After Easter comes Eastertide – church leaders are using this time to fill up the pews.
A pop-up vaccination site is helping a Queens neighborhood hit hard by the pandemic.
A prominent doctor gunned down – the community now remembers him as a man of faith.
Prince Phillip passes away at 99 – Catholic leaders offer their condolences.
By Emily Drooby
It has been a roller-coaster of a year for Coney Island. The pandemic forced amusement parks to stay closed. After 13 months, they’re back.
“The opening of Coney Island is a metaphor for NYC,” said New York Sen. Chuck Schumer to a group gathered on the boardwalk “We are getting back in business.”
Sen. Schumer was on-hand along with Mayor Bill de Blasio and Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul. They were all there to re-open Luna Park and Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park.
“And the comeback begins here,” said Lt. Gov. Hochul, “it begins here today.”
It’s a comeback that will affect the entire neighborhood. Last year, the neighborhood lost $100 million in revenue due to the closure of the two parks, aquarium, amphitheater and Brooklyn Cyclones field.
Alexandra Silversmith with the Alliance for Coney Island says when these cornerstone places close, it affects the whole area.
“They are all really important to each other and that’s sort of how Coney Island survives and thrives,” Alexandra said, “if they’re all open and operating.”
The pandemic has been tough for local businesses and for the parks. The partly-Catholic family who owns Deno’s dipped into their savings to keep the park afloat.
“It was a devastatingly hard time,” said the park’s Marketing Director Kenneth Hochman. “The family, however, was committed to making sure the park would be here for post pandemic. And that’s why you can see the roller-coaster Phoenix, rising.”
The new ride is rising – just like Coney Island. It’s something the parks have done before.
Dennis Vourderis, who co-owns Deno’s, explained the neighborhood’s economy.
“The economy of Coney Island has shown to be very resilient and bounce back very quickly,” Dennis said. “Take Hurricane Sandy for instance. Coney Island rebuilt, reopened and entertained millions of people once again.”
After the 36th Annual “Blessing of the Rides,” the park was officially open for business for their 100th season, since last year was canceled.
Front-line workers, like Carmen, rode for free. She has been coming to the park since she was a kid. However, this visit was special because it made her hopeful for the future.
“It’s refreshing,” Carmen said. “It’s rewarding, it’s encouraging and I think that’s one of the things we need as people right now.”
That leaves a spark of hope, for many, that not only is summer coming back, but New York City is too.
Currents News Staff
As many of us can relate, the pandemic has been a source of stress in our lives. But coping with that stress has caused some to turn to drugs and alcohol.
Father Cedric Pisegna C.P. says, “there is a solution.” He joined Currents News to talk about his latest book on recovery and addictions, “There Is a Solution.”
If you would like a copy of “There Is a Solution,” head on over to www.frcedric.org.
Students use their spring break for good – to restore a family’s home.
Cardinal Dolan has a message to Catholics this Easter season – come back to Mass!
President Biden unveils sweeping plans to combat gun violence in America.
A behind the scenes look inside the reconstruction of the beloved Notre Dame Cathedral.
Currents News Staff
Two years after a devastating fire blazed through the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris, specialists are still working hard on its restoration.
It’s not unusual for cathedrals of this size to take decades or even centuries to build.
Its vaulted ceilings, stained glass windows, and elaborate columns – so much of what makes Notre Dame one of the world’s most exquisite gothic wonders stands tall, almost miraculously.
When construction on the French church started in 1163, it wasn’t completed until 1345.
The construction of the cathedral may have taken 182 years from when it began in 1163, but it took the fire in 2019 just a matter of hours to compromise its stability. The work of the last two years has been all about ensuring that the cathedral stayed upright.
“We had to be sure that the structure is solid by taking a lot of measures consolidate,” said Notre Dame reconstruction chief Jean-Louis Georgelin. “We don’t want to make reconstruction without being reassured.”
The iconic North Tower, at one point, had been threatened by the flames on the night of the fire. In the end, they were put out before it could collapse. But it was there where the most devastating part of the fire took place. It was there that the famous Notre Dame spire once stood.
As the world watched, the spire – which had been under renovation – collapsed and broke through the vaulted ceiling which then crashed into the nave.
The scaffolding that had surrounded it – 40,000 tubes of metal – twisted into the structure. It had to be carefully picked through and removed.
“This is the place where the spire collapsed, you know, this is center of the drama,” Jean-Louis said.
Now that the scaffolding for the renovations is ready, Jean-Louis says the work of rebuilding Notre dame’s vaulted ceiling and its spire will begin before the end of the year.
Outside too, the cathedral’s iconic gothic facade stands as a testament to a construction that has proven as sturdy as it is delicate.
Currents News Staff
A local ministry is helping women who have had abortions, offering retreats to help them with the pain and isolation they feel as they search for forgiveness and healing through Christ.
Theresa Bonopartis is the co-founder of “Entering Canaan,” and joins Currents News to discuss how women and families are impacted by abortion, and how it moved her to the service she offers.
If you’d like to learn more about the “Entering Canaan” ministry, just log on to enteringcanaan.com.
The next retreat is on June 5. Call 877-586-4621 to register.
By Emily Drooby
Xavier H.S. students are rolling up their sleeves to spend their Spring Break doing manual labor under the hot, Long Island sun.
They’re giving back and helping healthcare hero Nickesha Medley.
“I was praying and praying because where I live right now, it’s not livable,” Nickesha told Currents News. “I live in the attic. There’s no hot water in the shower.”
The Christian woman’s prayers were answered when Habitat for Humanity picked her for a home. She’s a nurse’s aide who worked on the frontlines during the pandemic.
Xavier H.S. junior James Joyce and his fellow classmates are using their time off from school to build what Nickesha calls her “forever home.”
“It feels good to know that I’m helping someone to have a house,” James said.
The student-volunteers are offering much needed assistance since they’re the first school group back to help since the pandemic.
“We actually closed down for 6 weeks last year and we haven’t really had any other volunteer groups come out,” said Walter Mackey, who works for Habitat for Humanity.
Walter explained that they were stuck just using their staff to keep projects going. While they made it work, he said it’s nice to have the extra help.
He knows firsthand how important what they do is.
“I am a Habitat home owner,” Walter said.
He received his home in 1999 and shortly after, he got a job offer.
“I usually say, it’s like winning the lottery,” Walter said. “It’s just the relief of knowing where you’re going to put down roots for the rest of your life. Where your kids are going to be graduating school and where your life starts.”
Roots – just like the ones these students are helping to create for Nickesha and her daughter.
“I’m so grateful to those students because I mean, it’s their break,” said Nickesha. “Where a lot of kids would be home doing other things, they come and they help me – a total stranger. And they come and give me and my daughter a gift, a big gift.”
Xavier H.S. also helped out at this site back in February. For the Jesuit school students, it’s the perfect way to do God’s work.
“When we learn of Ignatius of Loyola and his teachings, he believes in work through service as well as St. Francis Xavier,” said Alexander Eriquez. “We see God. We find God in all things and service is one of those ways in which we can see God.”
Right now, they’re in the demolition phase of building, but this home should be ready for Nickesha and her daughter to move in by the end of the summer.
This isn’t just a free home. Nickesha has been putting in what they call “sweat equity” or volunteering her time for other projects.
She’s paying it forward – just like the Xavier H.S. students are doing for her.
By Currents News Staff
Today President Joe Biden will lay out the first part of his plan for gun control, with six executive actions in the works.
“I don’t need to wait another minute, let alone an hour, to take common sense steps that will save the lives in the future,” said President Biden.
It’s a commitment the President made after the recent mass shootings in Atlanta and in Boulder.
The White House says Biden will lay out six initial actions today:
From here, it’s up to the Justice Department which has between 30 and 60 days to write the rules for ghost guns and stabilizing braces, and the suggested red flag laws.
Honoring the sacrifice – one hospital is remembering the healthcare workers they lost to the pandemic.
New York lawmakers allocate funds for undocumented migrants and rent relief.
President Biden has differences in opinions from other Catholics on the Equality Act.
A horrific home explosion – the man inside is alive thanks to the quick thinking of one Good Samaritan.
By Emily Drooby
A new report shows deportations are up. At the same time, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is on the chopping block.
“I was very afraid, scared because I don’t know exactly when they’re going to deport me,” Jaques said. He spoke in Creole to Currents News, while an on-site translator was present.
Jaques has been here in the U.S. on TPS since 2012. For safety concerns, Currents News used a different name.
TPS is a designation given to those whose home country has been seriously impacted by violence or disasters. This way, they can live and work in the U.S., temporarily.
Haiti’s current TPS designation came right after the devastating 2010 earthquake. Over 55,000 people are enrolled.
Jean Similien helps guide people on their path to citizenship through the non-profit Life of Hope. The organization is located in Brooklyn and its mission is to provide equity for immigrants.
“Now, we don’t know what’s going to happen,” Jean explained.
After being threatened in December, TPS was extended to October 2021. If it will be extended further is unknown and that leaves TPS holders in limbo and activists fighting.
“The scary part of TPS is we are living at the mercy of the government,” explained Jean.
There has also been a recent hike in deportations. More than 1,100 people have been sent back to Haiti since February 2021. Even more have been sent back in the weeks following President Joe Biden’s inauguration than the entire 2020 fiscal year.
It’s the opposite of what many believed would happen based on Biden’s immigration policies.
The numbers come from a report filed by a coalition of several immigrant rights groups. They’re tying the hikes to a Trump-era policy that allows deportation without any of the normal rights promised.
All of this confusion and fear comes as reports of violence and political instability in Haiti has increased. There’s also reportedly no access to the COVID vaccine.
“It’s getting worse and worse every year,” said Porez Luxama. He runs the Life of Hope Center.
He explains that fighting to keep Haitians in the U.S. is a Catholic issue because it’s about respecting life.
“People want to live in respect and dignity,” Porez said, “and that’s what this society offers them.”
Recently, there’s been bipartisan support to re-designate Haiti’s TPS status.
However, change has been slow-moving and recipients are getting desperate.
“My message to the government is to try to take the TPS cases under consideration and try to legalize the people here with TPS,” Jaques said through the translator.
Jaques’s status and the status of many others continues to hang in the balance.