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Fr. Eric J. Banecker: Dawn Amidst the Darkness: Dispatch from New York City – Brown Pelican Society of Lousiana

Fr. Eric J. Banecker: Dawn Amidst the Darkness: Dispatch from New York City

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By Fr. Eric J. Banecker, Catholic World Report, June 1, 2026

Fr. Eric J. Banecker is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

God delights in carrying out his work in secret, in the hidden recesses, and in the most unlikely places—even a field of dry bones!

I found myself with a free morning in New York City and decided to do some reconnaissance work at Saint Joseph’s Church in Greenwich Village. St. Joseph’s has recently been highlighted as a lodestar of a trend which more than the usual outlets have reported on in recent months: the spike in people—largely under 40—becoming Catholic.

First: the walk from 45th Street down to the Village. It was a perfect spring day in New York, warm but without the oppressive humidity of July in the city. And the streets were what they always are in the arch-metropolis: bustling with life of a certain variety. I always feel the need to walk very quickly in New York, as if walking slowly would lead to being accosted by someone taking surveys or being tempted to purchase an eighteen-dollar smoothie. I feel the need to talk loudly as well, like children in a large family who feel they must raise their voices to be heard. …

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