Archives

Catholic News Headlines for Monday 7/22/2024

The 10th National Eucharistic Congress has ended. Church leaders and Catholics are ready to spread the good news. Plans for the 11th Congress and next Eucharistic pilgrimage are underway.

A Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit, featuring 150 panels documented by Blessed Carlo Acutis, has been traveling the globe. Visitors said it strengthened their faith in Christ’s presence in the Eucharist.

Brooklyn Deacon Michael Chirichella credits St. Charbel with helping him manage advanced-stage bladder cancer. His healing is documented, and he’s educating others about the saint. Ahead of St. Charbel’s feast day, details on where his relics will be on display and where Mass will be celebrated.

In New Devotion After Cancer Diagnosis, Deacon Michael Chirichella Says St. Charbel Interceded For Him

By Jessica Easthope

In a crowd of hundreds, Deacon Michael Chirichella stops to bless and pray over people at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast.

He’s done it countless times, knowing how much of a difference it can make.

“One of the deacons in charge of the retreat said to me, ‘Michael, stand up, turn your chair around and face your brother deacons,’ and they all laid hands on me, one by one,” Deacon Chirichella said.

He was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Even after surgery to remove tumors, his doctor said he would have to take out his bladder, prostate, and maybe more. It was hard to have hope then; something, or rather someone, showed up.

“Around that time, somebody delivered a small statue to my brother’s church, St. Joseph’s in Astoria. My brother, Father Vincent Chirichella, had no idea who this statue was. Who sent it,” Deacon Chirichella said. “His maintenance man brought it in, and they opened it up, and they said, ‘Wow. This is, I don’t know who it is.'”

And with that mysterious package, a devotion was born. Deacon Chirichella said that through the intercession of St. Charbel, his cancer was healed.

“Going on three years now, I’m cancer free,” Deacon Chirichella said. “It was really just a miracle from this saint that I never heard of before, and then I came up to the point of, ‘Now what?’”

With more than 30,000 miracles attributed to him—the most of any saint—St. Charbel, a Lebanese monk who lived in the late 1800s, became a core part of Deacon Chirichella’s life, and the life of his family.

When Deacon Chirichella’s cousin, Mary Giudice, lost her sight in her right eye after stress and multiple surgeries for a knee replacement gone wrong, he knew which saint to bring her.

“They gave me every test possible, they sent me to specialist after specialist, and they said I had an eye stroke and there was nothing they could do,” Giudice said. “My eye was completely black.”

“She’s the matriarch of our family, and really, she, like me, got knocked out of the box,” Deacon Chirichella said. “In other words, she couldn’t do anything. I went over to her house, etc.”

“I started blessing my eye with the oil,” Giudice said. “I’d make the sign of the cross, and two, three weeks later, I started to see again.”

Deacon Chirichella and Mary’s healings are now documented with the Family of St. Charbel USA, but their devotion is just beginning.

St. Charbel’s Feast Day is this Wednesday, July 24.

Brooklyn Auxiliary Bishop Raymond Chappetto is celebrating a Mass at St. Joseph’s Church in Astoria.

The liturgy begins at 7:30, and relics will also be on display for people to venerate.

Queens Man Finds Kidney Donor After Months of Searching

By Katie Vasquez

It was a call Petar Vukelich waited months for, a kidney donor. It turns out his match, Allison Joyce, wasn’t a stranger.  

“We grew up together. Yeah. We’ve known each other since high school,” Vukelich said.

They were friends in high school but they hadn’t spoken in years.

“Like most friendships, as you get older, you know, and you raise your family, you know, you see each other in passing and whatnot, um, so, you know, we, we didn’t speak very often,” said Vukelich

Until Allison heard about his struggles with end stage renal failure through mutual friends. 

“I figured this is somebody that I know who I’ve known for a really long time. and if I could help, I would,” said Joyce.

Currents News first shared his story in May as he searched for a life saving match, friends and family helped him to put up flyers everywhere looking for someone to “share your spare”. 

Allison decided to get tested. 

“I’ve, you know, have always thought like if you could donate blood or bone marrow or whatever to save somebody’s life, that if you’re in the position to do so that you should,” said Joyce.

Petar hopes Allison will save his life. The Queens man has been trying everything to stay alive, from medicine to prayers.

“I always was a praying man, but now it’s more of not asking so much, but being more thankful and grateful. I mean, I really contribute what has happened, you know, certainly to Allison for her selfless gift,” said Vukelich, “just the power of prayer and everybody being behind me and with the grace of god, this is where I am now.”

As these childhood friends prepare for surgery on July 22nd, they are counting their blessings. 

“God is good and you have to remain positive and, you know, put yourself in his hands,” said Vukelich.

“It was kind of just shocking that, you know, it was that I was a match. but I also just felt really lucky that I was going to be able to help Pete and save his life,” said Joyce.

Religious Sister Camps Out Along Serra Route During National Eucharistic Pilgrimage

by Katie Vasquez

For the past two months, Sister Mary Rose Chinn has logged lots of miles in her car.

“California, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa,” Sister Mary said. “I forgot Iowa, Illinois. And here we are in Indiana.”

The nun’s cross-country trip — following the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage and driving and walking the St. Junipero Serra route in the West — was for the body of Christ.

When she was tired from the long days, she set up a tent at local campgrounds, which may be humble for some, but for her, this tent has been a necessary part of her pilgrimage.

After hearing about the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in May, the California nun felt called to join, but she couldn’t be a perpetual pilgrim because she was over the maximum age of 30.

So she decided to join on her own because she felt this journey would be a true test of her faith.

“That was the point of my conversion when I first came to Mass,” Sister Mary said. “I always ask; I was questioning at the time because I read the book of Leviticus that there were all different laws about offering sacrifice, but there was no sacrifice in the different Protestant churches I’d been in.”

It turned out that time alone with Christ was exactly what she needed.

“Being able to be in solitude and in prayer, you know, and total dependence on the Lord of what’s going to happen and being protected because a lot of people say ‘You’re by yourself?’,” Sister Mary said. “I’m going, ‘Well, I’ve got all the angels and saints in heaven, souls in purgatory with me.’”

After more than 2,200 miles across the country, she hopes others will be as inspired by the body of Christ as she is.

“The focus really is on Jesus. and there’s much more to the homily, the talks that are given and even the perpetual pilgrims really make it a point,” Sister Mary said. “The Catholics need to be upfront about their faith and not hide it.”

Catholic News Headlines for Friday 7/19/2024

Meet the nun who planned her own journey to the National Eucharistic Congress. Sister Mary Rose Chinn traveled across the country following the Serra Route and slept in a tent throughout the pilgrimage.

Petar Vukelich, a parishioner at Queen of Angels Church in Sunnyside, will be receiving a life-saving gift from an old high school friend. He’s saying his prayers for a successful surgery next week.

If you participate in the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, you can receive a plenary indulgence, which removes all temporal punishment due to sin, according to the Vatican.

Two centenarian twins celebrated their 100th birthday with family and friends last weekend. Born during the Calvin Coolidge administration, the sisters have experienced a lot of American history.

Pope Visits With Kids at Vatican Summer Camp

Pope Francis continued what has become a summer tradition, visiting with kids at the Vatican’s summer camp.

The Holy Father spent time with the children answering their questions, including one about how to be a peacemaker in a world full of war.

The Pope added that this is a mission for everyone, from children to their parents.

Afterwards, before the end of the visit, the kids had a special send-off for the Holy Father.

They released biodegradable balloons inscribed with the Pope’s words: “You are precious in the eyes of God.”

Centerpiece For the National Eucharistic Congress’ Official Rosary Modeled After Monstrance

Congress attendees are being encouraged to form a deeper connection to their faith, both at the stadium and when they return home.

The Congress’ official rosary is helping them to do that.

The beads are made by Ghirelli U.S.A., a family-run company that’s been crafting rosaries for shrines and Popes for the last 30 years.

They worked with the National Eucharistic Congress to create the rosaries.

Its white beads symbolize purity, and the antique gold represents Jesus’ royalty. However, its most unique part is its centerpiece, which was modeled after the monstrance that was created for the Congress.

A Ghirelli employee said working on the beads has been an honor.

The rosaries cost about $39, a portion of which will benefit the Congress.

National Eucharistic Congress Begins With Throngs of Cheering Faithful

The National Eucharistic Congress is officially underway, kicking off the five-day celebration of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist in an immense ceremony on July 17 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The first night of the revival, a highly-anticipated event meant to reinforce and remind Catholics of the importance and meaning of the Eucharist, brought tens of thousands of people together for the once-in-a-lifetime national celebration.

For three hours, Catholics from across the country listened to musical performances and talks by the event’s organizers and witnessed a symbolic ceremony of the four pilgrimage routes merging at the altar, illuminated by more than 100 spotlights and carrying a monstrance made just for this event.

The four routes each were given a patron saint to guide them as they walked for eight weeks, and images of each — St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, St. Junipero Serra, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, and the Blessed Virgin Mary — were processed through the stadium by the pilgrims, met with rapturous cheering and a standing ovation from the attendees.

Then, in a rarity for the NFL stadium, the home of the Indianapolis Colts went completely silent. The monstrance was processed through the center of the stadium by Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Diocese of Crookston Minnesota, the chairman of the board for the congress and leading force behind its formation. Nearly every person knelt in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for a Holy Hour.

“Jesus, I trust in you,” Bishop Cozzens prayed.

Bishop Robert Brennan was accompanied by fellow priests and parishioners from the diocese. They sat in the crowd and joined in prayer with all those around them. The night reminded the bishop of the diocesan revival recently held at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, which began in a very similar way.

“It was so clear how much people love Jesus and how they really do believe that Jesus is in the Blessed Sacrament,” he said.

Parishioners from the Basilica of Regina Pacis in Bensonhurst had traveled to the National Eucharist Congress, most arriving just hours before the opening ceremony. One of those parishioners, Beatriz Garcia, is looking forward to seeing her faith grow and developing a stronger understanding of Jesus so she can connect that to her relationship with her husband.

“Regardless of addictions, regardless of things you’ve done, Jesus is with you, forgiving you, always accepting you, and embracing you,” Garcia, 40, said. “For me, it was a very touching and heartwarming experience to be here.”

Paul Lien, 24, came alongside Garcia from the Basilica of Regina Pacis.

“It’s a pleasure to be here to understand more about the Eucharist and how the Eucharist works in our daily lives,” Lien said.

Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the papal nuncio to the U.S., was the evening’s keynote speaker. During his reflection, he prayed for the church as a whole to grow in unity “so that we may become more fruitful in our mission.”

“When we are truly revived by the Eucharist,” he said, “then our encounter with Christ’s real presence in the sacrament opens us to an encounter with him in the rest of our life.”

The revival’s emcees included Father Joshua Johnson, vocations director for the Diocese of Baton Rouge; Montse Alvarado, president of EWTN News; and Sister Miriam James Heidland, a member of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity.

Bishop Brennan said the messages were forward-looking, as the speakers told personal stories and reminded the attendees of the need to find Jesus in all aspects of life.

“The picture isn’t always so clear, but the Lord walks with us and draws the answers out of us. He brings it out, little by little. Sometimes it’s in these struggles that we are dealing with that we encounter Jesus,” Bishop Brennan said.

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday 7/18/2024

Thousands gathered at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the opening ceremony of the National Eucharistic Congress. We’ll take you inside this powerful Holy Hour of music and prayer.

Find out how you can pray with the official National Eucharistic Congress rosary. This special rosary includes a replica of the monstrance blessed by the Pope, and its proceeds benefit the Congress.

It’s a big day for Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens. They’re opening the Joseph F. Collins Catholic Charities Behavioral Health Center for Children and Families, a new facility in Woodhaven. Learn how this center will support those facing mental illness and substance use disorders.