Every year, thousands of public school students in the Diocese of Brooklyn enroll in faith formation classes.
We’ll speak with Father Joseph Gibino, the Diocese of Brooklyn’s vicar for evangelization and catechesis, about the plan to have this program in more parishes.
Right now, there are nearly 27,000 children who participate in catechesis across the Diocese of Brooklyn.
The USCCB is responding to the senate’s new border deal package.
by Katie Vasquez
Watching Mariangel Vargas play chess, you might be surprised to learn she has only been playing for a year.
“I feel, like, nervous,” Mariangel said. “And at the same time when you play, you’ll feel like, I mean, you’re very focused on the game.”
The 12-year-old grew up in Colombia, where she says chess isn’t common, but something her family was familiar with was gang violence.
“They [gang members] forced me to kneel and I refused. They threw me, hit me and took out their weapons and put them to my head,” said Vargas’ mother, Alexandra Gomez.
In October 2022, Mariangel’s parents decided the danger was too much, and made a brutal journey, traveling through the desert in Mexico to come to the U.S.
“The United States defends the rights of people and it was there that we decided to undertake this. It was a painful path, but here we are,” Gomez said.
As Mariangel was adjusting to her new life in New York, she saw a flyer at her school, P.S. 11, advertising Spanish chess lessons.
The charity in charge, The Gift of Chess, had noticed the influx of Spanish speaking migrants, and founder Russell Makofsky wanted to help.
“It’s like a curriculum in itself with incredible educational benefits. and then once you learn the game, you can begin to interact with your classmates that speak English because you’re sharing that language, that universal language of the game of chess,” Makofsky said.
Quickly, Makofsky noticed Mariangel becoming a master.
“She’s currently ranked in the top 50 of players, girls her age in the United States,” Makofsky said.
Mariangel says every move on this board is guided by God.
“I pray before the game because I think that can bring me a lot of luck,” Mariangel said.
And her favorite part?
“When I’m winning,” she said.
The game has helped Mariangel adjust and succeed in a new life.
Her father, Francisco Vargas, says she’s achieving the dream that they came here for.
“We’re proud of her, as parents, watching her grow little by little, because that is beautiful, for dad and mom, to see that their children are growing,” Francisco said.
Mariangel wants to take her skills to the top. She hopes to eventually become a grandmaster which is the highest title a person can receive in chess.
For more information on “The Gift of Chess” head to their website: thegiftofchess.org
Thanks to a charity called, the Gift of Chess, a young girl who just arrived in the U.S. from Colombia last year is now a nationally ranked player.
New York City has come up with a new pilot program to deal with the migrant crisis.
The highest court in the land is considering a case involving herring fishermen that may have an impact on certain religious liberty cases.
Pope Francis has penned a letter– addressed to “My Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel.”
A special look at Catholic Schools Week in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
The students from the Canarsie school put faith behind their lessons and on Thursday, Feb. 1, they had a lesson in faith from the saints.
Students at Our Lady of Trust spoke about the holy men and women at their saints fair.
They studied the lives of a saint of their choice and presented what they learned to their classmates.
Be sure to stay with Currents News and The Tablet for continuing coverage of Catholic Schools Week.
If you’re interested in sending your children to catholic school, just visit catholicschoolsbq.org or call 718-965-7380 for more information.
A new study is showing the power of faith. According to a survey from the Pew Research Center, 70% of American “nones,“ that’s people with no religious affiliation, still believe in God or a higher power.
This comes as the number of “nuns,” meaning religious sisters, is dropping across the country. According to a projection from the U.S. bishops’ conference, the amount of religious men and women in the U.S. will drop over 50% in the next decade.
National Correspondent for The Tablet and Crux, John Lavenburg, breaks down the numbers and what they all mean.
We’re bringing you stories from across the Diocese of Brooklyn, showing how they not only excel in helping students academically, but in growing their faith.
Bishop Robert Brennan as he took part in a science experiment at Our Lady of Trust.
The robotics team at Holy Savior Menard Central High School in Louisiana is helping a puppy get around.
There’s a new survey out that says about 70 % of American adults who describe themselves as religiously unaffiliated, or NONES, still believe in God.
From a lesson in history to an experiment in the science lab.
Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan took part in a STEM lesson at Our Lady of Trust in Canarsie, making rock candy from scratch.
The younger students showed the bishop their artistic side, performing faith-based songs for him.
The school ended the day with sports and games in the gym.
Be sure to stay with Currents News and The Tablet for continuing coverage of Catholic Schools Week.
If you’re interested in sending your children to catholic school, just visit catholicschoolsbq.org or call 718-965-7380 for more information.
This week some Catholic schools aren’t just looking to the future; they’re honoring their past.
Auxiliary Bishop James Massa traveled back in time Wednesday with help from students from Sacred Heart Catholic Academy in Bayside.
It was all part of their 100th anniversary celebration.
Each grade dressed up as a different decade, learning about the important events happening at that time.
Bishop Massa says those lessons are helping the kids get some perspective.
Alumni also recently visited to talk to students about the school’s history.
Be sure to stay with Currents News and The Tablet for continuing coverage of Catholic Schools Week.
If you’re interested in sending your children to catholic school, just visit catholicschoolsbq.org or call 718-965-7380 for more information.
It’s a church in Brooklyn that attracts attention because of its size and beauty.
But if you walk through the doors at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, you’ll notice the outside doesn’t even compare to what’s inside.
“Wow. I can’t believe this beautiful gem exists here. I feel like I’m in Rome,” said Father Christopher Heanue, rector of the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph. “I feel like I’m in Europe and that’s the feeling that I love to see when people walk into this church for the first time, this awe.”
The Prospect Heights parish was founded in 1851. The original church, which ministered to an Irish congregation, is a far cry from the grand building that replaced it in 1912.
But over the years, the church fell into disrepair. One of the bell towers even collapsed.
So about a hundred years after it was dedicated, the rapidly deteriorating church was restored and named a co-cathedral.
“Recognizing the needs of the diocese, the needs of a location where we can gather large audiences, large congregations. So for this church, which was on the verge of absolute ruin and destruction, the option was clear, we either tear down the church or we restore it to its beauty,” Father Heanue said.
And that beauty shines through the stained glass windows that depict the life of Joseph, and the images above of our Blessed Mother.
The sacred artwork shows the various cultures in the diocese, so every parishioner whether they speak English, Spanish, or even Creole, can see their own mother in Mary.
And those parishioners travel from all over just to attend Mass here.
“They keep coming back because they love this parish, they love assisting here, they love praying here,” Father Heanue said.
Take Nancy Cardinale, for example.
“Nancy is a parishioner that attends every daily Mass — like the USPS, come rain or shine, sleet or snow or hail,” Father Heanue said. “She is here and she really, for me, is inspiring in that regard in her faith.”
But Cardinale doesn’t just attend Mass, she sets up for it, every morning.
“I gotta do my things here,” Cardinale said. “I gotta clean up over there. I gotta fix the flowers over here, these flowers don’t look right I have to make them straight and I started to do that and nobody said anything to me. I said: ‘You know they need a woman’s touch in here, you know, to do all those things.’”
Cardinale even chimes in during Mass to ring the bells. It’s a job she doesn’t take lightly and one she always shows up for.
The significance of the bells during Mass, Father Heanue said, is they’re an important aspect of the consecration, in that they elevate us and help to center us, to recognize this core tenet of our faith, that the bread and wine are becoming the body and blood of Christ.
“I have to come to church every day because I had so many things in my life that Jesus was always there for me when I prayed,” Cardinale said. “He always gives me an answer.”
Her faith is something she never questions and that rings true every morning when she sits in this pew.
“I just feel it’s a blessing because I want to,” Cardinale said. “I just want to give so much thanks and praise to God that I just, every morning in my prayers, I say get me to the house of St. Joe’s where I can ring the bells to heaven.”
And now you know Nancy Cardinale from the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, and how she makes up the Pulse of the Parish.