PROSPECT HEIGHTS — If you’ve ever wanted to get a behind-the-scenes look at a parish and the people who make it thrive, now’s your chance.

Currents News, the nightly television news program on NET-TV produced by DeSales Media Group (the communications and technology ministry of the Diocese of Brooklyn), presents a new season of “Pulse of the Parish.”

“Pulse of the Parish” is a series of popular segments on Currents News featuring Anchor Christine Persichette profiling Catholics who put their faith in action by working or volunteering at their local churches.

The new season kicked off on Oct. 30 with a visit to Holy Family Church in Fresh Meadows to meet Sonia Cuchapin, who shares her Filipino culture by organizing the church’s annual Santo Nino Mass and procession. The multi-tasker also leads the Line Dancing Ministry and serves as a Eucharistic minister and lector.

“Pulse of the Parish” began airing in 2022 and quickly became an audience favorite. The segments, a must-see in many households, air monthly on Wednesdays.

With Persichette as their guide, viewers have met a wide variety of their fellow Catholics, including a mother and daughter who run a food pantry at St. Matthias Church in Ridgewood, the director of communications at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Astoria, who is digitizing the church’s sacramental registers, an usher at St. Matthew Church in Crown Heights who portrays Jesus Christ in the parish’s Stations of the Cross, and a parishioner who does carpentry work at Sacred Hearts and St. Stephen’s Parish in Carroll Gardens.

“Pulse of the Parish” not only brings the viewers behind the scenes of a church, but the segments provide a wealth of information on a parish’s history.

“I’m so excited for the new season of Pulse of the Parish,” Persichette said. “I’m blessed to have the opportunity to meet so many inspiring Catholics who live right here in the Diocese of Brooklyn. And I love visiting the different churches and learning about their history.”

Persichette finds her “Pulse of the Parish” subjects by talking to church parishioners, scrutinizing church bulletins to look for interesting ministries to highlight, and calling pastors for recommendations on who they think would make good profile subjects.

Michelle Powers, news director for DeSales Media Group, said “Pulse of the Parish” is inspirational. 

“Too often in the news, it’s hard to see the good in the world,” she said. “But the truth is, it’s all around us. We just need to start recognizing it more.”

“And that’s what ‘Pulse of the Parish’ does and what Currents News does so well,” Powers explained. “Our newscasts and this series serve as reminders that we can choose to see our faith in action and make our own corners of the world a special place.”

Here’s a preview of what lies ahead:

• On Wednesday, Nov. 27, Persichette profiles Edward LaPlant, who is celebrating his 30th year as the music director at St. Anthony-St. Alphonsus Parish in Greenpoint. 
• Keith Goldberg, a parishioner of St. Francis de Sales Church in Belle Harbor, is the subject of the segment to air on Wednesday, Dec. 18. Viewers will learn how he organizes the parish’s iconic Summer Classic basketball league, which raises funds for the parish and brings the community together.

Currents News can be seen on Time Warner Cable (Channel 97), Optimum (Channel 30), and Verizon FIOS (Channel 548). Viewers can also watch episodes and segments on YouTube.