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Leader of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church: Our Priests and Nuns Will Stay With Our People

Currents News Staff

As fear and anxiety over a possible Russian invasion continue to permeate Ukraine, Aid to the Church in Need hosted a virtual conference about the Church’s experiences of eight years of armed conflict in the country.

Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, described the situation on the ground and explained how the Catholic Church and other religious institutions are responding.

“People very often are trying to see from the Churches some strong orientation: What should we do in such critical conditions? We feel our responsibility toward Ukrainian society and we are trying to project our own plan, especially when a possible full-scale military invasion of Russian troops can happen at any time,” said Shevchuk.

In response to a circulating theory that religious conflict in Ukraine is a reason for Russia’s aggression, Archbishop Shevchuk strongly affirmed that there is no religious war, despite some differing views among the different Churches.

“In the very grassroots of Ukrainian society, between the believers, simple people, there are no divisions. Among the religious leaders in Ukraine, it is very clear that religious peace is a matter of national security. So we are avoiding any kind of conflicts among us and we are trying to foster religious peace in Ukraine as much as possible,” he said.

Another participant in the conference was the Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, Msgr. Visvaldas Kulbokas. He explained that parishes and Caritas staff have a number of humanitarian assistance points along the conflict line, where they provide material, psychological and spiritual aid.

Despite it becoming more difficult to aid in occupied territory, Abp. Shevchuk says a number of priests and nuns continue to serve their people there.

“Those priests who are staying there with our people, they are heroes of our times. I have to say. But that was our policy and will be our policy, even if, God forbid, a new occupation happens. We stay with our people. Our priests, our nuns, will be staying with our people,” said Shevchuk.

Both the Major Archbishop and the Apostolic Nuncio say the people of Ukraine are grateful for Pope Francis’ support and prayers, and they hope he will be able to visit the country soon as a beacon of peace.

Baltimore’s Mother Mary Lange in Line to Become First Black Saint in the U.S.

Currents News Staff

She died 140 years ago this week and is known in Baltimore’s Catholic community for the trailblazing work she did to educate people.

Now for Mother Mary Lange, a community honor may soon be followed by one even greater – to perhaps become the first black saint in the United States.

In honor of the 140th anniversary of her feast day, Archbishop William Lori and the Oblate Sisters dedicated and blessed the chapel in the first new Catholic school built by the Archdiocese of Baltimore in nearly 60 years – named after Mother Mary Lange.

“She’s a great pioneer, great woman of courage, great educator. And I couldn’t think of a better role model or more appropriate person to name the school after,” said Lori.

The trailblazing Catholic black woman was born in Santiago, Cuba and immigrated to Baltimore in the early 1800’s.

“She opened up a little school in her home in Fells Point, by and by founded a religious order and opened-up what is today Saint Frances Academy, and founded the Oblate Sisters of Providence – the only African American community in the world,” said Lori.

Now, Mother Lange is on the path to becoming the nation’s first black saint, and she continues to inspire future generations to follow in her footsteps for years to come.

“It’s very nice to see an African American woman so, to love Jesus and to not let anything stop her, even though all of the adversities that she faced,” said student Jaylah Golder.

Mother Lange’s cause for canonization to sainthood is under review by the Vatican.

In general, two miracles need to be accepted by the church as having occurred through the intercession of the prospective saint — one for beatification and one for canonization.

Catholic News Headlines for Friday, 2/4/22

Mayor Eric Adams is showing some love to Catholic schools today. He’s visiting St. Brigid – St. Frances Catholic Academy in Brooklyn.

We’re learning more about that U.S. military raid in Syria that ended with the death of an ISIS leader.

Hours before the opening of the winter Olympics in Beijing, Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

 

Mayor Eric Adams Visits St. Brigid-St. Frances Catholic Academy and Emphasizes the Power of Prayer

By Jessica Easthope

Mayor Eric Adams looked out onto an auditorium of Catholic school students and said he’s just like them – a kid born and raised in Brooklyn with big dreams.

“I remember watching the borough and the city and hoping one day I could do something that would make my mother proud of me,” Mayor Adams said.

During his visit to St. Brigid-St. Frances Catholic Academy in Bushwick, Mayor Adams celebrated the diversity of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn and left kids with the hope that they too could one day become a leader and make a difference.

“It made me want to do what he did, it was really inspirational,” said eighth grader Javier Hernandez.

But the mayor said the most important part of their Catholic education is learning how the power of prayer can shape their futures.

“When you pray you start to believe in what’s possible and not allow anything to prevent you from reaching your full potential or dreams. I still pray every day and every night,” he said.

“For our students to hear that the Mayor of New York City also prays I thought that was wonderful,” said principal Marcia Soria.

Mayor Adams’ visit comes a day after his meeting with President Joe Biden on how to combat the violent crime plaguing the streets of New York City.

“That means talk about violence and how we are not going to allow violence to be part of our lives,” said Mayor Adams.

Before leaving Mayor Adams said he hung out with some of the best Catholic school students the city has to offer.

Sports Day in the Diocese of Brooklyn has Catholic Students Facing Off in the Gym

Currents News Staff

Catholic Schools Week may be nearing its end, but that’s not stopping students in the Diocese of Brooklyn from joining in on the fun.

At Our Lady of Trust Catholic Academy in Canarsie, teachers there encouraged some friendly competition with their annual sports day.

The students got a taste for speed while facing off in a relay race, and some even got to show off their muscles with a classic game of tug-of-war.

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday, 2/3/22

In the wake of the shooting deaths of two NYPD officers, President Biden is in New York City today. He’s meeting with Mayor Eric Adams to address the spike in gun violence.

Earlier today, President Biden attended the National Prayer Breakfast on Capitol Hill. The Catholic President stressed the importance of unifying the country.

Catholic Schools Week continues in the Diocese of Brooklyn and students at St. Athanasius Catholic Academy in Bensonhurst are really diving into their books.

 

President Joe Biden Joins Mayor Eric Adams, Elected Officials to Talk Combating Gun Violence

By Jessica Easthope

In just January alone, 24 police officers were shot in New York City, but the deaths of two of them, Detectives Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora are shedding a light on how rampant violent crime in the Big Apple has become.

“Enough is enough,” said President Biden. “Because we know we can do things about this, but for the resistance we’re getting from some sectors of the government.”

New Yorkers are calling for change, including the NYPD chaplain who met with the families of the slain officers.

“Hopefully these times change, hopefully through our politicians we get back to some law and order in society,” said NYPD Deputy Chief Chaplain Monsignor David Cassato.

During President Joe Biden’s visit to the city, Thursday, he opposed defunding the police.

“The answer is not to de-fund the police. It’s to give you the tools, the training, the funding, to be partners, to be protectors,” he said.

The president came at the invitation of Mayor Eric Adams and joined Governor Kathy Hochul and the United States Attorney General Merrick Garland. Mayor Adams is asking the president to federally fund a “9/11 response” to the violence.

“This room came together to zero in on the violence that is attempting to take our way of life,” said Mayor Adams.

And the rise in violence isn’t just in New York, it’s across the country. Last year 16 cities broke their own murder records including Philadelphia and Atlanta. So far this year 316 people have been shot, 106 killed, 64 children have been shot and injured and 26 have been killed by guns.

“There’s no violation of the second amendment right. We talk like there’s no amendment that’s absolute,” said President Biden.

With midterm elections coming up the country is keeping a close eye on the president’s response. He faces a balancing act of getting guns off the street, but also keeping his promise of police reform.

Doctor Recounts his Faith Experience During the Toughest Moments of the Pandemic

Currents News Staff

In September of 2019, Dr. Ramón Tallaj met the Pope. He told him about the network of family physicians he’d founded. These doctors belong to the same cultural community as their patients, so they’re able to communicate with them in the language with which they feel most comfortable.

“Our services are geared toward migrants, the poor and the most vulnerable in New York. They come from many different parts of the world,” said Tallaj.

“This solidarity with the sick is a real treasure, and it is a distinctive sign of authentic health care and assistance, which puts the person and his needs at the center,” said the Pope.

Neither of them imagined that the pandemic would make their work indispensable and submit them to unprecedented pressure.

While the streets emptied out, Somos Community Care began looking for ways to help its patients, since for many Latinos and Asians, being quarantined was out of the question.
The organization distributed food and Covid-19 tests, and set up hotlines to answer questions in different languages.

“We’re working with authorities. We have around 20,000 of these kits so they can be used on other people. It’s completely free for our community,” said Tallaj.

Somos Community Care put $30 million from its own savings toward helping the community.
They served 40,000 people a day, administered more than 2 million tests and hundreds of thousands of vaccines. They even covered funeral costs for people who could not afford them.
It was a difficult moment that brought with it a unique faith experience.

“At one point, our people were dying, our doctors too. Twelve of them died, five during that period. And then, on March 26, I told the employees I saw during the day that whenever they got home, be it six in the morning or seven at night, to change, eat and be ready for prayer at 8 p.m. That was the first day. And that’s what we’ve been doing non-stop since. Every day,” said Tallaj.

The doctor thinks that, barring any new unexpected obstacles, the pandemic will likely be overcome soon.

That’s why he’s advocating for preventative medicine, so people don’t have to be hospitalized or receive painful treatment.

“Prevention is very important. Prevention, if we start with today’s young people, will make it so less people have complications with diabetes in the future, or with hypertension or stroke. These problems are those that cause health disasters and economic troubles toward the end of life,” said Tallaj.
That’s the policy of this network of family physicians, which already serves at least 700,000 people in New York.

The pandemic has shown that they are doctors who are unwilling to leave anyone behind.