Currents News Staff
Calling all married couples: the Diocese of Brooklyn is honoring the sacred sacrament of matrimony with a special Mass this September.
All husbands and wives regardless of anniversary year are welcome to come to Resurrection Ascension Church in Rego Park to renew your wedding vows.
Bishop Brennan will be the main celebrant.
For more information on the event and how to register, contact Christine Georgi at 718-281-9540 or email cgeorgi@diobrook.org.
By Paula Katinas
ASTORIA — St. Joseph is a towering figure in the Catholic Church, but at heart, the husband of Mary and the father of Jesus was the quintessential family man.
That was something Father Vincent Chirichella, pastor of St. Joseph’s Church in Astoria, wanted to remind his parishioners of — the notion of Joseph as the protector of the family.
Father Chirichella found a way to get the point across. On Sunday, July 31, he blessed “Rest of the Holy Family,” an oil painting inside the church depicting Joseph, Mary, and the Baby Jesus. The blessing took place during the 9 a.m. Mass.
The pastor commissioned Francesco Santoro, an artist from Milan, Italy, to paint the portrait. The artwork shows Joseph, Mary, and the Baby Jesus resting on rocks under swirling clouds and portrays Joseph with an arm lovingly wrapped around Mary. Santoro completes the scene with an angel gazing at the family from the sky above. The artist was at the Mass to see his creation unveiled.
Jackie Barkoutsis, who has been attending Mass at St. Joseph’s her entire life, was dazzled by the painting. “It’s gorgeous!” she said after Mass. “You look at it, and you think, ‘This is what our Catholic faith is all about.’
“And to think it’s going to be here in our church forever, it’s overwhelming.”
Patricia Rodriguez, who was visiting St. Joseph’s on Sunday, said the painting gave her “a feeling of tranquility.” She called the artwork “a beautiful expression of our Catholic faith.”
The idea for some type of new painting for the church came to Father Chirichella last Christmas season when Father Alessandro Linardi, the parochial vicar, came into the rectory one day holding a small, three-inch sculpture depicting the image of the Holy Family later captured in the painting. “Everybody fell in love with it,” Father Chirichella said of the sculpture. “I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to find an artist to paint this? We could place it in the church.’ ”
A search led to Santoro, a painter and sculptor who specializes in religious artworks. Santoro, who works primarily in the Classical Renaissance tradition, agreed to take on the project.
“I am an artist of sacred art. I work for the churches, for the faith,” the Italian-speaking Santoro explained through a translator. “I want to represent the Christian faith and the events of Christianity through an artist’s perspective.”
Santoro added that he believes art is a noble profession because “it increases the faith.”
From start to finish, the project took a total of six months. John Brendel, a parishioner of St. Joseph’s, donated the funding to cover the costs of the painting.
Careful consideration went into the placement of “Rest of the Holy Family” inside St. Joseph’s. The perfect spot was found for it — on the wall next to the vestibule doorway.
On the other side of the opening stands a sculpture of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus. The two artworks, which frame the doorway, offer parishioners the chance to contemplate their meaning as they leave church after Mass, Father Chirichella said.
While he encourages parishioners to marvel at the beauty of the new Holy Family artwork, Father Chirichella really hopes they think about its meaning: “I hope it will allow them to reflect on the role of St. Joseph as the protector of the child Jesus.”
Currents News Staff
It’s a mission getting wide praise. A U.S. drone strike has killed a 9/11 planner, who President Joe Biden says has targeted Americans for decades.
“Nobody attacks the United States and gets away with it,” said Leon Panetta, the Former Secretary of Defense.
The most wanted terrorist in the world is now dead. The White House confirms the U.S. has killed Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike. That’s prompting praise for U.S. Intelligence Agencies and the military.
“This is a very, very symbolic success, uh, to bring one of the last of the original al Qaeda leaders, who did so much damage around the world,” said David Petraeus, the Former CIA Director.
President Joe Biden says the U.S. identified an optimal time to target Zawahiri about a week ago. He says the strike took place in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday morning, local time.
“None of his family members were hurt,” Biden said, “and there were no civilian casualties.”
The White House says no American personnel were on the ground during the strike that killed Zawahiri.
“It shows what our commitment is in terms of telling the American people and the world that we will not allow terrorism to go unchecked,” said William Cohen, the Former Defense Secretary.
The death toll is rising in the devastating flooding in Kentucky – 30 people are dead including at least four children.
On the way home from a grueling five-day papal trip to Canada, Pope Francis talked about slowing down.
A wedding anniversary Mass is being celebrated in the Diocese of Brooklyn by Bishop Robert Brennan.
Currents News Staff
Pope Francis told reporters on his return flight from a lengthy 6-day trip to Canada that his ongoing health troubles, including osteoarthritis of the knee, could force him to slow down, at least in terms of international travel.
To discuss Pope Francis’ health and what he had to say on the papal plane to journalists is Crux’s Rome Bureau Chief, Inés San Martín.
Currents News Staff
Hundreds of people vanished because of unprecedented flooding in Kentucky. It has left families without answers. While the search and rescue efforts are still underway, the outlook is grim.
“With the level of water, we’re going to be finding bodies for weeks,” said Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.
Dozens of lives were lost and more could follow. Among the dead are four young siblings. The whole family clung to a tree for safety, but the rushing waters proved too strong. Their bodies were found the next day.
“I even drove by and got out at the site where those four kids were swept away,” said Governor Andy. “I’ve had to do a lot of things that were hard as governor, that was certainly one of the hardest.”
The destruction is everywhere and the governor predicted there could be hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Residents like Randy Polly are begging for help.
“We need so much help here, it is unbelievable,” said Randy. “We’re five days in this. There’s no internet, there’s no power and a lot of places have said we won’t have water for months.”
Currents News Staff
In the southeastern region of Kentucky, homes, offices and communities have been destroyed. Power and electricity is out and roads are impassable. The governor called it “one of the worst, most devastating flooding events” in the state’s history. The Catholic Church and other faith-based organizations are pledging to help for the long-term.
Joining Currents News to talk about how the Church is helping in the relief efforts is Edward Bauer, Director of Communications, for the Diocese of Lexington.
To Donate to Catholic Charities: go to catholiccharitieslexington.org, on the “Donate Now” tab and designate contributions for disasters.
Reverend Alonzo Cox’s Homily from Monday’s Mass on 8/01/22
Pope Francis is wrapping up his trip to Canada.
The death toll continues to climb in Kentucky after heavy rains caused flash flooding.
New York City is expanding the times speed cameras will be in use.
Currents News Staff
A week-long papal trip has been filled with many events, especially on the pontiff’s final days in Canada. After leaving Quebec, Pope Francis went further north than he has ever been to a small town called Iqaluit.
Joining Currents News to discuss the conclusion of the trip is John Allen, editor of Crux.