Police say 39-year-old Darrell Brooks is the man they’re questioning about the deadly crash at that Christmas parade in Wisconsin over the weekend.
Two of the 17 missionaries kidnapped in Haiti last month have been freed.
Thousands of needy families in the Diocese of Brooklyn will have a Happy Thanksgiving thanks to Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens.
By Jessica Easthope
Last year, a 15-pound turkey would have cost around a $1/lb. This year, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), it’s closer to a $1.50/lb. – adding to the stress of putting food on the table this holiday. It’s a struggle Jose Gagancuela knows all too well.
“Before you could buy a big grocery order with $100, now $400 doesn’t even fill my refrigerator,” he said.
But Jose and more than 1,000 other people felt some relief, Monday, Nov. 22. Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens sent them home with a turkey and a $100 food voucher to use at any grocery store.
“This help is tremendous for my family,” Jose said. “The increase in prices has really made it hard for us. I thank God for this opportunity.”
This holiday, Catholic Charities has given a Thanksgiving bird to nearly 3,000 people still grappling with pandemic unemployment. Rising food prices has caused an unprecedented need, especially in communities like Corona, Queens.
“It’s really tough for families because food prices have continued to go up, between shipping and all of the things happening because of the pandemic, the need just continues,” said Debbie Hampson, senior director of health and wellness services at Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens.
In Corona, unemployment during the pandemic soared to close to 20 percent. Marlene Sumba says she hasn’t been able to find work since and now the cost of groceries is presenting yet another challenge she’s fighting to overcome.
“It’s very important for me to come get this turkey today. It’s been a really hard time for us during COVID-19, I’ve been out of work,” Marlene said. “My husband still works but $100 is not enough anymore to feed our family. It’s very, very difficult.”
This year, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens has held 31 pop-up food pantries and served nearly 14,000 families.
Currents News Staff
A yearly fundraising tradition at Bay Ridge Catholic Academy in Brooklyn has earned ‘double the dimes’ of previous years to help the tiniest among us.
The Catholic Academy raised more than $1,600 dollars for the March of Dimes New York, which assists new mothers and families in taking care of babies born premature.
The fifth annual “Dress Down Donation Day” and newly added cookie sale was held in support of one of their classmates who was born premature and received help from the March of Dimes. The event was held on World Prematurity Day.
Currents News Staff
After 18 years of faithful service, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio is saying his final farewells to the people of the Diocese of Brooklyn ahead of his retirement at the end of the month.
In his last ‘Into the Deep’ interview with former Tablet Editor Ed Wilkinson, Bishop DiMarzio looks back on his legacy in the diocese and fondly reflects on the special farewell given to him at his Episcopal Mass.
Currents News Staff
The U.S. bishops have wrapped up their highly anticipated fall general assembly in Baltimore. The three-day event has been jam-packed with high profile votes.But the document on the Eucharist was not the only thing that happened at the conference.
The National Correspondent for The Tablet and Crux, John Lavenburg, was there. He breaks down the big takeaways, including the plan for the first National Eucharistic Congress in more than 50 years.
The Diocese of Brooklyn is offering a thriving alternative to a school year filled with COVID variants and vaccine debates.
At the USCCB’s Fall General Assembly, the bishops approved a motion to host the National Eucharistic Congress in 2024.
The Pentagon will increase housing payments for troops in key areas and look for ways to combat hunger across the force.
By Jessica Easthope
Five-year-old Michael Martinez loves to explore, get his hands dirty and use his imagination.
His dad, Anthony says his school embraces his individuality and celebrates his achievements. That part may not surprise you, but the part that may – Michael’s never met his teacher or his classmates in-person.
“He’s getting this one on one that he wouldn’t get in class and that is paramount to anything else and I’ve seen really excel,” Anthony Martinez said.
Michael attends St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Online Academy, a completely virtual Kindergarten through eighth grade school for kids all over the country.
During the pandemic, the Diocese of Brooklyn launched the program for students who were mandated to stay home, but when the administration realized families needed this far beyond then – it was made a permanent school.
“Students are really immersing themselves in the content of their classes and we’ve been blessed with a really good faculty and those two ingredients really spells a good start to the academic year,” said principal, Stephen Haessler.
In the first year of the distance learning program, there were 2,400 students enrolled. This year, in-person learning is back and there are still around 160 students. Social Studies teacher Jennifer Centeno says now everyone in her class is there because they want to be, not because they need to be.
“The students in our school want a different type of learning and each child has their own learning needs and we’ve been able to accommodate those and they flourish better in an online platform,” Jennifer said.
And Michael seems to like it too.
“I have fun in school, I love it so much,” he said.
For the Martinez family and so many others, this is long-term.
“Last year, he didn’t know how to read at all and at the end of the year, he was reading books. So when you have a winning recipe, why change the recipe,” said Anthony.
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Online Academy is here for good and enrollment is growing every day. Families along with students are learning to adapt and build a different kind of connection.
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Online Academy is still accepting new students. Families looking to enroll or for more information about tuition and financial aid can go to stacoa.org
Currents News Staff
Scores of U.S. bishops from across the country are in Baltimore right now kicking off their annual fall meeting in person for the first time in two years.
John Lavenburg, National Correspondent for The Tablet and Crux joined Currents News. Lavenburg is with the bishops in Baltimore and he had a chance to touch base with Bishop DiMarzio following his comments.
Currents News Staff
Church arsons, assaults on priests and robberies of Eucharistic hosts are just some of the incidents against Christians that are happening at an alarming rate worldwide.
According to a report from the Organization For Security and Cooperation in Europe, hate crimes against Christians are up. Nearly 1,000 incidents were reported in Europe in 2020 – that’s compared to around 600 in 2019.
Each year, Open Doors, an organization which supports persecuted Christians in more than 60 countries, compiles the World Watch List. It’s a list of the top 50 countries where Christians are most severely persecuted.
One of the most surprising findings of this year’s report is that the number of Christians killed for their faith is up by 60 percent compared to last year’s reporting period. This was mainly due to the increase of armed conflicts in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa.
On top of the list is North Korea. Christians living there are arrested and taken to work camps for possessing a bible or when caught praying. An estimated 50,000 to 70,000 Christians are currently imprisoned.
The rest of the top five countries are Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, and Pakistan. Open Doors’ director explains that Christians are asked to convert to the dominant religion or face death in these countries.
“More than surprising me, it pains me, it pains me very much because they are souls, they are people killed, they are widows, orphaned children, they are entire towns and villages displaced and sacked,” said Director Cristian Nani. “In short, there is a lot of pain around this crisis.”
The primary focus of Open Doors is to provide emergency relief, contextualized Christian material in minority languages, and community development in places where Christians are deprived of basic and spiritual needs.
“The main focus is to go to the places where there is the most hostility towards Christians and even more hostility to the Gospel,” Cristian said. “We take care of small, large, isolated, or even hidden Christian communities. The heart of Open Doors is this: to tell these Christians, you’re not alone, we come there to you and ask what you need, we don’t tell you what we think you need. This is the basis of the way we operate.”
Weeks after the remnants of Hurricane Ida tore through New York City, one Queens parish is still trying to fix the damage left behind.
You better bundle up this winter and get ready to shell out some extra money to keep warm.
A startling report on hate crimes against Christians has just been released — the number of incidents against Christians went up in 2020.