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Ten Sisters of St. Elizabeth Who Were Martyred in Poland During WWII Are Now Being Beatified

By Jessica Easthope

It’s a recognition they weren’t given in their lifetime. Ten nuns are now Blesseds, martyrs, killed by Soviet soldiers in Poland during the last months of World War II.

“The Soviets were brutal, in many ways more brutal than the Nazis and it’s a great gift for the church to have the witness of these women finally recognized,” said Msgr. Thomas Machalski, the pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Bayside, Queens.

This summer, the group of Sisters of St. Elizabeth were cleared for beatification. Msgr. Machalski said the women showed immense bravery: they died protecting each other and children as they faced rape and brutal torture.

“It shows the depth of their faith that there was nothing that was going to shake their faith in the Lord that even if it meant their life they were not going to give up or give in,” he said.

There aren’t many pictures of the women because sadly their story isn’t uncommon. In 1945 as the Nazi party was moving out, the Soviet army was moving in and more than 100 nuns were killed by Soviet soldiers. Msgr. Machalski says a Communist regime was part of everyday life when he lived in Poland, more than 40 years later.

“It was very difficult in many ways to be a religious be it a priest or a consecrated religious in Poland,” he said. “The authorities made it very difficult for you.”

But the sisters’ courage and faith can still resonate among Catholics today.

“Ask for their intercession, we never know when God’s going to use through their intercession that occasion to work a miracle in somebody’s life,” Msgr. Machalski said.

Like a miracle, a true test of bravery can happen when you least expect it.

Currents News Update for Tuesday, 8/17/21

While many usual places of refuge in Haiti were destroyed during Saturday’s earthquake, an organization in Queens is ready to help.

In Afghanistan, just a day after deadly chaos at the Kabul airport, Catholic Refugee agencies are calling on the British government to provide safe passage for asylum seekers from the U.K.

Ten Polish nuns are on the road to sainthood 76 years after they were killed by Soviet troops in the final months of World War II.

Get ready to roll your sleeves up again, this time for a COVID booster shot.

After Devastating Earthquake, U.S. Church and Pope Francis Offer Prayers for Haiti

Currents News Staff

At the end of his Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis prayed for the people of Haiti.

“While I lift up my prayer to the lord for the victims, I extend my word of encouragement to the survivors, hoping that the interest of the international community to help might move toward them,” the pontiff said.

The earthquake’s center was about 80 miles west of the country’s capital of Port-Au-Prince and was stronger than the 7.0 magnitude quake that devastated Haiti in 2010.

Workers are sifting through the rubble of collapsed buildings and homes.

Severe weather is likely to impact those recovery efforts.  Forecasters expect some areas of Haiti to get as much as 15 inches of rain through Tuesday.

CNN spoke with Father Louis Merosne, pastor of St. Anne’s Cathedral in Anse-à-Veau, as he was driving around his community offering food and help. 

He says many churches have been damaged or destroyed.

“Even though we have such destruction here in my parish–– we’re lucky in comparison to some of the parishes in my diocese where both the church and the rectory have completely collapsed,” Father Merosne said. 

Expressing heartfelt prayers for the people of Haiti, U.S. bishops released a statement.

“In these moments of continued trial, may you feel the comfort, compassion, and embrace of our Blessed Mother. Our Lady of Perpetual Help, patroness of Haiti, intercede for us!”

Currents News Update for Monday, 8/16/21

A storm is barreling toward Haiti as the Caribbean nation tries to recover from Saturday’s devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake.

The Diocese of Brooklyn is home to many Haitian-Americans, some who still have family there. St. Jerome’s Church in Brooklyn is holding a vigil this afternoon.

Chaos in Afghanistan as thousands try to get out of the country. Video at Kabul airport shows people chasing an airplane as it gets ready to take off. The Taliban is now in charge after seizing control of the capital.

Priest in Haiti Concerned ‘Dangerous’ Earthquake Aftershock Will Destroy His Church

Currents News Staff

This weekend’s devastating earthquake rocked Haiti and killed roughly 1,300 people and injured thousands more. Many Catholic churches and clergy were also affected.

Father Louis Merosne, the pastor of St. Anne Cathedral, spoke to Currents News about the damage done to his parish and what kind of help his community will need going forward.

 

Road To Sainthood: Knights of Columbus Honor Father McGivney During Feast Day Mass in Brooklyn

By Jessica Easthope and Bill Miller

Members of the Knights of Columbus filled St. Finbar Church Friday, Aug. 14, to celebrate the first feast day of their founder, Blessed Father Michael J. McGivney.

An honor guard of saber-toting knights, dressed in their newly authorized berets, stood by as fellow Knights from all over New York City and Long Island lined the central aisle for the chance to view and touch a Father McGivney relic.

During the Mass, retired Auxiliary Bishop Octavio Cisneros and Father Michael Gelfant, the homilist, urged continued prayers for the second miracle needed to complete Father McGivney’s canonization to sainthood.

They also reminded the congregants that ordinary people could become extraordinary through benevolent acts. Such has been the work of the Knights of Columbus since 1882, when Father McGivney founded the service group at New Haven, Connecticut.

Father Gelfant said serving in the Knights of Columbus is one way to answer the “universal call to holiness,” which, he said, “reminds the ordinary person that you are called to become a saint.”

“Then,” he added, “while we come to venerate the saints, we too are trying to become like them. And hopefully, with their intercession, we achieve this holiness.”

Father Gelfant is a chaplain for the Knights of Columbus, a former pastor of St. Finbar, and currently the pastor of Blessed Trinity Parish in Rockaway Point, Queens.

He described how Father McGivney, at age 30, was just an average parish priest when he “responded to a need in his local parish to help the widows and the orphans.”

“He prayed with them,” Father Gelfant added. “But as a preacher, he always wanted to do more. So from that, he formed this group … called the Knights of Columbus.”

He recalled how during the COVID-19 pandemic, Knights from Kings and Queens counties launched efforts to help feed people who suffered the cruelty of the coronavirus.

“Because the Knights of Columbus — we do crazy things. Don’t we? As we say, ‘Where there was a need, there is a Knight,’ ” Father Gelfant said.

Father McGivney died of pneumonia at age 38. Last year, Pope Francis announced the priest’s cause for sainthood was approved for beatification and declared him “blessed.”

Bishop Cisneros, like Father Gelfant, is a member of the Knights of Columbus.

“We need heroes,” he said before the Mass. “The church needs men who are convinced of their faith, willing to express their faith, and then go out and help the poor. That’s what the Knights of Columbus do. That’s what Christ has asked us to do.

“And, you know, Father McGivney was just that.”

Diocese of Brooklyn Lends a Hand After Devastating Earthquake Strikes Haiti

By Jessica Easthope and Paula Katinas

The island of Haiti was hit by a massive earthquake Saturday morning.

“High casualties are probable and the disaster is likely widespread,” a notice on the U.S. Geological Survey website reads. “Past events with this alert level have required a national or international level response.”

The 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit 12 kilometers northeast of the city of Saint-Louis De Sud (approximately 150 miles from Port-au-Prince), according to the USGS. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System issued an alert after the earthquake.

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio pledged help from the Diocese of Brooklyn for the people of Haiti and said a special collection will be taken up at Masses.

“The old saying is, ‘It only rains on the people that are wet.’ It’s unfortunate that Haiti again was struck by an earthquake,” he said, adding that the full extent of the devastation is still unclear.

“We don’t have good information. But we’ll continue to pray for them,” Bishop DiMarzio said. “And we’ll also pledge that with the Haitian community and others will take a collection up to help — whatever we can do.”

Diocese of Brooklyn Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Guy Sansaricq, who was born in Haiti, said the initial reports he has heard told of massive destruction in his native country.

“Buildings have been flattened. Lives have been lost,” he said Saturday afternoon. “This is a terrible, terrible tragedy.”

The country, which is still reeling from the assassination of its president last month, has been struggling to rebuild following a 7.0 magnitude earthquake 11 years ago.

“Haiti is a country that is being flogged right now,” Bishop Sansaricq said. “The people are going through so much, and now this. This earthquake is devastating. This poor country is going to need a lot of help. I hope people pray for the people of Haiti.”

Father Gerald Dumont, the parochial vicar for St. Francis of Assisi-St. Blaise Parish, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, is a native of Haiti.

At the 5 p.m. Mass he celebrated Saturday, Father Dumont asked parishioners to pray for the people of Haiti.

“You pray for assistance and to give people hope,” he said.  “Despair is something that one must avoid at all costs.”

Father Dumont added that because the earthquake struck at 8:33 in the morning, many people were able to run out of their homes before the buildings collapsed.

“They are grateful to be alive,” he said.

The earthquake could be felt in several other countries, including Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, and Cuba, as well as parts of Puerto Rico.

The earthquake that devastated Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010, killed 220,000 people, injured 300,000, and displaced an estimated 1.5 million.

Bronx Café Strives to Be a Place for New Yorkers to Explore Their Faith

By Emily Drooby

“I am the way, truth and life,” is a famous verse from the Bible.

It’s also the inspiration behind The Way Café. This Bronx business serves up coffee and doesn’t forget to pass on the faith.

“How would Jesus run a business? That’s one thing I think about,” explained co-owner Andy Weaver.

He is a Mennonite, a faith stream within Christianity that he explains is sometimes mistaken for Amish because of their similarities. Andy moved to New York from Pennsylvania after seeing a need for evangelization in the area.

Andy opened The Way Café in the middle of the pandemic. It’s a unique space for New York City because here, faith is front and center.

“It’s just loud out there,” he said. “We want this to be a place where people can come, feel an environment of peace, have a place where they can sit down and study. Where they can feel God’s presence.”

When you take a seat inside, you’ll see Psalms on the wall, books for exploring Christianity and employees ready to talk about the faith, if customers want. Andy says, some even use the cafe for bible study.

“Relationships, caring for people,” Andy said. “If someone comes in and they want to talk, we want to be there to bless others lives as we have the opportunity.”

For other locals, calm music and friendly faces make it a place of solace.

“It’s a really positive vibe, when you walk in, it’s like instant,” explains customer Joseph Garcia.

Andy says as people become more comfortable gathering in groups, they hope to hold faith-based events to strengthen the community they’ve begun to build here.

As More Cities Fall in Afghanistan, Taliban Gain Ground on Half of the Country’s Provincial Capitals

Currents News Staff

Taliban now controls half of Afghanistan’s provincial capitals, a CNN analysis shows.

Four more cities fell to Taliban rules on Thursday night and Friday Aug. 13, and several more are surrounded or under siege.

The second biggest city, Kandahar, fell to Taliban fighters this Friday morning.

They claim to control the governor’s office and police headquarters.

CNN’s analysis is based on Taliban claims, confirmation by government and provincial officials, and visual evidence from the cities that have been taken over.