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Special Edition: Back to School 2024

It’s back-to-school season in the Diocese of Brooklyn, and Catholic schools are seeing a rise in enrollment. St. Bartholomew Catholic Academy in Elmhurst experienced a 20% increase last year and expects even more new students this year.

Diocesan schools go the extra mile for their students. At St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy in Astoria, teachers use Bluetooth-connected microphones to help students with hearing aids stay on track.

Faith formation is a top priority in the Diocese of Brooklyn schools. At St. Mel’s Catholic Academy in Flushing, two students converted to Catholicism, and the school played a key role in their spiritual journey.

Meet Khloe Chavez, a student at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Academy in Queens, who has a special connection to a soon-to-be saint. She first learned about Blessed Carlo Acutis when a relic arrived at her school and later received a video message from his mother.

 

Holy Father Headed to Asia and Oceania Next Week

In just a few days, Pope Francis will embark on a significant journey through Asia and Oceania to foster interreligious dialogue.

National Correspondent for the Tablet and Crux John Lavenburg joins Currents News to discuss the pope’s travel plans to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, and Timor-Leste.

Many People Turning to Krav Maga Classes as Anti-Semitism Rises

By Katie Vasquez

This gym is packed with people learning new techniques that could save their lives. 

“It prepares you for the different skills for the different attacks that could happen,” said Lisa Chase, a student at Krav Maga Experts.

Tsahi Shemesh started Krav Maga Experts on the Upper West Side 15 years ago. 

“Krav Maga has got, has the same values as the Jewish values,” said Shemesh. Hurt no one unless you must.” 

The name is Hebrew for contact combat, and it uses an Israeli self-defense system developed in the 1930s by Imi Lichtenfeld. 

“He was defending himself and the Jewish community against Nazi gangs,” said Shemesh. 

Since the war in Gaza started on October 7th, 2023, there has been an increase in anti-semitic attacks in New York City. 

The latest report from the NYPD cited a 137 percent increase in June compared to the same time last year.

Tsahi says a month after the war started, he was nearly attacked by a stranger.

“I never experienced Anti-Semitism,” said Shemesh, “that was unacceptable.”

And he’s not the only one here who has felt the hate. Shemesh says at least 50 percent of students in his classes are Jewish.

Student Neil Cohen has been disturbed by what he’s seen.

“There’s definitely an increased threat environment for anyone who looks Jewish these days,” said Cohen. “But certainly, a lot of my friends and relatives do, and I want to be able to protect them if necessary.” 

Which is the same reason Peter Zak started taking these classes,

“Whether it’s Anti-Semitism or any other reason, I feel I’m better prepared,” said Zak. 

But more than physical strength, these students and instructors say it’s taught them not to hide who they are. 

“I was a proud Jew before October 7th, even more so now,” said Cohen.

“I don’t want anybody to walk near me and not know that I’m Jewish,” said Shemesh. 

If you are interested in taking a class, you can visit their website at 

https://www.kravmagaexperts.com/

Visiting Priest Plants Seeds in Brooklyn: Msgr. Francis Twum-Bariham From Ghana Grows Faith

Monsignor Francis Twum-Barimah wasn’t expecting parishioners at St. Bernard of Clairveaux in Bergen Beach to get so emotional, but he was too.

“I was tearing within me even though it didn’t come out. I was quite emotional; it was so impressive,” Msgr. Twum-Barimah  said. “It made me feel that they appreciate what I have done so far with them.”

It’s his last day as a visiting priest at the church. When he came for the first time last year, he was here for 5 months—so these last 6 weeks flew by.

Msgr. Twum-Barimah needed to take some time off last summer to recover from brain surgery. Before doctors removed a tumor, they laid out the possible outcomes.

“I woke up one morning and I was going blind,” Msgr. Twum-Barimah  said. “The doctors told me it was 50/50, either you survive or you don’t, either you become a vegetable or you don’t.”

Msgr. Twum-Barimah has since made a full recovery. It’s hard to believe, but he came to Brooklyn for some peace and quiet and, in many ways, is getting back to his roots.

“It’s very quiet over here. I enjoyed the peace and quiet because I wasn’t home thinking about what the itinerary was. I just turned my mind off.”

He grew up farming with his family in rural Ghana, growing crops like cocoa and plantains. He traded in those days to plant different seeds, hoping instead to grow the faith of God’s people.

“I helped my parents on the farm.,” Msgr. Twum-Barimah  said. “That’s what I grew up with. Even as a priest, I took interest in farming. That has been my major hobby; it’s been part of me.”

The interactions and relationships he’s formed are the fruits of his labor.

“The idea is growing what God has entrusted to you, making it useful,” Msgr. Twum-Barimah  said. “I hope the seeds that I have planted here will germinate and grow.”

Msgr. Twum-Barimah is now back in his home diocese in eastern Ghana, where he serves as the Vicar General.

He said, God willing, he’ll be back in Brooklyn next summer.

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday 8/29/2024

As hate crimes against Jewish people surge in NYC following the Gaza conflict, self-defense classes are gaining traction. Discover how one class utilizes an Israeli system from the 1930s to empower participants.

In just a few days, Pope Francis will embark on a significant journey through Asia and Oceania to foster interreligious dialogue. National Correspondent for the Tablet and Crux John Lavenburg joins Currents News to discuss the pope’s travel plans to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, and Timor-Leste.

Watch retired flight attendant Paulie Veneto as he pushes an airline beverage cart from Boston to Ground Zero, paying tribute to the brave flight crews who lost their lives on 9/11.

As summer ends, visiting priests in the Diocese of Brooklyn prepare to return home. One priest shares his emotional farewell at St. Bernard of Clairvaux after a serene few weeks in Brooklyn.

St. Clare Catholic Academy Teacher Goes Above and Beyond with Solar System Classroom Theme

By Jessica Easthope

A lot of teachers go above and beyond for their students.

In second grade at St. Clare Catholic Academy in Rosedale, Queens, Loren Whitley takes it to a new level.

“You’ll see there are different tables, I have a sun table, a moon table, the stars and the constellations,” Whitley said. “So they learn different parts of their universe and they understand how dynamic they are as individuals in the universe, but also how they have to be a part of something so much greater.”

From the outside looking in, her solar system themed classroom is a fun and colorful environment, but after a little space exploration, Whitley will tell you it serves a bigger purpose.

“I find that for visual learners, making sure that I have the resources that mirrors the work and content in their textbooks, it’s easier for them to recall their information,” Whitley said. “So the classroom decorations help inspire their inquisitive nature.”

As a veteran teacher she knows that where kids learn is just as important as how they learn, and that with an inviting and exciting classroom they’ll gravitate toward the material at hand.

“Children learn best when they’re happy and comfortable when they know, like, I’m going to be accepted in this room,” Whitley said.

Whitley connects everything to Christ.

“God is truly in everything we do,” Whitley said. “Science connects to the solar system, connects to matter, connects to Jesus’ divinity.”

As she helps her students find their place in the universe she’s already in her own.

Queens Bakery Brings Cookies Bearing Likeness of Pope Francis to Rikers Island Inmates

By Katie Vasquez

Since 1937, Laguli Pastry Shop in Astoria has been making Italian sweets.

“The traditional Italian cannolis, the sfordale,” said Maria Notaro, owner of Laguli Pastry Shop.

Notaro’s grandfather, Paolo Notaro, started the business after immigrating from Palermo, Sicily.

“It’s a sense of pride,” said Notaro. “It’s a sense of, you know, my grandfather built this. He was, you know, a pioneer back in the twenties when he came over.”

And for the past almost 100 years, his shop— and his faith—has been passed down through the generations.

In 2015, Notaro got the chance to combine the two together, creating this commemorative cookie for the Holy Father’s visit to the U.S.

“It’s a shortbread cookie,” Notaro said. “So eggs, flour, sugar, butter.”

Notaro is a parishioner of Immaculate Conception Church and continues to be inspired by the pope.

In May of this year, she watched in awe as the Holy Father visited Verona’s Montorio Prison, which has some of the highest suicide rates in Italy.

“I feel like these prisoners aren’t treated as humans at a certain point. And he just brought humanity back to them.”

The images moved her to spread the pope’s message of hope.

She teamed up with Father Zachariah Presutti, founder of Thrive for Life Prison Project, a non-profit that creates opportunities for spiritual development for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. The pair brought 100 Pope Francis cookies to Rikers Island, a special treat for the inmates after Mass.

“Baking for somebody is very human,” said Father Zachariah Presutti, founder of Thrive for Life Prison Project. “So it was a very dignified visit.”

The commemorative cookie—changing from novelty to a sweet memory for Notaro and the inmates.

“They were like, I don’t want to eat the Pope,” said Notaro.

One she hopes will motivate the men behind bars to move toward a better path.

“There’s definitely this much more to this life,” Notaro added. “It doesn’t end here.”

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 8/28/2024

Teachers in the Diocese of Brooklyn are back in the classroom, preparing to welcome their students even before school officially begins. At St. Clare Catholic Academy in Rosedale, second-grade teacher Ms. Loren Whitley is busy creating a solar system-themed classroom for the new academic year.

Before the summer ends, why not enjoy one last hurrah? DeSales Media Group, the parent company of Currents News and The Tablet, is giving away four free tickets to next week’s Cyclones games! Just bring a copy of the ad from this week’s edition of The Tablet to claim yours.

Pope Francis is gearing up for a significant trip to Asia and Oceania. Starting Labor Day, the Holy Father will visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, and Timor-Leste over an 11-day journey.

The owner of Laguli Pastry Shop in Astoria, inspired by the Pope’s 2015 U.S. visit, created a commemorative cookie. Now, she’s bringing these cookies to Rikers Island to share the Pope’s message with the inmates.

ISIS Claims Responsibility for German Stabbing, Church Leaders Condemn Attack

In Germany, the night of August 23 ended in mourning. A 26-year-old man from Syria stabbed three people to death and injured eight others at a festival in the city of Solingen.

The attack was claimed by the Islamic State the next day, according to media linked to the terrorist group.

The perpetrator of the attack against a gathering of Christians in the city of Solingen is a soldier of the Islamic State. He acted to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere else.

The German Bishops’ Conference and the Evangelical Church were quick to condemn the “inhumane” attack in a joint statement.

As churches, we mourn with the families of the victims and pray for the wounded and the dead. Nothing can justify this unbridled violence. The attack in Solingen allows us to peer into an abyss of evil and our solidarity extends to all those who have to mourn the loss of human life.

Both thanked the police and the emergency services for their work. Their words were clear: “No one should feel alone in the face of cold-blooded murder.”