By Currents News
The world is on day five of mourning the last Holy Father.
Christians in Gaza have been remembering Pope Francis every night since his passing.
Holy Family Church is the only Catholic parish in Gaza, and a group of people that the late pontiff was close to.
The church has been ringing its bells every night at 8 pm to honor the time when Pope Francis would call parishioners to check in on them.
How is a new pope chosen? Currents News breaks down the conclave.
Students at a Queens Catholic academy are learning about the College of Cardinals in a unique way as the clergy members prepare to select a new pontiff.
Catholic education is continuing to support families in Brooklyn and Queens – meet one woman who is making sure that all five of her children have a quality school experience.
By Currents News
The conclave to elect the next pope is expected to be the largest in history — and the most diverse in almost 50 years.
Currently there are 135 cardinals who will be able to vote.
Among the electors, the number of European red hats is 53, the number of Asian electors is 23, Africa has 18, North America will have 16, South America will have 17, Central America is set to have four electors, and Oceania will also have four.
Pope Francis has named 80% f the men who will elect his successor.
Normally, there is a limit to the number of cardinal electors — which Pope Paul VI informally set at 120 in 1975, but plenty of his successors have exceeded that number at various points in their papacies.
By Currents News
The idea of cardinals picking a new pope dates back centuries — but the conclaves Catholics have come to know today first began in the 13th Century, after the longest conclave ever elected Pope Gregory X.
It took two years and nine months to do so, and it was then that holy father who would create the rules the red hats still follow today.
Technically, any Roman Catholic male can be elected the leader of the universal Church, but since the 14th Century, every pope has previously been a cardinal.
The task of electing the next successor of St. Peter falls to the College of Cardinals.
They must be younger than 80 years old to participate, and all eligible candidates must vote in person.
Before they start voting all the red hats, including those over 80, gather for crucial meetings in Rome.
It is there that the big questions facing the Church are discussed and potential candidates start to emerge.
The conclave officially begins with a prayer service in the Pauline Chapel, located in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City
The princes of the Catholic Church will pray the Litany of the Saints before entering in procession into the Sistine Chapel, where they are sealed inside.
They aren’t allowed to speak to anyone outside of the process, read media reports, receive messages, or discuss the details of the elections afterwards.
If they break the conclave secrecy rules — they risk excommunication.
RELATED: Vatican Drivers, Staff To Swear Oath of Secrecy Ahead of Conclave
Once the voting starts they write a candidate’s name on a ballot and in order of seniority, they drop them into a chalice.
Cardinals aren’t allowed to vote for themselves.
The results are recorded by three designated cardinals.
To be elected pope, a candidate needs to get two-thirds of the vote.
They’ll cast their votes four times a day, every day until they reach that threshold and the man chosen accepts the decision of the cardinals.
If no man is elected after 4 days the conclave breaks for prayer and discussion before trying again.
The ballots are burned after each round of voting.
If there’s no winner, a chemical is added to turn the smoke black, so the people waiting in Saint Peter’s Square know that a new pope has not yet been chosen.
But when the pope has been elected, a different chemical is added to ensure the smoke comes out white — signaling a new pontiff.
Finally, a senior cardinal tells the world that we have a pope and introduces the new Holy Father to the crowd gathered in Saint Peter’s Square.
Then the new pope goes out onto the balcony to make his first remarks and give his blessing.
Since 1900, the average conclave has lasted about three days.
Pope Francis and Pope Benedict the Sixteenth both took two days to be elected.
By Katie Vasquez and Bill Miller
QUEENS VILLAGE — Kendra-Lee Gordon, 14, wears a black silicone bracelet stamped with Isaiah 40:31 — the one promising that they who hope on the Lord will “soar on eagles’ wings” and “not grow weary.”
Kendra-Lee, who is adopted, said she knows it’s true because she sees it each day in how her mother provides a Godly home for her and four foster siblings.
Neresa Gordon, a single mom, also wants the children to have a Catholic-centered education, so last fall she enrolled them in nearby Ss. Joachim and Anne Catholic School in Queens Village.
“I wanted them to learn daily more about God, and not just from my mouth,” Gordon said. “When they hear it from somebody else, they’re like, ‘Oh, that’s what Mommy was talking about.’ They understand it more.”
Kendra-Lee Gordon is inspired by verses from Isaiah, which attest to God’s care for her through her mother, Neresa. The scripture is etched on her bracelet.
Gordon manages it all on a fixed income because she retired early from a lucrative career in information technology to care for the children full-time. Still, she would not compromise on their education.
“I thought this was going to be very hard for me, but I’m going to put them through Catholic school,” she said. “I’ll go back to work if I have to.”
The principal, Linda Freebes, told Gordon about the “Angel” donors to the Futures in Education scholarship program. Their donations help cover partial tuition at Catholic elementary schools in Brooklyn and Queens, starting at $2,000 per student per year.
“So,” Gordon said, “then I started praying about that.”
Her prayers were answered when her family was approved for financial aid through the Angel program.
RELATED: Futures in Education Raises More Than $1.5 Million for Catholic School Scholarships
Subsequently, she was invited to deliver a speech at the Futures in Education’s Annual Scholarship Fund Dinner, April 29, in the grand ballroom at Cipriani Wall Street.
Gordon told The Tablet that she was a bit nervous to speak in public. Still, she planned to tell her audience how grateful she is for the Angel donation that transformed the lives of her children.
Gordon was raised Methodist, but attended Catholic summer schools while growing up in Jamaica. She is the 15th of 17 children, yet her parents always managed to feed neighborhood kids who had little to eat at home.
Watching her parents, she said she realized that love is not limited — it multiplies.
“I always wanted to have four or five kids, and a good husband, but that never happened,” Gordon said.
Neresa Gordon is not Catholic, but she is pleased that her children learn about Jesus every day at Ss. Joachim & Anne Catholic School.
So, she decided to adopt, but became a foster mother first.
She adopted Kendra-Lee in 2018 after mothering her as a foster child for most of her life. Eight years ago, the household grew by three more foster children — two girls and a boy. Another boy came nearly two years ago.
The children did well in the lower grades at public schools, Gordon said. However, as they advanced, she said she was alarmed at how they came home unmotivated to excel in school, yet were well-versed in street slang.
So Gordon sought an alternative education and discovered Ss. Joachim and Anne Catholic School.
“I met with Mrs. Freebes and she just reminded me of my old principal in Jamaica when I was growing up,” Neresa said. “She’s on the strict side, but she’s all about the kids and their education. I knew then that my kids were going to be OK.”
Kendra-Lee plans to begin high school next year at St. Francis Preparatory School in Fresh Meadows. She said the shift to Catholic school was intimidating at first because she feared being judged negatively for her public-school background.
She added that while there was plenty of fighting among students at her public school, the atmosphere at Ss. Joachim and Anne is different.
“This school is not surrounded by violence. It’s peace and love that you get from teachers, the students, and the staff,” Kendra-Lee said. “I felt more appreciated.”
Now she has experienced at both home and school, the promises from another scripture on her bracelet, Isaiah 41:10.
“Do not fear, for I am with you,” it reads. “Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
“I have everything that I could need as a child,” Kendra-Lee said, wiping away tears. “I’m very grateful that God has sent mommy into my life, because he knew she was the best person for me.”
Neresa Gordon reviews plans for Easter break with her daughter, Kendra-Lee, and four foster children, whom she is in the process of adopting. All five children attend Ss. Joachim and Anne Catholic School in Queens Village.
By Currents News
One of the pontiff’s most iconic moments happened when the world was forced indoors.
In March of 2020 everything shut down – thousands were dying by the day as medical personnel tried to figure out the deadly virus that was quickly spreading.
But amid the chaos was Pope Francis, bringing the light of Christ to the people of God.
It was a stunning sight: Pope Francis– walking through an empty St. Peter’s Square.
It was March 27th 2020, just two weeks after the coronavirus was declared a global pandemic, when the Holy Father made history at the Vatican.
He gave an Urbi et Orbi blessing while standing alone in the iconic square as the faithful took part virtually.
This blessing is usually reserved for special occasions like Easter, Christmas and the election of a new pope.
But an exception was made on this day as Pope Francis led an extraordinary moment of prayer, praying for an end to the Coronavirus.
“We carried on regardless, thinking we would stay healthy in a world that was sick. Now that we are in a stormy sea, we implore you, ‘Wake up, Lord!,'” Pope Francis said.
It was a stunning gesture from the pope during a time of uncertainty and fear across the globe. It was a way for the Holy Father to connect with the faithful spiritually despite the quarantine, church closures, and lack of Sacraments.
Pope Francis closely watched as the pandemic developed.
Italy was one of the countries hardest hit, with nearly 1,000 deaths every day.
Just days before this special blessing an Italian priest living in the same guesthouse that Pope Francis called home tested positive for the virus.
During daily Masses the pope prayed for people living in fear.
“Let us pray today for the many people who are not succeeding in coping, and remain in fear because of this pandemic… May the Lord help them get up, react for the good of society, of the entire community,” Pope Francis said.
And each day he would pray for a different group, from the sick to those caring for them, journalists covering the pandemic, and people living on the streets.
“We pray today for those who are homeless, at this moment in which everyone is supposed to be at home,” Pope Francis said.
But the pope didn’t just offer prayers during the pandemic. He jumped into action, sending desperately needed ventilators to hospitals in Italy and setting up an emergency fund to help those suffering from the pandemic.
The Holy Father was the first to contribute by making a$750,000 donation.
Pope Francis also encouraged the faithful to get the vaccine, calling it an ethical duty.
He led by example, as both he and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI were vaccinated.
The pope even took part in a video campaign, urging people to protect themselves as an act of love for others.
“Getting vaccinated is a simple yet profound way to care for one another, especially the most vulnerable,” he said. “I pray to God that each one of us can make his or her own small gesture of love.”
By Katie Vasquez
It quickly became the trip of a lifetime for the students at St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy Catholic Academy in Greenpoint, Brooklyn: the young Catholics were recently celebrating the Jubilee year in Rome.
“We went to all the Holy Doors. We saw a piece of the wood from Jesus’s manger, which was really, really cool,” Susan Felkner, a 7th grader at the school, told Currents News.
Attending Easter Sunday Mass at the Vatican, they then received a blessing from Pope Francis.
It was “a moment of peace because someone so important, like the pope, who was so close to God, was there with us,” Angelina Hartley, also a 7th grader, said.
The students considered themselves lucky for getting the chance to see the Holy Father up close.
“They “got the view of a lifetime because he was there, and obviously, you wait. You’re trying to wave and be acknowledged,” said Frank P. Carbone, the president of the Brooklyn school.
Little did they know that one day later, that moment in St Peter’s Square would hold so much more meaning.
“Well, there was bells, church bells going off. There were cannons going off. So, I mean, you knew this was enormous. You could hear it all throughout Rome,” said Donna DeLuca, the school’s director of admissions.
The young Catholics learned the pope had died that Easter Monday morning. In their grief, they decided to stop and pray.
“We all huddled together and listened to the bells and were praying Hail Marys for him and, just paying our respects,” said Sophia Perella, an 8th grader.
Their trip to Rome is now a tribute to the Holy Father. They waited four hours at St Peter’s Basilica just to see Pope Francis, and say goodbye.
“You saw him laying there in state and knowing that you saw him two days before, it was very powerful, very powerful,” said Carbone.
While they are saddened at the loss of the Holy Father, they are happy to have one lasting memory with the late pontiff.
“Our whole group was really lucky because we got to see him on one of his last days of life. And I knew that he went straight to heaven because he was such a great pope and everything,” said Sophia Perella.
“Well, it was like it was a once in a lifetime thing, and I feel it’s going to make me a better Catholic,” said Emma Perella, a 6th grader at St. Stanislaus Kostka in Greenpoint.
It was an Easter Sunday these kids know they’ll never forget.
Pope Francis’ final wish was to be remembered as a devout follower of Christ among the people he served until his final breath. He was with a Mass under blue skies, befitting the Bishop of Rome.
Ahead of the pope’s funeral, the Diocese of Brooklyn gathered together to mourn the Holy Father during a Mass.
Students from a Brooklyn Catholic Academy just got back from The Eternal City where they witnessed Pope Francis’ final Easter blessing in St. Peter’s Square.
By Currents News
Pope Francis surprised crowds on Easter Sunday, appearing in St Peter’s Square.
Students from St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy in Brooklyn were in Rome and lucky to experience his final blessing.
By Jenna MacDermant
Pope Francis welcomed the world with open arms — especially children.
When a boy walked on stage during Mass, the Holy Father visibly chuckled. As the boy’s mother tried to wrangle her son, the pope told the audience the boy is mute but knows how to express himself. He joked, “He is Argentinian and unruly,” before telling the boy to stay.
The pontiff welcomed a young girl when she interrupted Mass, too.
“Let her stay, God speaks for children,” Pope Francis said.
Instead of excluding children, the Holy Father embraced them and encouraged them.
When another little boy wandered up to the pope, he stood by, allowing him to climb into his chair and hug his legs. Pope Francis tenderly patted the child on the head. The boy examined the pope up close, touching and kissing his cross, and the pontiff couldn’t have been more pleased.
Another boy wouldn’t leave Pope Francis’ side during Mass. The Holy Father asked his head of protocol to give the boy his chair.
Over the years, there were countless hugs and kisses, blessings of babies, and selfies taken around the world.
The pope often gravitated to children with disabilities.
During a visit to Ecuador, Pope Francis posed for a selfie with this child in a wheelchair, before offering his blessing. When he met a little girl from Ohio at the Vatican, she was going blind due to a genetic disorder. He kissed her, touched her face and blessed her eyes. The tender moment brought a smile to her face.
The Holy Father was so moved by a cancer survivor with Down syndrome on a family trip to Rome, that he stopped and kissed the boy’s head, then suddenly offered him a ride in his Popemobile.
Even when Pope Francis was hospitalized and recovering from abdominal surgery in 2023, he made sure to visit children in the cancer ward of his Rome hospital.
Another moment illustrated Pope Francis’ fondness for children — when he gathered with more than 7,000 children from 84 countries.
He told his young audience he’s happy when he meets children because they teach him something new every time, and remind him of how beautiful life is in its simplicity.