Yonkers Woman Has 16 Kids After Praying for Intercession

Family was always at the center of Josephine Spano’s life, even in her final days, as she passed away in December.

“My mom, she impacted our family’s life so much,” Victoria Smith, Spano’s daughter, said.

That family began on July 12th, 1952, when she married her teenage sweetheart, Leonard, at just 18 years old. However, their marital bliss would soon end with incredible loss.

“After Nick was born, she had the twins. Unfortunately, they passed,” Smith said, “She had two miscarriages after that.”

It was always Josephine’s dream to have a big family, but when her dream wasn’t coming true, she turned to her doctor, who gave her something that went beyond modern medicine.

“He had given her a St. Gerard card. “And he said, ‘Here, this should help you,'” said Smith.

Josephine prayed for the intercession of the patron saint of motherhood every chance she could get.

“Give me whatever child you want to give me, but just don’t take any away. And she stuck to her word,” said Rosemarie Gannon, Spano’s daughter.

She went on to have eight boys and eight girls.

For the past 53 years, she held a small service to honor St. Gerard, doing everything she could to spread the saint’s help to those who needed it.

“If you wanted to have a baby, she would touch you,” said Smith. “She put you in her prayer box.”

Her son, Lenny, helped his mom create a website dedicated to the saint.

He was moved by the emails he would get from people nationwide.

“Some of the stories were so uplifting, and some of them were very, very tragic and sad,” said Lenny Spano, Josephine’s son.

When the time came, that devotion also benefited her own family, such as her granddaughter Dana Pellegrino.

“Before I said my last goodbyes to my grandma, I tapped her on the shoulder and said, ‘Grandma, make sure you get me,'” Pellegrino said.

“And then a month later, we actually found out on St. Joseph’s day that it was two.”

Through her prayers, Josephine’s family grew to include 16 children, 42 grandchildren, and 28 great-grandchildren, but her kids say her legacy reaches far beyond that.

“I don’t think she ever realized how many lives she really touched,” Lenny said.

And they feel Josephine is still helping moms in need up in heaven.

Catholic News Headlines for Monday 5/13/2024

Celebrating Mother’s Day is never taken for granted for one New York family. The mom, a Catholic who was told she may not have children, asked for St. Gerard’s intercession, the patron Saint of Motherhood, sixteen times, and her prayers were answered.

Mayor Eric Adams met Pope Francis this weekend at the Vatican. After attending a global conference on world peace, he had the privilege of meeting Pope Francis, an experience he described as the highlight of his three-day trip.

Quick-thinking parishioners likely saved lives as children were making their first Holy Communion. A teen armed with a rifle tried to get inside Saint Mary Magdalen Catholic Church just southwest of Baton Rouge.

The community came out for a block party this weekend to celebrate the tenth anniversary of St. Joseph’s dedication as a co-cathedral.

Look Back: Longtime Parishioner of St. Joseph’s Co-Cathedral Remembers Earlier Days of Church

By Katie Vasquez

Lida Wickham is a fixture in Prospect Heights, a community she’s lived in for more than five decades. While the landscape has changed over the years, the one constant has been her church, the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph.

She joined the church, which was known as St. Joseph Parish, in 1970. On September 4, 1971, she married her late husband Victor and watched her children make their sacraments here.

“It’s always good to come home,” Wickham said. “And I love coming here because there’s a sense of peace. When I walk in the church, I feel that sense of peace.”

However, she admits it wasn’t always as beautiful as now.

“You know, some of the windows were broken, a lot of pigeons in the choir loft,” Wickham said. “We never use that choir loft at all.”

Even the rectory was used for masses.

“This used to be our old chapel because it’s a very big church, and the heater was very, very hard to heat it,” Wickham said. “And this is where we congregated for families on Sundays in the wintertime due to the cold.”

The church is celebrating ten years as a cathedral after being dedicated on May 13, 2014.

Father Christopher Heanue, the Co-Cathedral Rector, offers a space for parishioners across the diocese to celebrate.

“It’s really rewarding, you know, being able to witness the various cultural events that happen here, encountering people from all over the diocese and across the country and across the world has been a real joy for me,” Father Heanue said.

Father Heanue is keeping that momentum going with significant changes on the horizon.

“We have ideas and plans for a new building that will connect the parish house to the Co-Cathedral Church, which will include handicapped accessibility to the church, to the basement, more bathrooms, and ramp access,” Father Heanue said. “So we’re excited about that.”

Meanwhile, Wickham is excited to see what’s in store for the future and hopes to pass the torch on to the next generation.

“Everything was done for the best, you know. And we have opened up the doors for new parishioners to come in because, you know, we are getting older,” Wickham said. “We need the new ones and the younger ones to try to do what we used to do.”

Prayers Answered: Woman Prays For Children and Becomes a Mom of Sixteen

Celebrating Mother’s Day is never taken for granted for one New York family.

The mom, a Catholic who was told she may not have children, prayed to St. Gerard, the patron Saint of Motherhood, sixteen times, and her prayers were answered.

Currents News Katie Vasquez has the remarkable story for us.

Louisiana First Communion Mass Disrupted by Gunman

By Lauretta Brown

A first Communion Mass at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Abbeville, Louisiana, was disrupted May 11 after a teenager attempted to enter the church with a rifle. Parishioners prevented the young man from entering the church where 60 children were preparing to receive their first Communion. Police took the suspect into custody and moments of chaos were caught on the church’s live stream as they swept the premises to see if other threats were present.

The video shows an individual approaching Father Nicholas DuPre, associate pastor at St. Mary Magdalen, about 48 minutes into the service. After the man whispers a message into Father DuPre’s ear, the priest asks parishioners to sit and leads them in praying Hail Marys. Police shortly thereafter entered the church and told parishioners they did “apprehend a young man,” that “he is in custody” and to “calm down and just get next to your child and go slowly.”

Abbeville Police Chief Mike Hardy told local news that the 16-year-old boy was taken to Abbeville General Hospital Behavioral Center for a medical evaluation after questioning. He has reportedly been charged with terrorizing and two counts of possession of a firearm by a juvenile.

“We are thankful to God that a tragedy was avoided at the First Communion mass for the children of St. Mary Magdalen in Abbeville,” said Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel of Lafayette, Louisiana, in a statement posted on Facebook. “The quick response of the Abbeville PD and alert parishioners is a great example of caring for the most vulnerable in our community. Let us pray for an end to all threats of violence to innocent human life.”

An additional statement sent to the parishioners of St. Mary Magdalen stated, “this morning, our First Communion ceremony was interrupted when a suspicious person opened the back door. The individual was immediately confronted by parishioners, escorted outside and the police were called. The individual was quickly apprehended by Abbeville Police Department and is in their custody. Once apprehended, law enforcement entered the church to make sure there was no additional danger. This understandably caused panic. While we realize this was a frightening experience for those in attendance, we are incredibly grateful to both parishioners and police officers for acting quickly to ensure the safety of all.”

The statement continued, “Chief Mike Hardy is handling the investigation with cooperation of the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s office and assistance from the FBI. Out of an abundance of caution, we will have uniformed law enforcement at all upcoming Masses. We invite First Communicants to receive First Holy Communion at whichever Mass they choose to attend this weekend. We are grateful for all the prayers for our St. Mary Magdalen community.”

Later in the afternoon on May 11, Father DuPre posted an image of the church’s altar on Facebook with the caption: “I’m going back to the safest place on earth, next to His Holy Cross and His Mother. See y’all at the 4 pm Mass.”

He encouraged parishioners to comment which Mass they would be attending this weekend below the post, saying, “We will not give up the holy ground of our hearts or our St Mary Magdalen Catholic Church to fear. Thank you all for your prayers and support!”

Mayor Adams Plans to Meet Pope While Visiting Italy for World Meeting on Human Fraternity

Mayor Eric Adams traveled to Rome on Thursday, May 10, where City Hall said he will meet with Pope Francis.

The Vatican has not confirmed the meeting.

While in Rome, Adams plans to participate in the second annual World Meeting on Human Fraternity.

The two-day conference begins Friday, May. 10, and will focus on ways to foster world peace.

It’s unknown when the mayor will meet with the Holy Father.

The national correspondent for The Tablet and Crux, John Lavenburg, joins Currents News to discuss Mayor Adam’s trip to Rome and a possible face-to-face meeting with the Holy Father.

Praying for the Gift of Life: Queens Parishioner Seeks Kidney Donor

By Katie Vasquez

Petar Vukelich is trying to keep his spirits up even though he’s facing a severe health issue.

He isn’t a stranger to sickness. For 25 years, Petar has been diabetic, but things took a turn in January of 2023 when he passed out at work and learned his kidney was functioning at 10 percent. Doctors gave him three options.

“One was to get a kidney transplant. Two is to go on dialysis, or three was to do nothing and die.”

Now, he’s hoping for a living donor.

“It’s a better quality kidney, and it lasts a lot longer. So that’s what we’re looking to find.”

He’s not alone. According to Northwell Health, 100,000 people in the US are on the waitlist for a kidney, and it can take 3-5 years before they get one.

His wife got tested, hoping to save her husband’s life.

“I wind up getting rejected, which was also devastating. It was really hard to hear,” said Petar’s wife, Elaine Vukelich.

Petar’s family and friends are all praying for a donor.

“Very painful. Very painful. And I have a lot a lot of people, all that pray for him,” said Petar’s mother, Maria Vukelich.

One of his longtime friends, Mike Reddington, has been handing out this flyer to local churches, hoping to find someone who might be a match.

“We know there’s a donor out there, and we know the Lord is going to find one for him, you know, whether it’s the Lord using him in this way to kind of grow the faith,” said Reddington.

Petar knows that asking for a donor is a huge sacrifice but he hopes even spreading the word about organ donation can help.

“No one would expect everybody to line up to do that, but you can share my story. You can get the word out, and,” said Vulkelich, “you know, my donors out there, and they will come.”

Until then, he will hold out hope for a miracle.

If you would like to learn how you can help, contact [email protected].

If you want to learn more about kidney transplants and how to help or become a living donor to save a life, you can visit the National Kidney Foundation website at kidney.org.

St. Luke’s Young Journalists Meet With The Tablet and Currents to Get Real News Experience

By Jessica Easthope

The Students at St. Luke’s School in Whitestone already have what can’t be taught – they caught the news bug early on.

“People don’t watch the news; some people don’t listen to anything,” said Luciano Amoroso, a 4th grader at St. Luke’s. “They just have their own silly life because nobody would know what is going on. And if you have the news, you will know.”

Amoroso and 5th grader Elizabeth Gilmartin contribute to their school’s newspaper, The St. Luke School Times.

Currents News showed you how their news gathering is growing as they do, but now they’re getting a glimpse into their future journalism careers.

“It was like an opportunity I never thought I would have,” Gilmartin said. “Like being able to come here and draw. Like I always hear about, you know, people like, who get these, like, amazing opportunities. I never thought I’d be one of them.”

Luciano, Elizabeth, and Anthony Rau, the paper’s moderator, met with staff from The Tablet and Currents News to learn how our product works on the page and the screen.

“There are positives and negatives with all the media saturation we have today, but, you know, these children—they get it. They focus on the good news, like we do here at The Tablet, as far as faith goes, and just general outlook on life,” said Mike Gray, editor-in-chief of The Tablet.

Gray walked them through what makes for a great edition. As budding journalists, he was a source of sound advice.

“They’re very inquisitive,” Gray said. “If you don’t ask the questions, you’ll never get the answers. And the more questions you ask, the better answers you get.”

While Amoroso wrote an article for the latest print of The St. Luke’s School Times, Gilmartin is an artist who drew pictures. Sitting down with The Tablet’s lead designer, Faby Rodriguez, was the crash course of her dreams.

“And she was really enthusiastic,” said Faby Rodriguez, the Lead Designer of The Tablet. “You can see the passion. I was really impressed with her.”

Together, they made her ambitions come to life.

“It was fun because she would guide me, like how you do the first basic sketch, and then you go over it, and then you make, like, layers, and then after that, you color it in, and you shade it, And how I get the perfect shading color,” Gilmartin said.

“You’re seeing people walking around with what you created,” Rodriguez said. “And that was just so special, knowing that, like, you did something, and the next day is in people’s hands.”

They’re already aware of the importance of being informed and of how to interpret news from the Catholic perspective.

“I think it’s really cool how everything in someone’s daily life could all go together with your faith,” Gilmartin said. “The Tablet really helps show that.”

“Currents News is better because it’s all together, and there’s really nothing you would miss out [on] as you would hear on at other news stations that are non-Catholic,” Amoroso said.

Though there will undoubtedly be plenty of headlines and deadlines in the future, there is no rush for now.

The journalists of tomorrow are today’s most curious minds.

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday 5/9/2024

A Queen’s parishioner is praying for a miracle. Peter Vukelich needs a kidney. So his family at Queen of Angels Church in Sunnyside is rallying around him, spreading the word, hoping to find a donor.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams is going to Rome to participate in the second annual World Meeting on Human Fraternity. The conference will focus on ways to foster world peace. During his visit, the mayor hopes to meet the Pope.

The future of journalism is bright, as evidenced by the enthusiasm of some very young journalists. Writers from the St. Luke School student paper in Whitestone, Queens, took over the Tablet newsroom this week. Their visit to the Tablet and Currents News team was a learning experience, showcasing their passion and eagerness to understand how a professional newsroom operates.

We’ll celebrate the birthday of an American hero. Reynolds Tomter is believed to be the oldest living World War Two Merchant Marine in the country. The Wisconsin veteran turned 107-years-old this week.

Cancer Patients Pray in Honor of St. Peregrine During Mass of Healing

The Diocese of Brooklyn held a Mass of Healing for those afflicted with cancer on Tuesday, May 7.

Brooklyn Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Raymond Chappetto led the Mass and anointing of the sick at St. Joseph Church in Astoria.

The liturgy was held in honor of St. Peregrine, the patron saint of those battling cancer, and a personal patron saint of cancer survivor Bishop Chappetto.

In speaking with Currents News, Bishop Chappetto said that when going through something scary like cancer, Catholics can turn to their faith.

Bishop Chappetto said he hopes to raise awareness of St. Peregrine, who he said helped him through his prostate cancer diagnosis on Christmas Eve in 2020.