The Catholic Secret Inside a Candle Company Supporting Palestinian Women During the Pandemic

Currents News Staff

As we continue to celebrate Women’s History Month, we have the story of a candle-making workshop for women in Palestine that’s helping them support their families during the pandemic.

But it’s what’s “in” their candles that’s really getting people’s attention.

Osama Hamdan is the coordinator of The Hospitable Bethany Project. Osama joined Currents News to discuss the history behind the candles and how the project brought people of different faiths together.

They’re working on a new website right now, but if you’d like to buy one of the Bethany workshop candles, you can contact them through their Instagram page at @Lavender.Store9 and send them a direct message.

Even After Women’s History Month, the Fight for Women’s Rights Continues Around the World

Currents News Staff

Millions of women around the globe are making their voices heard. From the United States to countries like Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela and all the way to Australia and beyond, women are demanding equal representation, equal pay, and a life free of violence.

“There is no question that women and girls are enduring a great tragedy,” said Lisa Kristine.

Lisa Kristine is a humanitarian photographer whose work has been blessed by Pope Francis. She spent her career documenting the lives of the downtrodden, using her lens to capture their stories.

“There’s a tremendous curb of violence against women, equally,” said Lisa. “There’s a form of violence in perpetual forced labor. People on the move that are being forced to flee their country, whether it be for political reasons or violence, war, famine, or a lack of water, or health and safety.”

COVID is making it worse and the United Nations is sounding the alarm. One in three women will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Fourty-seven million women are living on less than $1.90 a day and 80 to 100 million girls are ‘missing’ as victims of gender-based violence.

In the United States, women are also at risk.

“The sad thing about that is that you could be in the presence of slavery,” Lisa said, “and not have any idea that the person who is serving you and who you’re paying and giving a tip to actually has no control over their lives, nor are they cared for properly or paid.”

Domestic violence is also on the rise. Professor Barabara Koziak with St. John’s University says while gender violence dropped over the past 30 years, the pandemic is reversing that trend.

“Women have been disproportionately affected by COVID because of the uptick in domestic violence,” Barbara said. “Because of their increased labor in the home, they have been much more vulnerable in various ways across both the economy and the home.”

And while domestic violence is up, women’s employment is down. Women usually make up 49 percent of the workforce, but now account for 55 percent of the jobs lost since the pandemic began. Jobs lost include women-centric industries like leisure and hospitality; education; health and retail; and government jobs at the state and local level.

There is hope the impact will be temporary.

“I think they will rebound as long as the economy grows,” Barbara said. “What I think is hopeful here – is that COVID has really reinforced and highlighted how much paid employment is wrapped up in what’s happening at home.”

As for the continuing rise in gender based violence, Lisa believes that raising awareness is key to finding a solution.

“To me, awareness is just so important,” Lisa said. “Seeing is believing and as Archbishop Desmond Tutu says ‘none of us are truly free until all of us are finally free.’

Pope Francis personally signed some of Lisa Kristine’s photographs to be later auctioned off for charity. The Holy Father has called violence against women a “desecration of God.”

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday, 3/31/21

A special report on how the pandemic has impacted women’s lives and livelihoods.

New York State legalizes marijuana for recreational use, but members of the clergy are not happy.

The Diocese of Brooklyn holds its Chrism Mass and priests renew their vows.

Police make an arrest in the brutal and horrific beating of a 65-year-old Asian woman on her way to church.

A Catholic school delivers food to Saint Kevin’s pantry in Queens, helping people hit hardest during the pandemic.

Oils Are Blessed, Nearly 200 Diocese of Brooklyn Priests Renew Their Vows at Annual Chrism Mass

By Jessica Easthope and Paula Katinas

The brotherhood of priests and their common devotion to Jesus Christ was a thread running through the Chrism Mass that took place Holy Tuesday at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph.

“Our priesthood is what joins us together,” Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio told the priests who gathered at the co-cathedral for the Mass.

The purpose of the Chrism Mass, which takes place every year during Holy Week, is for the bishop to bless the holy oils to be used throughout the year in the Diocese of Brooklyn for baptisms, confirmations, ordinations of priests, anointing of the sick, and other events in the life of the church.

The blessing was the centerpiece of the Mass, which was attended by approximately 200 priests, deacons, and laypersons, a larger crowd than last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the celebration to be postponed to June 19 and reduced the number of attendees.

Bishop DiMarzio has traditionally used his homily at the Chrism Mass to deliver an important message to his priests and this year was no exception.

“Priests need people as much as people need priests,” he said, urging them to “never forget what your sacred mission is all about.”

That includes evangelization. “We need to do new things. We need to keep growing,” he said.

The bishop, who marked his 50th anniversary in the priesthood last year, talked in his homily about past milestones in his life and also touched on his future. “Fifty years is a long time and a short time,” he said.

He recalled various homilies he delivered at important Masses throughout his life as a priest, including his first Mass in 1970, his 25th anniversary in 1995, his elevation to bishop of Camden in 1999, and his appointment as the seventh bishop of Brooklyn in 2003.

Bishop DiMarzio also offered a strong hint that his time as bishop of Brooklyn may be coming to an end. He turned 75 in 2019 and bishops are requested to submit their resignation to the pope on reaching that age.

“I have come to know and love all of you,” he told priests. “You must prepare to meet a new bishop. Welcome whoever comes.”

As they do at Chrism Mass each year, priests and deacons of the diocese renewed their promise of obedience to the bishop.

In addition, the Chrism Mass has also served as a salute to jubilarians — priests who are celebrating milestones in their priestly lives. There are priests in the diocese marking the anniversaries of their ordinations, including the 70th, 65th, 60th, 50th, and 25th anniversaries.

Father Félix Sánchez, pastor of St. Pius V Church in Jamaica, who is celebrating his 25th anniversary this year, said he relishes the brotherhood with his fellow priests. “We are nothing without each other. A priest alone is nothing. We depend on each other,” he said.

Father John O’Connor, director of Liturgy for the diocese, said the Mass gave priests the chance to reunite after the pandemic kept them apart.

“We haven’t seen each other. We’ve been isolating just as other people have been isolating. And while we’re been praying for each other, this is the first time we’ve been gathered in over a year. The priests are enjoying each other’s company. They haven’t seen each other in a while. It’s time to catch up. It adds to the promise of Easter,” he said.

Father Christopher Bethge, director of Vocations for the diocese, has been a priest for five years. He said it was a wonderful feeling to be back at the co-cathedral again after missing last year’s Chrism Mass. “I was ordained a priest in this cathedral. Anytime I can come and renew my vows, it’s a special feeling,” he said.

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio’s Homily at the 2021 Chrism Mass

The following is the full text of Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio’s homily at the 2021 Chrism Mass in the Brooklyn Diocese:

CHRISM MASS 2021

TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021

CO-CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOSEPH, BROOKLYN

MOST REVEREND NICHOLAS DiMARZIO, Ph.D., D.D.

BISHOP OF BROOKLYN

This year, as I celebrate my 50th Anniversary of Priestly Ordination, I share with you my brother priests, especially my fellow Jubilarians, some insights that perhaps I have gathered over these many years of priesthood. There is a certain parallel, or dichotomy in some ways, between two concepts of priesthood.

One I might characterize using the word “presbyter” to describe the work of the priest in concert with the phrase more common today “in persona Christi capitis” in which the priest acts in the person of Christ. The emphasis of the presbyter is on community and service, as well as the celebration of the Liturgy.

When I was Ordained in 1970, there was another concept more common, characterized by the words “sacedos” and capsulated in the phrase “alter Christus,” another Christ. The priest offered cultic sacrifice and made Christ present in the Liturgy. I do not call one liberal and the other conservative, because these are two different ways of observing the same reality of priesthood. There is a tension between the two concepts. And I see today a certain drift back towards sacedos whereas the presbyter after the Second Vatican Council was more common.

A certain balance is needed, however. How we live our priesthood is most important. How we conceptualize it is not so important. In some ways, an extreme characterization of sacedos might be those priests today who prefer saying Mass in Latin, and not necessarily having a real congregation, because the priest makes the sacrifice and who is present is not so relevant. Whereas the presbyter today also can be extremely characterized by some who feel, “well, anyone can do it.” The presbyter is chosen by the community to act in their place. Either of these extremes must be avoided.

In preparation for this homily today, I have reviewed specific important homilies I have given in the past. The first one being my First Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Newark, New Jersey, where I preached my own First Mass which was not so common in those days. In fact, I chose as my motto, characterized by a First Mass banner which was common in those days, highlighting the words from the Epistle to the Hebrews 5, “A Man Among Men.” The banner replicated a hymn book very common at that time, The People’s Hymnal, where there were five stick figures on the cover. The one figure in the middle is a different color than the other four figures, mostly to represent the priest. Yes, the priest is chosen from among men, appointed by God, and appointed to conduct the things of God. “No one takes this honor on upon himself, but only when called by God.” (Hebrews 5:4)

When I preached the homily at my First Mass, I said that a man was taken, not separated, from his people. The priest was a sign of God in the midst of the community making Jesus alive and bringing His message to all men. And that the priest was most important in directing Christians’ relationship to God. The priest’s work is exactly that; to renew the Covenant made by Jesus Christ in the daily and weekly celebration of the Eucharist.

As I look back on that homily, I realize that I was most likely describing more the presbyter than then the sacerdos. In those days, at a First Mass Tu es sacerdos in aeternam was sung, a beautiful hymn reminding us that we are priests forever according to Order of Melchizedek. There were 27 in my seminary graduating class, and 5 left the priesthood. There was always some caution to be made in counting priests. Eight of my classmates have died and 14 remain in ministry, mostly retired. I remember the words of my seminary spiritual director who told us, “Many priests / ‘sacedos’” enter into eternal rest on the day of their Ordination. Because for them celebrating the Mass once a day is all that they ever do.”

I also found the homily I gave on my 25th Anniversary of Priesthood Ordination in 1995 given at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Newark, New Jersey, just a little over a year before I was Ordained a Bishop in October of 1996. In that homily, already was seen the seeds of the sex abuse scandal in the Church. I emphasized, as I did at my First Mass, that the priest is a man among men and that the Second Vatican Council made it clear that the role of the priest was to enhance the priesthood of the faithful in which we all participate. As we know, when we were Ordained in 1970, and some classmates are here tonight, the Second Vatican Council had recently concluded and we had its wind in our sails. We were ready to conquer the world. The Church had come of age. The Church was a light in the world. Today, unfortunately, that light has been dimmed by the circumstances of scandal, not allowing us to truly implement the Second Vatican Council in its fulness. We understand from history that that Councils are never implemented until long after their work has been concluded.

I turn to another document I have in my files in that of my ordination retreat in preparation for the Episcopacy. In this piece, I saw the words that remind me about the role of the bishop. Bishops are the source of unity in a diocese. In the presbyterate, the Bishop must be father, brother, and friend. His primary responsibility, however, is his relationship to the priests as they relate to him with the faithful. My meditation at that time was the Sermon on the Mount which recognizes that discipleship means that we have to enter through the narrow gate. It is not easy to follow the Lord Jesus, especially in the role as bishop. Little did I know then what lay before me.

Another homily that was an important one in my ministry was on the day of my installation as Bishop of Camden on July 22, 1999. In the procession on that day was carried an icon of Mary Magdalene, since it was her feast day. The icon was carried by three important women in my life who had worked with me so well. Joanne Weiss, my secretary now for 27 years, and two others who are now deceased; all who were close collaborators at Catholic Charities in Newark. I preached on the fact that the Bishop must be the servant of the Gospel and the hope of the world, as there was a current document reminding Bishops of their responsibilities.

It was the age of John Paul II, who in his Encyclical “Faith and Reason,” reminded us all that we must “know ourselves” as the Greek saying goes. He told us that the Bishops must live first the evangelical councels which are so critical to the life of priests and bishops; poverty, chastity and obedience. How important these are to us. The most difficult of the three, obviously, is obedience because when we have to give up our will to the will of another, to a Bishop or to a personnel board, we bristle. Unless we have that intention of obedience, however, we never can live poverty with detachment from things. And chastity can become all the more difficult, because we are attached to ourselves. Tonight, you will renew that commitment.

I take this time to remind everyone of the three characteristics that were important in the relationship between the priest and bishops. The first is honesty. The ability to speak truth to power is so important. As we find in the Gospel, Jesus tells us that among us it should not be like the great ones whose power is felt. No, we must be able to be honest with one another.

The second is loyalty. Loyalty is a top down and bottom up quality of relationship so necessary. There should be no idols. Neither bishop nor priest are perfect. If we are not loyal to one another, how can we tell one another what we truly believe? We cannot live dialogue, which Saint Paul VI described as the “New Name” for charity.

And finally charity itself, which characterizes the communion and collaboration among priests and bishops. How important these thoughts are both then and now.

At my installation as Bishop of Brooklyn on October 3, 2003 at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, my homily concentrated on understanding the Gospel of Luke and that great scene where Jesus tells His disciples to “Put out into the deep”. I am sure that by now after 17 plus years, you are tied of hearing those words which somehow end up at the conclusion of each of my weekly columns. But in essence, what do these words mean? It means that we must go beyond the limitations we see, because we are tired in so many different ways and we have lost imagination. And we are relying on the same old methods when perhaps a new look at the New Evangelization is what we need?

My entire ministry here as Bishop of Brooklyn in one way or another has been emphasizing the work of the New Evangelization. And you my brother priests have been my first collaborators. I wish to take the time today to thank you for all that you have done to make my ministry here in Brooklyn and Queens viable and useful to the Church.

When I celebrated the 40th Anniversary of my Priestly Ordination, the theme of “A Man Among Men” came to be the center of my homily that day. The context of that homily was the sex abuse crisis that was at its height, and how we as a Church were suffering. How our victims suffered. How our priests suffered. How the perpetrators also suffered realizing their sin. There was great suffering that perhaps we failed to appreciate and understand completely. Now ten years later, we do have a better understanding of the abuse crisis. In that homily, I spoke about the priest as a man, a product of his relationships with other people. And how the priests also are limited, how they are sinful, and how priests live a human life; a life in which they come to know their need for God. Priests are appointed to assist others to develop their relationship with God. Yet, we cannot forget that people need priests, as well as we priests need people in order to fulfill our responsibilities.

A Bishop’s ordination does not somehow cancel our priesthood, it builds upon that priesthood. And I have been with you as Bishop now for almost 18 years. I have ordained over 100 of you to the priesthood myself. I have come to know you and love you. And I have come to know the vibrancy, loyalty and the honesty of this presbyterate of Brooklyn and Queens.

As you now prepare to welcome a new Bishop, make sure that you keep in mind some of the things that I tried to teach over almost the last 18 years; that working together is the only way that the Church can go forward, and that our communion and collaboration make the presbyterate strong around the Bishop, whose primary responsibility is to foster the unity of the Church in a particular place.

Tonight, we gather to bless the life blood of our ministry as the People of God. The oil we bless and consecrate allows us to make Christ present to the sick. I must take this time to thank our front-line Covid-19 responders – our 30 hospital chaplains – for the wonderful work they have done during this past year. Each has put themselves at risk for God’s people. The oil of catechumens and the Chrism that we bless allows the Church to grow from initiation to ordination. Tonight, we anticipate the growth to come through our celebration.

I ask our people of Brooklyn and Queens today, as they listen to these words, to remember and recognize how much your priests love you, and support you in so many different ways. Yes, the people criticize their priests today perhaps more than ever because of the world in which we live. But deep down, the criticism only comes from their respect and love which they have for the work of their priests, and for what their priests do for them each and every day. Whether you see it in the “sacedotal” or in a “presbyteral” way, it is the same priesthood you live, not for yourself but for others because you represent to others Jesus Christ, Our Lord and God.

May the Lord keep you under His wings and give you the strength needed to face the future here in Brooklyn and Queens.

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday, 3/30/21

Holy Week continues tonight with a special blessing – we have exclusive coverage.

Attacks on Asian American New Yorkers – the latest victim? A 65-year-old woman heading to church.

Satanic graffiti on a parish in Wisconsin – the community scrambles to remove it ahead of Easter.

In Minneapolis businesses are boarding up, worried the Derek Chauvin trial will give rise to unrest and destruction.

Massive Fire at Rohingya Refugee Camp Leaves Thousands Homeless

Currents News Staff

In Bangladesh, hundreds of Rohingya refugees are still missing after massive fires tore through their settlement.

Families are looking for loved ones as potential solutions to this crisis are being discussed.

Rohingya refugees are trying to resume their normal activities following the wave of fires that caused chaos in this camp. There were three fires in only four days. The last fire left 15 people dead, 300 missing and destroyed the shelters of 50,000 people.

“Families were separated, some children are still looking for their parents,” said the United Nation’s High Commissioner for Refugees, Ita Schuette. “This is a very difficult situation.”

In the Cox region of Bangladesh, there are more than 800,000 Rohingya. Most of them arrived in 2017 in an effort to escape repression under the government of Myanmar. They live in inhumane conditions.

They’re crowded in one of the world’s largest refugee camps and the government of Bangladesh is struggling to address this migration crisis. In fact, they are looking into a possible solution: moving 100,000 refugees to an island with enough space, but with terrible climate conditions.

Pope Francis has been following the situation closely and even visited in 2017.

Meet the Laywoman Who Is Running a Catholic Church in Albany, New York

By Emily Drooby

Switching out décor, coordinating Church events, washing and folding rags — Elizabeth Simcoe does it all.

She’s a laywoman but she’s taken on a job usually reserved for the clergy, leading a Catholic Church, St. Vincent De Paul Parish in Albany, New York.

She tells Currents News that a portion of Canon law allows for this: “The code of Canon Law allows for the Bishop to appoint a deacon or a layperson if there aren’t enough priests to pastor the parishes.”

The world has been dealing with a priest shortage. Recent Vatican data showing the number of priests has dropped, with only one for every 3,000 Catholics.

That’s where people like Elizabeth come in. Her job title is Parish Life Director. While there’s a canonical pastor for council, and rotating priests to celebrate Mass, Elizabeth runs the show.

She serves as both a spiritual and administrative leader.

“So you need to be able to manage parish finances, you need to manage personal issues, you need to manage crisis, or be with people in crisis,” she said.

Her entire church is run by women. “Actually all of our staff, with the exception of our custodial staff and the priest who celebrates Mass with us, are women,” Elizabeth explained.

The strong role of women in Albany is part of a growing trend within the Church.

Earlier this year, Pope Francis appointed two women to high ranking Vatican posts previously only held by men: Nathalie Becquart and Catia Summaria.

For Elizabeth, taking the role wasn’t just about being a trailblazer. It was about stepping in where she was needed.

“There are many, many examples of women who have stepped forward to lead not because they wanted to be powerful, but because they saw a need that had to be met,” she said.

Elizabeth also now gets to be there for her faith, just like her faith is there for her every day.

Catholic Student Athletes Lose Out on Scholarships After High-Risk Indoor Sports Stay Sidelined

By Jessica Easthope

Sports are what drive some students at St. Edmund Preparatory High School in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. The dream of a sports career in college and beyond has kept them moving forward, but over the last year they’ve hit a wall.

“I definitely was planning on getting an athletic scholarship and now that’s going down the drain,” said Malik Cole, a senior basketball player at St. Edmund Prep.

In a four year period, nearly 20 percent of St. Edmund students graduate with an athletic scholarship. Up until recently, Malik thought he’d be one of them.

“I was planning on attending Duke but I couldn’t reach out because there’s no film on my games to record and send them, so I have to do what’s best and try to figure out what the scenario is for me and my family’s financial situation,” Malik said.

These students have had their athletic goals shattered. Now their finances are also at risk.

“I was hoping to get athletic scholarships to help with that, ease up on the payments, and I also got some academic scholarships but it just doesn’t cover enough,” said senior volleyball player Mia Miljanic.

The pandemic has forced the NCAA to cut, suspend and even drop sports programs across the country, which means less athletic scholarships available to students.

“It’s so upsetting that we can’t even do anything to help ourselves get into a college for our athletic ability,” said senior volleyball player Brianna Riccardi.

“They wanted to live out their dreams and because of the lack of play they have nothing, and they can’t afford to go to the dream schools,” said Danielle Johnson, the assistant athletic director, teacher and alumna of St. Edmund Prep.

Johnson says even if scholarships were available, her students would have nothing to show for the second half of their high school sports careers.

“When you do film for colleges they want to see you in game situations, how you communicate with your teammates on the court. So the fact that we have no games, no tournaments I have nothing to show for that,” Mia said.

For Mia, everything was riding on her plan to play volleyball in college.

“Pace, that’s been my dream school since sophomore year,” she said. “I didn’t even apply.”

The Catholic High School Athletic Association started an online petition begging the Department of Health (DOH) and New York City to let the kids play.

“They’re staying fit, they are in school and what reward are we giving them? Nothing,” said Danielle Johnson.

The students say they’ll continue to hold out hope of getting an athletic scholarship, even if it’s a long shot.

Catholic News Headlines for Monday, 3/29/21

Catholics targeted and police still looking for answers after a suicide bombing injures at least 20 outside an Indonesian church on Palm Sunday.

The Diocese of Brooklyn begins Holy Week very differently than it did last year with people in the pews.

Standing up to hate – a task force takes to the streets to fight violence against Asian Americans.

Saying goodbye to the Catholic police officer killed during the mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado.