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Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday, 12/7/21

Three hostages were just released by that violent gang in Haiti. Among them, a mother and her child.

The Annual Bishop’s Christmas Luncheon is being held in Queens. It’s the first one for Brooklyn’s newly installed Bishop Robert Brennan.

The president and First Lady today remember 80 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Catholic News Headlines for Monday, 12/6/21

Brooklyn’s Bishop Robert Brennan celebrated Sunday Mass in the Diocese of Brooklyn at his alma mater, St. John’s University.

In the wake of the latest school shooting in Michigan, schools across the country are taking another look at their security.

Three Christian missionaries who have been held in Haiti since October are now free.

Pope Francis’ 35th apostolic journey abroad has come to an end.

Pope Francis Finished His Latest Papal Trip by Meeting With Hundreds of Migrants and Asylum Seekers

Currents News Staff

Pope Francis traveled to a divided Cyprus to begin the 35th apostolic journey of his pontificate.

There he met with religious leaders before being received in the Presidential Palace to meet with the President of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, and address the country’s civil leaders.

He also celebrated Mass in Cyprus and prayed with migrants living on the island before departing for the second leg of his trip in Greece. In Athens, Pope Francis was received by the Greek President, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, and the country’s Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The Holy Father then met with the Orthodox Archbishop of Athens and all of Greece, Ieronymous II, where he apologized for the historic treatment of Orthodox Christians by Catholics. He also met with the Catholic minority community in Greece.

The following day, Pope Francis visited a refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, where he condemned the lack of action in addressing the refugee crisis on the part of governments. He also celebrated Mass for about 1,000 people in Athens.

On his final day in Greece, the pontiff visited children at a Catholic school in Athens, before heading to the airport to make his way back to Rome just days before his 85th birthday.

Bishop Brennan Says Being a Student at St. John’s University Helped Prepare Him to Become a Priest

Currents News Staff and John Lavenburg 

JAMAICA — Soon after Bishop of Brooklyn Robert Brennan took the pulpit at St. Thomas More Church on the campus of St. John’s University to deliver his homily Sunday night, the 200-plus congregants filled the circular nave with booming applause. 

The tribute came after Bishop Brennan, a class of 1984 St. John’s alum, spoke of the significance of the university to his own life and how much he looks forward to being a frequent presence at a place he considers home. 

“I wish I could explain to you what it means to be here tonight. This is such a big deal for me; it’s kind of like a spiritual pilgrimage,” Bishop Brennan said in the homily. “Having studied here myself, this is the part of the Diocese of Brooklyn that I call home.” 

The 5:30 p.m. Mass was the regularly scheduled student Mass at the university. The difference, of course, was Bishop Brennan’s presence — on what was his first Sunday as the shepherd of Brooklyn and Queens. 

The decision to come to the campus was intentional. Bishop Brennan considers outreach to college students a crucial aspect of his ministry. That was the case in the Diocese of Columbus, and he plans to continue that work in the Diocese of Brooklyn — the home of his alma mater. 

Ohio State University “became a big part of my life there in Columbus, so I look forward; I want to be here for you,” Bishop Brennan said to the students in his homily. “I want to be a friend to all of you; a companion on this journey through life — this journey to know and love God so that we can show each other the way to Jesus.” 

The significance of Bishop Brennan’s return to the university wasn’t lost on current students or alumni, either. Billy Rabold, a St. John’s alum who was dressed in a crimson red suit ahead of that evening’s men’s basketball game, called it a “home run.” 

“To know that he’s from Long Island and he’s an alum here, he gets it. He understands the Vincentian mission, and he understands what we’re about,” said Rabold, who is known around campus as a superfan attending every home basketball game in the red suit. “I know it’s going to help [campus ministry], and I can’t wait to see how much growth there is going to be during his time here in Brooklyn and Queens.”

St. John’s student Phillip Schacht said Bishop Brennan is an “example” for the students to follow. Fellow student Alex Schrell said the fact that he’s an alum “will spark something in a lot of students” to want to get involved in their faith. 

Hannah Manjooran, also a St. John’s student called it “inspiring.”

“Usually I don’t see this many students here, so I think it’s really kind of calling people and encouraging people to come back to the church and really be in touch with their religion,” Manjooran said. 

The majority of the 200-plus people at the Mass were students. 

After Communion, Father Brian Shanley, the president of St. John’s University, came to the pulpit to congratulate and welcome Bishop Brennan to the Diocese of Brooklyn and to St. John’s. His remarks also included a surprise for Bishop Brennan — a picture collage that incorporated his yearbook picture plus a previous time he was honored at a St. John’s basketball game. 

“It is such an extreme honor and delight to have Bishop Brennan with us here tonight on his first Sunday as the Bishop of Brooklyn,” Father Shanley said. “I think you’re the first bishop who’s an alum of St. John’s, and that tells us something special about our relationship with the Diocese of Brooklyn.”

After the Mass, Bishop Brennan greeted and took pictures with congregants in the foyer of the church before heading over to the St. John’s men’s basketball game on campus against Fordham (an 83-69 win for the Red Storm). 

Bishop Brennan was honored during the first time out of the second half and was presented a basketball jersey with his last name on the back. The jersey number was eight, representing that Bishop Brennan is the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn. 

As he walked off the court, the student section showered him with chants of “Bren-nan,” to which he replied with a smile and thumbs up toward the Red Storm faithful.