A Bilingual Parish on Throop Avenue
All Saints - Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii stands on Throop Avenue in Brooklyn, where it has been a Roman Catholic presence for more than 150 years. The parish describes itself as a population of diversity and a family of believers seeking extraordinary lives in the love of Jesus Christ. Its motto captures that hope for every member and visitor who walks through the doors.
What sets All Saints apart at first glance is its bilingual character. The Sunday schedule offers one Mass in English and another in Spanish, and weekday Masses are celebrated entirely in Spanish. The parish keeps two sets of lectors, English Lectors and Spanish Lectors, so that the readings at each liturgy are proclaimed in the language of the people gathered. Bilingual secretaries staff the parish office so that phone calls and visits can be handled in either language, and an OCIA process is offered in both as well.
The parish belongs to the Diocese of Brooklyn and follows the sacramental life of the Roman Catholic Church. It is a place where longtime Catholic families sit alongside newcomers who are exploring the faith for the first time, and where the regular rhythms of Mass, confession, faith formation, and feast-day celebrations shape the year.
Mass Times and the Shape of the Week
Sunday Masses are celebrated at 9:00 am in English and at 11:30 am in Spanish. On weekdays, Mass is offered at 9:30 am in Spanish, with the exception of Tuesday, when the weekday Mass moves to the evening and is celebrated at 7:30 pm in Spanish.
Reconciliation is available at any time by appointment. The parish encourages Catholics to receive the sacrament frequently and notes that confession is one of the ordinary ways a Catholic who has fallen into mortal sin is restored to a state of grace before receiving the Eucharist.
The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, closing for lunch between 12 noon and 1:00 pm. The office is closed on Saturday and Sunday, so most parish business, including scheduling baptisms, arranging weddings, requesting sacramental records, or arranging OCIA classes, happens during the weekday hours.
What to Expect at Mass
For someone who has never been to a Catholic Mass, or has not been in a long time, the parish offers a clear walk-through of the liturgy. Mass is divided into two main parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
The service begins as the priest and altar servers process into the sanctuary. The Penitential Rite and the Kyrie acknowledge human brokenness and ask for the mercy of God. In the Liturgy of the Word, the congregation hears readings from the Old Testament, a Psalm, the New Testament, and a Gospel reading, usually followed by a homily from the priest. After the homily, everyone stands and professes the faith together, reciting either the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene Creed. The first part of the Mass closes with the Prayer of the Faithful, an intercessory prayer that joins the voices of those present to those of the whole Church in heaven and on earth.
The second half of the Mass is the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Bread and wine are brought to the altar. The priest prays the Eucharistic Prayer and consecrates the gifts. All Saints, like every Catholic parish, teaches that through transubstantiation the bread and wine become the true Body and Blood of Christ. The congregation kneels in reverence, says the received Our Father together, and comes forward to receive communion. The Mass closes with a final prayer and blessing before the priest and servers process out.
Catholics who are properly disposed (in a state of grace and not conscious of unconfessed mortal sin) are invited to receive Holy Communion. Non-Catholics and Catholics who are not yet prepared to receive the Eucharist are welcome to come forward in the communion line with their arms crossed over their chest to receive a blessing instead. The parish makes clear that everyone, regardless of where they are on their journey, is welcome to attend and participate.
The Seven Sacraments
All Saints celebrates the seven sacraments recognized by the Catholic Church: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Reconciliation (also called Penance or Confession), Anointing of the Sick, Marriage, and Holy Orders. Each sacrament, the parish teaches, is a summoning instituted by Christ that brings the one who receives it into a deeper relationship with Him. The word sacrament comes from the Latin sacramentum, meaning a sign of the sacred.
The sacraments are grouped into three categories. The Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist) bring a person into the Church and deepen the gifts first received at baptism. The Sacraments of Healing (Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick) restore the soul and the body when they have been weakened by sin or illness. The Sacraments of Service (Marriage and Holy Orders) consecrate a person for a particular vocation in the life of the Church.
Baptism
Baptism is the first step in a lifelong journey of commitment and discipleship. The waters of baptism wash away original sin and incorporate the baptized into the Body of Christ. It is received only once. For infants, the parish asks for two or three meetings before the celebration, with at least one Catholic godparent who has been confirmed and is living the faith. Older children and adults who have not been baptized enter the church through OCIA, with baptism usually conferred at the Easter Vigil. Baptisms are celebrated in the parish church and not in private homes, except in cases of family illness or emergencies.
Reconciliation
Reconciliation, also called Confession or Penance, is the sacrament through which a Catholic who has sinned returns to the state of baptism and is freed by God's unconditional forgiveness. The parish encourages Catholics to go to confession frequently and to ask priests about particular patterns or struggles that keep recurring. The confessional seal is absolute: a priest who repeats anything heard in confession would be excommunicated. Reconciliation at All Saints is offered any time by appointment.
Holy Eucharist
The Eucharist, or Communion, is both a sacrifice and a meal. Catholics believe in the real presence of Jesus Christ under the appearance of bread and wine, and receiving the Body and Blood of Christ nourishes the faithful spiritually and unites them to the whole Church. The Church recommends fasting for at least one hour before receiving communion, and regular confession to prepare the heart. Only Catholics may receive communion; non-Catholics who feel called to the Catholic Church and to the Eucharist are invited to explore the Becoming Catholic process.
Confirmation
Confirmation is the sacrament in which a baptized Christian is sealed and strengthened by the gift of the Holy Spirit to be a living witness to Christ. It is received only once. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit given at confirmation are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord, all gifts named by St. Paul. Catholics baptized in another Christian tradition who wish to enter full communion with the Catholic Church are received, confirmed, and receive first communion, usually at the Easter Vigil.
Marriage
Marriage, or Holy Matrimony, is a sacred union celebrating the covenant between a man and woman as husband and wife. In the vocation of marriage, the couple is called to be an image of how Christ has loved the Church. Marriage preparation at All Saints follows the diocesan process, and Catholics marrying a non-Catholic need to seek a dispensation from the local bishop.
Holy Orders
Holy Orders is the ordination of a man to the priesthood. In the sacrament a man vows to lead Catholics by bringing them the sacraments (especially the Eucharist), by proclaiming the Gospel, and by providing other means to holiness. The sacrament covers ordinations to the diaconate and to the episcopacy as well as to the priesthood. Men who sense a possible call to the priesthood are encouraged to pray daily and to speak with the parish priest or the diocesan vocations office.
Anointing of the Sick
Anointing of the Sick is bestowed on anyone in distress who is in need of God's grace and mercy to be restored to full health. It is offered to the sick, the dying, and to the elderly whose strength is fading, and it is fitting to receive it before a serious operation. For those who are about to die, the Church also offers the Eucharist as viaticum, food for the journey home.
Becoming Catholic Through OCIA
For adults who are not yet Catholic, the path into the Church runs through OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (the current name for what was long called RCIA). The parish encourages anyone curious about Catholicism to begin the conversation with the parish office.
OCIA is a series of classes, usually meeting weekly over several months, that covers Church teaching, the sacraments, and Sacred Scripture. Those who join the process bring their questions, meet others walking a similar road, and choose a sponsor who will walk with them through the journey. People who have never been baptized will receive Baptism, Confirmation, and First Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. People who were baptized in another Christian denomination will be received into full communion with the Catholic Church and will receive Confirmation and First Eucharist at the Vigil. Children and teens who have not been baptized or who have not received the other sacraments follow a parallel preparation through Catechism classes.
Parish Beliefs
All Saints teaches, in summary, the classic Catholic faith: belief in one God who created the heavens and the earth; in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, who died on the cross for our sins, rose again on the third day, and ascended to the Father. Through His death and resurrection, the parish teaches, Christ conquered sin and opened the way to eternal life with God.
The parish holds that the Church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. The word catholic comes from the Greek katholikos, meaning universal, and refers to the whole family of believers across every nation, language, and century. The parish places its own history inside that larger story, which began on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came down on the apostles and gave them the courage to become witnesses of Christ. The same Spirit, the parish teaches, broke down ethnic and linguistic barriers on that day and continues to unite the Church now.
All Saints teach that there is real forgiveness in the sacrament of Reconciliation, real presence in the Eucharist, and real grace in each of the seven sacraments. The parish asks its members to take up the simple mission that the Church gives to every Catholic: to love God and to love others.
Lectors and Parish Life
Among the ministries the parish highlights, the English Lectors and the Spanish Lectors have their own dedicated pages. Lectors are the lay men and women who proclaim the readings at Mass and, when there is no deacon, lead the Prayer of the Faithful. Both groups are open to new members who want to serve in this way at the liturgy of their language.
Beyond the lectors, the parish organizes its ministries and groups around the seasons and stages of family life. The list visible to parishioners includes groups for men, women, adults, teens, seniors, children, young adults, empty nesters, the first five years of marriage, parents of little ones, parents of teens, parents of young adults, expectant parents, single adults, single parents, widows and widowers, those who are dating, married couples, parents in general, and grandparents. Each of these groups exists to help the people in that season find companionship, support, and a way to grow closer to God.
Faith formation for children and teens is coordinated by the Faith Formation Director in the parish office. Older children preparing for First Communion or Confirmation, and adults preparing for marriage or for the sacraments of initiation, find their programs through the same office.
The Parish Staff
The parish is led by the pastor, Rev. Vincenzo Cardilicchia. He is assisted by a parochial vicar, Fr. Romulo Marin. Mrs. Awilda Martinez serves as the Faith Formation Director and oversees the religious education of children and adults in the parish. Two bilingual secretaries, Ms. Yajaira Toribio and Ms. Massiel Walle, staff the parish office and handle inquiries in both English and Spanish. The sacristan and custodian, Mr. Felipe Ramos, cares for the sanctuary, the sacred vessels, and the physical plant of the church building.
Couples preparing for marriage, parents scheduling a baptism, and adults inquiring about OCIA are encouraged to begin with the parish office, where the bilingual staff can connect them with the right priest or program.
The Building and the Neighborhood
The church stands at 115 Throop Avenue in Brooklyn, in the neighborhood where the parish has lived out its 150-year mission. A photo gallery offers views of the sanctuary, the side chapels, and the devotional life of the parish, and the parish keeps a weekly bulletin online that records the names of those being remembered in the prayers of the Mass, the schedules of upcoming feast days, and the announcements of parish organizations.
The parish photo gallery carries the full name of the church: All Saints - Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii, a sign of the Italian heritage that shaped the neighborhood and the parish in earlier generations. The combination of Italian roots and a present-day congregation that worships in both English and Spanish reflects the history of the area and the changing faces of the families who now call the parish home.
Becoming Part of the Parish
The parish invites anyone who has been attending Mass at All Saints for some time to register. Registration allows the parish office to keep important information on file, to issue yearly tax receipts for giving, and to give the parishioner the ability to manage mail and giving preferences. Newcomers can register online. The parish also offers online giving through a secure giving page managed by Give Central, allowing parishioners and friends to support the parish's ministries and operations from anywhere.
For those preparing for baptism, for couples preparing for marriage, for parents bringing forward a child for First Communion or Confirmation, for adults entering the Church through OCIA, for those seeking confession or anointing, and for anyone who wants to become part of the life of the parish, the parish office is the place to begin. The bilingual staff will connect visitors with the right priest or program, and the priests are available to speak after Sunday Mass about any question a visitor might have.
A Parish Open to the Neighborhood
All Saints presents itself as a parish. Its history stretches back more than 150 years. Its present includes English-speaking and Spanish-speaking Catholics, longtime residents and recent immigrants, lifelong Catholics and adults discerning the faith for the first time. The Mass schedule is built around that mix, the office is staffed to welcome it, and the OCIA process exists to draw in anyone who feels the call.
For a first-time visitor, the simplest introduction is a Sunday Mass. The 9:00 am Mass is celebrated in English; the 11:30 am Mass is celebrated in Spanish. Weekday Masses are celebrated in Spanish, with the morning Mass at 9:30 am Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and an evening Mass on Tuesday at 7:30 pm. The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, closing for lunch from noon to 1:00 pm, and is closed on weekends.
All Saints is a parish that has lived in its neighborhood for over a century and a half, and it continues to invite new families and individuals to make it their spiritual home.