The National Eucharistic Congress will be historic. It’s been 80 years since the celebration was held in the United States.
Here to give us some more background on that is the national correspondent for The Tablet and Crux, John Lavenburg.
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Feast and Fun: Our Lady of Mount Carmel Celebration Kicks Off 137th Year
The more than 100-year-old Giglio feast returned July 10th.
For 12 days, people from around the Diocese of Brooklyn will head to Williamsburg for games, rides, and some good Italian food and the famous Giglio lift.
Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 7/10/2024
The famous Giglio Tower is back! Summer fun kicks off in Williamsburg on July 10 with the beloved Mount Carmel Feast.
Before embarking on a packed travel agenda, the Pope’s essential stop surprises many—a visit to his longtime optician.
A Long Island pastor is making waves on a global scale. He has joined a unique initiative led by French bishops, aiming to unite the global Church.
Tune in on July 14 to be captivated by the legendary career and life of MLB great Gil Hodges. This New York Emmy Award-winning documentary will air on NET-TV.
Long Island to Paris: Fmr Olympian Only U.S. Priest to Attend First Holy Games Before Olympics
Athletes worldwide are going head to head at the Summer Olympics in Paris. But before the games begin, the Holy Games will kick off for the first time ever. This three-week-long initiative by the French Bishops Conference and the Archdiocese of Paris aims to unite the Universal Church.
Father Joseph Fitzgerald, pastor of St. William the Abbot in Seaford, Long Island, will be at the games and will joined Currents News to talk more about it. Father Fitzgerald was also a member of the U.S. national handball team that competed in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta!
Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 7/9/2024
As the National Eucharistic Congress approaches, the presence of Christ is being felt by many across the nation. For a Queens priest, that divine calling was inspired by the body of Christ.
The Congress will be the culmination of the nationwide pilgrimage happening right now! The eastern route stopped at a correctional institute.
We check back in with faithful Zoe Dongas, who made it to Indianapolis! She was part of the Seton Route, which traveled through eight states. She shares her awe-inspiring journey with Currents News.
Vocation Guided by Christ: Queens Priest Credits Eucharist for Call to Ministry
Whether they are walking, driving, or flying, Catholics across the country are about to arrive at the National Eucharistic Congress.
The five-day event is centered around a core Catholic belief that the Eucharist is actually the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Adoration can actually change a person’s life.
You’re about to meet Father James Rodriguez. He says that being before the body and blood of Christ made him want to become a priest.
Currents News’ Katie Vasquez joins us now to tell us a little bit more about Eucharistic Adoration.
Pilgrimage to National Eucharistic Congress: Seton Route’s Journey to Indianapolis
The Seton Route is the first group to reach Indianapolis ahead of the National Eucharistic Congress. They’ve traveled through 18 dioceses and eight states, and we’ve been checking in with one of those pilgrims, New Yorker Zoe Dongas, all along the way!
As her journey comes to a close, she says this has been an awe-inspiring experience. Zoe also says in every diocese she’s passed, she’s seen people getting excited to walk with Jesus.
New Study Finds 69% of Mass-Going Catholics Believe in Real Presence of Jesus in Eucharist
The Eucharistic Revival that sparked that nationwide pilgrimage, and the Congress happening soon, began because of a 2019 Pew Research study that caught the bishops’ attention.
It found about 69 percent, or two-thirds of U.S. Catholics, said they do not believe the bread and wine become Christ’s body and blood and that they are just symbols.
A more recent study, however, found that may not be the case. The Catholic firm, Vinea Research, says it’s actually the opposite. Their study says 69 percent of Mass-going Catholics do believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
Catholic News Headlines for Monday 7/8/2024
A Catholic family from Brooklyn lands in Ukraine right as a missile strike hits the war-torn country. They were only 83 miles away from the deadly attack at a children’s hospital in Kyiv.
Pope Francis is preparing for the longest international trip of his papacy! He will travel 20,000 miles during his 12-day visit to Asia in September.
In another ongoing foreign conflict, an Israeli air strike on a Gaza Catholic school killed at least four, drawing condemnation from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Catholics celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Neocatechumenal Way in America with a mass at Barclays Center, attended by nearly 20,000 members! Bishop Robert Brennan was among several bishops from around the country and scores of priests to mark the anniversary. Learn more about the massive celebration.
Cartoonist Creates Catholic Superheroes in Comic Series
By Katie Vasquez
Sketching with just a pencil and paper. Cartoonist and illustrator Melinda Steffen, also known as Mindy Indy, loves to let her creativity flow.
“I’ve been drawing all my life. I just never stopped,” said Steffen.
She’s drawn a lot of different comics, but she is proudest of her most recent heroes called God’s Superheroes, the series highlights amazing real-life Catholic women and men.
“It really was the perfect, like the perfect, like meeting of worlds here because, yeah, it’s like I draw in a very, like, exciting and dynamic style, like comics are. and then it’s like incorporating the faith,” said Steffen.
She drew her first volume in 2021, telling the stories of saintly figures like Blessed Carlo Acutis.
“I learned about Blessed Carlo Acutis from this book and he helps me with tech problems like all the time,” said Steffen.
And famous lay Catholics like “Lord of the Rings” author, J.R.R Tolkien. Mindy says this page took her 15 hours to complete.
“I totally geek out on Tolkien and I was like, yeah, like drawing my versions of, you know, the characters,” said Steffen.
She offered Currents News a sneak peek of the second volume in the series, coming out in the fall. It features heroes like Saint Marianne of Molokaʻi.
“It was really fun drawing those illustrations because it’s like, oh, Hawaii is so beautiful, and I incorporated the cool plants and stuff,” said Steffen.
Mindy attends mass every week at St Joseph’s Church in Greenwich Village. She says that blending her faith and drawing skills has been a highlight of her career, especially when she sees other Catholics enjoying her comic.
“A woman comes up to me, she sees this book,” said Steffen. “And she is like, my daughter loves this St Therese drawing because her name is Therese and so she carries this book wherever she goes. And I was like, oh my gosh.”
Mindy ultimately hopes to continue the series… but who her next hero will be? That’s a super-secret.