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‘Laudate Deum’: The Newest Papal Document

Pope Francis has revealed the name of the next papal document. The pontiff spoke about it during a meeting on Sept. 21 with the rectors of universities in Latin America and the Caribbean, where neither the pope’s speech nor images of the meeting were distributed.

Pope Francis announced that the next document will be called “Laudate Deum.” About a month ago, he announced the theme.

“I am writing a second part of ‘Laudato Si’ ’ to update the current issues,” Pope Francis said.

“Laudate Deum” will be the continuation of “Laudato Si’,” which focuses on care of both humanity and the environment. In this new text, it is expected that Pope Francis may discuss wars or the migration crisis, in light of what is happening in the Mediterranean and in Ukraine.

The document will be published on Oct. 4, which is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi and the first day of the Synod on Synodality.

Diocese of Brooklyn Prepares for Eucharistic Revival ‘Rejuvenation’ at Maimonides Park

By Jessica Easthope

The logistics are everything when you’re coordinating a celebration of faith.

The Eucharistic Revival is coming to Brooklyn.

Father Joseph Gibino, the vicar for evangelization and catechesis, said the event is a way for Catholics in the Diocese of Brooklyn who have roots in communities all over the world to reconnect with the roots of their faith.

“It is the first truly large, major event that we’re holding post-COVID and it really is exciting to put it all together,” Father Gibino said. “This representation is gathering in a large number to say to the world we believe in the real presence of Jesus Christ.”

The National Eucharistic Revival was launched by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as a response to a 2019 Pew Research poll that showed only 31% of American Catholics believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. 

It’s a statistic that Father Alonzo Cox, the director of liturgy in the diocese of Brooklyn, said he hopes to see a change after the Eucharistic Revival in Brooklyn.

“It’s my hope and my prayer that our Eucharistic revival here in Brooklyn will be a rejuvenation of that reality,” Father Cox said. 

Nearly 7,000 people are invited to come to Maimonides Park in Coney Island for Mass, a Eucharistic procession, and family catechesis. 

“Many adults feel that they don’t know enough, that they need more faith formation in order to communicate the faith,” Father Gibino said.

“I think this day is an opportunity for the faithful to give witness to who we are in Brooklyn and Queens, to the many blessings the Eucharist has bestowed upon us as Catholics,” Father Cox said. “We get to go out and proclaim that and celebrate that.”

Bishop Robert Brennan wants to get the faithful excited about the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Eucharistic Revival event. He’s been covering the dioceasanwide revival on his podcast, Big City Catholics, where he’s advised anyone who is planning to attend the event to reflect on an important question: Where is my relationship with Jesus Christ?

To listen to Big City Catholics just go to podcast.dioceseofbrooklyn.org or search for Big City Catholics on Spotify, Apple, and Youtube.

If you want to watch the Mass from the Diocesan Eucharistic Revival event you can watch it live on Saturday, Oct. 7, at 9:45 AM on NET-TV.

Be sure to stay tuned to Currents News and read The Tablet for continuing coverage of the revival, the local preparations, for both the Diocese of Brooklyn’s event, and the national campaign.

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 09/26/2023

 

The Diocese of Brooklyn is preparing for its big Eucharistic Revival Event at Maimonides Park.

Bishop Robert Brennan of the Diocese of Brooklyn will celebrate mass at the Coney Island stadium as well as take part in a liturgical procession and other events.

The Diocese of Brooklyn’s main choir has 40 members from all over Brooklyn and Queens.

While in New York for the UN general assembly, the president of Cuba visited the Church of the Transfiguration in Chinatown.

Pope’s Plea to Help Migrants: Pontiff Encourages Europe to Open Ports to Those in Need

Pope Francis is back at the Vatican after leaving a clear message in Marseille, France.

The pontiff encouraged clergy and political leaders to help migrants who are escaping hardship and poverty in their home countries.

While at a gathering of Mediterranean leaders and people the Holy Father added that the area  “cries out for injustice.”

The Holy Father was asked about his mission to help migrants on the papal plane during the flight back to Rome.

Elise Allen, senior correspondent for Crux, was on the plane with Pope Francis.

She joins Currents News to discuss everything he said.

Raising Money for Faith, The Tablet’s Fundraiser for Catholic Schools Is in Full Swing

Students like Jenna Ghorra at Bay Ridge Catholic Academy are off to sell subscriptions and renewals of The Tablet for this year’s Tablet Catholic School Fundraiser.

“Last year it was maybe 50,” Jenna Ghorra, a seventh grader at the academy said. “Every year I do, definitely, try to get more.”

The fundraiser begins today until Oct. 6 with over 80% of sales going toward students and their schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn and school administrators can’t emphasize enough how much it will help them.

“With the increased amount of donations we can get from this process, yeah it will allow us to do more things as an academy,” said Paul Morisi, principal of Bay Ridge Catholic Academy.

The Tablet has participated in a number of ways to raise money for Catholic schools, but no matter what, the people behind the paper always have one goal in mind.

“This fundraiser is our way of giving back, so basically we don’t make money on this,” said John Alexander, marketing and circulation manager at The Tablet. “The whole point of this is to help [raise] money for the students and the schools. This year we’re giving back even more.”

For every $25 subscription that a student sells they get $10 dollars, and their school gets another $10 dollars.

The top seller will get a major prize of $3,000.

The incentives are putting the competitive spark in these students’ eyes.

“One year me and my brother did a competition, we tried to beat each other,” Ghorra said. “We’re very competitive.”

While the students compete for a grand prize it’s also teaching them about the importance of Catholic journalism. 

“The Tablet helps us teach our students about what journalism is,” Morisi said. “We want to encourage great readers, right?”

In addition to becoming great readers, they’re spreading the good news to others in the Diocese.

“The Tablet is an award-winning paper,” Alexander said. “We won the CMA, the Catholic Media Association’s top weekly newspaper award this year, and we’re very proud of it.”

If you want to support Catholic journalism and the schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn, just go to thetablet.org/catholicschoolfundraiser. 

There you can sign up for a subscription with the school of your choice. 

Mass for Catholic Journalism: Thanking Benefactors of Tablet Membership Program

DeSales media sponsored a Mass to celebrate Catholic journalism on Saturday, Sept, 23.

In the pews at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph was the Catholic journalists whose job it is to spread the good news, whether in the pages of The Tablet Newspaper or on television with Currents News or online.

In his homily, Bishop Robert Brennan of the Diocese of Brooklyn spoke about this vocation as the work of evangelization.

“To go deeper into the news and the stories to see beyond the partisan political and to get into the heart of human dignity and of truth,” Bishop Brennan said.

Employees of Currents News and The Tablet gathered on Saturday to pray together and to thank the readers who support our mission.

The benefactors and founders of The Tablet membership program, whose generous support is allowing one of the only Catholic newspapers in the country to thrive, were also in attendance.

At a brunch after Mass, Vito Formica, Executive Director of News Content and Development for DeSales Media Group, the ministry that produces Currents News and The Tablet, called The Tablet “the legacy newspaper for the diocese,” one that’s been in print since 1908.

“It’s our duty to protect and preserve this newspaper, so that the service it has provided for the last 115 years can continue well into the future,” Formica said. “The Tablet online and in print is a very important tool for formation in creating missionary disciples.”

The Tablet’s Senior National Correspondent, Carol Zimmermann, knows all about the fight to keep Catholic journalism alive.

She spent 30 years at Catholic News Service in its U.S. operation, which was shut down in 2022.

“Catholic journalism is unique because it reports on the news, events happening at the parish, diocesan and national level, through the lens of the rich Catholic faith and the diversity of its members,” Zimmerman said. “It lets the events, or the people interviewed, stand for themselves without bias, something that is particularly important today when there are so many competing voices and partisan divides. Catholic newspapers like The Tablet evangelize not by hitting people over the head telling them how to live their lives but by showing how the Catholic faith impacts what so many people do and also has something to say to the important issues of our day.”

Catholic News Headlines for Monday 09/25/2023

Employees of Currents News and the Tablet gathered on Saturday for a special Mass for Catholic journalism.

The Tablet’s big Catholic school fundraiser kicks off today.

Pope Francis is back home at the Vatican after a two day trip to Marseille, France.

The Pontiff was asked about his mission to help migrants on the papal plane during the flight back to Rome.

Catholic News Headlines for FrIday 09/22/2023

 

Unique relics to help tell the life of Padre Pio.

The message Pope Francis has to help Migrants in the Mediterranean.

Students are lending a helping hand by preparing for the Tablet Catholic School Fundraiser.

Staten Islanders Rally Against New Migrant Shelter in Residential Neighborhood

By Jessica Easthope

Honks of support rang out on Father Capodanno Blvd for the second night in a row.

The crowd was energized in its protest against the conversion of the vacant Island Shores Senior Residences in Midland Beach to the latest of New York City’s emergency shelters, housing some of the 60,000 migrants who have settled in the five boroughs.

“The border is wide open. They’re letting anyone and everyone in, it’s overwhelming at this point,” said Kathy Dredger.

Kathy’s mother lives a few blocks from the new city-run shelter. She says her concern is not why people are coming in – but who they are. But like several others in the crowd, Kathy came to the rally as a concerned resident and a Catholic. She says she has the corporal works of mercy on her mind, but lately it’s hard to ignore the reports citing the 12 billion dollars the city plans to spend on caring for migrants.

“As a Catholic, you want to feed people you wanna clothe people, you want to give them shelter but to what expense? It’s really not fair to the people who live here and are paying taxes and they feel like they are being taken advantage of, it’s out of control.

Fifteen migrant families are currently being housed in the facility, which sat vacant for over a year before the city acquired it.

Staten islanders like Barbara Agugliaro said she understands the frustration of her fellow New York City taxpayers, but her concern is with the migrants.

“I worry about the people in there too, I want them to be safe. They’re human beings, they deserve to have a home and get a job, they should make sure even the people that they are staying with inside of there have background checks. These people don’t know each other that are in there, it’s not like it’s one big family that moved here, they don’t know who they’re sleeping next to, it’s not fair to them either,” she said.

As more people joined as the sun went down, standing away from the crowd was Juan Eduardo. Juan said he didn’t like what he saw coming out of the rally, and is instead looking to his faith.

“We live in America, we’re all immigrants we all come from helping each other, I feel like welcome them, if they’re not doing anything bad, welcome them,” he said.

As protesters made their voices heard on Staten Island, in Washington, the Biden Administration granted Temporary Protected Status for the hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants who have crossed the southern border, allowing them to work legally in the United States. According to city statistics there are about 15,000 currently living in New York City.