Four new priests were ordained in the Diocese of Brooklyn on June 1, 2024 by Bishop Robert Brennan at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph.
Deacon Tobechukwu Offiah, Deacon Caetano Moura de Oliveira, Deacon Randy Nguyen, Luis Marquez all tell their stories and how they eventually answered the call to the priesthood in this special edition of Currents News.
Bishop Robert Brennan gives his 2024 Ordination Homily at the St. Joseph Co-Cathedral on Saturday, June 1.
Four transitional deacons were ordained in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
“Welcome one and all to the Cathedral of St. Joseph to celebrate that these, our sons and your relatives and friends, are soon to be advanced to the Order of Priests. I extend a special welcome
to the members of their families here present and those who join us from great distances by way of live-stream and NET-TV.
Thanks to all of you for your support of these men and the role you have played in helping them to know Jesus Christ and to follow his call. It is so good to be together with the bishops
and so many priests and religious, with the deacons and so many who build up the Church here in Brooklyn and Queens and you who serve for the formation of priests.
I do want to say a particular word to all of you, the faithful – so many of you here and others through NET-TV: Your presence speaks volumes about the ways that these men of witnessed among
you these years, about your own deep faith and about your love for your priests. I can say enough about how much that means.
Thank you, thank you thank you. Consider carefully the nature of the ministerial rank in the Church to which they shall be raised. They are to be configured to Christ the eternal High Priest and joined to the Priesthood of the Bishops; they will be consecrated as true Priests of the New Testament, in order to preach the Gospel, shepherd God’s people, and celebrate divine worship, especially in the Lord’s Sacrifice.
The Church in Brooklyn and Queens, indeed the whole Church rejoices in this magnificent gift. We give thanks to God for this grace and for the courageous and generous response of these men about to be ordained.
Now, beloved sons, Caetano, Luis, Randy and Toby, you are to be raised to the Order of the Priesthood, configured to Christ, the teacher, priest and shepherd; so as to serve Him, sharing in His ministry. Your first and most important responsibility is to be a faithful disciple.
Jesus speaks very directly to you in today’s Gospel which bring us to his table on the night before he died.
“This is my commandment: love one another as love you. No one has greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I HAVE CALLED YOU FRIENDS, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.”
Do you hear that? Jesus calls you friends. He calls you friends. He makes known to you everything from the Father. Make no mistake about it. I realize you are here today because you have heard that invitation of Jesus into a profound friendship. That friendship led you to discern your vocation. Through the formation process – through study, prayer and honest dialogue, you have
grown to know Jesus better.
Ah, but this is only the beginning. You must strive to know him more and more; to know him as He truly is and not who you want him to be. Let your friendship with Christ be at the very heart of everything you do and more importantly all that you are. Be close to him in your prayer. Be rooted in His word in Sacred Scripture and close to Him in the Sacraments and Adoration.
Keep this Gospel passage especially close to you. Listen carefully to the voice of Jesus as he speaks directly to you. Only after calling you friends does he send you forth: “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain.” What is this fruit that will remain? It is nothing less than Jesus himself.
Brothers, soon to be brother priests, the world is desperate to know Jesus Christ and the gift of his friendship. Whether or not it realizes it, the hunger is real. As priests of Jesus Christ, you will bring Jesus Himself. You will do so through your preaching and witness. You will do so through your humble ministerial service. You will do so through the celebration of the Sacraments.
Be generous witnesses of Jesus – Bold, Joyful and Unapologetic. Jesus took to himself the prophesy of Isaiah proclaimed in the first reading today. You know it well. “The Spirit of the Lord God is
upon me, because the Lord has anointed me.”
In friendship, he hands it on to you: sending you, anointing you to bring glad tidings to the lowly, healing to the broken hearted; the lifting burdens from those who mourn and bestowing a glorious mantle in place of a listless spirit.
You will celebrate your Masses of Thanksgiving tomorrow on the Feast of Corpus Christi. This, in the midst of Eucharistic Revival. Now, I may be a little biased, but these have been moments of
tremendous grace. We are witnessing a genuine hunger for Jesus and a profound love for Him in the Eucharist. During the National Eucharistic Procession here om Brooklyn last week, a lady turned to me and said, “the faith is deep.”
I can’t help but really think about her observation. It is deep. The faith is deep. I wish it were a little wider – encompassing more of our brothers and sisters. But let me tell you, where there is faith it is Real, it is Deep. This is where you come in. You will exercise in Christ the office of sanctifying; for by your ministry the spiritual sacrifice of the faithful will be made perfect. In the celebration of the mysteries, it is united to the Sacrifice of Christ, which is offered, through your hands and in union with them, in an unbloody manner on the altar.
Understand, therefore, what you do, and imitate what you celebrate; as celebrants of the mystery of the Lord’s Death and Resurrection, may you strive to put to death whatever is sinful within you and to walk in newness of life.
Remember, when you gather men and women into the People of God through Baptism and, in the name of Christ and the Church, forgive sins in the Sacrament of Penance, when you comfort the
sick with holy oil and celebrate the sacred rites, when you offer praise and thanksgiving through the hours of the day and pray not only for the People of God but for the whole world: always
remember that you have been taken from among the people and appointed on their behalf in those things that pertain to God.
Fulfill, therefore, the ministry of Christ the Priest with abiding joy and genuine love. Seek not your own concerns but those of Jesus Christ. The elder, St. Paul asks the younger Timothy to set an example for those who believe, in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity. Do not neglect the gift conferred on you this day through the prophetic word with the imposition of hands. Keep always before your eyes the example of the Good Shepherd, who lays down His life for his friends.”
Here’s a look at this year’s ordination in the Diocese of Brooklyn, where four men were ordained as priests on Saturday, June 1, at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights.
By Jessica Easthope
They shed tears of joy, received words of support, and finally answered a call that had burned inside of them. For the Diocese of Brooklyn’s four newly ordained, this is the beginning of the rest of their lives.
“Ever since I went to the first ordination seven years ago, I always dreamed that one day it’s going to be my ordination day, and now that day has come,” said Father Luis Marquez.
“I feel that though my paths were not straight, that’s what the Lord was using to form my conscience,” said Father Toby Offiah.
On Saturday, hundreds filled the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, to watch Caetano Moura de Oliveira, Luis Marquez, Randy Nguyen, and Toby Offiah fulfill a lifelong dream.
Bishop Robert Brennan says God has called each of them uniquely.
“Everybody has a different story; for some, it was always there, and for some, it developed over time, and for some, it came as a surprise even later on; that’s the amazing thing about the Lord; he calls us, in His own way and in His own time,” said Bishop Brennan.
Ordination day is packed with tradition. One by one, the priests of the Diocese of Brooklyn laid their hands on the heads of the newly ordained, extending the sign of peace. These men are now welcomed into the priesthood by their brothers, an extension of their communities here and around the world.
“They do bring a diversity of culture, but these are men of Brooklyn and Queens, so they are very much part of this local church,” Bishop Brennan said.
“I’m a great sinner; I’m a very weak, normal person,” said Father Caetano Moura de Oliveira. I’m only here because he loves me.”
Thousands took to the streets, walking with Jesus through Brooklyn. The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage made several stops through the Diocese of Brooklyn on its way to Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress.
Prepare to be amazed by the story of a New York mom whose unwavering devotion to St. Gerard led to a miraculous outcome. Despite being told she may not have children, her prayers to the patron saint of motherhood were answered in a truly extraordinary way, 16 times over.
A Yonkers man is on a mission to preserve the stories of World War II heroes. Bob Abate, a veteran himself, has spent the last 25 years interviewing hundreds of combat veterans and recording their stories on audio cassette tapes.
We’ll look back at the incredible feat a St. John’s University professor reached. A couple of years ago, Brian Browne experienced chest pain during a run. Later, he found out he needed heart surgery. After the life-saving procedure, he made it his goal to finish a full marathon, and he did.
Tune into the ordination of four transitional deacons in the diocese of Brooklyn on Saturday, June 1, at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph on NET TV at 11 am.
Bishop Robert Brennan will be there to ordain all four deacons to the priesthood.
NET TV is available on Spectrum channel 97, Optimum channel 30, and Verizon Fios 48 across New York City, Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam and Dutchess Counties, Long Island and southern Connecticut.
Students across Brooklyn and Queens are preparing to say goodbye to their schools, but the family of one graduating senior is leaving behind a gift for future students.
Vincent and Lori Theurer donated $1 million to Brooklyn’s Xaverian High School.
The couple had two boys in the school, one who graduated in 2009 and another who is graduating from there this weekend.
They said they were inspired to contribute by Xaverian’s “commitment to academic excellence intertwined with Catholic values.”
The school said that money will help expand its facilities, enrich its programs, and provide opportunities for its students.
The Diocese of Brooklyn will have four new priests. Each of the transitional deacons has followed a unique path to the priesthood. Ordination day is June 1. The ceremony will be held at 11 am at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph.
From the rosary beads hanging above the church’s front door to the fleur de lis in the chapel, there are symbols of Mary throughout Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Queens Village.
“Even non-Catholics will come and attend our Masses because of the Blessed Mother,” said Father Patrick Longalong, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. “And once they come in and they experience such a welcoming environment, they want to stay.”
Pastor Longalong said they’ve been coming since 1924. That’s when German and Irish immigrants built the original church, now called the chapel.
But after World War II, the area’s population grew. Since there wasn’t enough room to expand at the original location, they bought the land across the street, and in 1954, the current church was built. Seventy years later, this church is located in one of the most diverse zip codes in the country.
“We have a lot of Filipinos,” Father Longalong said. “We also have a growing Bangladeshi community, Sri Lankan community, big Hispanic community, but even the Hispanic community is a very diverse group.”
The one thing that brings this diverse group together is their faith.
Take Mary Mooney, who leads a close-knit group of women in the prayer shawl ministry.
“My faith has sustained me through immigration, loneliness, loss of a child, you name it, loss of my husband recently, and there was nothing that your faith can’t carry you through,” said Mary Mooney, a parishioner at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish.
Prayers of comfort and healing are woven into the fabric with each stitch. Mooney and her volunteers have spent countless hours knitting beautiful shawls, blankets, hats, and gloves for people battling an illness, grieving a loss, or facing a difficult time—anyone in need of a comforting embrace.
“We want that person to know that we’re sharing in whatever their struggle might be,” Mooney said. “It’s our pleasure to serve God in this way. I cry a lot because it gets very emotional sometimes.”
It’s a gift from their hearts and hands. They don’t expect anything in return, but they get a lot of thank you notes.
“Sincerest thanks to you and the shawl ministry for the most beautiful prayer shawl for our young niece,” Mooney said.
There’s a pattern of gratefulness.
“Words can’t express how I feel,” Mooney said. “Your generosity and prayers for me and my family remind me that I am not alone and that I will get through this.”
As long as one person out there might need to be wrapped in love, Mooney said she’ll continue her handiwork.
“By doing something very small, very simple, just give it quietly,” Mooney said. “It’s most touching that God gave you the ability to do something like that.”
Now you know Mary Mooney from Our Lady of Lourdes and how she makes up the pulse of the parish.
It was career day at one school in Elmhurst, Queens, allowing some professional adults to share talents and careers.
Currents News anchor Christine Persechetti had the honor of presenting to the students at P.S. 148, telling them all about her journey in the world of TV news.
Other speakers included doctors, firefighters, engineers, even a scientist.
Some of the kids came dressed as police officers, airplane pilots, or whoever else they want to be when they grow up.