Archives

Advances in Medicine and Tech Among Silver Linings to Come From the Coronavirus Pandemic

By Emily Drooby and Franca Braatz

COVID-19 has wrecked lives and devastated the economy, but it has also given birth to some amazing innovations, a cleaner environment and a more family-friendly work-life balance.

In the medical field, therapeutics and ongoing advances in testing have slashed the death rate from just months ago. The pandemic has even forced a re-imagining of the routine doctor’s visit.

“We are going to take lessons from this pandemic and use them to create new health care going forward,” explained Dr. Hallie Zwibel, the Medical Director of the Academic Health Care Center at New York Institute of Technology.

Part of that forward momentum is the growth of telemedicine, where doctors can see patients remotely using HIPAA compliant video conferencing tools.

“What led to the adoption was not only that necessity is the mother of invention in that we needed to do, this but there is a lot of regulatory changes between the government and different health departments which allowed us to really move on telehealth full steam ahead,” Dr. Zwibel told Currents News.

She says telemedicine forces doctors to be more creative when face-to-face office visits are impossible.

That kind of innovative technology has some businesses booming, especially as tech companies step in to tailor to the needs of a work-from-home workforce.

“We have seen companies utilize technologies that for many years have been ‘nice to haves’ and have now become ‘must haves,’” explained Craig Wilson, the managing director at NYU Tandon Future Labs.

Like telemedicine, remote communication platforms are changing the way we work and socialize. Wilson thinks it’s here to stay.

“Zoom has basically become a verb in the way that Google has become a verb, or Uber has become a verb,” he explained.

Technology has even kept the faithful connected to their parishes, as churches around the diocese continue to stream church services and utilize the power of social media.

Even donating to the weekly collection plate can be done remotely. While money is tight for many, you might be able to save on rent by buying a new home or refinancing an existing mortgage because interest rates have plummeted.

If you have a little extra money, financial experts say now is the time to invest.

“If there’s an area of interest that you’re looking at… homes, stocks, bonds, whatever, go for it…don’t be afraid,” said Larrea. “This is not the time to be timid. And just go after what you’re interested in and go pursue your passions.”

Other leaps forward are more nuanced, like the lessons learned from weaknesses in our global supply chain, or fixing the flaws in our government’s preparedness plans. These are key improvements that will help avert another potential disaster.

Tropical Storm Isaias Shatters Nearly Century Old Window at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church

By Jessica Easthope

A priest was celebrating Mass alone inside Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Ridgewood, Queens when he witnessed an explosion of glass as the powerful winds brought in by Tropical Storm Isaias blew out a 12-foot stained glass window.

The window, which is nearly a century old, flew from its frame and crashed onto the pews, damaging eight of them. Shards of glass were left scattered across the sanctuary.

“The storm was raging, the winds were so, so strong,” said Father Anthony Sansone, the pastor of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.

Father Anthony says he was horrified by the damage left behind by the storm, he estimated the repairs will cost around $80,000.

“We have to try to restore this window, we have to fix what was destroyed inside the church in terms of benches and repainting the church where there was damage on the walls where the rain came in,” Fr. Anthony said.

He’s confident the community will show up for the church like it’s always done. Parishioners helped pay for a $150,000 renovation to the church completed in 2018. Now, as they’re finally returning to Mass, they say the damage is another test to their faith.

“This is our place, this is where we come to just say a prayer and for mass and it’s important for us to be here and that we can be here,” said Anna Krasowski, a parishioner of the church.

“That’s the neighborhood that we’re in, those are the people who come to this church, it’s a matter of everyone wanting to support what their home is,” said Rosanne, another parishioner.

Fr. Anthony says his parishioners’ financial support has helped sustain the church.

“I am confident this will be done and I’m so happy to know there are so many people who are so concerned, the parishioners are very supportive and the response from the community is very positive,” Father Anthony said.

Though the now predominantly Polish and Italian neighborhood has changed over the years, what remains is faith and the people’s love for their church.

“This is who we are, when it comes down to your faith, you come up to it, this is all we have,” said Roseann.

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal was forced to close for a few days after the storm, but opened Thursday night to celebrate Mass for the Feast Day of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

To help Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal replace the window and repair the damages done by the storm, you can donate on GiveCentral at givecentral.org/olmmqueens

Many Faces

Joe Estevez interviews Dr. Lawrence Tritel, author of the book, The Many Faces of War, about the trauma and survival of war, as well as going on with life post-war. Dr. Tritel touches on his own family connection to war and how the Catholic faith has been shaped by war.

Beirut’s Explosion Felt Throughout the Lebanon City

Currents News Staff

Less than 24 hours after the massive explosion went off in Beirut at 6 p.m. on the evening of Aug. 4, the city is a scene of destruction. 

In fact, the government has declared Beirut as a disaster zone. According to the health ministry, at least 100 people were killed, more than 4,000 wounded and several hundred thousand people have been made homeless as a result of the explosion. 

The extent of the destruction in the area not far from Beirut port is evident: almost every window was shattered. Cars have been damaged. The police have been going around trying to make a record of all the destruction that has taken place. 

The government has allocated millions of dollars to try to rebuild this city. But the problem Lebanon has is that the government is bankrupt. The economy is in free fall and Lebanon’s traditional donors have essentially abandoned it. It has come down to ordinary people doing what they can to help clean up the mess. Volunteers have been going around handing out water and sandwiches. 

The president of Lebanon has said that a transparent investigation will be conducted into what happened on Tuesday evening about that explosion. But at this point, many people are so angry with the government that has for decades mismanaged the country. 

There’s little faith that that investigation will come up with real answers to what happened in Beirut.

Lebanese Maronite Catholics of Brooklyn Desperate to Help Beirut After Tragic Blast

By Jessica Easthope

Lebanese Americans in Brooklyn feel like a devastating blast was the final straw for such a beautiful country already in the midst of an economic downfall and refugee crisis. Maronite Catholics say the explosion is the latest in a long line of betrayals by the government.

“There were letters from people in charge to the government, let’s do something about these explosive materials, do something and no one was able to do anything,” said Father Dominique Hanna, the Director of Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Cathedral in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn.

On August 4, the explosion in the country’s capital killed at least 100 people and injured thousands more. Though they were miles from the blast, in the Beirut suburbs, Fr. Hanna’s sister and her two children had to run for their lives.

“My niece was saying mom ran and she took us into the corridor to take shelter but uncle you had to see it was a big mushroom shape and there was smoke and it was red and yellow and we were very scared,” said Fr. Hanna.

Father Hanna offered his morning Mass August 5 for the victims of the explosion and the people of Lebanon.

“Our hometown is almost 25 miles north of the city, 4,000 feet above sea level and glass shattered there, that’s how bad it was, it’s devastating,” said Joseph Elkallassy, a parishioner at Our Lady of Lebanon.

Devastated by the scenes of his country, Joseph took off from work, Wednesday, to attend mMass with his family. He says even those who didn’t experience loss of life are now losing hope.

“Between the coronavirus, plus there is a very bad economic situation there and it’s adding insult to injury,” Joseph said.

The timing of the blast is devastating: Lebanon is struggling to contain the COVID-19 outbreak and is the midst of an unprecedented economic crisis. Currently, 45 percent of the country lives below the poverty line. Tuesday’s blast has left more than 300,000 people homeless, creating a new financial burden for the country.

Bishop Gregory Mansour of the Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn says Lebanon will be reliant on the help of others.

“The only way that they can survive is for the wealthy to open their hearts, the wealthy in the country and the wealthy in the diaspora to once again assist the poor,” said Bishop Mansour.

But Bishop Mansour says he has no doubt this horrific event will bring out the best in the Lebanese people.

“They’re all helping their families and now they’ll be helping different institutions, that’s the beauty of Lebanon,” said Bishop Mansour.

A prayer service and collection for Lebanon and the victims of the Beirut explosion will be held on Tuesday, August 25 at 7 p.m. at Our Lady of Lebanon in Brooklyn Heights.

Currents News full broadcast for Wed, 8/5/20 (Catholic news)

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

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

With rubble everywhere, and a search for survivors, Beirut struggles to dig out after a massive explosion.

We have reaction tonight from Maronites in Brooklyn, keeping Lebanon in their prayers.

The east coast storm that brought the strongest winds since Superstorm Sandy has some New Yorkers still left in the dark.

             

Hundreds of Thousands Still Without Power After Deadly Tropical Storm Isaias Blows Through the Tri-State

By Emily Drooby

Tropical storm Isaias created chaos as it blew through the tri-state area, with winds so strong that it ripped branches from trees. On the Upper East Side, trees damaged cars and filled the streets. Down near Union Square, debris filled the sidewalks.

The powerful storm claimed the life of a 60-year-old man in Briarwood, Queens. He was killed when a tree fell on his van, crushing it with him inside.

The strong winds even caused a Brooklyn building to collapse.

Many trees fell outside churches in the Diocese of Brooklyn, although none of the parishes were damaged; including, St. Brigid’s in Bushwick, Queen of Peace Church in Kew Gardens, Queens and Saint Mary’s in Woodside, Queens.

Out in New Jersey, a roof was peeled right off an Ocean City home, while nearby a tornado touched down.

Almost 2.5 million people lost power in the tri-state. As of early Wednesday evening, over 700,000 people were still in the dark. The power utilities throughout the tri-state area are working overtime to repair the outages.

Pope Francis Prays for Victims of Devastating Explosion in Beirut

Currents News Staff and Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — After a massive fire triggered a deadly explosion in Beirut, Pope Francis called for prayers and a united effort to help Lebanon overcome “this serious crisis.”

“Let us pray for the victims and their family members, and let us pray for Lebanon so that with the effort of everyone in society — political and religious — it may face this tragic and painful moment and, with the help of the international community, overcome the serious crisis it is experiencing,” the pontiff said Aug. 5 at the end of his general audience.

The morning after a devastating explosion rocked the city’s port area Aug. 4, at least 100 people were reported dead, more than 4,000 others were injured, and more than 100 people were missing. Rescue workers continued to search for survivors under the rubble.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun said the blast was caused by thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse that had caught fire.

The shock waves from the explosion flattened nearby structures, shattered glass and shook buildings throughout the city in the tiny Mediterranean nation already devastated by the coronavirus and its worst financial crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.

A recent report by the U.N. World Food Program said almost 50% of Lebanese citizens – along with 63 percent of Palestinian refugees and 75 percent of Syrian refugees in the country – were worried they could find enough food.

Grammy-Nominated Musician Ayiesha Woods to Release New Faith-Inspired Song, ‘Family’

Currents News Staff

Grammy-nominated musician Ayiesha Woods is releasing a new song called Family as part of her new project “Full Circle,” to be released in September 2020.

“’Family’ is a theme song, a global theme song of celebration, and celebration of one of humankind’s greatest treasures, through it all — through the ups and downs, through the good times and the bad times alike,” she told Currents News.

Although the theme seems especially fitting during the coronavirus pandemic, as many families come out of an extended lockdown period, it was actually hurricane Irma, which hit the southeast United States in 2017, that first inspired the song.

“For that whole week almost, we were hunkered down and spending a whole lot of time together, as a family, and that’s actually when I wrote the song, ‘Family,’” she explained.

It wasn’t a solo project however. Ayiesha co-wrote the song with her husband, a real testament to the ideals it embodies.

“He’s big on family. I’m big on family,” she said. “We both come from very strong families, thank God for that, and family is the absolute greatest representation of God’s kingdom.”

Ayiesha says “Full Circle” is sure to challenge fans in their faith. She says they can expect to be inspired and encouraged. Most importantly, she says they can definitely expect to dance.

The album, with its refreshing beats and message of unity, camaraderie, faith and love, is what the artist calls “an authentic, unapologetic Ayiesha Woods experience.”

Currents News full broadcast for Tues, 8/4/20 (Catholic news)

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

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

The storm slamming the east coast has New York City seeing the worst winds since Superstorm Sandy.

The Big Apple’s top doctor is calling it quits after a fight with the mayor.

The world is watching Pope Benedict’s health closely. Tonight, there’s a promising update.