Archives

Scouts Help During Migrant Crisis, Young Girls in Troop 6000 Learning to Adapt

As the city deals with a migrant crisis, the Girl Scouts of Greater New York is stepping in to ensure the youngest ones are being cared for.

A group of approximately 20 girls selling cookies at Grace Plaza in Manhattan on Thursday, Apr. 4, is part of Troop 6000. The Girl Scouts cohort is a first-of-its-kind program that was set up to help young girls living in the shelter system.

Using a bilingual curriculum, they’re helping the scouts learn and adapt to their new home.

“Girl Scouts of Greater New York,” said many of these young women from other countries, Troop 6000 offers comfort during a turbulent time.

Since this troop started seven years ago, it has served more than 2500 girls and young women.

First Sunday Mass Following Fire at Bushwick Church

by Katie Vasquez

The pews were filled at All Saints church this weekend,Bishop Robert Brennan joining the Williamsburg parish for Divine mercy Sunday.

But most of this crowd aren’t regular attendees, they normally spend their Sundays at its sister church, Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii in Bushwick.

That parish was devastated by a fire on Easter Sunday. 

Mery Tolentino was at the 1pm Spanish mass where the flames first began.  

“We were in the second reading of the bible, all of a sudden, unexpectedly, a lot of smoke started coming out from the rectory, which began to increment little by little and getting darker,” said Tolentino, a parishioner at Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii. 

Pastor of both churches, Father Vincenzo Cardilicchia says investigators have yet to find the cause of the fire which started in the sacristy. 

Right now, there is asbestos abatement work and a demolition order for the rectory and parish center. 

“There is almost nothing left,” said Father Cardilicchia, “but the site of worship itself is intact besides the water damage.”

A miracle since the church dates back more than 120 years and there were no sprinklers inside. 

The Brooklyn priest was able to go in and retrieve sacred objects but one important item remains inside. 

 “We are still looking for the records, which is actually the most valuable thing because even something that is expensive can be substituted with something else but the records, the baptismal records, they go back to 1902,” said Father Cardilicchia.

As crews sort through the broken glass and charred wood, parishioners will have to worship at All Saints until further notice. 

As Bishop Brennan consoles the devastated community, he reminds them that while the building may be gone, their faith remains. 

“In a church fire, buildings are destroyed and we see that all things in this world are passing. But what’s constant? two things, our faith in the Lord Jesus,and  in the power of his resurrection,” said Bishop Robert Brennan of the Diocese of Brooklyn. 

And many say they are hopeful for the future. 

“We are concerned about our parish but then he gave us that, you know, hope,” said Luisa Cortes, a parishioner at Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii church. 

“The toughest the circumstances get, the more we shall be together to fight those circumstances,” said Tolentino. 

 

Catholic News Headlines for Monday 4/8/2024

A week after a fire ripped through their Brooklyn church on Easter Sunday, parishioners of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii gathered to celebrate Mass at All-Saints Church.

At the Vatican, Pope Francis met with relatives of people still being held hostage after Hamas kidnapped them on October 7. He has also met with those suffering from the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

As New York City continues to deal with a migrant crisis, the Girl Scouts of Greater New York are stepping in to help.

A celestial phenomenon! Students at Catholic schools across the Diocese of Brooklyn took part in viewing a rare solar eclipse.

Catechumen Finds Peace From Easter Vigil Baptism

Laura Asserfea, raised by a single mom in Queens, went to church often. Her mom was a Eucharistic minister, but receiving her sacraments wasn’t a priority.

Currents News spoke to Asserfea, who attends the Oratory Church of St. Boniface in Brooklyn, to see how she was feeling now that she has fully entered into her new faith.

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday 4/4/2024

Currents News is looking back on Easter celebrations throughout Brooklyn and Queens, seeing how people in the pews marked the momentous day and the message Bishop Robert Brennan had for his flock.

The evening before, over 400 faithful united with the Diocese of Brooklyn, participating in the Easter Vigil, a mass widely recognized as the Mother of All Liturgies, and were baptized.

Dozens of people took part in a journey of faith leading up to Holy Week. The Diocese of Brooklyn organized a Lenten pilgrimage, leading the faithful to 40 churches across Brooklyn and Queens.

Hear Bishop Brennan’s message to all the diocese priests during this year’s Chrism Mass.

Diocese of Brooklyn Counts Down to April 20 Eucharistic Revival Event

By Jessica Easthope

Some of the biggest tennis stars in the world have played on the court at Louis Armstrong Stadium, but now a different star is taking center stage.

“It will truly be Pentecost, multiple languages, multiple music themes, all sorts of excitement, then they’re going to come into the stadium, and it will be bright and bold,” said Father Joseph Gibino, vicar for evangelization and catechesis for the Diocese of Brooklyn. “It will be Easter.”

Father Gibino, Diocese of Brooklyn officials, and DeSales Media Group, the communications and technology arm of the diocese that operates NET-TV, are just days away from putting on a eucharistic revival. Thousands are expected to pack the stadium seats at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

“It really is all about the joy of the risen Christ,” said Father Gibino. “We should be proclaiming to the world that we are a people blessed and graced.”

Representatives did a walk-through of the stadium on Wednesday, which has a retractable roof – perfect for a rainy day. A crew of hundreds will bring the diocesan eucharistic revival to people at the stadium and home. Evan Bellouny, technical operations supervisor at DeSales Media Group, says a lot of logistics go into it so that the faithful can come out of it having encountered Christ.

“If somebody can see where all my cables are I didn’t do my job right, you should be completely lost in this event as if it is a mass just on a much larger scale than when you’re visiting your home parish,” Bellouny said.

On April 20, groups of parishioners will walk and take the 7 Line train to the revival. Bishop Robert Brennan will be on the subway with them. DeSales Media’s director of external affairs, Vincent LeVien, is coordinating safe travel for everyone with the MTA and NYPD.

“I think it’s unprecedented but we’re honored to do this and the main thing is we want to get everybody here safe,” said LeVien.

In addition to everyone in the stands, 300 neophytes, newly baptized Catholics, will sit on the court.

Brooklyn Priest Describes Conditions in Haiti After Recent Trip

By Katie Vasquez

People of faith across Brooklyn and Queens coming together at Holy Innocents church on March 18th, all to pray for peace in Haiti. 

But for parishioners of the Flatbush church, one person was noticeably absent, their pastor, Father Luçon Rigaud, who was stuck in the Caribbean country.

“I was planning to come back to do what I had to do here,” said Father Rigaud, “and two days before it was the the protest with all the gang members activities.”

Days before gangs attacked Haiti’s major prisons and airports, Father Rigaud arrived to bury his father.

“It was a very difficult situation. Even after his funeral, the funeral couldn’t even come to pick his body, you know, from the hospital,” said Father Rigaud.

As he tried to deal with his grief, he was also saddened by his country, which has descended into chaos.

“People were dying right and left for so many reasons, and people were asking for food on the street because technically there was no money to buy anything,” said Father Rigaud. 

Father Rigaud’s hometown of Les Cayes is located more than five hours from the capital of Port-Au-Prince and the country’s main airport, but more importantly, he was trapped thousands of miles away from his flock back in Brooklyn. 

“Basically I used Zoom to conduct all my staff meetings, all my pastoral meetings with my parishioners,” said Father Rigaud. 

Father Rigaud watched the livestream of the mass in Haiti, praying with his parishioners and his bishop.

“He was united with us, he said he would make it a point to watch the livestream, so that he could be praying alongside with us,” said Diocese of Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan. 

It inspired him as he made his way back to Brooklyn, traveling from Les Cayes to Jacmel, crossing the border with the Dominican Republic at Pedernales and heading to Santo Domingo where he was able to catch a flight to Newark. 

The journey, normally a 3 hour flight took 3 days. 

 “It was a very stressful situation added to the loss of my father,” said Father Rigaud. 

Now the Brooklyn pastor is praying God will look after the Caribbean nation.

“My hope for Haiti is that things will get better. Haiti will become the country it used to be,” said Father Rigaud, ” Haiti is a country where people are, they are good believers in God and those who believe in God. There’s always hope, even when everything seems to be hopeless.”

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 4/3/2024

Save the date! The countdown is on for the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Eucharistic Revival. Find out what is in store at the Louis Armstrong Stadium of the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center on April 20.

While this is a Catholic event, people of all faiths are welcome and are taking part in helping the Diocese get ready for the highly anticipated revival.

As violence and unrest ravages Haiti, gangs running rampant, a Brooklyn priest has returned home after surviving the chaos unfolding across the country.

Just a week after that cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Catholics are coming together in a big way, donating nearly $50,000 so far to help those effected.

Jewish Business Creates Signs for Diocesan Eucharistic Revival

The revival is actually an interfaith collaboration. The signs to be displayed throughout the stadium during the event are the work of a Jewish-owned business.

More than 100 flags displaying the names of Catholic organizations will be made by the Borough Park business “Fast Signs”.

The group is still putting them together.

They say it took three weeks just to process them all!

The shop, which handles requests from across the five boroughs, said it’s used to tall orders like this one.

The signs should be finished within a week, just in time for the revival.