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Celebrating the Blessed Mother: Our Lady of Sorrows Church Honors Patron in Queens, New York

By Currents News

Sept. 15 marks the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. 

For the Corona, Queens church that bears the name of the Marian title, honoring the Blessed Mother has been a ten-day celebration.

Mass on the feast was just one of many events held in honor of their patron.

Starting on September 6, the church prayed a Novena wherein every day different ministries within the parish took over the celebration to honor the Marian title.

It was first used by seven young people in Tuscany, Italy in the 1200s as the principal devotion of their order. 

On Sunday, Sept. 14 a Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Hector Rodriguez of the Dominican Republic.

Catholic News Headlines for Monday 9/15/2025

Catholics join Bishop Robert Brennan in a day of prayer for an end to violence around the world.

Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Corona, Queens, held a 10-day celebration ahead of their patron’s feast day.

The Diocese of Brooklyn’s Irish American community gathered for the Great Irish Fair, which benefits Catholic schools in Brooklyn and Queens.

From Brooklyn and beyond, Catholics all over celebrated Pope Leo XIV’s 70th birthday this past Sunday.

Catholic News Headlines for Friday 9/12/2025 

A fourteen-year-old flute player’s musical journey began at her New Jersey church, where her parish family nurtured her talent and faith. Now, she’s heading to Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program.

Authorities have caught and identified a suspect in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Pope Leo XIV will soon be turning 70 – we share how you can send him a birthday prayer and well wishes.

New Jersey Flute Prodigy Credits Spiritual Home In Achieving Dream Opportunity With Julliard

By Katie Vasquez

As Chideha Osondu’s fingers play notes, the sound of her flute fills St. Thomas the Apostle Xhurch with angelic music. The Bloomfield, New Jersey church is where she got her start with the instrument. 

Back in 2020, she asked the organist, Patricio Molina if she could participate. 

“At first, I didn’t think he would allow me to play, especially since I was such a beginner,” she told Currents News. “But for him to allow me and gave me the opportunity meant a lot.”

And that was just the beginning: Molina saw the potential in Osondu, and was able to get her music lessons. 

“In a matter of like 6 months, her progress was so extraordinary. I was shocked,” Molina, who is also the director of music at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, told Currents News.

The New Jersey parish has opened its doors to give the 14-year-old performance experience. 

“I really, I want the parish to know that she, the seeds were planted here,” said Father Lawrence Fama, St. Thomas the Apostle Church’s pastor. “We helped her grow by our prayers, by our love, by her, our support, our encouragement for her.”

Now thanks to the help from her church community, she was accepted to the music advancement program at the Juilliard school. 

“I know she will always look back at Saint Thomas as the beginning of this beautiful story of her life,” said Father Fama. 

It’s a tuition free weekend program that is designed to help students reach their potential. 

“She’s just so excited. And we are too, that she’ll be learning from the best of the best and playing with other students who are very talented,” said her parents, Chinwe and Ejike Osondu. 

It’s accomplishment that her parents believe was divine intervention.

“Everything God just orchestrated everything in just incredible ways,” said Chinwe, “no matter what happens, remember to put God first and just keep thanking Him and doing whatever you can to show Him how grateful you are.

“I’m proud of her, of course. I feel for her. This is this is still the beginning,” said Ejike. “You pray and put in their work and let god do the rest.”

Chideha Osondu will forever be grateful to God and the faithful that stood by her. 

“It’s good to have perseverance and continue to pray, because God’s always there,” she explained. “And, without him, I don’t think it’d be as far as I got.”

She will keep practicing, with a goal of eventually performing at Carnegie Hall.

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday 9/11/2025

They may not have been alive to remember where they were on Sept. 11, 2001, but students at one Catholic Academy in Queens are still preserving the memories of those we lost that day.

24 years after 9/11, officials are continuing to identify the remains of victims from the World Trade Center attack – the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner has identified more than 1,600 individuals.

The FBI is releasing photos of a person of interest in connection with the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

In NYC, St. Helen Catholic Academy Students Honor Lives Lost on 9/11

By Katie Vasquez

It was a solemn procession outside St. Helen Catholic Academy as the Queens school remembered the lives lost on 9/11. 

“It was horrible knowing that this happened to people 24 years ago,” 7th grader Clara Wierzbicki told Currents News.

“I like this because especially we are giving people who died, first responders, the recognition that they deserve,” said 6th grader Joe Griffith of the experience: 400 kindergarten through 8th grade students placed a patriotic pinwheel outside the church and school as a way to honor the victims.

While these kids were too young to have any memories of that dark day, the neighborhood was deeply affected.

The principal of the Howard Beach school wanted to make sure students knew about it.

“We have so many families that were touched that day that it was really important that the students who were not born at that time, who it is just a piece of history for, understand how close it is to our community and our church and our families,” said principal Tara Di Rico. 

One mother of two students at the school, Andrea Ammirabile, was working downtown on the day the World Trade towers fell. 

 “Everybody panicked in my building, and we were all kind of running around. And the first initial response from my office was to stay in the building. There was so much flying debris, even before they had fallen,” said Ammirabile. 

The morning started with prayer in the gym, and PJ Marcel, a parent and member of the Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps, brought a piece of a beam from the south tower of the World Trade Center.

“You could see their minds trying to develop and process what’s going on here, because they weren’t even a thought 24 years ago when the attacks on American soil took place,” said Marcel. 

That’s another reason for this recognition: to make sure future generations never forget. 

“I think we need more peacemakers. We need more heroes. We are in an environment where these kids are living in a form of fear regularly. And I think [we need] to be reminded that we had struggles, we had tragedies. So this is not something new to what we hear in the news today, but we came together,” said Di Rico. 

“I think it’s good that we don’t forget about it, because of the heroes that sacrifice themselves to save others,” said Wierzbicki. 

Throughout the school day, the students worked on projects focused on processing what happened on that tragic day.

9/11 Memorial Mass in Brooklyn Honors Heroes: Full Homily From Fr. Anthony Palombo

By Currents News and Alexandra Moyen

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — FDNY firefighters from Brooklyn’s Battalion 57 marched across the Brooklyn Bridge to honor the heroes who lost their lives during the 9/11 terror attack, showing that “9/11 We Never Forget” is more than a motto; it’s a living pledge carried forward with each step they take.

Bishop Robert Brennan said the “poignant” procession is an act of solidarity that not only acknowledges the lives lost, but also the continuing sacrifices of first responders.

“We remember the sacrifice and the horror of that day, and then honor them for their bravery, and with a sense of gratitude because our first responders allow us to conduct life around here and keep us safe,” Bishop Brennan said. “Then we pray … I’ve been praying myself along the way, but we will be praying together at holy Mass at the Co-Cathedral.”

RELATED:  Bishop Robert Brennan Processes Over Brooklyn Bridge, Leads Brooklyn FDNY September 11 Mass 

On Sept. 11, 24 years after the attack, the FDNY Battalion 57 marched from Manhattan across the Brooklyn Bridge, passing firehouses on their way to the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph. Bishop Brennan met them and walked in solidarity, honoring the fallen alongside them.

As part of the procession, the firefighters carried 25 flags — one American flag and 24 FDNY flags, representing the 23 members of Battalion 57 who died on 9/11, along with one additional flag in honor of a battalion member’s brother who also lost his life in the attack.

Battalion 57, also known as “The Pride of Brooklyn,” consists of several fire stations and companies, including four Battalion Chiefs, Engine Companies 217, 219, 230, and 235, as well as Ladder Companies 102 and 105.

Bishop Brennan celebrated Mass, and Father Anthony Palombo, a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark and son of firefighter Frank Palombo, who was among the many killed during the terror attacks, was the homilist.

RELATED: Surviving 9/11 Attacks Left ‘No Questions About the Reality of God,’ Says Deacon

Father Palombo shared with parishioners that his initial reaction to his father’s death was “wicked,” leading him to a deep disdain for God. Yet, during his grief, he said he realized a life-changing truth — “God simply wanted to show me that he loved me as I was.”

He said it was this “powerful and transformative” love that pulled him out of his anger and sorrow and into the priesthood.

“That opened a new possibility in my life, where previously, I had seen myself trapped with no way out,” Father Palombo told The Tablet. “[I have] gratitude for God for saving me from the hell I was experiencing and also discovering that through the death of my father, God wanted to show me he was my father [too].”

TONIGHT AT 7: Queens Catholic Academy Students Honor Those Lost on Sept. 11

By Katie Kasquez

From the Diocese of Brooklyn to cities across the country, we remember 9/11 not only to honor the fallen and support those left behind but also to educate the next generation about one of the darkest days in U.S. history.

It’s why students at St. Helen Catholic Academy in Howard Beach began their day with prayer.