SOUTH OZONE PARK — If you ask Frances DeLuca, principal of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Academy, why she chose Catholic education as her career, she gives a two-word answer: The Bible.
DeLuca said the Old Testament’s Book of Isaiah guided her toward education.
“I love where it says in Isaiah, ‘I have called you by name; you are mine,’ ” she said. “I believe it’s telling us that God is calling us to live a certain life, and we must go where he wants us to go.”
It also made her realize, she added, that her life was meant for education.
DeLuca is one of millions of people who draw inspiration from the Bible, which is the greatest-selling book of all time, according to Guinness World Records.
And for a book written 2,000 years ago, it remains a hot seller with no signs of slowing. According to Circana BookScan, a firm that monitors book sales, Bible sales have skyrocketed in recent years.
19 million copies were sold in the U.S. in 2025 — double the amount sold in 2019.
The sales figures are also impressive in England, where sales jumped 134% percent from 2008 to 2025, according to SPCK, a Christian publishing company.
Guinness World Records estimates 5-7 billion Bibles have been sold throughout history.
No doubt people find inspiration in the Word of God and have bookmarked their favorite psalms and Gospels. The Tablet asked folks here in the Diocese of Brooklyn to share their favorites, and we received a variety of responses.
BROTHER GREG CELLINI, O.S.F.
Brother Cellini, the director of the Office of Mission, Ministry and Interfaith Dialogue at St. Francis College, said he draws inspiration from Luke 1-37.
“For nothing is impossible with God.”
He said it inspired him to put a sign on a wall of his office that reads, “Without God, I am nothing. With God, nothing is impossible.”
BEATRICE MILLS-HENRY
Mills-Henry, a parishioner of St. Clement Pope Church in South Ozone Park, said Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 is her favorite: For everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.”
But she also noted she loves the Beatitudes, referring to Matthew 5:3-10 in which Jesus reminds the faithful in the Sermon on the Mount that, among other things, “The meek shall inherit the earth.”
SHANIQUA WILSON
The Bible verse that Shaniqua Wilson, a parishioner of St. Bonaventure-St. Benedict the Moor Parish in Jamaica returns to again and again is Romans 8:28: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.”
Wilson said she loves it because of its message. “It reminds us that all things — not somethings, not convenient things, not comfortable things — but all things are being worked out by God for our good,” she explained. “Even when we cannot see it, even when heaven feels quiet, God is still moving behind the scenes.”
FRANCES DELUCA
DeLuca, principal of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Academy in South Ozone Park, said one of her favorite Bible verses is (Isaiah 43:1): “I have called you by name; you are mine” from the Old Testament.”
“It shows that God has a plan for each and every one of us and that we should trust his infinite wisdom,” she explained.
CHRISTIAN RADA
Rada, director of Marriage, Family and Respect Life Education for the Diocese of Brooklyn, said Acts 20: 7-12 are his favorite Bible passages. It describes how Paul interrupted his preaching to a group of people to help revive a man named Eutychus who fell from a second-floor window.
Paul then continued preaching without missing a beat. “I think what it’s saying is that you should continue to do God’s work despite whatever interruptions and distractions you face,” he said.
REBECCA NEWMAN-MAHONEY
Newman-Mahoney, a parishioner of St. Sebastian Church in Woodside, said prayer is central in her life. She highlighted Luke 18:1, in which Jesus tells his followers they “ought to pray and not lose heart,” and Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”
“The Bible was written 2,000 years ago, but I feel like this was made for me,” she said. “It reads like it was written today.”
JOSEPH BOVA
Matthew 25-40 holds a special meaning for Bova, a parishioner of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Bensonhurst. “Whatsoever you do for the least of my brothers, you do unto me,” is a phrase that summarizes what it means to be Catholic, he explained.
“That’s what we’re supposed to be here for, to help the less fortunate,” he added.
BARBARA VELLUCCI
The story of Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist, as told in Matthew 3:13-17, is one that Vellucci, a parishioner of St. Ephrem Church in Dyker Heights, said brings her closer to her Catholic faith.
Matthew describes how the heavens open, the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove, and the voice of God is heard saying, “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”
“It epitomizes what being Catholic is all about,” she said.
MARYELLEN QUINN
Quinn, director of the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Office for the Protection of Children and Young People, said her parable is the story of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15:11-32. It tells the story of a reckless son who squanders his inherited fortune, returns home destitute, and is forgiven by his loving father. “It gives us hope,” she said. “Everyone makes mistakes, and you are forgiven. We can get a second chance in life.”