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President Trump to Accept Party Nomination Following RNC Day Three Keynote by Vice President Pence

Vice President Mike Pence spoke at Maryland’s Fort McHenry, signaling optimism. 

“America needs four more years of President Donald Trump,” the vice president said. “President Donald Trump believes in America and the goodness of the American people, the boundless potential of every American to live out their dreams in freedom.”

And for them to do that in a country of law and order.

“We will have law and order on the streets of this country, for every American of every race and creed and color,” said Pence.

While racial unrest persists in cities like Kenosha, Wisconsin and Portland, Oregon, former NFL player Jack Brewer, who called himself a lifelong Democrat who supports Donald Trump, addressed the issue.  

“I know what racism looks like. I’ve seen it firsthand and in America it has no resemblance to President Trump, and I’m fed up with the way he’s portrayed in the media who refuse to acknowledge what he’s actually done for the Black community,” he said.

He said the country isn’t as divided as our politics suggest, and that policies must take priority over personalities.

One of those policies that Sister Dede Byrne of the Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary spoke about is  abortion law.

“Donald Trump is the most pro-life president this nation has ever had, defending life at all stages,” she said. “His belief in the sanctity of life transcends politics.”

Viewers also met a 25-year-old who’s running for Congress in North Carolina, Madison Cawthorn. He spoke about the accident that put him in a wheelchair, but said God protected his mind and his ability to speak for those who feel forgotten.  His speech about adversity ended with a memorable moment.

“I say to Americans who love our country – young and old – be a radical for freedom,” he said. “Be a radical for liberty. Be a radical for our republic for which it stand, one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all.”

Currents News full broadcast for Thurs, 8/27/20 (Catholic news)

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

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

Hurricane Laura is swirling north and still a huge danger.

The FBI is taking charge of the case involving the death of Jacob Blake.

New York City’s public schools are going low-tech to check if classrooms are safe.

‘Bobbi & the Strays’ Shelter Says Loneliness, Free Time Led to More Pet Adoptions During Pandemic

By Jessica Easthope

How could you resist the face of an adorable dog or cat? Right now, not many people can.

At Bobbi & the Strays in Glendale, Queens, cats and dogs are on the move, from the shelter into the loving arms of their new owners.

“There are a lot of people who want to adopt and rescue and they’re asking for older animals which is a great thing,” said Bobbi Giordano, the owner of Bobbi & the Strays.

Since the pandemic, adoptions at the shelter have spiked. From March to August of 2019, 207 animals were adopted. In that same time this year, there have been 233 adoptions. As for the reason for the spike, Bobbi has a few theories about why people can’t walk away from the animals.

“They’re lonely, they’re home, their outside life is not what it used to be and they want companions,” Bobbi said.

For Bobbie, what’s even more important than an increase in adoptions is a decrease in people returning younger dogs.  From March to August of last year, 20 animals adopted from the shelter were returned. This year that number was cut in half.

Bobbi and her staff say taking care of the animals is their calling, and the compassion they feel toward them is tied to their faith.

“I do believe in God, and I believe that he sent these animals here to me. That this is my calling,” said Bobbi.

“I feel that God gives me the energy, he gives me the strength, I really do, and I’m going to continue doing this for as long as I can. I might not be able to save the world but I’m going to try,” said Jeanine Farias, an employee at the shelter.

Though Bobbi & the Strays has saved many lives over the years, the staff says the animals save them right back by giving them a purpose. That was the case with Buddy.

“A man called me up and asked me to take a dog he found in the park, and then when he came here he said his wife had him in the basement and he was afraid to get arrested because of how he looked. He never had a haircut or anything and I had to take him,” Bobbi said.

Bobbi says the pandemic is helping people understand what her animals taught her long ago: “You need them more than they need you.”

Life of Hope Center & Haitian Americans United for Progress Aim to Boost 2020 Census Completion

By Emily Drooby

Advocate groups say that when it comes to completing the 2020 Census, getting that word out to the Haitian community during this next month will be crucial to increasing their participation in being counted.

“We can help with the applications, we can help them through the process because it is very important to us that everyone is counted for, because we are one New Yorker, we are one family, one community and it is up to us to make a difference,” said Porez Luxama, executive director of the Life of Hope Center in Brooklyn.

The organization has been working hard to overcome any reluctance to be counted, especially among immigrants in Brooklyn and Queens.

They have been giving the Haitian community special attention. Porez said that in the 2010 Census, only 30 percent of people were counted. Now, the number is over 50 percent. He said his group has contacted more than two thousand people alone.

“It’s still hard for us to get everyone engaged, because they have fear and the COVID makes it worse now,” Porez told Currents News.

Fears that immigration agents could get a hold of the information, a historically rooted distrust for government, pandemic quarantining and fears over the government and landlords knowing how many people are living in one home, have all prevented people from signing up for the census.

Larue Beharry, who volunteers with a second group working on this, Haitian Americans United for Progress, says it’s also a lack of understanding which is what these groups are trying to fix by speaking one-on-one with people.

“Once you break that barrier, once you are able to connect with people as fellow immigrants the barrier just comes down, it’s just the ability to talk to them and make them aware,” she explained.

Another issue? The census deadline, which was moved up to September 30, a month earlier than originally announced.

Volunteer Herold Dasque explained that despite the issues, representation is vital.

“It’s not about ICE, it’s not about immigration, it’s not about the administration,” he said. “It’s about the next 10 years of allocation and services that our people can receive, wherever they are.”

Census numbers determine funding for local schools, hospitals and roads. It also helps businesses decide where to build factories, offices and stores. It even shows developers where to build and what neighborhoods to fix up.

“But everybody needs to be counted for the census in order to have better services, better allocation in our states and our city, and to serve the people,” said Porez.

The two groups will continue their outreach until the deadline.

The online Census can be found at: https://2020census.gov/

A phone version is available at 844-330-2020. A Haitian Creole option is also available by phone at 844-477-2020.

How the Rome Mamertine Prison That Once Held Sts. Peter and Paul in Captivity Became a Holy Site

By Melissa Butz

These written words, “The Mamertine Prison of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul,” signal where Saints Peter and Paul were arrested and held while evangelizing in the Eternal City. 

In 7th century B.C., Mamertine Prison was the main jail in Rome, located in the center of the city on Capitoline Hill. Today its memory is sacred, especially two ancient jail cells built right on top of one other.

Carcer is the upper area, where Roman guards kept watch over the prisoners below. Roman expert Carlo Munns says it was reserved for the worst “enemies of Rome.” Criminals were thrown down this hole into the dungeon, before stairs were built to connect the two levels. 

In 67 AD, Peter and Paul were among those arrested. Statues and relics of the saints recall their presence, along with other markings on the wall. 

“At the beginning of the stairs, we see a place which is a memory of the passage of Peter,” Carlo said. “Just bringing him down to the jail, he hit his head on the marble and there was a memory here, made for memory of this place.” 

But its Tullianum, the cell below, where Peter and Paul were imprisoned during Nero’s persecution of Christians. This small area held 49 people while the Apostles were here, and is said to be the site of a miracle. 

“What’s important for Christians is in this water, which sprung out for the intervention of Peter and Paul,” Carlo says. “Forty-seven people were baptized here. Two of them were the jailers, also martyred after their conversion.”

While water flowed centuries before, it had dried up in the previous 900 years. That’s why at the beginning of the 4th century, the cell was transformed into a place of worship. This sacred transformation allowed it to be preserved, instead of destroyed like other monuments.

An altar was installed, the water source protected and the column which bound Peter and Paul was guarded. They all have since been removed and can now be found in the museum just above the cement cells, leaving the prison in its original condition when the apostles were awaiting their death nearly 2,000 years ago. 

This prison, while Saints Peter and Paul were inside, actually resembled a sewage tank, since prisoners were often forgotten and starved as it was the final step before their execution. However, we know that for St. Peter, he was crucified upside down in Rome, while St. Paul was beheaded because he could not be crucified as a Roman citizen. 

Little Sisters of the Poor – Begging

Every Tuesday morning in San Pedro, California, Sister Agnes of Little Sisters of the Poor leads a group to collect food for the poor donated by two local produce companies. Joe Estevez joins in to meet those who donate food and learn more about this remarkable act of service.

Hurricane Laura Makes U.S. Landfall With Heavy Winds, Rain and Flooding

Currents News Staff

Under the cover of darkness, Hurricane Laura stormed central Louisiana with heavy rain and wind gusts over 120 miles per hou — for more than an hour — in Lake Charles.

The storm damaged buildings and sent debris flying.

In the daylight,  the destruction could be seen widespread. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says the damage was extensive.

“We have hurricane strength winds still associated with this storm as it moves north and still causing damage, power outage and so forth,” said Gov. Edwards. “I will tell you that the damage is extensive.”

Laura hit the area as a Category 4 storm. Mandatory evacuations were in place for central Louisiana residents, but that didn’t stop some from riding out the storm. Louisiana’s Lieutenant Gov. Billy Nungesser says he hopes no lives were lost.

“One family I talked to at 3:30, 50 miles from the coast, as they felt their roof being lifted up, said they’ll never ride out another storm,” Gov. Nungesser said, “and hopefully they’re safe as well. So we know some people stayed and we hope no one lost their life.”

FEMA says it will quickly get on the ground to start assessing damage. In the meantime, they have a message for residents.

“Keep your family safe,” said FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor. “If you’re in a safe place, don’t go outside until you hear the all-clear from your local officials. Stay out of the water. Stay away from downed power lines. This is going to be a dangerous part of the storm, even after it passes.”

Hurricane Laura will continue to weaken as it moves inland, but will be a flood threat through the weekend before exiting the east coast.

Two Religious Sisters, Two Conventions

By Currents News Staff and The Tablet Staff

During the past two weeks, two prominent Catholic women religious appeared at the conventions the two major parties held.

Wednesday night, Sr. Deirdre “Dede” Byrne, POSC, spoke at the Republican Convention. She is a member of the community of the Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. She is an active missionary and the superior of her community in Washington, D.C. Sister Dede, as she is known, is a retired colonel of the U.S. Army. 

She attended Georgetown University, where she completed a surgical residency. During that time, she joined the Army, where she served for 29 years as a doctor and surgeon.

In her speech, Sister “Dede” talked about her personal journey and her service to the poor and refugees in different countries. She said that the largest marginalized group is the unborn and called Trump the “most pro-life president.”

During the Democratic National Convention, Sr. Simone Campbell, SSS, said a prayer. She had previously spoken at the 2012 and 2016 Democratic National Conventions.  Sister Simone is a member of the Sisters of Social Service institute and a lawyer. In 1978, she founded the Community Law Center in Oakland, California, and was the group’s lead attorney for 18 years. From 1995 to 2000, she was the General Director of Sisters of Social Service. In 2012, she led the Nuns on the Bus initiative, created after the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a critical assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in the United States. Currently, she is the executive director of NETWORK, a social justice lobby headquartered in Washington D.C..

During her invocation, she talked about the care for the planet and the dignity of human beings.

Currents News full broadcast for Wed, 8/26/20

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

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

An outpouring of love to save a devastated city – a special prayer service is held for Beirut.

Gunfire in Kenosha, Wisconsin leaves two people are dead as protests rage on in the city.

Melania Trump headlining the Republican National Convention – where other speakers have declared that all life is sacred.

Disaster is facing Texas and Louisiana as Hurricane Laura is barreling toward them.