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A crowd of people desperate to leave Ukraine, rush through the doors of a train heading west. People are fleeing, worrying they could be the next casualties of a nuclear disaster.
One Brooklyn priest knows all about that – his brother is stuck in Ukraine right now.
Father Sergiy Emanuel, pastor of Guardian Angel Church in Brighton Beach and coordinator of Russian and Ukrainian immigrants for the Diocese of Brooklyn, joined Currents News to discuss what’s happening in his homeland.
Young people across the globe are mobilizing to call for an end to the war in Ukraine, even these middle school students in Rome.
The schoolchildren gathered on Italy’s capitol hill to call for peace in a rally organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio.
Speakers shared their personal experiences of the horrors of war, from fleeing the war in Syria to surviving a concentration camp in World War II.
Among them was also Anita, a Ukrainian-Italian student who shared how her family is living through the conflcit in Ukraine.
“They are in a part of Ukraine where there aren’t any bombings yet, but they are very concerned about the situation in Ukraine as well,” said Anita.
She says they are afraid of what could come next, and that her family in Italy is currently doing everything possible to get them out of harm’s way.
“Here I don’t have much family, but I am looking to bring my relatives over here before something more dangerous happens,” Anita added.
War is difficult to explain to anyone, but organizers say that makes it all the more important to discuss with children.
“War doesn’t spare anyone, and we want to share this also with the children,” said middle school teacher Stefano Sceccie.
From the Piazza del Campidoglio the students traveled down the stairs to form a flash mob in one of Rome’s most iconic locations, to shout no to war, and yes to peace.
The Pope’s intention for the month of March is for “a Christian response to bioethical challenges.”
In his video message, he says that “it’s not a matter of curbing technological advances,” but about applying them in ways that uphold human dignity.
The Pope gives the example of human embryos, saying that they “cannot be treated as disposable material, to be discarded,” because that would propagate a throw-away culture.
The Pope’s video is usually published on the first day of each month, but the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network decided to postpone it because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Pontifical Commission for Latin America has a difficult task on its hands: to be a bridge between the Vatican and Latin America, but also a bridge linking all cultures in the Americas.
Emilce Cuda is the new secretary of this Pontifical Commission. She’s one of several women to whom Pope Francis has given a high-ranking position at the Vatican.
“The Pope is very enthusiastic and hopes that this commission will truly be a bridge not only between the Roman Curia and Latin America, understood as South and Central America, but also a bridge connecting all of the Americas,” said Cuda.
“As a woman, I welcomed the news with a lot of hope, especially because I see it as a service to the Church, and women have a lot to contribute. Women can bring unity and, above all, sensitivity, which I think is very important at a time when we are looking for a culture of encounter,” she continued.
Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis has given various women important roles at the Vatican.
For example, he named Sr. Nathalie Becquart as the sub-secretary of the Synod. Sr. Raffaella Petrini was given the second highest-ranking position in the Vatican City State Governorate.
And Sr. Alessandra Smerilli, he named the number two of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
Cuda is the latest addition to the list – a lay woman and university professor from Argentina. She specializes in political theology and explains that the Pope’s ideas in this field transcend left- and right-wing divisions, because Pope Francis promotes a “politics of unity.”
“The unity of which Pope Francis speaks is, in my opinion, the new path for politics, one which finds unity in people’s needs. It isn’t party politics, but politics that unites people at their needs, regardless of their differences. And from there they can start to strategically build an identity which gives meaning to their lives,” said Cuda.
Another way to understand this idea is by looking at the Pope’s meetings with popular movements, to which he has dedicated a lot of time during his trips to Latin America.
Cuda explains that they are people united by a need more than by an ideology or political party. In fact, many of their problems can often be resolved by either party.
Their objective is simple: to have a job and a home. The Pope listens to these people, which has earned him a number of labels, like left-wing, populist and even communist.
Cuda says these categories cannot be applied to the Pope, and that using terms like left- and right-wing is outdated.
“I think this right-wing, left-wing structure has something to do with a liberal 20th-century structure, which was a response to the economic conditions that characterized the 20th century. In the 21st century, given the qualitative technological leaps made, those categories no longer apply. Nor can we define them, because that would mean determining the reality. Rather, different populations will gradually build their own definitions,” said Cuda.
Cuda will work closely with the other secretary of the Pontifical Commission, a university professor from Mexico, Rodrigo Guerra.
BAY RIDGE — Janette Alvarado was praying one day when a wonderful sensation suddenly came over her.
“I felt the hand of God touch my shoulder,” she recalled. The moment not only filled her heart with hope. It also marked a turning point in her life.
Alvarado, a native of Mexico, decided at that moment that God was calling her to become a Catholic.
She was one of the hundreds of people who came to St. Patrick’s Church, Bay Ridge on Sunday, March 6, to take part in the Rite of Election — a prayer service in which those who are enrolled in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) in the Diocese of Brooklyn took an important step on their journeys toward becoming full members of the Catholic Church.
“I feel good, very excited about today,” said Alvarado, who goes to church at Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Red Hook.
Technically, the Rite of Election marks the church’s election, or choice, of catechumens who are now judged to be fit and ready to take part in the final and all-important step — receiving the sacrament of baptism. The ceremony signals that they are no longer considered catechumen and are now elected.
Another Rite of Election service took place Sunday evening at Immaculate Conception Church in Jamaica Estates.
The elect will receive the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil in their home parishes on Holy Saturday, April 16.
The Rite of Election service also signifies that the Bishop has accepted them. A highlight of the prayer service came when a book containing all of the names of the catechumens, the Book of Electeds, was presented to Bishop Robert Brennan.
“Am I ever glad you’re here! Bishop Brennan told the congregation. The influx of newcomers replenishes the church, he said. “The world is so much stronger with new members of the Catholic Church,” he added.
There are two categories of people who take part in RCIA: catechumens and candidates.
Catechumens have never been baptized into any Christian faith and wish to join the Catholic faith and receive the sacraments of baptism, holy Communion, and confirmation. Candidates have been baptized into the Catholic Church or were baptized into other Christian faiths but never received the sacraments of Holy Communion and Confirmation and are now seeking a full life in the Catholic Church.
Like catechumens, candidates will also receive their sacraments at the upcoming Easter Vigil. While catechumens took part in the Rite of Election, a second, separate ceremony, called the Call to Continuing Conversion, is held for candidates.
Bishop Robert Brennan displays the Book of Electeds containing the names of the hundreds of catechumens who will soon be baptized into the Catholic Church.
Father Joseph Gibino, vicar for evangelization and catechesis for the diocese, said the catechumens and candidates have been hard at work. “It has involved various stages that led them to this moment. Those stages have included listening and that encounter with Christ that we hope will now take full root in their hearts,” he said.
Each participant had a personal story to tell about the journey of faith.
Luis Ayala was not raised in the church, but his parents sent him to Catholic schools when he was young because they felt it provided a safer environment for students. He is a graduate of Christ the King High School in Queens. “I’m familiar with all of the rules of the church, he said.
Still, being so close to the church and not being able to partake in the sacraments made him feel excluded.
Ayala thought about it for a few years and then made his decision to join the church. “I felt the time was right,” he said. He will be baptized at Saints Peter and Paul Church in Williamsburg.
Djane Bien-Aime, a candidate who goes to Mass at St. Jerome Church in East Flatbush, came to observe the Rite of Election. She grew up as a non-Catholic in Haiti aware that it is a predominantly Catholic nation.
“I waited for this time for very long — the meeting between me and God,” she said, adding that becoming Catholic “is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
‘It Proves Haters Didn’t Win And We’re Still Here’
By Currents News Staff and Paula Katinas
BENSONHURST — Mary Guadagni was heartbroken last spring when she learned that the crucifix outside St. Athanasius Church had been vandalized. She could hardly believe her eyes when she saw the statue of Jesus Christ that had been affixed to the cross lying in shattered pieces on the ground.
But on Sunday, she felt joy. A new crucifix and statue were dedicated — signaling a fresh start for the parish.
“It feels good to see our beloved crucifix again,” said Guadagni after Msgr. David Cassato, the church’s pastor, led a dedication service at the site. “It’s so important to us and to our Catholic faith.”
Parishioners were shocked and angered when the vandalism occurred. The incident took place at some point between the night of May 13 and the morning of May 14. The vandal scaled the fence outside the church at 6115 Bay Parkway and threw the cross to the ground, knocking the attached statue of Jesus Christ from it in the process.
Parish employees discovered the toppled crucifix and the damaged statue when they arrived for work at around 7 a.m. on May 14. The vandal had also removed an American flag that had been hanging outside the church and set it on fire.
A suspect, identified by law enforcement authorities as Ali Alaheri, 29, of Brooklyn, was arrested a week later and charged with criminal mischief as a hate crime.
The incident “was a very deep offense to all of us as Catholics,” Msgr. Cassato said on Sunday.
In a separate incident, Alaheri was also charged in a federal indictment with arson for allegedly setting fire to a synagogue in Borough Park.
The crime at his church hit Msgr. Cassato particularly hard, for personal reasons. The crucifix — originally erected in 2010 — had been dedicated to his late mother, Fay Cassato, who had died of cancer a year earlier.
Determined to move forward after the act of vandalism, the church raised $25,000 and had a new crucifix built.
Last weekend’s dedication ceremony took place after the 11:30 a.m. Mass. A group of parishioners stood on the corner of Bay Parkway and 61st Street and prayed as the pastor sprinkled holy water on the crucifix.
“May we be filled with that sense of the love of Jesus,” Msgr. David Cassato said as he dedicated the new crucifix.
Msgr. Cassato recalled how parishioners gathered at that same corner 10 months earlier so that they could be together as a parish community in the wake of the crime.
“They came together that night and there were 300 or 400 people on this corner praying. No politics, but prayer. And probably because of that, we’ve come together again,” he said.
The plaque dedicating the crucifix to the late Fay Cassato was put back at the bottom of the crucifix. Two new panels — one with the Virgin Mary and the other depicting St. John — were placed on either side.
Jeff Baker, remembering the anger he felt after the vandalism, said the dedication said something about the St. Athanasius parish community. “It shows the haters didn’t win and we’re still here. We’re proud to be Catholic and we’re not afraid to show it,” he added.
Another parishioner, Ariana Napoli, said the public display of the crucifix can help bring people together “and give us a sense of community.”
PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Pope Francis on Monday morning accepted the resignation of Auxiliary Bishop Raymond F. Chappetto of Brooklyn.
“It has been an honor and a privilege for me to serve for 51 years as a priest, 10 of those years as a Bishop, for the great Diocese of Brooklyn,” Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Chappetto said in a statement. “I am grateful to our Holy Father, Pope Francis, and to Bishops DiMarzio and Brennan, for their support of my ministry.”
“I share the appreciation of so many in the diocese for Bishop Chappetto’s many years of dedicated service here in Brooklyn and Queens,” Bishop Brennan said. “Personally, I thank him for staying on beyond the retirement age to assist with the transition, and to Pope Francis for allowing that.”
Bishop Emeritus DiMarzio told The Tablet it was a pleasure to work with Bishop Chappetto over the years. He described him as “a pastoral man in everything that he did.”
“He was always first a priest and a bishop and administrator second,” Bishop DiMarzio said. “He brought a certain human touch to the work he did so it was very encouraging.”
St. John’s University spokesperson Brian Browne said the school is grateful for Bishop Chappetto’s service to the diocese and his continued visibility at the university.
Bishop Chappetto was ordained to the priesthood on May 29, 1971, and served a number of parishes in Brooklyn and Queens, and as an episcopal vicar for Brooklyn West. In 1997, then-Father Chappetto was named a monsignor by Saint John Paul II.
A shy kid from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn is about to start a new chapter – one he says he knew he was destined for. When Thomas Tong graduates from Xavier High School this year, he’ll be entering the Air Force Academy – a goal only 10 percent of applicants can say they’ve achieved.
“It’s surreal and it’s a big commitment but it was always my first choice and I always just wanted to be part of something greater than myself,” Thomas said.
But long before Thomas dreamed of being in an airman’s uniform, he was in this uniform at St. Mark’s Catholic Academy. Thomas isn’t Catholic, but he says his Catholic education transformed his view of the world.
“It gives you another view on life and how you want to bring yourself through,” Thomas said, “it gives you another perspective on life and you can use parts of Catholic teaching and influence to better yourself and the way you live and I feel like that’s what I’ve taken from it.”
Coming from St. Mark’s, Thomas took that foundation and soared at Xavier. He became a track star and rose through the ranks of the school’s intensive JROTC Program, surprising himself with what he could achieve and completely shocking his former teachers.
“Thomas was always a good student,” said his former teacher Mark Wilson. “He was insightful. He read well. He wrote well but I never took him as a military-type student so that took me by surprise. Just his demeanor, he was soft spoken, polite, quiet, not someone who was going to be barking out orders or doing any kind of military activities.”
His middle school teacher is now the principal of St. Mark’s Academy. Mark says he couldn’t be more proud.
“He was always willing to help and lend a hand,” Mark said. “When he was here, he would collect the homework sheets every day so he was always a helper and that part of him has never changed. But he has matured, so there are parts of Thomas that will always be the same. Even this exceeded my expectations of what he was capable of so I’m really happy for him and his family.”
Thomas said he’s hoping the family he found during his Catholic education will also be found once again in the Air Force.
“I felt like having that family environment really helps in learning and having someone to support you,” he said, “and having someone there knowing that you can go to someone and talk to them to relieve any stress. It just makes it easy to learn and do your best.”
And his teachers say his story can serve as an example for all students.
“Anyone who wants to enter the military or service to their country has to have a background of helping others and treating people they way they want to be treated and defending others and being a righteous person,” Mark said, “and I think that’s the type of foundation that’s laid in a Catholic school for every student and to have a student like Thomas to take that and run with it and make that into a career is the ultimate goal for Catholic education.”
Thomas starts six weeks of bootcamp at the Air Force Academy on June 23.
On the boardwalk, people are expressing their anger about the war in Ukraine and about the man who started it, Russian president Vladimir Putin.
“I think that he’s drunk with power, and I’m not sure what goals he is trying to pursue but I just hope that he will wake up one day and look in the mirror and ask himself; is he happy with what he’s done,” said protester Anastasiia Stepanova.
The boardwalk is in Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach, where the elevated train noisily rumbles over businesses that have signs in Russian.
So many people from the countries of the former Soviet Union live here in the neighborhood also known as “Little Odessa.”
“Putin is a killer,” said Liliia Rakhmangulova, “We live together with Ukrainian brothers and sisters. This has to be stopped.”
Brighton Bazaar grocery store customer, Michael, moved here about 20 years ago from Moscow.
“The government of Ukraine and the government of Russia should negotiate. The war shouldn’t be. I agree with this,” he said.
Up the road a bit is the Brooklyn Banya, a traditional Russian bath house, with a TV tuned to Russian news and clientele from the countries of the former Soviet Union.
Ukrainian owner, Alona Kruglak says everyone has always gotten along here.
“And now, all of a sudden, we’re being divided, saying ‘you’re Ukrainian, I hate you, you’re Russia, I hate you,'” she said. “It’s just not so, nobody hates anybody. Nobody wants this war.”
Back at the beach, protesters say this is unbearable.
“I cry every day. I read the news. And I just can’t take it,” Stepanova said. “Please hold on, and we are together here for you, and we are there for you, and everything will be good because there is no other way.”
