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.
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Has Pope Francis Sparked Reconciliation and Healing Among the Indigenous in Canada?
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.
A Journey of Healing: Why Pope Francis Says Canada Papal Trip ‘Left a Mark’ on Him
Currents News Staff
“I am now returning home greatly enriched. I bear in my heart the incomparable treasure of all those individuals and peoples who have left a mark on me,” Pope Francis said.
Tears running down the faces of attendees as the Holy Father described to 22 Indigenous delegations Friday just what his trip to Canada has meant to him. Pope Francis long called this a “penitential pilgrimage”
Monday began the path of healing for Indigenous school survivors when he finally apologized on Canadian soil.
“I am here because the first step of my penitential pilgrimage among you is that of again asking forgiveness and telling you once more that I am deeply sorry,” Pope Francis said.
On Tuesday, the Holy Father went to a Canadian site known for its miraculous healings – Lac St. Anne. The Holy Father blessed the lake following the Indigenous customs and making the sign of the cross in the direction of the four cardinal points. Then, he blessed those lakeside.
On Thursday, Pope Francis was greeted with cheers as he made his way to the National Shrine of St. Anne de Beaupre for Mass. Thousands converged on one of the oldest and most popular pilgrimage sites in North America to see the pope. Those who couldn’t get a seat inside watched on big screens outside as the Holy Father continued what he called a journey from failure to hope.
“Let us believe that jesus draws near to us on our journey,” the pontiff said. “Let us go out to meet him. let us allow his word to interpret the history we are making as individuals and as a community, and show us the way to healing and reconciliation.”
Now as the Holy Father heads back to Rome, he holds in his heart the memories of a trip that he says will forever stay with him.
“I can truly say that while i came to be with you, it was your life and experiences, the indigenous realities of these lands, that have touched my soul,” Pope Francis said, “remain with me and will always be a part of me.”
Natural Family Planning Week Raises Awareness on Natural Methods of Birth Control
Currents News Staff
Catholic bishops around the nation this week are paying special attention to marital love and the creation of life! It’s Natural Family Planning Week.
It’s a time to raise awareness about the scientific, natural and moral methods that can help married couples either achieve or postpone pregnancy. The Church condemns the use of unnatural birth control like the pill based upon a stance that dates back to 1968 when Pope St. Paul VI wrote the encyclical “Humanae Vitae.”
The papal paper taught about God’s plan for marriage and the transmission of life, saying “every marital act must of necessity retain its intrinsic relationship to the procreation of human life.”
This week marks the anniversary of the release of that papal paper. Many are using this week to promote infertility awareness, in an effort to help those who are struggling to realize that they are not alone.
To learn more, just go to usccb.org/topics/natural-family-planning
Catholic News Headlines for Thursday, 07/28/22
Pope Francis held Mass at the National Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in Canada this morning.
The Church is celebrating “Natural Family Planning Awareness Week.”
New York City has a new plan to fight the rat problem plaguing the Big Apple.
Pope Francis Holds Mass at Canadian National Shrine
Currents News Staff
Pope Francis was greeted with cheers as he made his way to the National Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in Quebec Thursday morning. Thousands of people converged on one of the oldest and most popular pilgrimage sites in North America to see the pontiff.
Those who couldn’t get a seat inside watched on big screens outside as the Holy Father continued what he called a journey from failure to hope. During his homily, Pope Francis reflected on a reading about Adam and Eve to help us understand our own participation in evil
“In confronting the scandal of evil and the Body of Christ wounded in the flesh of our indigenous brothers and sisters,” Pope Francis said, “we too have experienced deep dismay; we too feel the burden of the fall.”
Two-thousand people sat inside the basilica. Those seats were reserved for Indigenous participants and delegations from Eastern Canadian dioceses and some government officials.
Where Does Pope Francis Go From Here After Making Public Apologies to Indigenous In Canada?
Currents News Staff
During Pope Francis’ trip to Canada, the Indigenous people have asked for more than an apology and the Canadian government made it clear that the apology didn’t go far enough.
Joining Currents News to discuss the pontiff’s apology is Inés San Martín, the Rome Bureau chief for Crux. Inés has traveled and covered many papal trips with Pope Francis and breaks down the pope’s trip.
Homilies in Your Home: Matthew 13:47-53
Most Reverend Bishop Robert J. Brennan’s Homily from Thursday’s Mass on 7/28/22
One Mass, Three Milestones Coincide at St. James
By Paula Katinas
DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — It was a big day at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James on July 25 as three milestones were celebrated at the noon Mass.
Monday marked not only the Feast of St. James but the 200th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of St. James Church (later cathedral) and the 10th anniversary of Bishop Robert Brennan’s episcopal ordination.
Bishop Brennan was joined by Bishop Emeritus William Murphy of the Diocese of Rockville Centre as he celebrated Mass at the cathedral.
“I think the Lord was with us in a very special way 10 years ago,” said Bishop Murphy, who ordained Bishop Brennan 10 years ago to the day. He added that Bishop Brennan “will continue to be an extraordinary bishop.”
Two hundred years ago to the day — July 25, 1822 — the cornerstone was laid to construct the church in downtown Brooklyn that would eventually become a cathedral and the seat of the bishop.
St. James Church was established after a group of people led by Peter Turner petitioned the Catholic Church to build a church in the Village of Brooklyn. The petitioners had grown weary of traveling to Manhattan to attend church and wanted to worship closer to home.
St. James Church was the first Catholic church built on Long Island.
Both milestones — the cathedral’s anniversary and the bishop’s ordination to the episcopacy — coincided with the Feast of St. James. St. James, the first of Jesus’s Apostles to be martyred, is the patron saint of pilgrims.
St. James, the first of Jesus’ Twelve Apostles to be martyred, is the patron saint of pilgrims. He is also the patron saint of Spain, and it is believed that his remains are buried at the site of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwest Spain. The cathedral is the final destination for the Camino de Santiago, an annual pilgrimage.
In his homily, Bishop Brennan touched upon the theme of pilgrims and urged parishioners to trust in Jesus Christ as they travel through life. “We need to follow where Jesus takes us on this pilgrimage,” he said.
Bishop Brennan told The Tablet about another connection he has to St. James. On the day in May 2012 when the Apostolic Nuncio called him and told him he was to become an auxiliary bishop, a Scripture passage about the saint was the designated reading at Masses.
Bishop Brennan served as an auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Rockville Centre from 2012 until 2019, when he was named Bishop of Columbus, Ohio. He became Bishop of Brooklyn in 2021.
“St. James has always meant a lot to me,” Bishop Brennan said after the Mass. “I’ve always looked to him for protection, you might say. And here I am as the bishop of Brooklyn under the patronage of St. James.”
Churchgoers sitting in the pews on Monday were excited to be sharing the day with the bishop.
“I have seen him on television. This is the first time I will see him in person,” said Mireille Senat.
Camille Ferdinand, who was selling books, bags, prayer cards, and other souvenirs at a table in the back to help celebrate the cathedral’s bicentennial, said the bishop might be relatively new to Brooklyn, but “he seems like part of our family already.”
Bishop Brennan Celebrates Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne and Honors Jesus’ Grandparents
Currents News Staff
The Bishop of Brooklyn Robert Brennan joined parishioners of Sts. Joachim and Anne Catholic Church in Queens Village to celebrate the feast day of their patron saints.
The faithful honored the grandparents of Jesus with songs, prayer and worship and a multicultural Mass in Latin, English, Creole and Spanish.
Remarking on how well Joachim and Anne did in raising the Blessed Mother Mary, Bishop Brennan called on the faithful to cherish our families.
“Let’s honor our parents,” Bishop Brennan said. “Let’s honor our grandparents and all those people who nourish us in the spiritual life like Joachim and Anne.”
Following the Mass, there was a procession with the statues of Saints Joachim and Anne through the neighborhood and the night ended with a final blessing. The feast has been a part of the parish since it was founded in 1896.