"[Through Discovering Christ] I realized Jesus Christ was going to be my best friend. Jesus Christ is more than just our God, but He is someone I relate to on a regular basis."

I grew up in an Italian Catholic family. I made all my sacraments, as a typical young Catholic should, and our family went to weekly Mass. From the ages of 11 to 14, I was an altar boy in our home parish.

When Fr. Joseph Espaillat was first named pastor of St. Anthony of Padua in the Bronx, he spent a year observing the life of the parish. After the first year, an immediate need stood out: there was a lack of community.