St. John’s Bread and Life On Lenten Mission to Fund 40,000 Meals

by Katie Vasquez

This box contains a full meal, complete with a hamburger, corn on the cob and fries.

It’s just one of the 1,500 hot meals that St. John’s bread and life provides four days a week to guests like Dawn Brabham.

“This place is extremely valuable. I really depend on this place,” said Brabham.

But this lent, that non-profit’s kitchen is on a mission, to provide even more of those life-saving meals to people in need.

That’s why during these forty days of preparation, they are trying to raise 40,000 dollars.

“The corporal works of mercy are very important during our Lenten experience and it’s, I think people feel the need to be able to do something concrete for their brothers and sisters,” said Sister Marie Sorenson, the associate executive director at St. John’s Bread and Life.

Already with more than half of lent over, they have reached more than half of their goal.

The kitchen’s collected 30 thousand dollars, thanks in part to generous donors, like longtime volunteer Juliet Thornhill.

“This month is a very serious month. we have to reflect on ourselves for us to deal with others and assist others, because this is a time and a season that we have to realize that everything have to be put aside and not about us, but the ones that we will take care of and what we will do to help others,” said Thornhill.

Every little bit helps to feed the wider community.

“The average donation that we receive is approximately $40, and that feeds a family of three for a week. right. so that’s significant. That means a lot to people,” said Sister Sorenson.

Making sure that guests like Dawn don’t go hungry.

“I think it’s great. They deserve it. they deserve it. I love it here,” said Brabham.

Catholic News Headlines for Monday 3/18/2024

A Bed-Stuy food pantry is reminding people to give back during this season of Lent, offering opportunities on how to get involved.

Amid the ongoing unrest and turmoil gripping Haiti, the Diocese of Brooklyn is dedicating today’s Lenten pilgrimage to praying for a peaceful resolution.

In preparation of the Feast of St. Joseph, many are celebrating with a tasty treat!

The 263rd annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City, the oldest and largest demonstration for the patron saint of Ireland in the world, marched up Fifth Avenue in Manhattan over the weekend.

The Pride of the Irish On Display at Annual NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade

By Katie Vasquez

The sounds of bagpipes and drums filled Fifth Avenue on Saturday as nearly 2 million people gathered to wave the Irish flag and show off their Celtic pride.

“We’ve been coming for close to 30 some years,” said Cheryl Riley-Marano, who attended the New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade. “It’s a great time, really. You know, it’s a great time to celebrate your heritage.”

The New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade, a testament to the enduring spirit of Irish heritage, is the oldest and largest demonstration for the patron saint of Ireland in the world. It predates the signing of the Declaration of Independence, marking its historical significance.

“It’s the biggest, it’s the friendliest,” said Stacy Franco, who attended the New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade. “Everybody’s here. Everyone makes an effort to get out to New York City. It’s the best place to be.

A legacy New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan says continues to shine in New York City even to this day.

“The parishes, the charities, the schools, the hospitals, the health care, the joy in the hope, the fact that we continue to welcome the refugees like we welcome them,” said Cardinal Dolan. “This is the legacy of the Irish, the legacy of Patrick.”

In honor of the saint, parade-goers started the day in Mass.

Cardinal Dolan led the celebration, and the Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Bishop Robert Lynch, gave the homily, emphasizing the saint’s impact on Ireland.

“Under his guidance and direction, a pagan people once devoted to druids embraced Jesus Christ as their lord and savior,” said Bishop Lynch.

A missionary saint that Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan says can be a role model for Catholics today.

Vice President Kamala Harris Visits Abortion Clinic in Latest Stop on ‘Reproductive Freedoms’ Tour

More than 6,000 people greeted Pope Francis at the “pope’s hospital” in 2019. Doctors, nurses, staff, and children filled the hall. The Pope encouraged them to get closer to him. With the children all around him, he asked a tough question.

“Why does a child suffer?” Pope Francis asked. “No, there is no answer. There’s only serving the suffering child and looking for the Father of everything to do something.”

There have been many special moments like this one when some children brought the Pope a bouquet of flowers or when a little girl gave him a drawing. And this Saturday’s meeting will have its own touching encounters.

Around 3,000 people from the hospital will meet with Pope Francis to mark the 100th anniversary of the hospital being donated to the Vatican.

The Pope will be presented with a basket filled with notes written by children and young people hospitalized in the different branches of the Bambino Gesù.

The front rows of the Paul VI Audience Hall will be reserved for about 200 children and their parents. Among them will be patients from countries at war, such as Ukraine and Gaza.

All of them have been admitted to the hospital to receive the medical treatment they were unable to get in their home countries.

“We welcome everyone regardless of religion or wealth,” Said Tiziano Onesti, President Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital. “We provide healthcare for all children in a special way but here the door is always open for everyone. And we consider that the Bambino Gesù carries out a whole international activity that is very important, which then concretely expresses the mission of the Church in this sense.”

The Bambino Gesù was the first pediatric hospital founded in Italy. Today, about 300 patients have been admitted on a humanitarian basis.

Pope Francis Will Meet Children From War-Torn Countries Hospitalized at Bambino Gesù

“Why does a child suffer?” Pope Francis asked. “No, there is no answer. There’s only serving the suffering child and looking for the Father of everything to do something.”

Around 3,000 people from the hospital will meet with Pope Francis to mark the 100th anniversary of the hospital being donated to the Vatican.

The Pope will be presented with a basket filled with notes written by children and young people hospitalized in the different branches of the Bambino Gesù.

The front rows of the Paul VI Audience Hall will be reserved for about 200 children and their parents. Among them will be patients from countries at war, such as Ukraine and Gaza.

All of them have been admitted to the hospital to receive the medical treatment they were unable to get in their home countries.

The Bambino Gesù was the first pediatric hospital founded in Italy. Today, about 300 patients have been admitted on a humanitarian basis.

Lenten Pilgrimage: St. Patrick’s Academy Students Attend Mass and Stations of the Cross

The latest stop for Bishop Robert Brennan and the other pilgrims included listening to the young singers at St. Patrick’s in Bay Ridge on Wednesday, March 13.

The students attended a Mass and Stations of the Cross. Afterwards pilgrims were invited to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

To see all the stops the pilgrims will make, download the Lenten Pilgrimage app. Simply search “Lenten Pilgrimage” on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

If you can’t be there in person, the app allows you to join the prayer community from the palm of your hand.

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday 3/14/2024

Vice President Kamala Harris toured an abortion clinic in Minnesota.

After 11 years as pontiff, Pope Francis is telling his own story in an autobiography.

A music group from the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph will be putting on a concert this Friday and Saturday.

Book Adopts Easter Bunny as Symbol of Hope in Risen Lord

With Easter just over two weeks away, we’ll take a look at a timely new children’s book on store shelves now.

The author of “The Story of The First Easter Bunny,” Anthony Destefano, joined Currents News to talk about how his book turns the secular symbol of the easter bunny into a sacred one.

Meet the Perpetual Pilgrims Preparing for Journey

Catholics across the country are gearing up for the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage and the perpetual pilgrims, who will be trekking the entire duration of the routes.

Currents News had the privilege of speaking with three of the 24 young pilgrims, each with unique stories and motivations, who are embarking on a journey of thousands of miles across the country to attend the Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis this July.

They will be split into groups of six and start at four different points. Along the way, they will stop at local parishes and holy sites.

For the group beginning in the north, one of those stops will be the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion.

The Marian Shrine recently renovated its Apparition Chapel, which included a new wooden altar. Green Bay Bishop David Ricken conducted a Rite of Dedication of that altar a little over a week ago.

To learn more about the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage or the Congress in Indianapolis, visit their website at eucharisticrevival.org.

Despite Closure, Visitation Legacy Lives On At Fontbonne’s Middle School Program

by Katie Vasquez

Fontbonne Hall academy’s mission has always been to help young women become the leaders of tomorrow, but now they are opening their doors to a new generation of girls.

The school is welcoming the students from Visitation Academy, a Bay Ridge catholic school that recently announced they will be closing at the end of the school year.

“We thought to ourselves, we need to do something here. This is a moment for us to make sure that all girl education, single sex education to the greatest extent possible, continues to thrive in Brooklyn,” said Fontbonne Hall Academy principal, Rocco Gentile.

Fontbonne is creating a new middle school program that will be starting in September,

and among those enrolling in the new classes will be around 31, 6th, 7th and 8th graders from Visitation.

The director of admissions at Fontbonne, Megan McCombs, says that since the program’s announcement she’s been flooded with calls.

“It sent shockwaves through the community. My phone was ringing off the hook with people interested in coming to find out and being a part of this program that we were taking on,” said McCombs.

The Bay Ridge high school says the new program will remember the work of the Visitation sisters.

“Those values will remain the same and we share those values. We are wholly devoted really to honoring the legacy of Visitation,” said Gentile.

They are not only keeping the same curriculum, but some of the faculty, and families will be charged around the same tuition.

“Keep the girls together if they wish, with their teachers. and currently, right now we are giving the priority to current Visitation students before we open up registration to outside students,” said McCombs.

Fontbonne says they have more than enough room for the new grades, and they can’t wait for the girls to bond together.

“We create a real sisterhood. and we’re looking to make sure that that sisterhood extends to the students that come in for a middle school program,” said Gentile.