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Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 12/3/2025  

Father Gary Graf walked more than 900 miles from Chicago to New York City in order to shine a light on the treatment of immigrants in the U.S. and advocate for their safety. Currents News was there when he neared the Statue of Liberty.

The Medical Aid in Dying Act cleared the New York State legislature earlier this year and has since been sitting on Governor Kathy Hochul’s desk. She has until the end of December to sign it – New York bishops are urging her not to sign and protect the value of human life.

The Diocese of Brooklyn’s Christmas tree has arrived at Grandy Army Plaza where it will be decorated with thousands of multicolored lights representing the diversity of Brooklyn and Queens.

TONIGHT AT 7: Priest Walks 900 Miles in Act of Advocacy for Immigrants

By Katie Vasquez

Father Gary Graf has just walked more than 900 miles from Chicago to New York City. While the journey has ended his mission has not.

The priest is shining a light on the treatment of immigrant children and families in the U.S., and hopes his miles have garnered attention towards the issue.

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 12/2/2025  

According to the latest data published by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, more than 65,000 people are currently being detained. One man in Queens, New York had been looking for his family for a week, unable locate them in the online detainee system.

After making his first international trip to Turkey and Lebanon – and bringing with him a message of unity and peace – Pope Leo XIV returns to Rome.

Churches across Brooklyn and Queens are now ready to kick off the Christmas season, thanks to a donation from Maimonides Medical Center that helps parishes purchase decorations.

Our Lady of Sorrows Church Assists Queens Family Missing After ICE Arrest, Deportation Back to Ecuador

By Jessica Easthope

The image of the words “Search Results 0” on locator.ice.gov is all Galo Tobar has seen when he closes his eyes for the last week. But after seven long days, he saw something that changed his life: his wife’s face.

Juana, who is having a high-risk pregnancy, and Tobar’s two children had been missing since November 24 when they showed up for an immigration status hearing.

“It’s been very sad to go back home and not find them. I had no way of knowing where they were,” he told Currents News.

Tobar knew they were in ICE custody, but didn’t know where.

Families across the country say it’s one of their biggest concerns when loved ones are detained due to quick transfers to multiple facilities and online update delays. Galo says their arrest felt more like an abduction.

“I knew at any time we could be taken back to Ecuador, we respect the laws but I needed to know where my family was,” he said.

The family, active parishioners at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Corona, are now 3,000 miles apart. They were transferred to an ICE facility in San Antonio, Texas where they were kept in a small room for days, unable to let Galo know they were okay.

On Dec. 11, the pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Corona, Queens, Fr. Manuel de Jesus Rodriguez stepped in. They arrived at the airport with no money and just the clothes on their back.

“We will be helping them financially to support them however we can, we won’t abandon them,” he told Currents News.

Tobar, who was a political organizer back in Ecuador, says he was receiving threats against his life, but his application for asylum was rejected and since 2023 the family has had an order of deportation.

“Yes deportation was to be observed,” said Father Rodriguez. “But the way it was done, very bad, against basic human rights.”

“We didn’t come to this country to harm anybody,” said Tobar. “I’ll always be grateful for this country.”

Now Tobar says he’s left with no choice.

He won’t be away from his family so his next step is to pick up the pieces, and pack up, and soon he will self-deport back to Ecuador.

TONIGHT AT 7: Queens Parishioner’s Family Located After ICE Arrest

By Jessica Easthope

According to the latest data published by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, more than 65,000 people are currently being detained.

One man in Queens, New York had been looking for his family for a week after he couldn’t locate them in the online detainee system. 

It’s part of what he and his pastor are calling an “inhumane immigration system.”

Pope Leo XIV Calls for Peace and Unity on Historic Trip to Turkey and Lebanon

By Christine Persichette

From a Holy Mass celebrated before thousands at Istanbul’s Volkswagen Arena to a quiet moment of prayer at the tomb of St. Charbel in Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV’s first apostolic journey has carried a consistent theme: peace.

During his arrival in Beirut on Sunday, the pope addressed Lebanon’s authorities and diplomatic corps at the presidential palace. Crowds lined the streets of the capital, waving Vatican flags in front of bombed-out buildings — a stark backdrop as the Holy Father urged the nation to place peace above all else.

“Peace is a gift that comes from God and which, above all, dwells in our hearts,” Pope Leo said. “You, who have important institutional tasks within this nation, are destined for a special beatitude if you can say that you have put the goal of peace above all else.”

The pope emphasized Lebanon’s religious diversity as one of its greatest strengths and called on leaders to continue fostering harmony among the country’s many faith communities.

Earlier in the trip, Pope Leo traveled to Iznik — historically known as Nicaea — where he joined roughly 20 leaders of Christian churches from around the world to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council. This stop was the central purpose of his journey, reaffirming the Church’s commitment to Christian unity.

“We are all invited to overcome the scandal of divisions that, unfortunately, still exist, and to nurture the desire for unity for which the Lord Jesus prayed and gave His life,” he told those gathered.

The pope also warned against conflating religion with extremism. “The use of religion to justify war and violence, like any form of fundamentalism and fanaticism, must be firmly rejected,” he said, urging instead “the paths of fraternal encounter, dialogue, and collaboration.”

While in Turkey, Pope Leo visited the Blue Mosque, removing his shoes as a sign of respect. Unlike his predecessors, however, he declined to pray inside the mosque. He then traveled to the only Christian church built in Turkey in more than a century — a Syriac Orthodox temple — where he met with leaders from several Christian denominations.

Catholic News Headlines for Monday 12/1/25   

Pope Leo XIV is currently on his first international trip as pontiff, visiting Turkey and Lebanon to pray for peace and unity across the region.

The FDNY honored retired Deputy Chief James Riches with a final salute in Brooklyn after he died from 9/11-related illness.

Students at St. Joseph Catholic Academy in Queens are helping stock their parish food pantry as it struggles with major funding cuts.

The Tablet is launching its annual Bright Christmas campaign to ensure children across Brooklyn and Queens receive gifts this holiday season.

St. Joseph Catholic Academy Students Lead Community Effort to Keep Queens Food Pantry Stocked

By Katie Vasquez

In Astoria, Queens the St. Joseph Church food pantry is facing a sharp drop in funding: it has lost 80% of its grant from the Food Bank of New York.

Yet the shelves remain full thanks to an outpouring of support led by the parish’s youngest members.

Since October, the Service Club at St. Joseph Catholic Academy has been collecting canned goods, cake mixes, and other groceries, with every grade contributing.

Students personally carry the donations the short distance from school to the church pantry, ensuring dozens of families who line up hours early receive the help they need.

“It would come to the point where we would have to get money from the church,” said pantry coordinator Marlene Caselis. “The school has been very helpful.”

Eighth-grader Madison Nerbel said the drive opened her eyes: “It just makes me realize how other people don’t have it as easy.”

Fifth-grader Victoria Davila added, “I was really happy that I’d be able to give back to my community. I just love giving back.”

Seventh-grader Francesca Primiani summed up the lesson: “If you were in that situation you would want someone to bring food to you and provide support.”

Parishioners, the Girl Scouts, and the Knights of Columbus have also rallied behind the effort, proving that even when funding falls short, a tight-knit community—especially its children—can keep hunger at bay.