn’t there before,” he said.

With strong interest and growing enrollment, the karate club is expected to return next school year.

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 1/14/26

Students at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy in Brooklyn are learning karate not to fight, but to build discipline, focus, and strong Catholic values.

Organizers announced the official route for this year’s March for Life in Washington, where marchers will reaffirm the movement’s pro-life mission.

A Texas mother received the surprise of a lifetime when she gave birth to a nearly 13-pound baby, calling the moment a true miracle.

Hundreds of students across the Diocese of Brooklyn took part in The Tablet’s annual Keep Christ in Christmas Art Contest, with winners set to receive awards and have their work published.

TONIGHT AT 7: Karate Shapes Character at a Brooklyn Catholic Academy

By Katie Vasquez

At a Catholic academy in Cypress Hills, students are learning more than just self-defense. Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy’s karate club is helping kids build discipline, focus, and strong values — turning lessons in the gym into lessons for life.