Micah Breakfast at St. Barnabas & St. Paul’s Patchogue Honored at 2025 Celebration of Ministry

Fr. Sylvester Award Photo
Posted by Jack Smith
Tags:General, Grants

 

This past Thursday saw the largest Celebration of Ministry in diocesan history. On October 9, 2025, friends from parishes across Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk came together to honor the faithful work transforming lives throughout our diocese. The evening’s honorees — the Outreach Ministries of St. Paul’s Patchogue and the Micah Breakfast Program at St. Barnabas, Brooklyn — were celebrated for their inspiring witness to Christ’s love through service, hospitality, and steadfast compassion.

It was an evening of storytelling, gratitude, and shared purpose as guests reflected on how EMLI-supported ministries are making a tangible difference in their communities. If you couldn’t join us, watch the highlight videos below to experience the ministries that continue to shine light and hope across God's kingdom on Long Island.

Our honorees

 

Rooted in the prophet Micah’s call to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly, the Micah Breakfast Program welcomed neighbors with hot, nourishing meals, a warm seat, and dignified hospitality every Saturday. But the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down.

“Four of us decided to band together, and I started asking different people if they would donate," Annette told us. "Father Taylor asked how we were going to do it, and I told him we would donate and give every week. Until we got the EMLI grant, we were doing it all out of our pockets." 

At St. Paul’s, outreach is parish-wide and lay-led—woven through a network of ministries that open the church doors wide to the community. From meal service and a welcoming pantry to a bustling thrift shop and seasonal drives, parishioners organize, stock shelves, sort donations, and serve neighbors with compassion and respect.

“Everyone I know has gotten something they needed here," one parishioner told us. "I had one friend starting a new job, she couldn’t afford money for the thrift store, but they gave her clothes for work. They gave her a suit!” 

Photos from the Celebration

Photography by: Jennifer Uihlein, Girl in a Camera Productions 

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