St. Francis Prep Students Learn to Correctly Pray the Rosary

By Jessica Easthope

Many students at St. Francis Prep are holding rosary beads in their hands for the first time.

If you’re new to it, it can be intimidating. Once you make the sign of the cross – you’re on your way to saying 67 prayers in total – 53 of them are Hail Mary’s. It might sound basic, but a lot of people do it wrong.

“You’d be surprised, there’s a lot of particular things different cultures do, certain prayers people throw in or some people leave out so we just want to give our kids the broadest explanation possible of this is exactly what the rosary is, this is the basics of our faith and what we do,” said St. Francis Prep chaplain Father Ralph Edel.

Every Thursday during October, the month of Our Lady of the Rosary, Father Ralph teaches classes about the prayers.

“In terms of what goes wrong sometimes you have people who think just because they’ve prayed the Hail Mary a million times in their lives they have it down pat so just teaching them to have that concentration in the midst of prayer and really doing our mission which is to teach them how to pray,” he said.

The level of familiarity with the rosary varies from student to student. Junior, Gabriel Harris is just learning.

“I never really prayed the rosary on my own and I was sort of confused but I came to these classes and Fr Ralph was able to teach me and honestly it makes me feel a lot more comfortable because I know what I’m doing right,” Gabirel said.

There are four mysteries of the rosary and each mystery contains five moments in the life of Christ and our Blessed Mother represented by the beads in between each decade.

Emma Bogdan has been saying the rosary since she was little but proves you can still slip up.

“You have to keep trying at it, as a young woman who’s a practicing Catholic it really helps me feel closer to Mary,” she said.

Fr. Ralph says once the students get past memorization all that’s left is Mary.

“That’s really that second level of prayer you hit and that’s where you want to go, so we’re not concentrating so much on the words but getting to the point where we feel comfortable enough with our Blessed Mother to say I want to give to another intention that’s the next level we’re trying to get all of our kids to,” he said.

The goal is to show students the beauty of the rosary is not what happens while you’re praying it but how you live after.

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday 10/20/22

The month of October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary.

The humanitarian center on Randalls Island is open for its second day.

It’s been nearly 10 years since Superstorm Sandy devastated the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Futures in Education Raises Record $2.8 Million at Annual Scholarship Dinner

By Bill Miller

LOWER MANHATTAN — The post-COVID economic malaise could not dampen the spirits of Catholic education supporters who happily raised a record $2.8 million Tuesday, Oct. 19, at the Futures in Education’s Annual Scholarship Dinner.

About half the goal was reached before dinner was served in the packed grand ballroom of Cipriani Wall Street. But then came the “Angel Auction” handled by Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, vicar for development, and Msgr. David Cassato, vicar for Catholic schools.

The vicars crisscrossed the stage, urging audience members to open their hearts and their checkbooks. They called out patrons by name, challenging them, and cheered the ever-growing bids.

Coupled with the silent auction and other donations, the evening’s proceeds bested 2021’s total of $2.1 million. The audience celebrated with a rendition of “Sweet Caroline,” a favorite often sung by the spirited vicars at various public events.

“It’s a record breaker,” exclaimed Msgr. Gigantiello, following the event. “Never has the diocese raised so much money.”

Futures in Education helps pay tuition at Catholic schools and academies in the Diocese of Brooklyn. Longtime supporters help ensure that opportunity for some 3,000 students.

The event drew a surprise appearance by New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who praised the audience for investing in children.

“If you don’t educate, you will incarcerate — there is no getting around it,” he said. “Look over your history. Don’t let anyone try to rewrite the role that the Catholic schools have played in communities.”

“When other private schools were not willing to go into the depths of the crevices of our city, you are willing to do that,” he added.

The event honored two of the organization’s longtime supporters — Gregory Cerchione, lawyer and principal at Subin Associates, and Joseph Cappotelli, former vice chairman of the global construction firm, Structure Tone.

Both men and their families are also beneficiaries of Catholic education in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Also, special honor was given to Joseph Mattone, founder of a real estate and property management firm and a real estate law firm, both carrying his name. Mattone, 91, was praised for his longtime support of Catholic education.

The parent presentation was given by Toni Totten, who was joined on stage by her sons, Adonnis and Sincere Payne, and grandsons Makai and Ramrin Payne. All four young men are students at Immaculate Conception Catholic Academy in Jamaica.

It was the first Futures in Education gala attended by Bishop Robert Brennan since his installment last November. He gave the invocation. Bishop Emeritus Nicholas DiMarzio also attended.

Rosanna Scotto, co-host of “Good Day New York” on Fox5 NY, was mistress of ceremonies. Veronica Tsang, board chair of Futures in Education, introduced a video presentation about the organization.

Performances included the National Anthem by Daniel Rodriguez, a musical medley by students of Immaculate Conception Catholic Academy in Astoria, and a few songs from classical vocalist Christopher Macchio.

Catholics Work to Help Venezuelans Expelled to Mexico Under Title 42

By David Agren

MEXICO CITY (CNS) — Catholics working with migrants have mobilized to assist Venezuelans who are arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border in record numbers but are being expelled back to Mexico under pandemic-era health restrictions.

The Mexican branches of Jesuit Migration Service and Jesuit Refugee Service, along with the Hope Border Institute, also expressed sorrow over a decision by the United States and Mexico to expel Venezuelans irregularly crossing the U.S.-Mexico border under Title 42, saying it leaves migrants unprotected and violates their right to seek asylum.

One official of Jesuit Migration Service said some expelled Venezuelans arrive back in Mexico confused and with little information.

In a statement Oct. 13, the three organizations said. “The expansion of Title 42 to cover Venezuelans is an abuse of a public health order to dissuade those who are asylum-seekers or need protection without any legal or moral basis.” The statement was issued in the border city of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas.

“We urge the governments of both countries to act immediately, allocate all human, economic and adequate infrastructure resources to guarantee their accommodation, clear information and legal advice about their migratory situation, as well as food services and psychological first aid.”

The organizations said they had worked with some 330 Venezuelans being returned.

María Elena Hernández, coordinator in Ciudad Juárez for Jesuit Migration Service, said Oct. 14 they were working with an additional 150 Venezuelans, who arrived “in a state of terrible desolation, with little information and very confused.”

Hernández said the returned Venezuelans were given a document from Mexican immigration officials; it tells them to abandon the country within 15 days via the country’s southern border with Guatemala and Belize.

“But this document does not provide them an immigration status that allows them to travel safely through Mexico,” Hernández said. “They’re left in an unprotected state, and many of them do not have a passport or other identification, and they cannot attend their consulates because some of them have been persecuted politically” by the Venezuelan government.

The Oct. 12 decision to return Venezuelans to Mexico comes as Venezuelans arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border in record numbers.

The Washington Office on Latin America, a human rights think tank, said in an analysis that 153,905 Venezuelans — the second-highest of any nationality after Mexico — had been detained at the U.S. southwestern border between October 2021 and August 2022.

More than 6 million Venezuelans have fled the South American country over the past decade as the economy collapsed and political freedoms eroded. Most of the migrants relocated to other South American countries but have started heading northward as the welcome wears out.

Mexico imposed visa requirements on Venezuelans in January 2021, prompting many migrants to risk the Darien Gap, a thick jungle between Colombia and Panama; it has no roads and is notorious for bandits. Panama’s immigration service reported 48,204 people, mostly Venezuelans, passed through the Darien Gap in September, a 10-fold increase from January.

The U.S. government separately announced a program to allow 24,000 Venezuelans into the United States provided they have a sponsor and pass health and security screenings. The program excludes Venezuelans who entered Mexico or Panama irregularly or hold permanent residency in a country other than Venezuela.

U.S. Service Members Can Get a Free Trip to Lourdes – Here’s How to Apply

It is the most visited pilgrimage site in the Christian world. Lourdes welcomes more than 6,000,000 pilgrims annually to venerate the site of the Marian Apparitions in 1858.

Each year that site welcomes military members from more than 40 countries for the international military pilgrimage.

U.S. service members that are active, retired, or honorably discharged can apply for an all-expenses paid trip through the Knights of Columbus Charities.

Colonel Chuck Gallina, from the United States Marine Corps, joins Currents News to tell us more.

New York Could Soon Legalize Assisted Suicide; This is What Catholics Can Do To Stop It

Currents News Staff

Catholic leaders are concerned that the new legislative session in New York in January will focus on an important end of life issue, legalizing assisted suicide.

They would be following 10 other states who have already passed laws allowing it

Those are Vermont, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, California, and the District of Columbia.

Montana has also legalized assisted suicide through a state Supreme Court decision.

Joining Currents News to talk more about this is Kristen Curran, Director of Government Relations for the New York State Catholic Conference.

New Jersey Diocese Turns to Renewable Energy in Response to Encyclical

By Tara Smith

SOMERVILLE, N.J. (CNS) — Solar panels and energy-efficient equipment have come to a school, parishes and even the Pastoral Center of the Diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey.

Immaculata High School in Somerville is the first in the diocese to use solar panels in an effort to align diocesan practice with Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si,’ on Care for Our Common Home,” said Msgr. Joseph G. Celano, diocesan episcopal vicar for administration and pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish, which oversees the school.

“Even though the solar panels are not visible from ground level, they are in fact there and they will be supplying renewable energy,” he said of the 1,228 solar panels lining the roofs of the school’s two buildings.

“Our students will be very aware this is a step we are taking to be good caretakers of the environment, so it will be good for them to see our example, that we are leading the way when it comes to alternative energy sources,” he said.

In a year, the school’s solar panel arrays, which are financed, maintained, and owned by the firm Madison Energy Investments, are estimated to offset the greenhouse gas emissions generated by more than 19,000 trash bags dumped into landfills and will be the equivalent of the carbon sequestered by nearly 7,500 tree seedlings grown for 10 years.

Special equipment allows for optimizing the power output for each solar module, allowing for adjustments during different weather conditions, while adding additional levels of monitoring capability and safety.

In the end, Msgr. Celano said, there will be significant cost savings as well as positive steps toward answering the pope’s invitation.

“It is important that we show a sense of solidarity with the Holy Father, especially through our care of creation, which aligns with his encyclical, ‘Laudato Si,’” Msgr. Celano said.

The solar panels were installed during the annual observance of the Catholic Church’s Season of Creation, which ran from Sept. 1, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, through Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.

Msgr. Celano said the project also comes in response to a request by Metuchen Bishop James F. Checchio, who asked diocesan officials early in his tenure to look at ways to encompass the pope’s call to begin a dialogue on caring for the earth and shaping the future of the planet.

Likewise, work on the conversion to renewable energy sources is underway at the Pastoral Center in Piscataway, home to the diocesan offices, as well as at other schools and churches including St. Matthias Parish in Somerset, and St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Old Bridge.

Steve Michalek, director of the diocesan Office of Properties and Facilities Management, said he sees the switch to solar power as a “win-win-win.”

“We are aligned with Pope Francis, it’s environmentally friendly, and it’s fiscally responsible,” he told The Catholic Spirit, Metuchen’s diocesan newspaper.

Coupled with other efforts underway, it is estimated the Pastoral Center could eliminate 80% of its electricity cost when the solar panels are installed.

“Over 25 years, we will likely save $3 million, so that’s the financial beauty of it,” Michalek added.

Environmentally conscious upgrades to the Pastoral Center include installation of a white monochromatic roof to reflect sunlight to help defray heating and cooling costs; high-efficiency rooftop air handling units to lower electricity needs, and encourage energy efficiency and outdoor LED lighting and energy-efficient indoor lighting.

Solar has been “around long enough, it’s been proven to work, and we feel confident in this solution,” Michalek said.

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 10/18/22

The Diocese of Metuchen has made the switch to solar panels in their parishes and schools.

President Biden has made a switch in his stance on Title 42.

Kids around the world are praying for peace.