Catholic News Headlines for Thursday 9/12/2024

Pope Francis wraps up his momentous trip to Asia and Oceania with a stop in Singapore, where he celebrated Mass with 50,000 attendees. The Pope also met with local leaders, urging Singapore to take an active role in promoting global peace.

As Notre Dame Cathedral prepares to reopen after the devastating 2019 fire, eight newly restored bells will be blessed and installed ahead of the December 8th grand reopening, when they will ring for the first time in years.

At St. Patrick’s Cathedral on August 31, International Overdose Awareness Day, the Black Poster Project displayed portraits of loved ones lost to addiction. This touching event aimed to break the stigma surrounding substance abuse.

Meet Pat Colunga, an 82-year-old Michigan teacher who refuses to retire. She’s passionate about shaping students’ lives and believes that teaching is her calling from God.

Diocese of Brooklyn Remembers Lives Lost on 9/11

By Katie Vasquez

Dozens of New York’s bravest from Battalion 57 walked from Ground Zero across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Carrying 23 flags to honor the 23 members they lost in the 9/11 attacks. Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan walked among them in solidarity.

“It was an honor to walk among the firefighters. they really do watch over and protect us at great sacrifice,” said Diocese of Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan. 

They made their way to the Co-cathedral of St Joseph for a special mass. 

Retired Battalion Chief Edward Moriarty knew many of the men who lost their lives that day. 

“It was one battalion, three firehouses and we lost so many men,” said Moriarty. 

Joining Bishop Brennan on the altar was Father Anthony Palombo. 

He was just 15 when his father, New York City firefighter, Frank Palombo, died at the World Trade Center trying to save others. 

“My father, he gave his life every day, and September 11th was no different than any other day. He gave his life for his wife. He gave his life for his children. He gave his life for church,” said Father Anthony Palombo of the Archdiocese of Newark. 

Many agree that being in church on this somber anniversary helps to heal the soul. 

“Seeing other firefighters and who have all experienced this tremendous loss, it kind of it’s such a bonding,” said Moriarty. 

“We walk in the darkness, but people have seen the people who have walked in the darkness, have seen a great light. and that comes from faith, that light that comes from Christ,” said Bishop Robert Brennan. 

Although 23 years have passed, Father Anthony says he never stops thinking of his dad. 

“There are just simply days I wake up and I miss my dad. There are plenty of times when I wake up and I say, I just want to have a conversation with my dad,” said Father Palombo.

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 9/11/2024

Today marks 23 years since 9/11. The Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph hosted the annual Memorial Mass for Battalion 57. Firefighters marched across the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan, stopping at their Dean Street firehouse before attending the Mass.

Meet Paulie Veneto, a retired flight attendant who continues to honor 9/11 heroes. He pushed an airline beverage cart from Boston to Ground Zero in remembrance of the flight crews who lost their lives that day.

A Brooklyn man, Jim Hart, lost his wife, Sue, to a 9/11-related illness and now honors her memory through poetry. Jim has written two books of poems dedicated to Sue, who passed away in 2020 from gallbladder cancer.

Pope Francis has reached the final stop of his 12-day tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania. He will meet with young people in Singapore to promote inter-religious dialogue and celebrate Mass with 50,000 Catholics at the Sports Hub National Stadium.

Catholic News Headlines Special Edition: Remembering 9/11 23 Years Later

It’s been 23 years since 9/11, and the aftermath continues to impact lives, especially with illnesses linked to Ground Zero. The Manhattan law firm Barasch & McGarry remains committed to helping survivors secure justice through the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund and the World Trade Center Health Program.

Currents News remembers Msgr. John Delendick, who passed away from a 9/11-related illness. The late Brooklyn priest and FDNY chaplain’s name was added to the Fallen FDNY Memorial Wall on what would have been his 75th birthday.

A Brooklyn man, Jim Hart, lost his wife, Sue, to a 9/11-related illness and now honors her memory through poetry. Jim has written two books of poems dedicated to Sue, who passed away in 2020 from gallbladder cancer.

Meet Will Jimeno, a Port Authority police officer who co-wrote a powerful book about his 13-hour ordeal buried under the rubble of the World Trade Center. We’ll share the impact his book, “Immigrant, American, Survivor,” has had on young students across the country.

Parishioners Writing a Book About Visiting Every Church in Brooklyn, Preserving History From the Pews

By Jessica Easthope

There are about 50 people at the 8:30 AM Mass at Our Lady of Angels Church in Bay Ridge. Only two are there to preserve history.

“We’re not theologians, not artists, we’re not historians. We’re just two women who live in Brooklyn, and we go. And whatever we get from the Mass, that’s what we write about.”

Sitting beside Roseanne Seminara and Mary Whelehan are their notebooks and pens. As they participate in Mass, they write.

Their thoughts and observations will one day become a book.

“For me, it’s just a journey, which, you know, morphed into something more than that.”

The journey started in May of 2023 at Good Shepherd in Sheepshead Bay, Mary’s home parish. Since then, the two women have been on a mission to visit every church in Brooklyn—Our Lady of Angels is number 81.

The idea came from a conversation Roseanne had with her good friend Monsignor John Delendick, the fallen FDNY chaplain who died of 9/11-related cancer on Thanksgiving Day 2023.

“I was sitting having dinner with Monsignor, and he was telling me about the church in downtown Brooklyn that was under the wrecking ball. The next day, there was nothing left but green boards. Not a stone, and I felt more of an urgency to get moving, to document what we have.”

“I would joke with Monsignor Delendick and say, ‘Okay, can we condense the homily just a little bit more? You know, can you grab me in the first ten minutes?'”

The women were first brought together in 1983 by two of New York’s bravest—their husbands, who worked together at Ladder 111 in Bedford-Stuyvesant. A friendship formed, and the women went on to work together at Roseanne’s midwife practice.

Keeping their faith even on the darkest days—like when Mary’s husband Chris passed away in 2012.

“It keeps you going. Life happens. And if you don’t have a higher being, and for us, that’s God, I don’t think you could make it through your day.”

So they decided to have no regrets and instead put pen to paper, writing their book for not just Catholics, but anyone looking to appreciate what they have in the here and now.

“Whether it’s the church, whether it’s your family, whether it’s something good in your life, if you don’t take advantage of it when you have it, you may look back with regret.”

“Every church presented a lesson for me to learn, everybody was different, and everything was important for my journey.”

The lessons have been found in the old pews, or the faces of parishioners—a little piece of each place, kept alive with their words.

“I really felt I was called to do something—not successful financially, or prestigious, but to do something. And every time I accomplish another goal in my life, I always ask, ‘Was that the something?’ I think this is the something. I think this is it.”

Roseanne and Mary are hoping to make it to every church in Brooklyn by the end of this year and will work to nail down the pages of their book in 2025. We look forward to it.

Parishioners Honor Saint Peter Claver’s Legacy with Prayer and Reflection at Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph

Parishioners gathered at the Co-Cathedral of Saint Joseph on the feast day of Saint Peter Claver, the patron saint of African Americans.

The Spanish priest baptized 300,000 enslaved people in Colombia during the 17th century.

Vespers and Eucharistic adoration were held Monday evening to recognize his feast day.

There is usually a Mass, but the celebrant, Father Alonzo Cox, who is the Director of Liturgy for the Diocese, felt that in this Year of Eucharistic Revival, praying before the Blessed Sacrament was appropriate.

The Knights and Ladies Auxiliary of Saint Peter Claver, the oldest Black fraternal organization in the country, reflected on the work that the saint started.

The evening was also an opportunity to remember Monsignor Paul Jervis, who passed away in September 2023.

Monsignor Jervis spent nearly 24 years of his priesthood promoting the cause for canonization of Monsignor Bernard Quinn, who helped establish the Saint Peter Claver Church in Brooklyn for Black Catholics.

Holy Father Meets Children, Clergy and Celebrates Mass During Visit in East Timor

Some 700,000 people gathered to celebrate Mass with Pope Francis on his last stop in East Timor. That’s nearly half of the country’s population. Hundreds of singers made up the choir.

During his homily, the Holy Father applauded the culture of youth in East Timor. It’s one of the youngest countries in the world, with a median age of just 20 years old.

“This reality is beautiful in Timor-Leste, because there are so many children,” Pope Francis said. “You are a young country where life can be felt pulsating and buzzing in every corner… And the presence of so many young people and so many children is a gift, it is an immense gift.”

Earlier in the day, the Pope was welcomed by children with disabilities, who are taken care of by the nuns of the Alma Congregation. He thanked the sisters for what they do and also thanked the children.

“Because they teach us how we should let ourselves be cared for by God,” Pope Francis said.

After that meeting, the Pope went to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Dili, where he met with bishops, priests, religious, and lay people committed to the work of evangelization in the country.

The Holy Father told them, we need to be a missionary Church, one that goes out of its comfort zone to evangelize.

“In the Gospel, the boundaries are the center,” Pope Francis said. “And a Church that has no capacity for boundaries and hides in the center is a very sick Church.”

Pope Francis heads to Singapore on Wednesday, Sept. 11, where he’s set to meet with members of the Society of Jesus, the president and prime minister, and host an inter-religious meeting with young people.

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 9/10/2024

Pope Francis continues his tour of Asia, making a significant stop in East Timor. During his visit, he spent time with children with disabilities. He also gathered with clergy and celebrated Mass with a crowd of 700,000 faithful.

The Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph celebrates the Feast of Saint Peter Claver with Eucharistic Adoration for the patron saint of African Americans. 

Two women are on a dedicated mission to visit every Catholic church in Brooklyn. Their journey, which began last year, is a testament to their dedication and love for these sacred spaces. They hope to complete their pilgrimage by the end of the year, inspiring others in the local Catholic community.

Catholic Comedian Jim Gaffigan will host the Al Smith Dinner this year. Prominent Political Figures, including Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, will attend the dinner in New York City on October 17th. The annual event raises money for charitable causes within the Archdiocese of New York.

Bishop Says Rededicated and Blessed Statue is a Testament to Parish’s Faith

There was a range of emotions as Bishop Robert Brennan blessed and rededicated the statue outside of Holy Family Church in Fresh Meadows on Sunday.

“It still kind of aches at our hearts that the damage was even done, that somebody would deliberately take upon themselves this act of violence, this act of destruction just to show hatred to the faith,” Bishop Brennan said.

A man was caught on video smashing the statue of Jesus back in June, which had stood for 42 years in front of this church.

But Bishop Brennan said that while there is sorrow, there is also resilience.

“The reconstruction of that statue is really a testament to that resilience and depth of faith and love that is here,” Bishop Brennan said.

The reconstruction was underway less than a month after the statue was desecrated, at a cost of around $3,000.

During a mass celebrated by the bishop, Holy Family’s pastor, Father Sean Suckiel, said he hopes the statue stands for another 42-plus years.

“Praise God our statue has been repaired and is looking beautiful,” Father Suckiel said.

Police arrested 44-year-old Jamshaid Choudhry less than two weeks after the statue was vandalized.

He’s been charged with a hate crime.