2025

With less than two weeks until the 2025 March for Life, thousands are preparing to converge on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to fight for the end of abortion.

We’ll introduce you to a New Jersey couple who, despite a challenging prenatal diagnosis, decided to choose life for their beautiful baby girl.

Parishioners in the Diocese of Brooklyn will be making their way to the annual march, but if you can’t go in person, there are still ways you can make your voice and prayers heard during the uphill battle for life in New York.

TONIGHT AT 7: Catholic Comedian Makes Stand Up Move for Life

By Currents News

Ahead of the March for Life, Current News will introduce you to people who chose it. For some, it’s not always the common choice.

According to the National Institutes of Health, nearly 85% of people with a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome will get an abortion.

But that wasn’t the case for Keith and Leslie Alberstadt in Bloomfield, New Jersey.

Catholic News Headlines for Monday 1/13/2025

Bishop Robert Brennan celebrated the Jubilee Year with nearly 300 young people from 11 parishes at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James.

Over half a million pilgrims have visited the Vatican since the Jubilee Year began, with more expected.

Starting next week, St. Peter’s Square will host nearly forty Jubilee celebrations, offering something for everyone with a rich, centuries-old tradition.

Could you imagine having your child baptized in the Sistine Chapel? 21 babies were blessed by Pope Francis!

Hundreds of Young People Attend Jubilee Holy Hour in the Diocese of Brooklyn

By Katie Vasquez

It was an evening of prayer and song as hundreds of youth and young adults filled the Cathedral-Basilica of St. James in Brooklyn for a holy hour to mark the start of the 2025 Jubilee.

The holy year of faith and fellowship is meant to inspire Catholics around the globe to grow their relationship with Christ, and it’s making an impact on young parishioners within the Diocese of Brooklyn.

“Jesus is present there because otherwise, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t feel that kind of love and that kind of peace,” Mariana Juarez, a parishioner at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary church who attended the holy hour at St. James tells Currents News. It’s “strengthening our relationship through confession, acknowledging our sins.”

Leading the night of benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in Brooklyn was Bishop Robert Brennan, who hopes that being in front of the Body of Christ will inspire these young Catholics in the coming months.

“Where we go in our need and in our desperation matters, and they’re helping to show that by their example what it means to go to the Lord,” he explains.

The Jubilee event also saw testimonies from young people about their own journey of faith.

“It was beautiful because I thought that I was the only one suffering,” Janice Umana, a parishioner at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary church who was also at the holy hour, says. “I don’t have the faith that I should. I say I do, but deep down, I don’t.”

Now, the youth who were present feel inspired to make Jubilee year resolutions.

“Praying more than before is what I’m trying to do,” says Juarez.

The Diocese of Brooklyn prays this night will further call them to share their newly renewed faith with the world.

“It’s one thing for the bishop, for priests, for their parents to speak about their faith,” says Father James Kuroly, the director of youth and young adult ministry in the Diocese of Brooklyn. “It’s another thing when they hear somebody who is really journeying with them, who really knows what it means to to be a young person in the Church.”

“They’re like the yeast in the bread,” adds Bishop Brennan. “They’re planting something that’s catching on and and their faith and their enthusiasm spurs on, inspires a sense of hope in so many of us.”

Special Edition: Meet the New Principals

In this special edition of Currents News we’re introducing you to some new principals at schools across the Diocese of Brooklyn. Here are just a few of the faces you’ll meet:

– Danielle Madden-Buck, the new leader at St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

– Ivan Green, a former scientist turned principal at Incarnation Catholic Academy in Queens Village.

– Kara MCarthy of Our Lady of Hope Catholic Academy in Middle Village, Queens, who is a graduate of the school herself.

– Josephine Giudice, who has moved up from pre-k to principal status at St. Elizabeth Catholic Academy in Ozone Park, Queens.

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday 1/9/2025

It’s a national day of mourning as we say a final goodbye to the 39th president of the United States, Jimmy Carter.

Firefighters are working nonstop to contain wildfires spreading through the Los Angeles area that have claimed lives and destroyed Corpus Christi Church in Pacific Palisades.

The NYPD is looking for the man accused of stealing money from a church on St. John’s University’s Queens campus.

After folding in the 1990s, Holy Name’s swim team is back to making a big, award-winning splash in Brooklyn.

Holy Name Boys Swim Team Returns After Decades-Long Hiatus

by Katie Vasquez

This is the last practice of the season for these 63 male swimmers, the athletes, like Connor O’Neill, hoping to perfect their form at the pool in Erasmus Hall educational campus.

“The freestyle I’m kind of working with, backstroke too and my diving,” said Connor O’Neill, a member of Holy Name Boys Swim Team.

Connor’s grandfather and uncle were also part of this team made up of kids from Brooklyn, and sponsored by Holy Name of Jesus parish, but there was a time when Connor himself was almost unable to continue the tradition.

“We’re very fortunate that Connor’s been able to take on the helm of family members prior to him,” said Connor’s father, Sean O’Neill.

The male swimmers took a nearly 30-year hiatus.

“The boys team folded in the 90s. The season conflicts a bit with basketball and so boys in the parish at that time were interested in playing basketball. So they weren’t showing up to practice,” said Holy Name Boy swim team head coach, Alexandra Penfold.

Before Holy Name finally brought the team back in 2023, and the athletes took to the sport like a duck to water.

Just a few weeks ago, they earned medals at the Catholic Youth Organization Olympics.

“Two of our swimmers got gold in their events and a couple of our relays got silver and one of our relays got bronze,” said Penfold.

Their practice paying off as they hone their skills, and grow together.

“I’ve learned a lot about confidence and teamwork,” said Cooper Kim, a member of Holy Name Boys Swim team.

The athletes now look forward to competing at the Class A and B championships this weekend.

“I really didn’t think that we would, do very well in championships or olympics. It’s because we were a team that started, like, only a year ago. and I was very surprised at, like, the results,” said Kim.

“The crowd is like cheering you on. Every time someone is right next to you and that’s your last lap, the crowd will go crazy,” said O’Neill.

The team is hoping to grow and get better, as they look ahead to the next season.

For more information on the team, head to their website: https://holynameswimteam.weebly.com/

A Presidential Historian’s Story: Dr. Larry Cook Reflects on His Friendship with Jimmy Carter

Dr. Larry Cook, a Presidential historian, shared his deep admiration for Presidents, particularly Jimmy Carter, during a talk at Plains High School on Presidents Day. Cook’s passion for presidential memorabilia began as a hobby, but his life changed when he met Carter at Maranatha Baptist Church 15 years ago. Encouraged by Carter’s praise and support, Cook sold his business and dedicated himself to becoming a full-time historian, forging a close personal friendship with the former president.

Over the years, Cook and Carter have shared many moments, including spending time at Cook’s home, which Cook describes as surreal. During his recent talk at the school, Cook received the news that Carter had entered home hospice care. Despite the sadness of the situation, Cook expressed feeling blessed to be in Plains at such a significant time. He missed having Carter in the audience, where his famous smile always put him at ease while speaking. Cook reflected on the surreal nature of his friendship with Carter, expressing gratitude for the personal connection he had with the former president.

TONIGHT AT 7: Holy Name Swim Team Makes a Splash After Decades-Long Hiatus

For years, there was no Holy Name boys swim team after it folded in the 1990s. Last year, it was reborn after many students showed interest in the sport. Although some of the athletes are new to swimming, the team is already getting awards. Tonight at 7, Currents News’ Katie Vasquez has the story from Flatbush.

Nation Bids Farewell to 39th President Jimmy Carter in Washington DC

By Currents News

The U.S. is saying goodbye to its longing living president: the presidential service for Jimmy Carter was held in Washington D.C. Jan. 10. It was a grand memorial for the peanut farmer from Georgia who went on to lead America.

The funeral services were fit for a president as the nation reflected on the life and service of Carter. Thursday’s marked the sixth presidential state funeral at the National Cathedral in Washington, bringing together five living presidents – Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Donald Trump – to honor Carter as the longest-lived commander-in-chief.

Asked by Carter before his death, president Joe Biden delivered a eulogy.

“Jimmy Carter’s friendship taught me and through his life, taught me, the strength of character is more than title and the power we hold,” he said. “It’s the strength to understand that everyone should be treated with dignity and respect.”

Additionally, eulogies by former president Gerald Ford and Carter’s vice president Walter Mondale, written before their own deaths, were given at the cathedral by their respective sons.

The service capped off days of pomp and circumstance in Washington for Carter’s passing with ceremonies at Joint Base Andrew and the U.S. Navy Memorial.

After service Carter was taken back to his hometown of Plains, Georgia, where he was buried next to his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter.

It was a remarkable homage including a procession that followed the same route Carter and his family walked the day of his inauguration in 197, before a service in the Capitol rotunda.

“The test of American presidents is not the number of years they serve but the duration of their accomplishments,” Stuart Eizenstat, former White House adviser to Carter, said of him during the services.