2024

Despite facing pressure to abort and now battling for her son’s medical care, Yami Johnson remains unwavering in her support for her special needs child.

Bishop Robert Brennan celebrated All Souls Day Mass at Mount St. Mary Cemetery in Queens, one of several field masses across the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Election Day is tomorrow and the Catholic co-owner of Circo’s Pastry Shop in Brooklyn is encouraging customers to vote with cookies in the likenesses of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.

As Currents News nears the end of our nine-day novena, we mark day eight with a prayer to guide voters’ consciences.

In Brooklyn, Circo’s Bakery Catholic Baker Creates Presidential Cookies for Election Day

by Currents News

Polls are closed for voting today but the co-owner of Circo’s – one of Brooklyn’s most popular bakeries – is getting the vote out with pastries. The shop has created cookies with the faces of presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on them. Anthony Pierdipino, a Catholic baker, hopes the cookies encourage voters to head to the ballot box and vote their conscience tomorrow on Election Day.

Mom of Child With Down Syndrome Struggles With Insurance Needs

By Jessica Easthope

Six-year-old Noah Jacob’s communication is limited, but his eyes say it all. Noah is a model who’s appeared in national campaigns for big brands like Target, boosting visibility and inclusivity for the special needs community.

Currents News reported on Noah earlier this year: his mom, Yami Johnson, fought to give Noah life. Ever since, it’s been a battle to keep him healthy.

Noah has been wearing glasses since he was three months old as his down syndrome diagnosis comes with progressive vision loss. “I just noticed after having three children prior to Noah, that he wasn’t really looking at us,” she tells Currents News of how she discovered his health need. “He had a lazy eye, he had blurry vision, he has astigmatism,” she adds. “He sees the eye doctor about every three months and the prescription has changed every time since he was three months old.”

Yami says his eyes still stand out – even behind his glasses – but their struggle to get her health insurance plan to cover his vision needs feels like this is yet another way in which families and mothers who choose to bring a baby with special needs into the world are left unsupported.

WATCH: Daughter With Down Syndrome Brings Joy, Love to Comedian’s Family

She says her insurance plan through Medicaid Fidelis covers new lenses and frames for Noah every two years. But in two years he goes through eight new prescriptions and the rest of the cost falls on her.

“Sometimes before the month is over, he’s lost the glasses,” she explains. “I’ve had those incidents at school on the bus where they don’t know if he got on the bus with the glasses at the school. You have to say to yourself, well, what’s more important, you know, putting food on the table or keeping the lights on or paying almost $300 for a pair of glasses.”

Noah’s eyesight affects his quality of life in school, at home, and on set. Yami says that’s where her insurance coverage falls flat: “They actually haven’t realized that our babies are special and they do require more coverage.”

After Noah’s diagnosis when Yami was still pregnant she was pressured to abort him. She advocated for him and his life then, and continues to do so now.

“I always say that you never get a ‘congratulations’ with a down syndrome diagnosis, you never get that,” she tells Currents News. “And it’s hard because you don’t really feel like you have the support. They kind of remind you that you should have just made a different choice because then it wouldn’t be this hard.”

Both Yami and Noah do the best they can to be models not just for him, but for every child with special needs .

“I was happy to see that during his last shoot with Target they allowed the glasses. The stylist fought for that, and we were able to get him to shoot, so I’m looking forward to his new ad that’s coming up with his glasses,” she says.

There have been plenty of times when Yami was forced to choose, and she continues to choose Noah every day.

Courting the Catholic Vote: A Divided Electorate Ahead of Election Day

With Election Day approaching, both presidential candidates are vying for the Catholic vote—a key voting bloc that may once again be split.

Surveys indicate that Catholic voters are divided, with issues such as abortion and immigration weighing heavily on their minds.

In past elections, Catholic support has fluctuated between parties.

According to Pew Research Center, a majority of Catholic voters backed former President Donald Trump in 2016, but shifted to President Joe Biden in 2020.

This year, Pew polling shows Trump leading Vice President Kamala Harris among Catholic voters by a margin of 52% to 47%.

Catholic Artists Find Inspiration in Medieval Prayer for New Silk Scarf Collection

By Jessica Easthope

NEW YORK — Nearly 800 years after it was written, Adoro Te Devote, a medieval prayer by St. Thomas Aquinas, continues to inspire.

The prayer recently touched the hearts of two artists, leading to the creation of a new silk scarf design for Litany NYC, a Catholic-inspired brand.

The scarf, created by painter Erin McAtee, weaves together symbolism and spirituality.

“Working on this scarf drew me into a deeper prayer,” McAtee said. “With an image that connected deeply to my personal and embodied experience.”

McAtee and Litany’s co-founder, Veronica Marrinan, have been friends for years.

Their shared faith and creative vision prompted them to collaborate professionally last summer.

McAtee, also the executive director of the nonprofit artist collective Arthouse2B, found that working with Marrinan brought new dimensions to her artistic process.

“Artists often work alone, but it’s such a gift to work with a friend who understands the spiritual significance of what I’m sharing,” McAtee said.

The Adoro Te scarf features a mother pelican, a traditional symbol of sacrifice in Christian art, feeding her young—a symbol paired with a Eucharist at the center.

McAtee added phrases from her prayer journal to enrich the design further.

“This experience of meditating on the pelican through hands-on creation, using watercolor and drawing, was incredibly healing,” she shared.

For Marrinan, the design stands out for its blend of art and overt spirituality.

“I wanted this piece to feel special and look like an artwork, which it is,” she said.

The scarf debuted on Litany NYC’s website in August, selling over a dozen in just a month.

It’s part of a larger cultural movement among Catholic women who are seeking distinctive ways to express their faith, including veiling during Mass.

Litany NYC’s designs reflect the artists’ belief in God’s transformative power.

“It’s about how the scarf and the inspiration behind it can deepen the wearer’s relationship with God,” McAtee added.

For a closer look at Litany’s designs, visit their website at litanynyc.com.

Mass of Thanksgiving Offered in Memory of Queens Organ Donor

By Katie Vasquez

From a young age, the Perellis’ knew their son AJ was special.

“AJ was the life of the party always,” said AJ’s mother, Christine Perelli. “He knew he wanted to be in the creative arts from a very young age.”

“AJ had courage to just go out and take the bull by the horns, I admired that about him,” said AJ’s father Anthony Perelli.

The Queens man was a dancer, actor and performer, taking him across the world as far as China, which was concerning for his mother.

“I said, ‘you know, AJ, if something happens to you overseas what do you want to do?’ he said ‘don’t worry mom I’m an organ donor,” said Christine Perelli. “I’m registered.”

But the Perellis’ never expected to see AJ’s wish fulfilled.

On October 10th, 2013 their son was involved in an accident, he died 6 days later

“I always said a parent should never bury their child, and when it happened to me, I couldn’t believe I was saying it to myself,” said Anthony Perelli. “You want the world to stop, because yours has.”

AJ’s final act was to give the gift of life to others, donating his heart, kidneys, liver pancreas and corneas.

“He’s gone, but he lives on in other people. It was wonderful to see people he saved,” said Anthony Perelli. “You meet people who are genuinely thankful and crying that their lives were saved, and that’s a big deal.”

His parents created a non-profit in his memory called “The AJ project,” which looks to bring awareness to the need to register as an organ donor.

The Catholic couple also hosted a Mass of Thanksgiving at their home parish, St. Rita in Long Island City, to honor and bless all those touched by organ donation.

“This mass is not only for people who are, on the waiting list or who have received or who donate,” said Christine Perelli. “It’s for people who have been on the sidelines.”

“We’re called to go out and share our faith,” said Anthony Perelli. “So what better way to ask people, let’s come together and pray for those who we love and who we miss.”

In that way the Perellis’ say their son’s memory lives on.

“I saw the hero in my son,” said Anthony Perelli. “That’s when I realized what a hero he was.”

“I always was the proud mom, and this is allowing me to continue being that proud mom,” said Christine Perelli. “He’s on stage still. He’s still on stage.”

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday 10/31/2024

A Queens couple, inspired by their late son’s organ donation, is running a non-profit to encourage others to become organ donors and help those on transplant lists.

Though it may not feel like Halloween with temperatures nearing 80°, kids across the Diocese of Brooklyn are ready to trick-or-treat without coats, showing off their costumes.

Bishop Robert Brennan and auxiliary bishops will lead services at Catholic cemeteries in Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island on All Souls Day to pray for the deceased.

Thanks to two young artists creating wearable pieces for parishioners, scarves are making a comeback as a way for Catholics to express their faith.

Sacred Heart Catholic Academy Raises Nearly $1,500 at Trunk-or-Treat Fundraiser

Sacred Heart Catholic Academy in Bayside, Queens, got a head start on Halloween with a Trunk-or-Treat event for charity last Saturday.

Held in the church parking lot, the “Monster Mash” featured more than 20 decorated cars with themes like Peanuts, Beetlejuice, and Dr. Seuss.

Families donated $10 per child to participate, with all proceeds supporting St. Francis Breadline, a Manhattan food pantry serving the needy since 1930.

The event successfully raised nearly $1,500 for the pantry’s mission to combat hunger.

Cathedral Prep Alumni in NYC Reunite to Celebrate 50 Years of Memories

Over the weekend, alumni from the Class of 1974 at Cathedral Preparatory Schools in Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan gathered to celebrate their 50-year reunion at The Inn at New Hyde Park.

Though the Brooklyn school merged with the Queens campus in 1985 and the Manhattan location eventually closed, the former students came together to share laughter and memories from their high school and seminary days.

Pulse of the Parish, Holy Family Church

For Sonia Cuchapin, faith isn’t just a belief—it’s the driving force guiding her every step.

Cuchapin, a long-time parishioner at Holy Family Church, has found a unique way to serve her church community in Queens: through a line dancing ministry she helped establish.

“It’s a ministry where we come together as a group,” Cuchapin said. “We start with a prayer, and then we line dance.”

The ministry has become a beloved part of parish life, fostering a close-knit community among members.

Originally from the Philippines, Cuchapin joined Holy Family Church in 1979, just eight years after immigrating to the U.S.

She chose the area due to its proximity to the church, local schools, and markets—a move that would shape her life for decades.

Cuchapin, a retired registered nurse, dedicated herself fully to parish life once her children were grown.

Her contributions have been many—from serving as a eucharistic minister and lector to organizing events for the Filipino Apostolate. Each role has been a “yes” to her calling.

“All of a sudden, I was involved in so many things,” she said. “I became more active after retirement than I was during my career.”

Through the Filipino Apostolate, Cuchapin also helps organize Holy Family’s annual Santo Niño Mass and procession, a vibrant display of faith and Filipino heritage.

Her pastor, Father Sean Suckiel, sees her as a cornerstone of the parish.

“Sonia is a remarkable person,” Father Suckiel said. “She’s truly a super parishioner, always stepping up to support the church.”

As long as she’s able, Cuchapin said she’ll continue moving to serve her community.

“I’d rather do things for others than have them do things for me,” she said. “That’s what makes me feel good.”

Sonia Cuchapin, with her boundless energy and dedication, truly embodies the pulse of the parish at Holy Family Church.