Pope’s Sunday Angelus Included Ukrainian Pilgrims, Round of Applause for Healthcare Workers

Currents News Staff

The flags at Pope Francis’ Sunday Angelus are becoming increasingly diverse as pilgrims return to Rome. This week they included several from Ukraine.

On Italy’s National Day for Healthcare Professionals, the Pope shared an instance of the small yet heroic gestures healthcare workers perform to show their closeness to their patients.

“A doctor told me this morning that in the time of COVID, a person was dying and said to him, ‘Hold my hand. I am dying, and I need your hand.’ The heroic healthcare professionals showed this heroism in the time of COVID, but the heroism remains there every day. A round of applause and a big “thank you” to our doctors, nurses, and volunteers,” said the Holy Father.

The Pope also prayed for those affected by the deadly mudslides and flooding near Rio de Janiero, Brazil, and for Madagascar where a cyclone is expected to touch down in the coming days.

“May the Lord receive the victims in his peace, console their relatives and support those who come to their aid,” said Pope Francis.

The Pope then greeted pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square from around the world, including a large group from cities across Spain.

This Newly Inaugurated Wood and Concrete Church is Among Italy’s Most Unique

Currents News Staff

This inauguration of the church of St. James the Apostle in Ferrara, Italy, was ten years in the making.

That’s how long it took architects to design and construct the extraordinary church, which is being celebrated for its out-of-the-box design which began with its striking roof.

“In the sky of Ferrara there were many hot air balloons and we thought it was beautiful to imagine a church almost like a balloon that touches the floor and creates a space for concentration,” said lead architect, Benedetta Tagliabue.

The church’s interior is marked by its simplicity. Wood and concrete are blended elegantly to create an imposing yet comforting environment of open spaces and filled with natural light.

“At the same time with very primitive materials, because this idea of giving oneself to the earth and having something very essential is very important,” said Tagliabue.

The team of architects decided to highlight that principle in the altar, which is a rough stone symbolizing the rock upon which Jesus founded the Church.

“A raw stone, let’s call it, an unworked stone, a stone almost as if straight from a quarry, and it was almost just like that,” said Tagliabue.

While Italy is known worldwide for its breathtaking churches, this small town of 130,000 now boasts one of the most unique ones in the country.

Archbishops’ Friendly Super Bowl Wager Raises $22,000 for Catholic Schools

By Catholic News Service

CINCINNATI (CNS) — The Los Angeles Rams may have won Super Bowl LVI over the Cincinnati Bengals, but students in Catholic schools in both archdioceses are winners as well.

Donors contributed more than $22,000 — and counting as of Feb. 17 — for tuition assistance scholarships as part of a friendly wager between Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles and Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr of Cincinnati over the game’s outcome.

The donations to each archdiocese’s Catholic Education Foundation came as the archbishops invited supporters to become involved in their good-gesture wager through the Bishops Big Game challenge.

In the Feb. 13 game, the Rams were behind in the third quarter and most of the fourth quarter, before scoring the winning touchdown with 1:25 left, beating the Bengals 23-20.

With the Rams’ victory, the Los Angeles foundation will receive 60% of the funds raised, while the Cincinnati foundation will received 40% of the money donated.

The game’s result also means Archbishop Schnurr is sending a case of Cincinnati’s well-known Graeter’s ice cream cross country to Archbishop Gomez.

The Los Angeles Archdiocese said that “out of gratitude” Archbishop Gomez would send his wager of baked treats from the popular Porto’s Bakery to Archbishop Schnurr.

Both archbishops said they will share their winnings with a school in their respective archdioceses.

“As we said before, our bet was with our Catholic school kids all the way,” Archbishop Gomez said in a news release issued by both archdioceses. “They are always winners in our book! We want the kids to get in on the fun to celebrate great sportsmanship of both the Rams and the Bengals who gave us such an exciting game, and the generous support of all those who donated to the Bishops Big Game challenge.”

Archbishop Schnurr commended the teams for a closely played game and thanked the fans of both teams for “their generous donations in support of Catholic education.”

“Archbishop Gomez and I are grateful for the generosity of the people of our respective archdioceses and thank everyone who joined us in our friendly wager,” he said in the news release. “We are delighted to celebrate this moment with at least some of our wonderful Catholic school students, teachers and staff members. … A win for all around!”

Plans call for Archbishop Gomez to celebrate the Rams’ victory with an ice cream party March 1 at St. John Chrysostom School in Inglewood, California, located near SoFi Stadium, where the Super Bowl was played.

Archbishop Schnurr will bring the baked goods from Los Angeles to Our Lady of Rosary School in Dayton, Ohio, also March 1, the day before Ash Wednesday.

President Biden Could Announce Supreme Court Nominee in the Upcoming Days

Currents News Staff

President Biden’s search for a new Supreme Court justice is underway.

Interviews have started, with at least one person having a sit-down with the president last week. That’s according to a source familiar with the process.

No word yet on how many candidates will be questioned, but an announcement of the nominee could be made within the next few days.

A separate White House official says Biden would like to decide by the end of the month.

Catholic News Headlines for Friday, 2/18/22

Mayor Eric Adams announces a new plan to combat a wave of violence happening underground.

Firefighter Jesse Gerhard’s life and sacrifice lives on, even in death. Sources confirm Gerhard was an organ donor.

Saint Athanasius Catholic Academy spent Thursday honoring the NYPD.

Abortion and Communities of Color: How Misinformation Can Cloud The Progress

Currents News Staff

It’s a matter of life and death.

It’s no surprise that Catholics are passionate about protecting the rights of the unborn. But misinformation around the issue can sometimes cloud the progress being made in converting more hearts.

Gloria Purvis is a pro-life Catholic consultant for the USCCB’s committee on Religious Liberty and the host of her own podcast, “The Gloria Purvis Podcast.” She believes the way we think about abortion in minority communities needs to change.

“I think there’s a misconception that black people are some abortion-loving seeking people and we’re not,” Gloria said. “We have people saying that abortion for people of color is their way to access greater economic stability and is often pushed on communities of color as this is a solution to all that ails us. But I reject that because I don’t believe that a way of solving poverty is to kill the poor.”

Even though abortions are trending down across the country from 857,000 in 2000 to 630,000 in 2019, low-income women and women of color have higher rates than affluent and white women, according to the National Institutes of Health.

But Gloria says that even those numbers could be inaccurate because women with more financial means seek abortions privately, where the actual totals may never be reported.

The Church’s teaching on abortion is definitive: killing an unborn child under any circumstances is not an option. Yet, many Catholics struggle with the topic, leading to misrepresentations that go beyond communities of color.

Dr. Tricia Bruce is a sociologist associated with the University of Notre Dame’s Center for Religion and Society. She studies the impact of abortion when it relates to Catholics.

“Many Americans feel a lot more conflicted about abortion than the kinds of labels that are immediately available,” Tricia said. “Labels like pro-choice and pro-life. Instead we had a lot of Americans who said, ‘well, I feel this way in certain circumstances and this way in others.’

Like most Americans, Catholics are divided by party, with those who identify as Republican opposed 63 percent of the time, while Democratic-leaning Catholics are in favor by 77 percent. Studies also found that church attendance matters.

“Catholics who attend Mass more often are more likely to hold a position more opposed to abortion then Catholics who attend Mass less often,” Tricia said.

Most Catholics agree that abortion is morally wrong, just as Americans as a whole are concerned about many issues related to abortion.

“When we asked them in depth, their thoughts on abortion, they brought up not just abortion but so many other issues,” Tricia said. “Inequality and access for support for pregnant women or support for families or support in the workplace so people can afford to provide a good life for children they may have.”

Gloria, who’s based in Washington, went on to say that if Roe vs. Wade is overturned by the Supreme Court later this year, it will be more important than ever for pro-life movements at the state level to offer more robust assistance and outreach to women in communities of color.

“Yes, we know abortion as Catholics is a grave evil according to our understanding but it does not mean that the people who perhaps forced or coerced or desperate into having an abortion are themselves evil people,” Gloria said. “They’re just people in crisis that need our help, love and understanding.”

Black History Month Mass – Promo

The Brooklyn Vicariate for Black Catholic Concerns hosts their annual Mass of Thanksgiving for Black History Month Mass live from the Immaculate Conception Monastery Church in Jamaica. This year’s principal celebrant and homilist is His Eminence Wilton Cardinal Gregory, Archbishop of Washington D.C.

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday, 2/17/22

The FDNY is in mourning after one of their own passed away.

We are about half way through the synod process here in the Diocese of Brooklyn and Bishop Robert Brennan has been traveling from parish to parish to listen in.

We’ll take a look at some misinformation when it comes to abortion and minority communities.

How The Top Three Takeaways from the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Synod Process Has Bishop Brennan’s Attention

Currents News Staff

Find out exactly what every Catholic wants from their church – that’s the mission Pope Francis has given every diocese in the world.

Bishop Robert Brennan arrived in Brooklyn in the thick of the prep period for the so-called “Synod on Synodality.” In the past couple of months, he’s been on the forefront of that process, traveling around the diocese, listening to both Catholics who attend Mass and those who don’t.

Bishop Brennan joined Currents News with a status update on the synod process throughout the Diocese of Brooklyn.

FDNY Mourns Firefighter Jesse Gerhard Who Died One Day After Battling Queens House Fire

By Jessica Easthope

New York City will be getting ready for a funeral for another first responder.

On Thursday Mayor Eric Adams and Acting Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh announced the death of 33-year-old firefighter Jesse Gerhard, a seven-year veteran of the FDNY.

“The entire city mourns the loss of this firefighter, a young man who dreamed of being a firefighter all his life,” said Mayor Adams.

Late Wednesday night Gerhard suffered a medical episode at his firehouse Ladder Company 134 in Far Rockaway, Queens. He was transported to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

“He is exactly what we would want an FDNY member to be, as the mayor mentioned, he dreamed his whole life of becoming a member of the FDNY and he achieved that dream responding everyday to help New Yorkers in need,” said Acting Commissioner Kavanaugh.

That’s exactly what Gerhard was doing the day before his death, responding to a two-alarm fire in Far Rockaway. Gerhard’s job is described as the most strenuous position in the FDNY. He was tasked with forcing entry to the home and searching for victims.

Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, who was sworn in as an FDNY chaplain earlier this week, said Gerhard’s family is in shock and will be relying on their faith for comfort.

“He made that ultimate sacrifice and now we have to give him the sendoff he deserves putting his life on the line,” Msgr. Jamie said.

Diocese of Brooklyn’d Bishop Robert Brennan put a call out on social media for prayers for Gerhard, his family and the FDNY. During his seven years with the department, Gerhard was honored for his bravery.

“This was everything he wanted, there was no other job for him. It was what he sought out to do and from the moment he got it there was nothing he loved more than doing that job,” Kavanaugh said.

Gerhard was the 1,156th member of the FDNY to die in the line of duty. Wake and funeral arrangements have not yet been announced. He is survived by his parents, brother and sister-in-law.