By Katie Vasquez
The kitchen has always been a sanctuary for Deacon Robert Ruggiero. It’s a passion that grew from being around those he loves.
Now that he’s preparing to be ordained as a priest in the Diocese of Brooklyn, he’s planning to bring that passion to a new table – the Lord’s Table.
The New York State Senate has passed a bill that legalizes assisted suicide – Catholic bishops in the state are warning that the Medical Aid In Dying Act is a slippery slope that undermines the sanctity of life.
Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan is expressing his concern as the Church in New York faces a pivotal moment in its fight to protect human dignity.
A priest ministering in the Diocese of Brooklyn is battling cancer and could be offered assisted suicide if that bill is signed into law – he shares what the fight for life means to him.
By Currents News and Paula Katinas
Bishop Robert Brennan shares his concerns about New York’s proposed medical aid-in-dying bill, which would allow terminally ill patients with six months or less to live to request life-ending medication.
He addresses the potential impact on the vulnerable, including the disabled, the ethical implications in light of the national suicide crisis, and calls on Catholics to continue advocating for the dignity of every human life.
PROSPECT HEIGHTS — In the wake of the New York State Senate’s June 9 passage of a bill to legalize assisted suicide, pro-life advocates have refocused their efforts on convincing Gov. Kathy Hochul to veto it.
As of press time, Hochul had not commented on the passage of the bill, known as the Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) Act, and had not indicated whether or not she would sign it into law.
“We turn to the governor urging her to act boldly, consistent with her efforts to combat the suicide crisis in our state, and veto this bill,” Bishop Robert Brennan told The Tablet.
The Senate approved the bill on June 9 by a vote of 35-27. The Assembly approved the legislation on April 29 by a vote of 81-67. Both houses are controlled by Democrats.
If enacted into law, MAID would allow terminally ill people with less than six months to live to end their lives with fatal medications prescribed by doctors.
The law would require the patient to obtain confirmation of their diagnosis from two doctors. The written request to commit suicide would also have to be witnessed by two people who do not stand to financially gain from the patient’s death.
If the bill becomes law, New York would become the 12th state in the U.S. with an assisted suicide law on the books, joining California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. The District of Columbia also has an assisted suicide law.
RELATED: New York Bishops Urge You To Say ‘No’ To Assisted Suicide
Dennis Poust, executive director of the New York State Catholic Conference, the organization that represents the state’s bishops on public policy matters, said that while the Senate’s approval of the bill marked a “dark day for New York State,” he hasn’t lost hope that Hochul will take the issue seriously.
“Governor Hochul has acted boldly to address the suicide crisis in our state and has made access to mental health care a hallmark of her tenure as governor, with historic investments the last two years,” Poust said in a June 9 statement. “This bill undermines those priorities.”
Hochul previously signed the Student Lifeline Act in 2024, which requires the state’s 988 telephone helpline to be printed on college student ID cards. Further, in April, she awarded grants to expand suicide prevention measures for military veterans and uniformed personnel.
Poust said MAID has a number of objectionable features, chief among them is that it could lead those who do not suffer from terminal illnesses to feel pressured to end their lives. Another issue, he added, is that the bill lacks a required waiting period or a mandatory psychological screening for patients.
“This bill would be catastrophic for medically underserved communities, including communities of color, as well as for people with disabilities and other vulnerable populations who will be at the mercy of a healthcare industry that will soon be reeling from federal Medicaid cuts,” Poust said.
According to the New York Alliance Against Assisted Suicide, the bill will have an outsized effect on those with disabilities. “Legalizing assisted suicide will disproportionally impact people with disabilities, sending a dangerous societal message that their lives are less valuable,” the organization said in a statement.
It could lead to a devastating scenario, the alliance noted. “When support systems fail, insurance coverage is uneven, and ableism pervades our institutions, what looks like ‘choice’ can quickly become pressure,” the organization said.
The bill’s proponents contend that it would humanely shorten the period of suffering for those with terminal illnesses and allow them to die with dignity.
Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who leads District 47 in Manhattan and sponsored the Senate version of MAID, wrote on X following its passage that “for the first time ever the New York State Senate, and now both houses of the State Legislature, have voted to give New Yorkers autonomy over the end of life care.”
While Hochul hasn’t commented on the bill’s passage, Hoylman-Sigal alluded to her signing it, writing on X that “once signed, New York will be the 12th state to enact Medical Aid in Dying.”
In the hours leading up to the vote, pro-life advocates lined the halls of the Capitol building in Albany, imploring senators to vote against the bill.
Bishop Brennan expressed that while the Senate’s passage of the bill was not surprising, it was “truly disappointing.”
New York lawmakers could soon vote on the Medical Aid in Dying Act, which would allow patients to request a physician assisted suicide. Catholics in the state’s capitol are voicing their opposition to the bill.
Hundreds of parishioners from St. Pancras Parish in Glendale, Queens filled Times Square for Pentecost Sunday.
It’s been one month since Cardinal Robert Prevost became Pope Leo XIV. Currents News looks at his papacy so far.
Students at Immaculate Conception Catholic Academy in Astoria, Queens nurtured butterflies in their classrooms as part of a special project that taught them to care for God’s creation.
By Currents News
Faith was on fire in the crossroads of the world — at least 300 parishioners from St. Pancras Parish in Glendale, Queens gathered in Times Square to celebrate Pentecost Sunday.
The parish’s faith community, called Fuego de Dios, spent three hours blessing visitors to the popular New York City spot.
They used holy water, blessed oils, and relics from the parish, like the bone fragments of St. Stephen.
The night ended with the parishioners in Times Square praying for their home parish — and for Pope Leo XIV.
By Currents News
Bishop Robert Brennan visited Immaculate Conception Church in Astoria, Queens for its centennial celebration.
The shepherd of the Diocese of Brooklyn blessed the flock at Mass.
For the last 100 years, it has celebrated 21,000 baptisms, 22,000 first Communions and confirmations, 6,500 marriages, and 15,000 funerals, according to its pastor.
During the bilingual Mass, Bishop Brennan congratulated Immaculate Conception on the milestone, saying the works of the Holy Spirit are revealed in their Church.
By Katie Vasquez
On a spring day, you might see Deacon Callistus Ibeh enjoying a bike ride.
After nine years of formation, Deacon Ibeh is taking on his next journey: becoming a priest. It’s a path he started at just eight-years-old in Nigeria.
“I guess it is a desire that was built into me, by God, obviously, but also through my family,” he told Currents News. “I was raised in a very faithful family. My grandfather, actually, was a catechist. and my mom got her faith, obviously, through him,” said Deacon Ibeh.
In his hometown, faith was the center of his life with the entire community coming together for the Lord.
“There’s nothing as beautiful as you wake up on Sunday and everybody knows what day it is. It’s Sunday, you got to go to church,” he explained. “And everybody just goes to church and comes back, and so my life kind of revolved around the church and school and also my community growing up. “
Deacon Ibeh lived in a rectory in his home country, which he believes helped in his discernment.
“That actually opened the way for me because I was able to see the inner life of the priest, you know, not just on the altar, but also what he’s done with the Mass. What does he do after mass?” he said..
Over the years, he says his vocation never wavered because he knew this is where he belonged.
“The Lord continues to show me different ways, you know, little things to show me that yes, He wants me here,” the told Currents News. “And I just have to keep trusting him.”
Deacon Ibeh finished his diaconate assignment at Queen of Angels Church in Sunnyside, Queens. He doesn’t know where he will be assigned as a priest but he hopes to bring more people back to the pews, so they can have the same passion for Christ as he does.
“There’s nothing like knowing that you have God right next to you, right? Just who you can always talk to as a friend and who you can always approach at any time,” he said.
The path to priesthood is not always direct. But for one deacon preparing for ordination in the Diocese of Brooklyn, it was always part of the plan.
A court case that made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court resulted in a big win for Catholic Charities.
June 6, 2025 marks 81 years since the D-Day invasion. We remember one Brooklyn Coast Guard Gunner who was there on that fateful day.
By Katie Vasquez
Tourists looking for a permanent souvenir of their trip to the Big Apple typically stop by Times Square Tattoo.
But along with the new ink, they go home with a miraculous medal from shop owner Tommy Houlihan.
“Oftentimes I got a big crucifix and I look up at it, and I thank Him for letting me do the work,” said Houlihan.
Tommy is a born and bred New Yorker who grew up Catholic in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan.
He recommitted to his faith three years ago when he heard the testimony of a friend.
“It’s been maybe the last five or six years where I’m really, like, buckling down. And maybe it’s the last three years where I started with the miraculous medal,” he told Currents News. “The last two years, every client that comes to me gets it.”
After tattooing for decades, Tommy decided to hand over his shop which is adorned in crosses and sacred images to the Blessed mother, and vowed to use the space as a ministry.
“She’s got nobody backing her up in tattooing, nobody,” said Houlihan.
The artist refuses to tattoo images that he considers demonic or evil.
“No Harry Potter, nothing from the play ‘Wicked.’ No alchemy symbols,” said Houlihan. “I can’t do anything that’s even remotely touching witchcraft, or anything like that.”
Tommy says the shop’s location at the crossroads of the world makes the work even more necessary.
“If you walk into Times Square and you look at the advertising, it’s nothing but blasphemy after blasphemy after blasphemy, it’s outright mockery of God,” said Houlihan.
He hopes clients will enjoy the memento etched into their skin, and his ink will be used to evangelize others.
“I’m hoping for an instant conversion. If they’re not Catholic, right? If they are Catholic and are bad Catholics, I hope they would become good Catholics. If they’re good Catholics. I want them to become great catholics. and that metal is a very powerful tool to do that,” said Houlihan.
Pope Leo XIV and Vladimir Putin had their first phone call. The Holy Father encouraged the Russian leader to show he’s serious about making peace with Ukraine.
A Catholic tattoo artist in New York City’s Times Square is using his skills as a way to evangelize, leaning on his faith to guide how he runs his shop.
Connecticut is claiming to have the best pizza around, but New Yorkers may say otherwise.