Currents News Staff
For most Catholics who received their Holy Sacraments, they trust that the celebrant performed the ceremonies correctly and as intended by God.
But for one priest in Detroit, after watching a video of his baptism, he soon realized that his sacraments he assumed to be true were invalid – by one misspoken word.
Father Matt Hood from the Archdiocese of Detroit joins Currents News to share the details about his experience with his baptism blunder.
Currents News Staff
For the final time, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg returned to the Supreme Court.
The late justice is lying in repose at the Supreme Court, giving pundits and the public the opportunity to honor her life and legacy.
“Among the words that describe Ruth: tough, brave, a fighter, a winner. But also: thoughtful, careful, compassionate, honest,” is how U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts described his colleague and friend.
An army of more than a hundred of her former clerks stood watch over her casket.
Some accompanied it up the stone steps leading to the Great Hall where the liberal icon presided for almost 30 years.
“She will live on in what she did to improve the law and the lives of all of us, and yet, Ruth is gone and we grieve,” said Roberts.
Politicians and the public paid their respects.
Meanwhile Capitol Hill, Republicans are quickly working to fill Justice Ginsburg’s vacancy before the election as Democrats vow retaliation.
“Everything is on the table,” said New York Senator Chuck Schumer. “My Senate Democratic colleagues and candidates know America needs some change, and we’re going to figure out the best way to do it.”
“We should go to the American people to make the case for why this is a gigantic mistake and an abuse of power,” said presidential candidate Joe Biden.
Senators are strategizing over the open Supreme Court seat and ponder the person President Trump may pick.
“The president put forward a list of incredibly talented nominees, including Indiana’s own Judge Amy Coney Barrett,” said Republican Indiana state Senator Todd Young.
“We have not had a Supreme Court justice from Florida,” explained Republican state Senator Rick Scott, “Barbara Lagoa is a qualified jurist.”
President Trump will be at the Supreme Court Sept. 24 to pay tribute to the legendary life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.
Some of the top stories on this newscast:
A big boost for the pro-life movement – what President Trump promised those attending the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.
Brooklyn’s own Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lying in repose at the Supreme Court – eulogized by her fellow jurists.
The grand jury indicts only one officer involved in the killing of Breonna Taylor — but not for murder.
One teenager set out to do the impossible, open a business during the pandemic – her secret to success putting it all God’s hands.
By Emily Drooby
“I will always defend the sacred right to life” — a strong statement coming from President Donald Trump on Sept. 23 as he announced a new executive order that’s a win for the pro-life movement.
“I will be signing the Born Alive executive order to ensure that all precious babies born alive, no matter their circumstances, receive the medical care they deserve,” he said during the sixteenth annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.
“This is our moral duty.”
Details on the executive order weren’t immediately available but it will protect babies born prematurely, including those who survive an abortion. It will also increase federal funding for neonatal research.
“The eternal truth that every child, born and unborn is made in the holy image of God,” said President Trump during the announcement.
The president also took a moment to applaud the Catholic Church for their charity and generosity towards others. He specifically mentioned that he saw this while growing up next to a church. Based off of Trump’s childhood home, that’s likely a church in the Diocese of Brooklyn — Immaculate Conception Church in Jamaica Estates, Queens.
“I saw how much incredible work the Catholic Church did for our community. These are amazing people, these are great, great people,” he said.
Also during the event, Attorney General William Barr was awarded the Christifideles Laici award. It is given to someone who increases the tenets and teachings of the Catholic Church.
Barr, who is Catholic, used his speech to defend religion’s role in America.
“Separation of Church and state does not mean and never did mean separation of religion and civics.”
Attorney General Barr himself came under fire for being given the award.
Many people and organizations of faith such as the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests have voiced concern over Barr receiving the honor, as he recently directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons to execute prisoners on death row for the first time since 2003.
During his acceptance speech, Barr did not address the critics.
The keynote address was given by Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. During it, he compared American founder Thomas Jefferson and St. Junípero Serra.
Serra founded Catholic missions in California, and the toppling of statues has made the saint a recent source of controversy. Some critics have called him a colonialist of Native Americans.
“Jefferson could say the things he said because at least to some degree, he had been evangelized. To some degree, he had heard the good news,” said Barron.
He added that what Jefferson said on the East Coast of the country, Serra was doing on the West Coast.
He also encouraged Catholics to bring their faith into the public forum.
“Resist the temptation to privatize the faith, but rather bring your evangelized self into the public forum,” said Auxiliary Bishop Barron, adding that a privatized religion is bad for both religion and democracy.
Host Anthony Mangano visits Holy Child church in Staten Island. Join us as Anthony interviews Rev. Alan F. Travers, Peg McGoff, and Lorraine St. John to discuss the history and architecture of this very special church.
By Erin DeGregorio and Currents News Staff
WINDSOR TERRACE — Broadcast journalist Christine Persichette has been named the anchor of Currents News, a comprehensive nightly news program from the Catholic perspective.
“After a long search, it became clear Christine was the right person for this unique and important job,” said Vito Formica, executive director of news content and development at DeSales Media Group, the communications arm for the Diocese of Brooklyn that produces the program.
Her Catholic Connections
Persichette’s professional experience in New York and personal connection to the Diocese of Brooklyn brings additional credibility to the award-winning newscast. Persichette was born and raised in Long Island City, Queens, where she was a parishioner and student at St. Rita’s Church.
A lifelong Catholic, Persichette said the education she received at St. Rita’s School not only taught her academic fundamentals but also helped her to grow socially. She gives credit to all the teachers who helped her along the way, including her first-grade teacher Sister Margaret, fourth-grade teacher Mrs. Sheridan, and sixth-grade teacher Mrs. Absalom. While at St. Rita’s, she sang in the children’s choir, played on the school’s softball team, and participated in multiple math and spelling bees.
“I loved Sister Margaret. I was so shy and scared, but she was so nice and helped me come out of my shell,” Persichette said. “By the third grade, I was performing solo dances in the class play and, in the seventh grade, I was the class president.”
Persichette later attended and graduated from St. Francis Preparatory School in Fresh Meadows, Queens. Though it was the furthest high school she could have possibly gone to with her commute being an hour-and-a-half-long, she was excited to be accepted as a student and absolutely loved her four years there. At St. Francis Prep, Persichette was a retreat leader, which allowed her to get to know her classmates better by discussing things they were going through in their lives and how their Catholic faith helped them get through tough times.
While at St. Francis Prep, Persichette also learned how to square dance (and actually had fun while doing it) in the school’s gymnasium, attended the proms, and went to the Bahamas for her senior class trip. But one of Persichette’s favorite high school memories she’ll never forget was getting a perfect 100 in Chemistry — “science was never my thing, but my teacher was excellent,” she noted. Her favorite subjects growing up were English, reading, and writing.
Years later, Persichette returned to her roots at St. Rita’s when she got married to her husband Damian. Vicar for Catholic Schools in Brooklyn and Queens Monsignor David Cassato — who she had originally known as Father Dave — was a priest at St. Rita’s and presided over Persichette’s wedding ceremony, in addition to all of her siblings’ weddings and her father’s funeral Mass.
“Everyone at my wedding said it was the best church service they had ever been to,” Persichette recalled. “He’s an amazing priest.”
Becoming the Face of Currents News
Persichette began filling-in as an anchor at Currents News during the fall of 2019 when Formica was auditioning several candidates for the role. Then, news of the coronavirus began to dominate the headlines in February.
“Christine connected with the audience and guided viewers during the peak of the crisis with calmness and empathy,” said Chairman of the Board and President of DeSales Media Monsignor Kieran Harrington.
Persichette said the opportunity to join Currents News came at the right time, and the new position feels like home.
“I’m so proud to work at Currents News. I was really happy to continue my career here, especially being in the Brooklyn Diocese, where I’m from,” she said.
“I didn’t know what to expect coming in, but it’s still the same journalism I’ve always been doing — just faith-based, which is nice. Reporting the news that’s coming from a Catholic perspective adds a level of comfort. And when we’re talking about crises, whether it’s the COVID-19 pandemic or war-torn countries, we’re always looking at who’s helping and how to help,” she said.
Persichette believes that Currents News is the kind of news people are yearning for. During this turbulent time where media is often politicized and agenda-driven, Christine says Currents News is a “program people can trust.”
“We give it to our audience straight,” she explained, “The public deserves that.” Persichette believes too many news organizations are underestimating their viewers and readers, while the Currents News team strives every night to get back to the cornerstones of journalism. “We are balanced and objective. That’s not something you can easily get these days.”
Persichette currently lives in Rockland County and is a marriage prep coordinator, along with her husband, at St. Francis of Assisi parish in West Nyack. Together, they have three sons.
Before joining Currents News, Persichette worked as a morning anchor for FiOS1 News. During that time, she also hosted a half-hour show called “Heroes on Our Island,” which highlighted individuals making a difference and giving back to their communities. Currents News airs weeknight at 7 p.m. on NET-TV (Spectrum ch. 97, Optimum ch. 30, FiOS ch. 48) in the New York City viewing area and streams on netny.tv and YouTube.
Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.
Some of the top stories on this newscast:
The Vatican Secretary of State addresses the United Nations ahead of Pope Francis – what’s he asked for in his message.
The pandemic couldn’t stop 12 students and one professor at Saint John’s University – after months of intense study they received the Sacraments of Christian Initiation.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be the first woman and the first Jewish person to lie in state at the Capitol – plus details on a new tribute here in Brooklyn.
The debate and divide over nominating someone to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court.
By Emily Drooby
On Sunday, September 20 Briana Cedeño received her Sacraments of Initiation. It was a moment she will always cherish. The St. John’s University student was in the school’s Rite Of Christian Initiation for Adults Program.
The ceremony marked the beginning of a new life in Christ, one she chose as a college student.
“Sometimes you have to take a minute and say, ‘Okay I have all this stuff I need to do, let me just depend on God that he’s going to guide me through all my assignments that I need to do and everything will be okay,'” Briana explained.
This important milestone for her and her fellow RCIA candidates, like Stephanie DiGiorgio, was threatened by the pandemic.
“We were starting to pick out our confirmation names like we got really close to the final Sacrament towards Easter and then we all had to leave. And we didn’t know what was going to happen,” Stephanie said.
The program was moved online, while the ceremony was rescheduled from April to September.
However, there was still a fear: would the pandemic and all of the disruptions it caused lead the candidates astray?
“RCIA is a long process to begin with,” Andrea Pinnavaia, the university’s campus minister and RCIA coordinator, told Currents News. “And then to have to wait even longer, almost six months past when they should have been initiated” made it even longer.
Questions surrounding the timeline were heightened by a grim trend: a decrease in Catholic Americans and an increase in Americans with no religion. It’s a trend that’s most pronounced among the younger generations, according to a Pew research study.
However, the RCIA candidates remained faithful to their mission.
“So easily people could have lost contact or dropped out of the process, but they were all so determined to keep going so I was excited and relieved,” Andrea said.
On Sunday 13 candidates, including Stephanie and Briana, finally received their Sacraments of Initiation — Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. Auxiliary Bishop Octavio Cisneros of the Diocese of Brooklyn presided at the liturgy.
Some were unable to take part because of travel restrictions. Andrea tells Currents News that they will receive their Sacraments next semester.
By Jessica Easthope
Project Brunch knows how to set itself apart: the restaurant’s staff puts care and consideration into everything, especially how they treat their customers. But when the pandemic crushed New York City’s economy, they were the same as every other small business.
“Everyone’s been thrown into this same boat of uncertainty and financial stress and even emotional stress but our customers have been amazing; they all supported us,” said Jenna Mazza, the manager of Project Brunch, her family’s business.
After being forced to close one of their Staten Island locations during the pandemic, Project Brunch had another tough decision cooking.
Last week the New York City Council approved the COVID-19 Recovery Charge, allowing restaurants to add 10 percent to your food bill until indoor dining has been open for 90 days. The charge is designed to help restaurants earn back some of the money they lost, but Project Brunch said “no thanks.”
“Just like we’re feeling it personally as a restaurant, as a company, the stress of COVID-19, so is everyone else,” Jenna said. “And it would be against what we stand for to put even more on our customers, who we very much care about.”
Customers say the delicious food drew them in, but what keeps them coming back isn’t on the menu.
“We’re all in this together. The pandemic’s been very difficult on a lot of businesses and we have to support the places we love,” said Ellen Settani, a customer who has come to the restaurant every Tuesday since it opened in 2016.
“They’re caring about the customers first, so I have no problem supporting them all the way with this,” said George Finelli, another regular customer.
Even with the support of their customers, Project Brunch’s future is still uncertain. Indoor dining is just days away. and as the colder months make outdoor dining impossible, 25 percent capacity inside won’t cut it.
“We will not be able to survive with 25 percent capacity and 100 percent bills, the math doesn’t work out that way. Steps need to be taken to save the small businesses and save the culture of New York and our communities,” said Jenna.
Project Brunch is hoping to survive long enough to see business go back to normal. Until then, they can promise the menu will change, but their values will stay the same.
Currents News Staff
The vacancy on the high court just might be giving some people the push they needed to head to the polls on Election Day, which is six weeks away.
Sept. 22 is National Voter Registration Day, used to encourage anyone who is eligible to sign up so they can vote in November.
Joining Currents News to discuss the Supreme Court vacancy and the upcoming elections is St. John’s University Political Science Professor Brian Browne.