A Bilingual Parish on Linden Street
Saint Brigid Roman Catholic Church has stood on Linden Street in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn for more than a century, and today it is one of the most thoroughly bilingual parishes in the Diocese of Brooklyn. Its weekly bulletin, its prayers, its worship, and even its weekday Masses move easily between English and Spanish. The parish describes itself as a community of all age groups with a passion for living a journey of faith and telling the story of God's redeeming love, rooted in the worship of the Apostolic Church, with preaching meant to be relevant and ministries that draw people closer to Jesus Christ.
The church and rectory sit at 409 Linden Street, Brooklyn, NY 11237, in the heart of Bushwick. A separate Religious Education Office is located at 438 Grove Street, just a short walk away. Across the street on Linden, the parish also shares a long history with St. Brigid-St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Academy, the parish elementary school. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Brooklyn, which supports the parish through its vocations office, its Catholic school system, and its shared communications channels, including Currents News, The Tablet, and Nuestra Voz.
For first-time visitors, the most important thing to know is the rhythm of the week. Every morning, Monday through Saturday, the parish gathers for an 8:45 a.m. Mass that is celebrated bilingually, with readings and prayers proclaimed in both English and Spanish. On Thursday evenings, a 7:00 p.m. Mass in Spanish follows an all-day period of Eucharistic adoration. The weekend begins on Saturday afternoon with a 5:00 p.m. Mass in English and a 7:00 p.m. Mass in Spanish, and on Sunday the parish offers five Masses across the morning and early afternoon, alternating languages, with a separate chapel space reserved for one of the Spanish celebrations.
Mass in Two Languages, Every Day of the Week
The full weekly Mass schedule is posted in the parish's weekly bulletin and on its Mass Times page. Weekday Masses, Monday through Saturday, are celebrated at 8:45 a.m. in a bilingual format. On Thursday evenings, a Spanish Mass is celebrated at 7:00 p.m. The Saturday vigil begins at 5:00 p.m. in English and continues at 7:00 p.m. in Spanish. Sunday brings the most options: 7:30 a.m. in Spanish, 9:00 a.m. in English, 9:00 a.m. in Spanish in the lower church (Iglesia de Abajo), 11:00 a.m. in Spanish, and 1:00 p.m. in English.
The Iglesia de Abajo, or lower church, is the secondary worship space inside the same building. Holding one of the 9:00 a.m. Spanish Masses there gives the parish flexibility during busy seasons and keeps the main church from feeling overfull. Both the main church and the lower church host the same liturgy, with the same readings and the same parish priest presiding.
First-time visitors who do not speak Spanish can comfortably attend any of the English Masses and follow along with the music and the homily. Visitors who do speak Spanish will find that the 11:00 a.m. Sunday Mass and the 7:00 p.m. Saturday Mass draw the largest Spanish-speaking crowds, and the 7:00 p.m. Thursday Mass is the quietest of the week. Because many of the readings, announcements, and bulletin inserts are printed in both languages, the parish makes a deliberate effort to ensure that no one feels like a guest in their own church.
The parish livestreams its Masses, and the recordings and homilies are posted to the parish YouTube channel at youtube.com/stbrigidrcc. The parish also shares daily reflections, announcements, and homily clips on Facebook at facebook.com/stbrigidrcc and on Instagram at instagram.com/stbrigidrcc. Anyone who is homebound, traveling, or simply unable to attend in person can remain part of the parish through these channels.
Adoration on Thursdays and First Fridays
Beyond the regular Mass schedule, St. Brigid sets aside long stretches of the day for Eucharistic adoration. On Thursdays, the Blessed Sacrament is exposed for the entire day, beginning right after the 8:45 a.m. Mass and continuing until 6:45 p.m., when Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is prayed. The evening closes with the 7:00 p.m. Spanish Mass, so that a single Thursday carries the parish from morning worship into a long, quiet midday of prayer and back into evening Mass.
On First Fridays, the pattern repeats with seasonal adjustments. Adoration begins after the 8:45 a.m. Mass and continues all day. From September through June, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is prayed at 2:45 p.m. In the evening, a 7:00 p.m. Holy Hour includes the recitation of the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and time for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. First Friday is a long-standing Catholic devotion, and St. Brigid weaves it into the rhythm of the parish year.
Confessions are heard at the regular Saturday slot from 4:00 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. and at the 7:00 p.m. Holy Hour on First Fridays. The parish priests are also available to hear confessions by appointment; the rectory can be reached at (718) 821-1690 to schedule one. The sacrament of Reconciliation, the parish teaches, allows us to return to the state of our baptism, where we are freed from sin, and the priests encourage the faithful to receive it often.
The Seven Sacraments
St. Brigid offers the full sacramental life of a Roman Catholic parish, and the church's own page on the sacraments explains them in plain language. A sacrament, the parish teaches, is a summoning that was instituted by Christ, that brings us into a deeper relationship with Him. The parish organizes the seven sacraments into three groups: the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and the Holy Eucharist), the Sacraments of Healing (Reconciliation and the Anointing of the Sick), and the Sacraments of Service (Marriage and Holy Orders).
Infant baptisms are celebrated on the first Saturday of the month in English and the second Saturday of the month in Spanish, both at 1:00 p.m. Parents are asked to call the rectory at least two months in advance to meet with a parish priest, bring the child's original birth certificate, and complete a Baptism Preparation Class, which is held on the Monday before the baptism at 7:00 p.m. Godparents must be practicing Catholics who have received Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation, and must be at least sixteen years of age. The parish also runs the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA), typically a two-year journey for adults preparing to enter the Church, and a parallel Rite of Christian Initiation for Children (RCIC) for children between the ages of seven and eighteen.
The Holy Eucharist, celebrated at every Mass, is the high point of the parish's liturgical life. The parish teaches that, in the Eucharist, the bread and wine become the real Body and Blood of Jesus through transubstantiation. Catholics in a state of grace are invited to receive Holy Communion, and non-Catholics are welcome to come forward for a blessing, indicated by crossing one hand over the opposite shoulder.
Confirmation is prepared through the parish's Religious Education Office under the direction of Mrs. Selene Espinoza. Weddings at St. Brigid require an appointment with a priest at least six months in advance and attendance at a Pre-Cana program, which the parish directs couples to register for at bqfaith.org. Marriage, the parish teaches, is a public sign that one gives oneself totally to another person, and for two baptized Christians, it is also a sacrament. Funerals are coordinated with the rectory, and the parish provides an English Funeral Preparation Book and a Spanish Funeral Preparation Book to help families plan the liturgies, choose readings and hymns, and arrange for burial in a Catholic cemetery.
The Anointing of the Sick, formerly known as Last Rites, is offered not only to those near death but to anyone in sickness, distress, or advanced age. The parish teaches that, through this sacrament, the Church comforts and supports the person who is suffering and continues the healing ministry of Christ. For information about vocations to the priesthood or the diaconate, the parish points visitors to the Diocese of Brooklyn's vocations office.
A Pastor Who Walks with Immigrant Families
St. Brigid's pastor, Very Rev. Carlos C. Velásquez, V.F., has made the defense and accompaniment of immigrant parishioners a central theme of his ministry. In a pastoral letter shared with the parish on the memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, patron saint of immigrants, Fr. Carlos wrote with an open heart about the suffering, fear, and uncertainty that many parish families were living through, and offered the parish's solidarity. He described parishioners coming to him in tears with stories of loved ones detained without notice, parents afraid they will not return home from work, young people carrying silent uncertainty, and some families who have returned to their home countries out of fear.
In the letter, Fr. Carlos expressed deep gratitude to the bishops of the United States for their Special Message on Immigration, issued at the Plenary Assembly in Baltimore, and listed the principles the bishops had affirmed. Every person, regardless of immigration status, is created in the image of God. The Lord commands us not to oppress the widow, the orphan, or the stranger. Christ became poor for our sake and stands with the most vulnerable. We are called to love as Christ has loved us and to act as the Good Samaritan. And if one member suffers, all suffer with it, a truth the parish lives out among its immigrant families.
Fr. Carlos closed by asking the parish to read the bishops' message together as a family, to remain united, and to trust that the Church is a spiritual home for all her children. The choice of the memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, who is also the namesake of the parish academy, connected the parish's immigrant identity to the patron saint of immigrants in a single gesture.
Music for Two Choirs
Music at St. Brigid is led by Jonathan Mercado, the parish's organist and Director of Sacred Music. Two choirs serve the parish. The Parish Choir sings for the 1:00 p.m. English Sunday Mass, with warm-ups at 12:30 p.m., and is open to singers from seventh grade through adulthood. The ability to read music is helpful but not required; singers need a sense of pitch, a love of singing, an openness to different styles and genres, and a commitment to the weekly rehearsal and the full choral season, which runs from September to early June. Rehearsals are held on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., with additional rehearsals scheduled for Christmas, Easter, and other special liturgies.
The Coro Parroquial serves the Spanish-speaking community and sings for the 11:00 a.m. Spanish Mass on Sundays, with warm-ups at 10:30 a.m. Like the English choir, it is open to singers from seventh grade through adulthood, and no prior music-reading experience is required. Rehearsals are held on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Both choirs follow the same choral season, and both welcome new members at any time during the year. In his note to the parish, Jonathan writes that the choirs need members, and that there is a ministry for everyone.
Prayer Groups and Parish Ministries
St. Brigid's ministries list includes more than a dozen prayer groups and service organizations, all of them meeting at the church. Some are devotional, some are service-oriented, and several are Spanish-speaking or bilingual. Together they give the parish a continuous rhythm of small-group life alongside the Sunday Masses.
The Parish Sacred Music Program is the choir program described above, with both English and Spanish components. The Cursillo de Cristiandad Movement is a lay-led retreat movement that supports members in deepening their relationship with Jesus Christ. The Divine Child Group (Grupo del Divino Niño) is a Spanish-language devotion to the Child Jesus. The Eucharistic Ministers (Ministros de la Eucaristía) assist the priest in distributing Holy Communion at Mass, and the parish invites anyone who feels called to this ministry to contact the rectory.
Hermanos Unidos en Cristo is a Spanish-language group for men. Jesús Me Pastorea is a Spanish-language charismatic prayer group. The Knights of Columbus (Caballeros de Colón) is the parish's council of the international Catholic fraternal organization, and it works on parish service projects and supports men in their faith. Lectors (Lectores) proclaim the Scripture readings at Mass in both English and Spanish. Ministers of Hospitality (Ministros de la Hospitalidad), also known as ushers, greet parishioners and assist with collections and the flow of worship.
Three groups are devoted to popular Marian devotions central to the Spanish-speaking Catholic tradition. The Our Lady of Guadalupe Group (Grupo de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe) gathers around the December feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The Virgen del Cisne Group honors the Ecuadorian devotion to Our Lady of Cisne. The White Army Group (Grupo Armada Blanca) is a devotional movement that brings together parishioners in prayer and processions. The parish encourages anyone interested in joining any of these groups to contact the rectory.
Faith Formation and the Catholic Academy
Faith formation at St. Brigid is organized through the Religious Education Office at 438 Grove Street, under the direction of Mrs. Selene Espinoza. The office handles the parish's preparation programs for First Communion, Confirmation, and continuing religious education for school-age children, and the contact email is ccd@stbrigidrcc.org. The office shares the same phone number as the rectory, (718) 821-1690.
The parish also maintains a close relationship with St. Brigid-St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Academy, the parish elementary school. The academy's principal is Mr. Israel Rodriguez. The school is part of the Catholic school system of the Diocese of Brooklyn, and families interested in enrollment are pointed to catholicschoolsbq.org for information on Catholic academies across Brooklyn and Queens. Through the academy, the parish reaches families whose children receive both academic instruction and regular religious education during the school week, complementing the parish's sacramental preparation programs.
For adults who want to deepen their understanding of the Catholic faith, the parish points to the Diocese of Brooklyn's faith formation programs at bqfaith.org, including the Pre-Cana program for engaged couples and the RCIA process for adults preparing to enter the Church.
Faith Resources to Read and Watch
The parish's Explore Your Faith section gathers a wide library of Catholic articles, podcasts, and videos organized by topic: Who is Jesus, Growing in Virtue, Identity and Purpose, Theology and Culture, Worship, and Navigating Grief and Suffering. Many of the resources are drawn from national Catholic publishers and are not specific to St. Brigid, but the parish curates them and shares them with parishioners as a way of supporting daily faith life between Sundays.
The parish also offers two downloadable study guides: a Rule of Life guide and a six-week discipleship course called The 6 Daily Habits. These follow the Practicing the Way model of intentional spiritual formation, a popular resource among evangelizing Catholic parishes in North America. The Bible in a Year podcast by Fr. Mike Schmitz is recommended as a daily reading companion, and the parish also links to popular Catholic podcasts such as Restore the Glory, Prime Matters, Abiding Together, and Crash Course Catholicism.
In addition to these general resources, the parish publishes its own short articles on prayer, parenting, and parish life. One widely shared article, The Sunday Struggle: Navigating Mass as a Parent of Children With Autism, describes how a family with neurodiverse children learned to make Sunday Mass a regular part of their life, sitting in the back pews and gradually working their way closer to the altar over several years. Other recent articles cover Lenten fasting, confession, the veneration of relics, the meaning of sacramentals, the theology of beauty and creativity, and the Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas.
The parish livestreams Sunday Mass, posts recordings and homilies on YouTube, and shares daily reflections and announcements on Facebook and Instagram. Visitors can follow along on each platform by searching for stbrigidrcc.
Visiting St. Brigid
The church and rectory are located at 409 Linden Street, between Bushwick Avenue and Wyckoff Avenue, in the heart of Bushwick. The Religious Education Office is at 438 Grove Street. The rectory is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and again from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., and on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The office is closed on Sunday.
The parish can be reached by phone at (718) 821-1690 or by email at rectory@stbrigidrcc.org. The Religious Education Office can be reached at ccd@stbrigidrcc.org. Visitors looking for a map and driving directions can find them on the parish's Contact and Map page.
Anyone seeking a sacramental certificate can fill out the request form on the parish's Sacramental Certificates page, including as much detail as possible about names and dates. Couples preparing for marriage should make an appointment with a priest at least six months in advance. Parents seeking baptism for an infant should likewise call the rectory at least two months in advance. Those who feel called to any of the parish's ministries or choirs are invited to introduce themselves to a priest or the ministry coordinator after Mass, or to reach out to the rectory during office hours.
St. Brigid Roman Catholic Church is a parish where two languages meet, where immigrant families find a home, where seven sacraments are celebrated every week, and where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed for adoration on Thursdays and First Fridays. Its pastor, its parochial vicars, its deacon, and its lay leaders keep its many doors open, and the parish's many choirs, prayer groups, and faith formation programs give everyone, regardless of age or language, a place to belong.