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Siblings Create Mass Reflection App for Young Faith Seekers

By Katie Vasquez

Two students at Our Lady of Peace School are using technology to help young people deepen their faith through a new app they created called Mass Reflection Buddy.

Sydney Fernandez, a seventh grader, and Izzy Fernandez, a sixth grader, spend plenty of time on their cell phones. But instead of using social media, the siblings developed an app designed to help tweens and teens connect with weekly Gospel readings and reflect on their emotions through faith.

“It says the Gospel verse for that week,” Sydney said. “Then it asks how you’re feeling. You’ll pick an emotion, and it will give you a simplified version and explain how you can relate the Gospel to your life.”

The app was created as an alternative to social media platforms.

“We created an alternate app for social media that would help them get closer to God,” Izzy said.

Their parents, AJ and Rosa Fernandez, do not allow their children to have social media accounts but encourage them to use technology in positive and productive ways.

“That’s kind of what the catalyst was for them to make this — to use the word of the Lord to help them figure out their feelings,” one parent said.

“As parents, in this day and age, I think it’s difficult to push back because your children are inevitably going to have access to technology,” the parent added. “It’s up to you to make sure that they’re accessing the correct types of technology.”

The brother-and-sister team developed the project for Our Lady of Peace School’s annual STREAM Fair, which focuses on science, technology, religion, engineering, arts and mathematics. Their project earned first place among seventh-grade entries.

The app took approximately two and a half months to create and is geared toward tweens and teens.

“We used an AI model to make the prototype,” Izzy said. “We learned how to make a detailed enough prompt for the AI so it could get it without having many mistakes.”

After completing the prototype, the siblings asked classmates and family members to test the app.

“There were a few questions, and they all said that it made them feel better and that they understood it,” Sydney said.

The students hope the app will help young people strengthen their relationship with God and better understand their faith.

“I feel like this can help them understand better and become closer to God,” one of the siblings said.

“We think that it’s important to stay close to God,” the other added.

Over the summer, Sydney and Izzy plan to explore making Mass Reflection Buddy available to a wider audience.

Astoria Youth Inspired Nearly a Year After Jubilee of Youth

By Katie Vasquez

ASTORIA- For members of the youth group at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Astoria, attending the Jubilee of Youth in Rome in August 2025 was the experience of a lifetime.

The young pilgrims were among an estimated 1 million people who traveled to Rome for the international gathering. Now back in New York City, they are reliving the event through photos and videos while reflecting on its impact on their faith.

“It was really inspiring honestly,” said Aranza Sanchez, a youth group member. “I would see people singing and praising.”

One of the biggest highlights for the group was praying with Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope. Pope Leo XIV was elected the 267th pontiff about two months before the event.

“I’ve loved him ever since the start of being a pope,” said youth group member Amy Vu. “I really appreciate how he does really try to connect with the youth.”

The experience inspired several participants to become more involved in their faith after returning home.

“Ever since I came back from Rome, I started being more involved in everything that involves my faith,” said Marco Vallerojas, a youth group member. “The biggest thing that I’ve changed is that I’m an altar server now. I serve in my parish, and I enjoy it a lot, and I feel like it’s strengthening my faith.”

Dayonel Mejia, co-youth minister at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, said the pilgrimage helped participants see the global nature of the Catholic Church.

“The Catholic faith isn’t just Mount Carmel in Astoria,” Mejia said. “It’s a worldwide church, and people celebrated in so many different ways and flavors and colors.”

Mejia said he hopes the young pilgrims returned with memories and lessons that will stay with them for years to come.

“They really got to walk away with something that hopefully they cherish forever,” he said.

NYS Grant Supports Sisters’ Mission to Save Native Pollinators

By Katie Vasquez

BRENTWOOD — A tiny spot of upturned dirt, lightly hidden by grass and fallen leaves, had the rapt attention of Heather Coste, who oversees ecological stewardship for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood. 

Drilled into the dirt speck was a perfectly round hole that a “digger” bee had just slipped into, Coste said. 

This bee, Coste said, was one of the native species that nest, birth, and feed their offspring underground. They are unlike the domesticated honeybees that live in man-made wooden hives like the ones standing just a few feet away from this digger bee’s nest. 

Digger bees, Coste explained, are solitary creatures unlike their hive-based neighbors. They’re also among the many “wild” or “native” pollinators essential for plant growth throughout nature, including the food-crop production that feeds humanity. 

Native pollinators include bumblebees, parasitic wasps, beetles, fireflies, and moths, Coste said. Others include butterflies, bats, and hummingbirds, just to name a few. 

“Honeybees are great for certain agricultural crops and some of our tree species, but they don’t do everything,” Coste said. “Our wild pollinators are doing the lion’s share of the work. So, when we’re doing pollinator support, we have to keep in mind all of these different species that have very different needs.” 

To that end, the state of New York gave a $100,000 grant to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood to improve pollinator habitats on their 211-acre Long Island campus. 

RELATED: Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood Recognized for Sustainability Efforts

Coste, the community’s director of ecological sustainability, said the two-year grant enabled the team to hire another staff member to broaden the work. 

In April, they treated an 8-acre field with a controlled burn. Native grasses and plants returned, forming a lush meadow teaming with wild pollinators, such as monarch butterflies.  

The state grant was one of 34 awards to community groups from The New York Pollinator Conservation Fund, established by Attorney General Letitia James.  

The $3.2 million pool is the result of a 2023 settlement with Bayer CropScience after the state accused the pesticide maker of “misleading the public” about a weedkiller’s danger to pollinator species, according to James.  

“Pollinators are the unsung heroes of our environment,” she said in the release. “Yet their very existence has been threatened by the harmful impacts of pesticides, habitat destruction, and climate change.” 

Coste agreed that these factors contribute to accelerated losses of native pollinators, but while many people hear about alarming disappearances of pollinators, they assume it only involves honeybees. 

“It’s not even half of the story,” Coste said. “We’re losing our native pollinators at a much faster rate than we’re losing honeybees.” 

The situation is critical, Coste added, because wild pollinators work while honeybees remain hive-bound. 

“They’re a little bit finicky,” Coste said of the hive dwellers. “They only fly when it is warm enough, and when it’s not too windy.” 

Meanwhile, native pollinators are at work in the chilly early months of spring when fruits like plums, cherries, and peaches need pollination, Coste noted.  

“So,” Coste added, “if we were to lose all of our native pollinators, honeybees wouldn’t be able to pick up the slack.” 

The honeybee hives at the Brentwood campus are managed by members of the Long Island Beekeepers Club. Its members confirmed the essential roles of native pollinators. 

Grace Mehl, the club’s education director, also has a garden and a honeybee hive on her property in Smithtown.

But she credits wild bees and others for improving the garden. 

Mehl, a retired U.S. Navy commander, said honeybees have been known to travel three to six miles, so they often ignore her garden. 

“My bees come out of the hive and go up over the trees, and then they’re gone,” Mehl said. “They want to go to something big, like a great big poplar tree or a black locust tree.” 

But many wild pollinators travel only 300 to 500 feet.

So, while Mehl’s honeybees are away, the natives make good use of the garden, she said. 

Mehl’s property is a former chicken farm operated by her grandparents. Still, it has features suitable for digger bees and other wild pollinators, like the flowering plants they desire and trees that shed leaves needed to conceal the entries to their underground nests. 

Mehl recently visited the Brentwood campus with Moira Alexander, the program director for the beekeeper club. 

Meeting them were Coste and Sister Mary Lou Buser, 91, a member of the community who started the honeybee colony on the campus in the 1980s to improve the local gardens. 

She no longer attempts the heavy lifting of gardening and beekeeping, but she loves being around it. 

She explained that care for creation is a charism of her community. 

“This is God’s creation,” Sister Mary Lou said. “Everything is interrelated, and it’s just such a beautiful thing. I’m happy to know of God’s creation, and I’m happy to be part of it.” 

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 6/16/26   

Students at Dominican Academy are raising awareness about special education disparities in New York City through a faith-based advocacy project inspired by their own experiences.
Hundreds of Catholics are joining the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in New Jersey as the Blessed Sacrament processed through the streets of Passaic on its way to Massachusetts.
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood are using a state grant to expand pollinator habitats and protect bees and other vital species as part of their mission to care for creation.
The prayers that pushed the Knicks to become NBA champs came from all over New York- from outside Madison Square Garden to all the way out on Long Island.

Dominican Academy Students Advocate for Special Education Equity in New York City

By Katie Vasquez

Students at Dominican Academy are raising awareness about disparities in special education services across New York City through a student-led advocacy project focused on educational equity.

Each year, the school’s junior class completes an advocacy project. This year, a group of four students began researching special education inequalities in March, gathering data that highlights challenges facing students with disabilities throughout the city’s public school system.

According to the students’ research, one in five New York City public school students has an Individualized Education Program, or IEP.

“We all just felt very passionate about it,” said junior, Anne Bogdan.

The group created pamphlets and a website featuring an interactive map that allows users to explore special education disparities by borough.

“We included a QR code to our website, which actually has an interactive map that puts the inequalities in a percentage format,” said junior Juliette Gorczyca. “So you can click on the map on your borough and see how many children are not receiving the education that they deserve.”

Their research found that 11 percent of students in Brooklyn and 9.4 percent of students in Queens require special education services.

Students said the project was also required to be viewed through a Catholic lens.

“We stand off the concept of Imago Dei, which is basically everybody is created in the image of God,” Bogdan said. “And because of that, everybody has dignity. They’re sacred and they’re worthy.”

For juniors Vincenza Castellano and Mara Levcovici, the issue is personal.

Castellano said she had to compromise on speech education resources and move between schools based on the services available.

“I had to ping pong from school to school depending on what services they provided,” Castellano said. “That was really stressful for my parents.”

She said those experiences affected how she viewed herself.

“I felt like my worth was kind of overlooked,” she said.

Levcovici said her brother’s struggles with dyslexia and dyscalculia helped shape her understanding of the issue.

“My brother has dyslexia and dyscalculia, so he struggled with finding special education in New York City for such a long time,” Levcovici said. “It was really interesting to learn more about statistics and how that’s not a rare thing. That’s such a normal occurrence.”

Teacher Michael Cagney said the project teaches students that service can extend beyond direct volunteer work.

“It’s really giving the students another sense of the way that they can perform service,” Cagney said. “They become advocates and try to address the causes, the root conditions that are causing suffering, in the same way that they can go help out and serve local members of their community.”

The students hope their work encourages others to become more aware of the challenges facing children who need special education services.

“I think this will help others because the issue is not talked about enough at all,” Levcovici said. “Even before this, I had no clue this was such a big thing that was happening.”

Gorczyca said the research changed her own perspective.

“I think doing this research definitely opened my eyes and helped me see a lot more clearly about this issue,” she said.

To check out their website, click here.

Queens Catholic School Students Celebrate Knicks Championship Win

By Katie Vasquez

MIDDLE VILLAGE — Students at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Academy returned to class after an exciting weekend celebrating the New York Knicks’ championship victory.

The school encouraged students to wear blue, orange or white following the team’s win. Some students said they waited in line on June 13 when championship merchandise became available in stores.

Beyond the excitement of watching the victory, students said they were inspired by the faith and perseverance of several top players who attended Catholic high schools and universities.

“Some of the players lost their parents, so it’s touching when they pray to God and make them win it all in heaven,” said Francesco Muffoletto, a seventh grader.

Lidia Kamicki, also a seventh grader, said the players’ success shows what is possible for students.

“It’s cool because someone in this school could be a future basketball player or something,” she explained.

Students also enjoyed the opportunity to dress down and celebrate together.

“It’s good because you can see that everybody likes the Knicks and it’s like the whole school,” one student said.

Julia Mace, a seventh grader, said faith and sportsmanship go hand in hand.

“During a lot of sportsmanships, you have to keep prayer in your thoughts, and prayer can come in handy in thinking that if I pray, God will watch over me and I won’t get hurt and I have a chance of winning,” she said.

Christian Chierichella, a sixth grader, said the players’ faith was especially meaningful.

“It’s just all about God. God makes decisions. He does his best for us,” Chierichella said.

For sixth grader Katherine Mosquea, the championship victory offered an important lesson in perseverance.

“It was great. It was very inspiring,” she said. “That they won and that they didn’t give up.”

Another student said the team’s success reflects the role faith can play in achieving goals.

“It shows that God is within us and he’ll help those who really want it,” the student told Currents News.

Students are now preparing to watch the New York ticker-tape parade on June 18.

Prison Ship Martyrs Monument in Fort Greene Park Memorializes Dark Revolutionary History

By Jessica Easthope

Would people still stop to read an email, or would children keep playing, if they knew they were sitting on a crypt? Remains of 11,500 people are buried below a nearly 150-foot monument in the center of Fort Greene Park. They died gruesome deaths aboard British prison ships anchored in Wallabout Bay during the Revolutionary War.

“The living conditions were grotesque, horror and horrific, which they were so bad that every day they would come around and between 5 and 10 bodies would have, you know, people would have died overnight and they’d have to drag them, and they either they either threw them into the, into the and just into the East River, or they buried them in very sandy soil along the coast,” said Father Anthony Andreassi, administrative vicar at the Oratory Church of St. Boniface and an American historian.

More Americans died on those ships than in all the battles of the war combined. Many could have walked free if they swore loyalty to the Crown. Father Andreassi says they refused.

“You could have gotten off those ships very easily if you just pledged loyalty to the Crown. You were off the ship. It was that easy,” he said.

The British held thousands of captives in squalor for the entire duration of the Revolution. They died of starvation, disease and overcrowding. The prisoners represented all 13 colonies.

“And there are more people who died in Brooklyn, if you will, than, because of the American Revolution and the rest of the war,” Fr. Andreassi said.

In 1808 remains were gathered and buried. But by the early 20th century there was a renewed effort to recognize these people. And today the towering monument in the first public park in Brooklyn serves as a reminder of their deaths — and that freedom has never been free.

“It’s very easy to be patriotic when we put a flag out in front of our house on the 4th of July, and then we sit in the backyard grilling some hot dogs with family and friends, it’s much harder when it comes at an immense cost,” Fr. Andreassi said.

We know only some of their names but most of the 11,500 have been lost to history.

“Martyr means a witness to witness to your faith. These people witness to their to the love of this country they were trying to build from scratch and they paid the highest price for that witness, which is death,” Fr. Andreassi said.

As the early Christians said, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. In Brooklyn, the blood of the prison ship martyrs helped plant the seed of a nation.