Currents News Update for Tuesday, 8/31/21

President Biden spoke to the nation a day after America’s longest war officially came to an end. The last of the United States’ military planes left Afghanistan yesterday.

More than a million people in Louisiana are still without power as the death toll from Hurricane Ida continues to rise.

People who have struggled to pay their rent during the pandemic are losing some protection. Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers owe back rent.

The celebration of the life of Bishop Guy Sansaricq begins today. The first bishop of Haitian descent in the U.S. passed away last week at the age of 86.

Currents News Update for Monday, 8/30/21

Hurricane Ida brought torrential rain and powerful winds to Louisiana — but over 50 million people are under flash flood watches and the entire city of New Orleans is currently without power.

The U.S. military is vowing to press on in the final hours of withdrawal from Afghanistan, even after insurgents fired several rockets at Kabul airport.

Pope Francis is urging dialogue among Afghanistan’s leaders and asking the Catholic faithful to pray and fast for the country’s people.

Haiti is still recovering from that massive earthquake two weeks ago that killed more than 2,200 people. Catholic Charities has been on the ground there providing food, shelter and essential services to those who were left with nothing.

Diocese of Brooklyn Warehouse Ready to Send Items to Help Rebuild Haiti Churches After Earthquake

By Jessica Easthope

Everything you can think of that makes up a church is sitting in a warehouse in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Doors, stained glass windows, pews and candles are all things Monsignor John Bracken says could be used in Haiti.

“It’s an aid to devotion, a real connection that we are a universal church that we are one body and we’re happy to share it with each other,” said Monsignor Bracken, who runs the patrimony warehouse.

Right now they’re kept in the diocese warehouse, a home for all the unused or old items from churches across Brooklyn and Queens, but Monsignor Bracken says they’re ready to travel the globe.

After that 7.2 magnitude earthquake shook Haiti earlier this month, churches were destroyed, most notably Immaculate Conception Parish in Les Anglais and Sacred Heart in Les Cayes. Now the Diocese of Brooklyn wants to lend a hand and give back in a way you can’t put a price on.

“It should be something that’s used for worship and that’s our biggest pleasure is when we’re able to send something and then to receive pictures back,” Monsignor Bracken said.

The warehouse has sent items to Haiti in the past. This time, the request hasn’t come yet, usually it happens when the country is ready to rebuild. A representative will browse the warehouse, and whatever’s needed will be shipped right to Haiti. Parishioners here often pay for the shipping. New York City has the largest population of Haitians in the country – and the warehouse only adds to the connection.

“To be able to share some of their history and our history, to be able to strengthen a Christian community thousands of miles away – there’s a tie that binds us,” he said.

All of these items have a higher purpose. Monsignor Bracken has marveled at them over the years, but he says there’s nothing better than when they leave – and go where they’re needed.

Chinatown-Based Tour Helps Fight Against Asian Hate in New York City

By Emily Drooby

Walking, walking and more walking. That is how Anna Huang and Chloe Chan spend their free time while teaching others about Manhattan’s Chinatown.

Together, they’re the “Mott Street Girls” named for a popular downtown road and cheekily for MSG – a flavor enhancer often associated with Chinese food.

The two started this tour business after the pandemic shut down the local museum they volunteered with. Part of the drive behind the business was to help drive traffic back to Chinatown.

“We just thought, this is our niche, this is what we can bring to the table with our pre-existing skill sets,” Chloe explained.

The result? Historical walking tours done by the two second-generation Chinese Americans with close ties to this community.

The two are creating understanding during a pivotal time.

In New York City, attacks against Asian-Americans have been surging.

In the first half of 2021, the NYPD reported 102 hate crimes against Asian-Americans. Back in 2020 during the same time frame, there were only 21 incidents.

That’s a fear Anna and Chloe are forced to live with, but they’re fighting back and their weapon is this tour and the understanding it promotes.

“Drawing parallels of history is like seeing eye-to-eye on a lot of things and I think that helps us stop the Asian hate crimes,” Anna said, “because you’re being empathetic with each other, you’re trying to understand each other better.”

Also, the dynamic duo are bringing much needed business back to the area.

“I think that our role as second-generation Chinese Americans is to combat that misinformation and all of that stereotypes against Chinese Americans to show that personal side of our story,” Chloe explained, “to show the people and the faces behind these businesses in our community.”

MSG – it’s a business but also, it’s a calling. One Anna and Chloe have happily answered.

How to Get More Out of Mass with the 10th Anniversary Edition of a “Biblical Walk Through the Mass”

Everything at Mass has meaning. The gestures, the rituals, the words: God speaks to us through all of it.

For the past decade, a successful study program called a “Biblical Walk Through the Mass” has guided people through the biblical roots of liturgy.

Now, to celebrate a decade of success, a tenth anniversary edition has been released with all new content and videos.

Author and theologian, Dr. Edward Sri, joins Currents News to discuss.

How Catholic Organizations are Responding to the Haiti Earthquake

On August 14, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck southern Haiti, killing over 2,200 people.

Catholic organizations in Haiti are on the ground providing food, shelter, and essential services to the communities that were left with nothing after the earthquake.

“Our initial distributions are really focused on shelter, access to clean water and hygiene products, making sure that they can take the necessary precautions to keep from getting ill in these less than optimal conditions,” said Beth Carroll, Catholic Relief Services.

Haiti’s Civil Protection Service reports that more than 50,000 homes were destroyed in the earthquake. Yet, those on the ground recall how even in times of crisis, Haitians remain a people of strong faith.

“After the first earthquake, one of our partner’s son was killed when his house collapsed on him. He buried his son and then he was out there leading prayer services and praising God, and that just epitomizes the faith of the Haitian people, despite what they suffer and go through,” said David Adams, Cross Catholic Outreach.

Non-profits such as Catholic Relief Services and Cross Catholic Outreach have long histories working in Haiti. They say that by working with the Church in Haiti they are able to provide relief to those who need it most.

“The Catholic Church is integral to helping us get the goods into the country in the first place, because of their duty-free privileges, and then we work in the field with very committed priests, nuns, Catholic lay people, and there is a lot of synergy there in how we work,” said Adams.

“The Church is so tied in to every community, we can reach the most vulnerable, those most in need, the population that can be forgotten because they are so far off of the main road or out of the public eye,” said Carroll.

An interim government has been trying to manage the humanitarian crisis in Haiti since the country’s president, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in his home on July 7. In 2018, President Moïse met with Pope Francis, who shared his message of hope for Haiti.

Catholic News Headlines for Friday, 8/27/21

President Biden expressing heartache – along with outrage – for those killed in the bombings at Kabul airport, vowing those responsible will pay.

Governor Kathy Hochul says the empire state is stepping up to serve as a beacon of hope and refuge and will accept with open arms the Afghans fleeing their country.

Remembering a giant in the community – America’s first Haitian-born bishop Sansaricq is mourned, and honored, throughout the diocese.

Afghanistan Airport Attack Leaves 100+ Afghans and 13 U.S. Service Members Dead

Warning: This story contains material that some viewers may find disturbing due to the graphic nature.

Currents News Staff

Thirteen U.S. personnel and scores of Afghans have been killed in a terror attack on the Kabul airport.

U.S. Central Command says that 18 service members were also wounded in a complex attack which the Afghan ministry of public health said injured more than 100 other people. The scenes of horror come in the waning days of America’s unprecedented civilian airlift.

Central Command’s General Kenneth Mckenzie said that more attacks were anticipated:

“We believe it is their desire to continue those attacks and we expect those attacks to continue, and we are doing everything we can to be prepared for those attacks.”

The bombings targeted many who were trying in vain to get into Kabul airport, and get one of the last evacuation flights.

The Taliban condemned the murders and pledged to punish those behind it. The blasts were just outside Abbey Gate – one of the main entrances to the airport, and near a hotel controlled and occupied until recently by British forces.

It’s an area that’s been packed for days with Afghans wading through sewage canals, bounded by blast walls. Those conditions will surely have amplified the explosion. American officials have been warning about potential ISIS-K attacks for days.

On Wednesday, Aug. 25, they stepped up the alarm, talking about “a very specific threat stream” from ISIS-K about a planned attack on crowds outside the airport. The Americans were killed when in close contact screening and searching evacuees at the Abbey Gate.

Gen. Mckenzie is pledging that this atrocity would not affect the evacuation effort.

“ISIS will not deter us from accomplishing the mission. I can assure you that,” he said.

But this is a dangerous time for the U.S.-led coalition mission. It’s due to end by an Aug. 31 deadline – as troops withdraw they become more vulnerable.

It’s damaging for the Taliban too. Sworn enemies of ISIS-K, they promised the U.S. airport security and safety at home for Afghans. These attacks suggest they have delivered neither.

Currents News Update for Thursday, 8/26/21

U.S. troops are among the victims of a terror attack on the Kabul airport. The Pentagon confirms two explosions as thousands have gathered there trying to leave the country after the Taliban’s takeover.

Gov. Kathy Hochul says the Empire State is stepping up to serve as a beacon of hope and refuge announcing today that we will welcome Afghans fleeing their country.

A cart vendor in Manhattan has been trying to get his wife out of Afghanistan for more than two years now — but everything slowed down during the pandemic.

Church leaders are speaking out against the Supreme Court’s decision to reinstate the “Remain in Mexico” policy.

NYC Street Vendor Asking for Help as He Desperately Tries to Get His Wife out of Afghanistan

By Emily Drooby

On 32^nd St. and Third Ave. in Manhattan, there’s a breakfast cart. It belongs to Muhammed Nasiri – the owner says he’s desperate to get his wife out of Afghanistan before it’s too late.

“I wish she was coming here, I worry about her too much,” Muhammed said.

He is from Afghanistan himself and came to the U.S. in 1987. Since then, Muhammed has operated this cart for 20 years. He met his wife while visiting home. They got married in 2018 and that’s when he began the process of bringing her here. However, the pandemic extended the standard immigration delays even more.

Now, with the Taliban taking over, his desire to bring his wife here has turned into desperation.

Muhammed fears for her life, especially if it’s discovered that she’s married to someone living in America.

“What’s going to happen to her if they know her husband is in American? They’re going to make big damage,” he added. “Kill them or beat them, I don’t know.”

That is why we aren’t using her name or her photo. Muhammed says she’s been to the airport several times. Despite having paperwork to prove her marriage and her impending visa – she has been unable to get out.

“She called me and told me, ‘nobody let me to come in the airport to go inside,’ so what can I do?” Muhammed said.

The NYC business owner took a call from his wife while Currents News was interviewing him. She’s okay – for now. He has spent hours on the phone to push her paperwork through but he knows she’s running out of time.

“Right now,” he said, “the situation is very bad.”

He is begging for help and hoping someone might see his story and be able to help.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen next,” he added.

One thing he does know – if she doesn’t get out now – she might never.