The Good Newsroom

05/30/2026

On Thursday, May 28, hundreds of eighth grade students from Catholic schools in the Bronx gathered at Riverdale Catholic for a graduation Mass.

Archdiocese of New York Vicar General Bishop Edmund J. Whalen celebrated the Mass.

"You're going to start high school, and you have a choice. You can either remain inside yourself, it's all about me, or you can throw yourself into the full high school experience. And if you do that, if you go beyond yourself, then like Mary, you're going to find how God is calling each of you to bring Jesus alive," Bishop Edmund J. Whalen said during his homily.

Read more:
https://thegoodnewsroom.org/bronx-catholic-schools-celebrate-graduation-mass-at-historic-church/

Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of New York

More than 700 eighth graders mark the end of grammar school at the church where President John F. Kennedy was confirmed.

05/30/2026

Archbishop Ronald Hicks praised Pope Leo XIV for addressing AI in his first encyclical.

Read more from his interview with Vatican News:

In an interview with Vatican News following Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical, Archbishop Ronald Hicks of New York expressed his welcome of the Holy Father's decision to address AI early in his pontificate.

05/30/2026

Fr. Ricky Manalo, a local Paulist Fathers priest, referred to Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical on artificial intelligence, “Magnifica Humanitas,” as “very timely.”

Hear more from Fr. Manalo about the encyclical:

Fr. Ricky Manalo is the author of the upcoming “Catholic Handbook for A.I.” and shared his thoughts on the pope’s new encyclical focused on A.I.

05/30/2026

Watch Fr. King’s homily from today’s Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral here. Our scriptures are full of questions, but we should make sure our questions come from a desire to seek the truth.

In his homily from Mass today at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Fr. Andrew King meditates on what our questions can reveal about us. Our scriptures are full of questions, but we should make sure our questions come from a desire to seek the truth.

05/29/2026

During his first Mass as a priest at Saint Mary-Saint Columba Church, Father Joseph Haas embraced his parents, Maureen and Tony Haas, and offered a first blessing to hundreds of parishioners.

He celebrated the May 24 Mass with Timothy Cardinal Dolan just one day after being ordained at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Read more:
https://thegoodnewsroom.org/washingtonville-welcomes-home-its-newest-priest-at-joyful-first-mass/

Photos: Steven Schwankert/The Good Newsroom

05/29/2026

On May 24, the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage began, covering a route named for St. Frances Xavier Cabrini over the next six weeks. The St. Frances Cabrini Shrine will pray for the perpetual pilgrims each day until the pilgrimage concludes in Philadelphia.

Learn more about the journey and St. Frances Xavier Cabrini:

"We are honored to welcome these young, faithful Catholics, whose dedication to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament would certainly please Mother Cabrini."

05/29/2026

More than 700 eighth-grade students from 20 Bronx Catholic schools gathered at the Church of Riverdale Catholic in North Riverdale for a graduation Mass celebrating the Class of 2026. Bishop Edmund J. Whalen, vicar general of the Archdiocese of New York, served as principal celebrant, urging the graduates to embrace the full high school experience and look beyond themselves as they prepare to transition to high school in the fall.

Read the article:
https://thegoodnewsroom.org/bronx-catholic-schools-celebrate-graduation-mass-at-historic-church/

Photos courtesy of Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of New York

Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of New York

05/29/2026

In an interview with Vatican News, Archbishop Ronald Hicks shared his perspective on Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” which covers, in part, the impact of artificial intelligence on human dignity and the common good.

“I feel that the Holy Father has his finger on the pulse of the real issues of what's going on in this world. He's addressing them. AI is here to stay, and it's something that everyone is talking about.” he said.

Read the article:
https://thegoodnewsroom.org/archbishop-hicks-of-new-york-magnifica-humanitas-to-shape-future-generations/

Photo: OSV News photo/Gregory A. Shemitz

05/29/2026

Fr. Ricky Manalo, a local Paulist Fathers priest and author of the upcoming “Catholic Handbook for A.I.,” spoke with The Good Newsroom about Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical on artificial intelligence, “Magnifica Humanitas.”

Watch the video:
https://thegoodnewsroom.org/father-ricky-manalo-magnifica-humanitas-catholic-handbook-on-ai

Video: Patrick Grady/The Good Newsroom

05/29/2026

Sisters John Dominic, Miriam, and Mercedes, from the “Dominican Sisters Open Mic” podcast, sat down with The Good Newsroom to discuss the inspiration behind their viral series and why they believe it has drawn so many listeners in.

Watch the video:

The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, created the popular Michigan-based podcast Dominican Sisters Open Mic. The sisters behind the podcast spoke to The Good Newsroom about what inspired them to create it and how it has grown.