By Currents News
Parishioners at Our Lady of Snows in Floral Park celebrate the feast of St. Alphonsa, the first woman of Indian origin to be canonized, with a special Mass and outdoor procession on July 19.
The annual observance drew hundreds of worshippers from the parish’s large Indian Catholic community, and included ceremonial umbrellas, the distribution of blessed bread, and a statue and relic of the saint.
By Jessica Easthope
At a time when many assume Christianity is in decline, the Catholic Church in the United States is experiencing a surge in conversions.
In the Diocese of Brooklyn alone, more than 1,200 people were welcomed into the Church at Easter this year.
Nationwide, according to 2024 annual figures, more than 90,000 people joined the Catholic Church. More than 34,000 were baptized, while more than 55,000 entered the Church from other Christian denominations.
A study conducted by several dioceses between February and May 2026 surveyed thousands of participants in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) to better understand what motivated their conversions.
Among those surveyed was Isabella Williams, a young convert who said belief in the Eucharist was central to her decision.
“No other church had the real presence of Jesus Christ, or believed that to be true,” Williams said. “I couldn’t go back to those churches after I truly believed that Jesus was present in the Eucharist.”
The study found that 85% of participants said their primary motivation for becoming Catholic was a desire to grow closer to God. Smaller percentages said they wanted to better understand the truth or find greater inner peace.
Williams said she believes the Catholic faith offers purpose.
“I think people are converting to the Church because it gives meaning to life,” she said. “It fills the hole in our hearts.”
She also pointed to what she sees as a hopeful moment for the Church in the United States, citing the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, alongside the increase in conversions.
One of the study’s most notable findings involved the role of Catholic tradition.
According to the survey, 68% of participants said the Church’s rites, liturgy, prayers, and sacraments played an important role in their conversion.
Williams said the Church’s history also resonated with her.
“Having the deep roots of the Catholic faith, being the Church that Jesus started himself and lasting for over 2,000 years, it felt like it mattered,” she said.
Of the 71 dioceses that participated in the study, 66 reported a 38% increase in baptisms.
The findings point to a broader trend of increasing numbers of Americans choosing to embrace the Catholic faith.
By Katie Vasquez and Paula Katinas
WILLIAMSBURG — The brass band came marching into Bamonte’s on July 19, playing tunes that had diners clapping their hands, tapping their toes, and bobbing their heads.
It wasn’t quite the dinnertime music that most people think of when they’re dining out in trendy Williamsburg on a Sunday evening.
But this was no ordinary Sunday evening, and this was no ordinary brass band at the timeless Italian restaurant.
July 19 marked the end of the 12-day feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to Williamsburg, many of whom walk one block to Withers Street to Bamonte’s to enjoy a feast after the feast.
RELATED: Generations Return to Williamsburg to Honor Our Lady of Mount Carmel
On the final day, members of the Giglio Band, the musicians who are one of the mainstays of the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s feast, marched from the feast to Bamonte’s to play for their supper.
To the delight of diners, many of whom stood on their chairs and waved their napkins in the air, the band treated people to such tunes as “When the Saints Come Marching In,” “New York, New York,” and “Sweet Caroline.”
“This is the hottest reservation in Williamsburg today,” said Danny Vecchiano, the band leader who has been capping off the feast by marching into Bamonte’s for 37 years. “We would come in here and do exactly what we did out there for the crowd, eat a little something [and] entertain again.”
Vecchiano added that the band members love the tradition, and Bamonte’s is the perfect place to continue the celebration.
“This restaurant’s been here for so long. People just identify with it,” he explained. “The food has always been outstanding, so people come back here to have a taste of the old neighborhood again.”
Bamonte’s has been serving up dishes since the dawn of the 20th century. Originally called Liberty Hall, the restaurant was established by Pasquale Bamonte shortly after he emigrated from his native Salerno, Italy, to the U.S. and settled in New York City.
Still in the hands of the Bamonte family 126 years later, Pasquale’s grandson Anthony, his three daughters, Lisa, Laura, and Nicole, and his sister Anita currently operate the eatery.
The menu features traditional Italian fare such as spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, baked ziti, manicotti, along with other favorites like steak pizzaiola. It is also famous for its seafood, including calamari casserole, a filet of flounder, broiled lobster tails, and shrimp marinara.
In addition, according to the owners, Bamonte’s kitchen is where the world was first introduced to chicken parmigiana — a dish that is a staple on many dinner tables.
As legend has it, Pasquale Bamonte was behind the stove one day in 1945 when he realized he had run out of eggplant to make his well-known Eggplant Parmigiana. So, he substituted chicken for the eggplant, and a new culinary staple was born.
The secret to the restaurant’s longevity goes beyond its menu, according to Lisa Bamonte, who said they treat customers like family.
“This is our home away from home,” she said, “and we invite everyone into our home to be part of our extended family.”
If you think you have seen Bamonte’s on some of your favorite television shows, you would be right. Hollywood loves Bamonte’s as much as Brooklyn does.
Scenes from many shows, including “The Sopranos,” “Blue Bloods,” “Kojak,” “Person of Interest,” and “Power,” have been filmed in the legendary restaurant.
Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, pastor of the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, called the band’s mini concert at Bamonte’s one of the feast’s great traditions.
“Most people see the dancing of the Giglio and the procession of our lady. But there are so many other things that go on,” he said. “This feast has so many traditions.
“It’s all wrapped around the church and that whole faith experience of faith, family, neighborhood, community, and friends. That’s what it’s all about.”
New numbers show that more people are joining the Catholic Church – their reasons for coming to Christ are pointing to tradition and truth.
One Catholic Church in Queens marked the feast of St. Alphonsa, the first Indian woman to be canonized a saint, with an outdoor procession.
The Our Lady of Mount Carmel feast came to a close in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, but not before participating families headed to Bamonte’s Italian restaurant for a meal fueled by decades of tradition. We take you inside this classic eatery in this installment of the Supper Series.
by Katie Vasquez
Bamonte’s Restaurant has been part of Williamsburg, Brooklyn’s Italian-American heritage for more than a century. July 19 marked the end of the 12-day feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to Williamsburg, many of whom walk one block to Withers Street to Bamonte’s to enjoy a feast after the feast.
By Jessica Easthope
WILLIAMSBURG — The 80-foot Giglio is the centerpiece of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel feast in Williamsburg but the devotion that flows out onto the streets starts inside church.
Catholics of all backgrounds share a common thread of faith and on July 16 the fabric came together for Our Lady of Mount Carmel. People packed the pews of the church by the same name for the first of several Masses held on Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s feast day. The 10 a.m. mass was celebrated by retired Diocese of Brooklyn Auxiliary Bishop Raymond Chappetto. Later in the day a statue of Our Lady is processed through the blocks to spread a message — during a festival that weaves together faith, culture and tradition, the Blessed Mother should always be in focus.
“Bringing her around the streets of the neighborhood and asking people to respect her. To love her as we do,” Bishop Chappetto said.
“Our Lady of Mount Carmel has been in my family for generations. My grandmother was actually baptized in 1914 at this church, and we’ve done the walk ever since. And this is our next generation. Her name is Carmela,” said Deborah Cervo who stood with her daughter Lynda and granddaughter Carmela.
“If we don’t pass it on, who will? That’s how traditions phase out. And we don’t want that to happen,” said Lynda Cervo.
After Mass Bishop Chappetto said there are many things about the feast that never change and that’s by design — because Mary never loses her importance and her place in our lives as a mother.
By Katie Vasquez
A Sicilian chef who spent a decade cooking at the Vatican is bringing his family recipes and faith-filled approach to a restaurant in SoHo.
In the debut of our new Supper Series, discover the story behind the chef who cooked for Popes St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI — and the dish inspired by the Vatican that still appears on his menu today.
by Katie Vasquez and Paula Katinas
SOHO — One of the late Pope Benedict XVI’s favorite dishes was gnocchi, which Salvo Lo Castro knows for certain as one who used to cook it for him.
The Sicilian-born Lo Castro was the Vatican chef for 10 years, from 2000 to 2010. He recalls spending many happy hours in the kitchen preparing meals for Pope Benedict XVI and, for a brief time, his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.
“For me, it’s a very beautiful experience for 10 years to cook for two popes, for many guests of the popes,” he said. “It’s a very beautiful human experience.
“And now, it’s a beautiful experience in New York City.”
In 2025, Lo Castro brought his culinary artistry to the Big Apple, opening Casasalvo Ristorante, an Italian restaurant at 195 Spring Street in Soho that offers diners the chance to eat like a pope.
Lo Castro was born at the foot of Mount Etna in Sicily, and Mediterranean fare is at the heart of his cuisine.
“My kitchen is Sicilian,” he explained. “I look at the Mediterranean Sea — this is my DNA of the kitchen.”
His menu features dishes like Salmon Oreganata, Bigoli all’ Aragosta (lobster with Pachino tomato and oregano), Carnaroli Risotto, Char Grilled Octopus and Sicilian Pure, Bluefin Tuna Tartar, and Mediterranean Ceviche.
RELATED: Notable Quotes From Pope Benedict XVI
Lo Castro pays tribute to Pope Benedict with a dish named Gnocchi di Papa Benedetto ai 6 Formaggi (gnocchi with six cheeses). It was a dish he often cooked for the late pontiff.
“I prepared the gnocchi. Papa Benedicto was German,” he said, noting that Pope Benedict also loved potatoes.
All the pasta dishes served at Casasalvo feature homemade pasta carefully crafted by hand by Lo Salvo, who noted he uses only the finest flour.
However, he added that a customer favorite is the meatballs, which he makes from his mother Maria Angela’s recipe. They are also a personal favorite of Lo Salvo’s, who said he always asks his mother to make them when he visits home.
“I eat meatballs for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” he joked.
Casasalvo is Lo Castro’s latest contribution to New York’s dining scene. Prior to opening the restaurant in 2025, he established four coffee shops — called Casasalvo Cafés — featuring coffee and freshly baked pastries.
RELATED: Fast Facts About Archbishop Ronald Hicks
Although he is no longer at the Vatican, Lo Castro has maintained ties with the Church. In January, he prepared food for Archbishop Ronald Hicks of New York in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Still, he said, no matter where he cooks, his attitude remains the same.
“My style of kitchen is the same,” Lo Castro explained. “You work in the Vatican, you work in New York, you have one style of kitchen.”
The key for Lo Castro, who grew up in a Catholic family that said grace before meals, is to do everything with love.
“Normally,” he said, “every meal I prepare with just my hands and my heart.”
By Currents News
Boy Scouts from the Diocese of Brooklyn traveled to the Ten Mile River Scout Camp in the Catskills for their annual summer camp.
The camp gives the scouts time to reflect in nature and grow closer to Christ.
Father Christopher Heanue, pastor of St. Joan of Arc in Jackson Heights and a Boy Scout himself, celebrated Mass with the group on Tuesday, July 14.
He filled in for Bishop Robert Brennan, who was unable to attend this year.