Catholic School Students Collect Tens of Thousands of Pounds of Food for Pantries as Need Increases

By Emily Drooby

Stacking cans might be a small task, but it has a big meaning for some Loyola High School students. By doing it, they’re helping those who can’t afford their Thanksgiving meal, especially after the pandemic wreaked financial havoc for many. Many of these students have seen the increased poverty first hand.

“I’ve seen it on Metro North, which I take. I’ve seen it one the subways, I’ve seen it walking to school, and I think that even encourages us more that we have to help out, do everything we can,” said Loyola senior Regina Potenza.

The Great Ignatian Challenge is an annual competition where nine Jesuit schools from New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania compete for hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarship money by collecting food.

It’s mostly funded by one Jesuit school alumnus, Jim Rowen.

It’s brought in over 200 tons of food in just five years, but this year, the competition is more essential than ever.

The number of New Yorkers who say they have food insecurity fears is up 20 percent since before the pandemic, making food pantries not just a need but a lifeline for many.

These students are helping. Last year’s winner, Loyola, has already sent almost 12,000 pounds of food to City Harvest.

“Our focus is on fresh produce instead of just canned goods, because we find that most donations that go to soup kitchens and food pantries are often canned goods that are non-perishable,” said Loyola senior Christina Landau.

Their challenge, run by an all-women board, is unique since Loyola is the only co-ed school taking up the challenge. This year, they collected most items online instead of in person for maximum social distancing.

The challenge is also going strong just about 70 blocks away, at Xavier High School.

Helping people right in their own backyard, donations going to the Xavier Mission. Their need has increased by 20 percent this year.

Xavier is already thousands past their 15,000-item goal, meaning the mission will be able to give out 200 thanksgiving meals and still be stacked up for winter.

“It feels great, just again the work paid off and it’s worth it for all of the people who need it,” said Xavier sophomore, C.J. Marlin, “It feels good to know that there’s going to be one less person that’s hungry.”

Other schools participating this year are Canisius High School in Buffalo, McQuaid Jesuit in Rochester, Fairfield College Preparatory School in Fairfield, Fordham Preparatory School in the Bronx, Regis High School in Manhattan, St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City and St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia.

To donate to some of the schools, including Xavier High School, click here.

To donate to Loyola, click here.

Journalism and the 2020 Election: How Did Media Outlets Do When It Came to Fair, Balanced Reporting?

Currents News Staff

If you ask anyone on the Trump legal team, they’ll say this election is far from over. Joe Biden, however, is moving ahead with cabinet picks.

It’s the same difference in the media – depending on who you watch, listen to, or read. The director of the journalism program at St. John’s University, Professor Mike Rizzo, joined Currents News to talk about post-election media coverage.

Gammarelli Tailor Shop in Rome Prepares for Upcoming Council of Cardinals

Currents News Staff

An iconic window display in central Rome is ready for the Nov. 28 consistory. Gammarelli, a clerical clothing shop, has dressed priests, bishops, cardinals and popes since 1798.

The display also attracts the attention of tourists, since during special events such as conclaves and consistories, many come to see the elegant ecclesiastical vestments.

They carry basic clothing items, from socks, shoes and personal care products, to cassocks, birettas, choral robes and even uncommon pieces such as a red cape called “Ferraiolo” or “manteo romano,” and a formal red coat known as “tabarro.”

Also shown are pieces that have changed over time, like golden tassels that in antiquity adorned a sash, now modified by simpler ones in red.

Mitres, zucchettos, cufflinks, gloves and pectoral crosses — all the insignia of the members of the College of Cardinals are found there. Also, for the more curious or collectors, miniature birettas or cardinal caps are also on display.

Currents News full broadcast for Fri, 11/20/20 (Catholic news)

Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.

Some of the top stories on this special edition of Currents News:

Public schools closed and Catholic schools open – are more citywide closures on the way?

Religious freedom lawsuit – will the Supreme Court hear the case filed by the Brooklyn Diocese against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and his COVID church restrictions?

Catholics are concerned about COVID vaccines – are they produced with cells from aborted fetuses?

Plus, hunger and the holidays. What Catholics are doing to make sure their neighbors ae fed.

Dredging Starts on the Gowanus Canal, One of America’s Dirtiest Waterways

By Emily Drooby

The Gowanus Canal might look clear from the surface, but it has become known for its high levels of toxins and a pungent, garbage-like smell. It’s also known for what Brooklyn locals call “black mayonnaise,” which is thick sludge created by decades of industrial waste and sewage.

The canal is so dirty that it became a “superfund site” in 2010, a contaminated area that can be cleaned up under federal law.

That’s what’s happening now — the dredging marks the start of the Environmental Protection Agency’s long-awaited action.

It’s a welcome sight for Father Orlando Ruiz, the pastor of Our Lady of Peace, a church just blocks from the canal.

“As Franciscans we are called to always be attentive, to be respectful, to be grateful to God’s gift to us,” explained Father Orlando.

He’s a Franciscan Friar and as one, environmental advocacy has long been crucial for him and his parish community. About five years ago, they started to bless the river yearly.

Bringing Holy Water to the waters poisoned by sins against nature, they saw a difference.

Now they’ll see even more of one as the EPA works to remove dangerous pollutants from the canal like lead, mercury, coal tar and even arsenic.

Locals expect all kinds of other things to come up too.

“As my parishioners would say, there’s not only tires, and wheels from cars or bicycles, there’s other things. The legends and stories of our neighborhood for the Italian population, they used to say that maybe the Gambino family used to throw their guns in there,” explained Father Orlando.

During the dredging project, 72,400 cubic yards of contaminated sediment will be removed.

The price tag is steep: 1.5 billion dollars. Father Orlando says it’s worth it, because protecting the environment is worth it.

“Then seeing it develop to what it is becoming, is enriching. And it’s very exciting to see it flourish from where we were to where we are now,” he told Currents News.

It could take a decade to dredge the entire canal, but much like the water, an end date is still unclear.

Currents News full broadcast for Thurs, 11/19/20 (Catholic news)

Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

There are two possible COVID vaccines on the horizon and Catholics are concerned about how they’re being produced.

Rudy Giuliani details the Trump campaign’s voter fraud investigation.

From hardware breakdowns to software bugs, how the nation’s election infrastructure could be threatening the integrity of this year’s presidential election.

A very special honor for one church in the Brooklyn Diocese who used technology to connect parishioners with God during the pandemic.

What You Need to Know About the Coronavirus Vaccine Front-Runners From Moderna and Pfizer

By Emily Drooby

It’s a shot at hope: two coronavirus vaccines front-runners have emerged, Moderna and Pfizer.

In July, a local Georgia news anchor became the Moderna vaccine’s first trial patient. Now that trial is coming out to be about 95% effective, like the Pfizer trial.

Dr. Robert Tiballi, an infectious disease expert with the Catholic Medical Association, says that for Catholics, the Moderna vaccine presents a slight ethical issue when it comes to the dignity of human life.

“The fetal cell lines were not directly used in the Moderna, but they were indirectly used several steps away from the actual development of the vaccine,” he told Currents News.

Dr. Tiballi added that a lot of the information about these vaccines are protected, meaning it’s hidden, so that could change.

Both vaccines use messenger RNA, which teaches the body to fight the virus without having to use the virus.

“These vaccines will not give you coronavirus,” explained Dr. Tiballi, “Your body’s immune system sees the spike protein and goes, ‘Oh we are under attack, we have to build the antibodies against this.'”

He added that if approved, it would be a medical milestone; “We’ve never had a messenger RNA vaccine ever.”

Both shots have to be frozen, but Moderna can last in a fridge for a month — Pfizer for only 5 days. Pfizer also has to be kept in extreme cold at minus-70 degrees Celsius, which creates an extra distribution challenge.

“You’re going to have to go to specially designated places that have been trained how to keep this vaccine cold enough and therefore keep it effective,” said Dr. Tiballi.

The next step is for both companies to apply to have the FDA authorize their vaccines. Pfizer plans to do that on Nov. 20 and Moderna in the next few weeks.

If approved, the FDA will review the data for a few weeks. After that, an FDA advisory committee will review the data in public meetings scheduled for mid-December.

The federal government has pre-purchased hundreds of millions of vaccine doses, but getting everyone vaccinated could still be a long way off.

St. Andrew Avellino Wins Honorable Mention for Live Mass Broadcast at Parish Excellence Summit

By Jessica Easthope

Lights, camera, Amen!

At St. Andrew Avellino Church nothing’s impossible with faith and fast internet, that’s why the Flushing, Queens parish won an Honorable Mention Parish Excellence Award for its live mass broadcast.

What started out as an iPad on a stand became a high-tech operation. The church got a new HD camera from DeSales Media, the communication and technology arm of the Diocese of Brooklyn that operates NetTV. It allowed the Word of God to be sent into the homes of parishioners at lightning speed.

“We were fortunate enough, with the help of DeSales Media to get a wonderful camera that has been just extraordinary,” said Father Joseph Holcomb, the pastor of St. Andrew Avellino.

But installing cameras for live streaming mass didn’t start because of the pandemic. Last fall DeSales Media Group tested the cameras out in two parishes. Now 90 parishes across the Diocese of Brooklyn are fully equipped.

“I can’t say that when we started doing this program last fall that we ever envisioned this kind of rollout and effort and it’s a really great feeling and gives me a sense of purpose when I go to work every day,” said Cristian Ortiz, the Account Development Manager for DeSales Media.

Not only do the cameras allow people at home in Brooklyn and Queens to watch mass at their local parish, the broadcasts reach across the world.

“We’ve reached continents St. Clare’s in Queens has reached as far as South Africa, St Mel’s, St. Kevin’s they’ve reached Argentina, Italy, it’s really amazing and I think this has been a great tool not only during COVID-19 but for evangelization as well,” Ortiz said.

At St. Andrew Avellino the live masses have been viewed in Peru, Colombia and the Philippines.

Saying Mass to an empty church wasn’t easy, but Father Holcomb quickly learned how much of an impact the new technology could make.

“Once we realized more and more people were watching the broadcast it became a little bit easier to know that we were delivering something in the midst of this very, very difficult time,” Father Holcomb said.

Lynn Scott has been a parishioner at St. Andrew Avellino for 13 years and she picked up where DeSales left off, helping to coordinate every aspect of the broadcast, she knew just how much it was needed.

“I was scared and just being able to watch and listen to God’s word, it gave comfort to me,” Lynn said.

And as the COVID-19 numbers climbed, so did the number of views. During the height of the pandemic Sunday mass was being streamed by 1,500 people, prompting the church to keep its livestream up indefinitely.

Starting December 1, DeSales will be rolling out even more cameras. The media company is expecting to have 60 more parishes in the Diocese of Brooklyn set up for live streaming by the end of next year.

Catholics Want to Know: Were Potential COVID Vaccines by Moderna and Pfizer Ethically Made?

Currents News Staff

Now that we have two potential COVID vaccines the question on many Catholics’ minds is: How were they made, and more specifically, were they made ethically?

John Brehany, an ethicist with the National Catholic Bioethics Center, joins Currents News via interview to discuss the moral dilemma that Catholics could face if the vaccines use cells from aborted fetuses.

In July, a local Georgia news anchor became the Moderna vaccine’s first trial patient. Now that trial is coming out to be about 95% effective, similarly to the Pfizer trial.

In this Currents News report Dr. Robert Tiballi, an infectious disease expert with the Catholic Medical Association, says that for Catholics the Moderna vaccine presents a slight ethical issue when it comes to the dignity of human life.

Democracy, Voting and Mail-In Ballots: Assessing Technology’s Role in the Election Process

Currents News Staff

With Georgia recounting ballots by hand and a climate rife with claims of voter irregularities and fraud, the accuracy of computer election technology is once again under the microscope.

President Trump says, “this is a fraud on the American public,” while President-Elect Joe Biden says it’s “more embarrassing for the country than debilitating.”

Not since the 2000 presidential election has a fight for the White House caused such a stir. The controversy “back then” led to computerized voting systems that are creating problems now.

“The introduction of computers into the process of casting and counting ballots introduced a level of vulnerable technology that is easily, that can easily be compromised,” explained Co-Founder of Open Source Election Technology Gregory Miller, “so that doesn’t do anything to engender trust.”

Issues like reprogramming machines remotely or inserting fraudulent media cards or even hacking into vote scanners while using wireless modems to connect to the internet, has researchers debating how to fix such a huge and largely unregulated problem. Gregory thinks those problems extend to the companies who produce our election systems too.

“Today we have three vendors in the United States who own 90 percent of America’s voting infrastructure,” he added.

Those companies – Election Systems and Software, Hart InterCivic and Dominion Voting Systems – are privately owned and bristle at any sort of governmental oversight. That leads to arguing that their software is proprietary and therefore off-limits to election officials and computer scientists looking for flaws and potential security risks. That, Gregory says, is putting our election infrastructure in a dire state.

“This is an industry that is entirely proprietary, a great deal of opacity,” he noted, “that is no transparency in what they’re actually producing. And yet our critical democracy infrastructure depends upon those three vendors.”

One of those vendors, Dominion is under intense scrutiny. The Trump campaign alleges that their machines switched votes from the president to Joe Biden.

No evidence has emerged so far to support that claim, but flaws in the process are real.

“No machinery is infallible,” Gregory reminds. “No technology is perfect. Mistakes, glitches do happen. But there’s been no evidence to this point that any machinery has been maliciously or nefariously compromised or altered.”

Equipment problems coupled with a record shattering 65-million mail in ballots, according to Pew Research. Rules on how to count them vary from state to state, also playing a role in this year’s election controversy.

Gregory predicts the intense scrutiny will force lawmakers to look at restoring credibility into a process central to our Democracy.

“We need to step back and stop triage financing and start really systemically financing the innovation necessary to get us more verifiable, accurate, secure and transparent equipment,” he said. “It needs to be completely redesigned and rethought as if it were truly a national security asset.”

According to experts, those are urgently needed solutions that could be implemented by the next presidential cycle, as another highly contested race sheds light on the cracks in our election system.