Kristina Valente, Author at Brooklyn Priests

20 Aug Talking to Family and Friends About Interest in the Priesthood

Posted at 12:19h in Vocation Director's Corner by Kristina Valente

Maybe you’re considering the priesthood and you feel peaceful about following God’s call and applying for seminary. But what about your family and friends? What if they don’t understand? What if they reject your choice, or — even worse — you? It’s true that breaking the...

20 Aug 2025 Diocesan Priest Ordination

Posted at 10:31h in Featured by Kristina Valente

Seven new priests were ordained in the Diocese of Brooklyn on June 28, 2025 by Bishop Robert Brennan at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph. Father Robert Ruggiero, Father Benoit Chavanne, Father Juan Herrera-Posada, Father Callistus Ibeh, Father Paulo Salazar, Father Alvaro Morales Sanchez and Father Nelson...

31 Jul Why Celibacy for Priests

Posted at 10:03h in Vocation Director's Corner by Kristina Valente

You might think that the issue of priestly celibacy is a “newer” matter in the Church. After all, the Roman Church has continually reiterated the law of priestly celibacy for most, if not all, of her history. So it seems that celibacy must have been...

20 Jun Be Not Afraid

Posted at 17:47h in Vocation Director's Corner by Kristina Valente

Perhaps priesthood has crossed your mind, but fear pushes the idea away: My friends would laugh if they heard I was thinking about the priesthood! My parents would be shocked. My mom wants grandkids. I'm scared to death of speaking in public. I'm nowhere near holy enough. I don't want to...

20 May Gaining Peace Through Prayer

Posted at 11:39h in Vocation Director's Corner by Kristina Valente

Is God calling me to be a priest? How can I know for sure? What's the best way to make a decision like this? As you contemplate what to do with your life, be confident that God has a specific plan for you, and that you...

28 Apr The Most Important Decision You’ll Ever Make

Posted at 17:18h in Vocation Director's Corner by Kristina Valente

If you were about to make one decision that would dramatically impact the rest of your life, how would you go about it? If you were contemplating a cross-country move, you’d probably learn everything you could about the new city. If you were choosing a career,...

31 Mar Ordination is Just the Beginning

Posted at 17:40h in Vocation Director's Corner by Kristina Valente

One of the most beautiful liturgies in the Catholic Church is when a man becomes a priest of Jesus Christ. At the Mass of Ordination, the men to be ordained kneel in front of the bishop one by one, and they place their folded hands between...

24 Feb St. Vincent de Paul

Posted at 12:42h in Vocation Director's Corner by Kristina Valente

Holy priests don’t always start out holy. Take the case of St. Vincent de Paul. His beginning was rough, but in time, Vincent became an exemplar of priestly virtue and holiness. Being from a poor family, his father had to sell the family’s oxen to send...

22 Jan Nihilism vs. Vocation

Posted at 17:01h in Vocation Director's Corner by Kristina Valente

“We're accidents floating on a rock in the emptiness of space. Billions of years preceded humanity, and after our inevitable extinction, there will be billions more years of silent emptiness. Human existence is a blip that means nothing in the vast history of the universe." Such...

19 Dec The Shepherd’s Voice

Posted at 17:46h in Vocation Director's Corner by Kristina Valente

Our Lord said that His sheep would know His voice; but when it comes to discerning your vocation, you’ve probably found that it’s not as simple as it sounds. How can you tell if what you're hearing is God's voice? If you keep in mind a...