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Masses to Resume in Diocese of Brooklyn on June 29

By Paula Katinas and Currents News Staff

WINDSOR TERRACE – Three months after churches were closed because of COVID-19, Catholics in Brooklyn and Queens will once again be able to attend Mass.

The Diocese of Brooklyn announced on June 19 that churches will be open for daily Masses starting, Monday, June 29.

Sunday Masses can resume on the weekend of July 4-5.

“Catholics in Brooklyn and Queens have been longing for the celebration of Mass and to receive the Holy Eucharist. But our sacrifice and patience have borne fruit, and we did our part to flatten the curve of the terrible coronavirus pandemic. Soon we can come together to be nourished by the spiritual food we have been desperate for,” Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio said in a statement.

There will be plenty of safety precautions in place, however.

For one thing, churches will only be permitted to operate at 25 percent capacity. Social distancing will be strictly enforced.

Everyone who enters church must wear a face mask.

There should be no entrance procession for any Masses. The music ministry will be limited to the organist and a cantor who must practice social distancing. The cantor should not sing from the same place from which the lector reads. And there will be no choirs at Masses at this time.

There will be no missals, worship aids or other types of reading materials in the pews.

There will be no Handshake of Peace during the Mass. The diocese is strongly recommending that Catholics who attend mass receive Holy Communion in the hand, not the tongue. There will be no distribution of the Precious Blood.

Bishop DiMarzio ordered all churches in the diocese to close on March 20 in an effort to prevent the further spread of coronavirus.

In early May, he organized a committee tasked with developing a plan of action to reopen churches once the state’s stay-at-home order was lifted by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The bishop tapped Joseph Esposito, the former commissioner of the city’s Office of Emergency Management and the retired chief of department in the New York Police Departments, to chair the committee.

Bishop DiMarzio announced Phase One of the reopening plan late last month, allowing churches to reopen for private prayer.

The start of Masses signals Phase Two of the plan.

Esposito, whose committee included among its members law enforcement, medical personnel, and clergy, said he’s pleased to see the start of Phase Two. “We’ve been waiting a long time for this. It finally seems like it’s going to happen,” he said on June 19.

Esposito, who attends church at St. Athanasius Church, Bensonhurst, said parishioners around the diocese have expressed a strong desire to go back to church for Mass. “They’re dying to get back into church. They’re longing for that communion with their fellow parishioners,” he said.

Since each church is different, the diocese recommends that parishioners check with their individual parishes, parish websites and social media pages for Mass schedules and specific information.

The dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass remains in effect until further notice. Masses will continue to be broadcast live on the Diocesan cable channel, NET-TV, and streamed online. NET-TV is available in the New York City market on Spectrum, channel 97; Optimum, channel 30; and Fios by Verizon, channel 48.

Currents News full broadcast for Fri, 6/19/20 (Catholic news)

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

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

Masses are coming soon to the Diocese of Brooklyn. There’s a lot of information you need to know before receiving communion again.

On this Juneteenth marking the end of slavery we explore the role a historic site in Brooklyn played on the road to freedom.

Richard D’abreu performs with a special song for today. He’s releasing a new album about freedom and faith.

If You Have Antibodies, Can You Contract COVID-19 Multiple Times? We Ask the Doc

Currents News Staff

A study published in the journal “Nature Medicine” says the antibodies coronavirus survivors build up could fade away.

Does this mean you can contract COVID-19 multiple times, and does this mean there’s no point in getting the antibody test?

A team of European scientists found that people with Type A blood are 45 percent more likely to get the virus than those with other blood types. 

Could our blood type actually play a role in our risk of getting infected?

Researchers at the University of Oxford say the steroid dexamethasone, which is inexpensive and available, can save the lives of people seriously ill with COVID-19.

Meanwhile, doctors at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Ohio say they’re seeing a spike in coronavirus cases among children, which raises concern. 

To offer his insights and answer some of these questions is Dr. Robert Tiballi, an infectious disease expert with the Catholic Medical Association.

Send Currents News your questions about the coronavirus at [email protected]. And tune in on Fridays – the doctor could have an answer.

Gospel Jazz Artist’s Debut Album Is ‘Commemorating a Release’ on Juneteenth

Currents News Staff

A Brooklyn native whose love of music began in the Church waited for Juneteenth to release his debut album.

Between the pandemic and renewed racial unrest, 2020 has been a tough year for Richard D’Abreu Junior, a gospel jazz artist who attended the Concord Baptist Church of Christ. 

He lost most of his income by not being able to play music in church or with his band at weddings.

But the Church and God have guided his music, and now his album, “Jazz in the Spirit,” is dropping. He joins Currents News to share what he hopes others can get out of listening to his music.

The Road to Priesthood in the Brooklyn Diocese: Deacon Peter Okajima’s Story

By Jessica Easthope

Deacon Peter Okajima has had many titles throughout his life, but soon he’ll take on the one that makes him who he is.

“I’m trying to answer God’s call to be a priest, I want to be the best and holiest priest I can be,” said Deacon Peter, who will be ordained on Saturday, June 27.

For Deacon Peter, the priesthood signifies a new beginning and a call he’ll admit he resisted for a long time.

“I grew up without God in my life and at various times I was agnostic, and at various times I was an atheist,” he said.

The traumas Deacon Peter’s parents suffered played a role in his lack of faith: during World War II, his mother was put in an internment camp, and once Peter was born his parents settled in Queens. They were desperate for him to become as Americanized as possible.

“They were basically allowing me to choose my faith but of course being a kid, when I was free to choose, I chose nothing,” said Deacon Peter.

Due to the pandemic, Deacon Peter has been quarantined at home in New Jersey since graduating from a seminary that specializes in later-in-life vocations. He stands out from other deacons, some of his previous titles include husband and father.

“I got a job, got married, wonderful wife, two beautiful children, in a sense you could say I was living the American Dream, yet I had this sense of incompleteness,” he explained.

While he was still married, Deacon Peter was called back to God and he immersed himself in the Catholic faith.

“I came to realize that his call was a call to priesthood,” he said. “I laughed because of my age, but I also laughed because I was married,” he said.

Eventually, Deacon Peter and his wife had their marriage annulled. It was then when he surrendered to his vocation.

“Maybe God wants some of his priests to have life experiences similar to the people sitting in the pews,” he said.

Deacon Peter can relate to his future parishioners in a way most other priests can’t.

“I know what it’s like to work and to balance work and faith and kids and everything else,” he added.

Now, Deacon Peter is one of God’s lights in the world, and when he sees someone lost in the darkness, he can say, “I know the way.”

‘What We Deserve Does Not End or Begin With DACA,’ Says Dreamer

Currents News Staff

The Supreme Court announced that it is blocking President Trump’s attempt to end DACA – or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

That means – at least for now – that children who were brought to the United States illegally are safe from deportation. 

“I say I am from Santa Cruz,” Gabriela Cruz, who was actually born in Mexico, told Currents News. “I  am from Santa Cruz, California because this is where my home is, this is where I’ve lived for almost 30 years now, and all of my memories growing up are here.”

She was brought to the U.S. when she was one, and it wasn’t until eighth grade that she realized she was undocumented.

“I just remember feeling heart broken,” she said. “I think for a really long time I tried not to think about it and just push it aside but the older I got the more it became, I became more and more aware that I was different than my peers.”

And in the age of COVID-19, those differences are even greater for the undocumented community. 

Rates of infections are higher for hispanics than many other groups of people in America and undocumented immigrants don’t get unemployment benefits or stimulus checks. 

“People like myself, who have now become sole providers for a lot of our family are left without employment, income and also healthcare benefits,” Gabriela explained.

Her mom was laid off and the tables have turned, as Gabriela is now helping her.

She says she will continue to fight for her mother, her friends and colleagues.

“With or without DACA, our community is going to continue to fight for what is right and what we deserve, and what we deserve does not end or begin with DACA,” Gabriela added. 

Currents News full broadcast for Thurs, 6/18/20 (Catholic news)

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

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

A dream come true for the dreamers. The U.S. Supreme Court is letting thousands of childhood arrival stay in America – at least for now.

Parishioners in the Diocese of Brooklyn are being warned to be on alert for scammers. Fraudsters are trying to take advantage of Catholic charity.

The Big Apple is ready to take the next big step in getting back to work.  Mayor Bill de Blasio says it will happen on Monday.

The ex-cop who shot Rayshard Brooks begged him to keep breathing.

Benedict the Sixteenth is in Germany right now, the reason why he left the Vatican for the first time in seven years is an important one.

New Video Bodycam Footage Released in Police Shooting of Rayshard Brooks

Currents News Staff

“Mr. Brooks keep breathing. Keep breathing for me.”

That’s what fired Atlanta police officer, Garret Rolfe, was begging the man he just shot in the back to do – keep breathing.  The newly released bodycam footage shows Rolfe giving CPR to Rayshard Brooks.

When the officers tried to arrest Brooks, who was drunk and found sleeping in his car in a Wendy’s drive through, Brooks fought back. He grabbed an officer’s taser and pointed it at Rolfe who fired his gun.  

“At the time that the shot was fired, the utterance made by Officer Rolfe was “I got him,” said Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard.

The District Attorney charged the six-year veteran of the force with felony murder. And the DA released pictures he says shows Rolfe about to kick Brooks as he lay on the ground while his fellow officer, Devin Brosnan was standing on Brooks’ shoulders.

Brooks’ widow reacted, saying, “I felt everything that he felt just by hearing what he went through, and it hurt. It hurt really bad.”

Rolfe’s attorneys have responded to the charges in a statement saying: 

“Officer Rolfe’s actions were justified. When Mr. Brooks turned and pointed an object at Officer Rolfe, any officer would have reasonably believed that he intended to disarm, disable or seriously injure him.”

Officer Brosnan was charged with aggravated assault. His lawyer says he will cooperate in the investigation but added, “In my view, he doesn’t need a deal. He shouldn’t have been charged with a crime in the first place.”

And just hours after the charges were announced, a number of officers in the Atlanta police department called out sick. The mayor said the city would still be protected.

What You Need to Know About a Scam Targeting Catholics in Brooklyn and Queens

By Emily Drooby

“I need a favor from you, please text me back as soon as possible,” reads Father JosephJude Gannon.

It’s a text message sent to his parishioner. It was sent under his name, but it’s not from him — it’s from a scammer.

“Oh, it’s disgusting that they’re using my name and they’re using the Church’s good name to be able to do their nefarious deeds,” he told Currents News.

At least four of his parishioners have gotten this text.

The Shrine Church of St. Gerard Majella is just the latest target of a message scam where the scammer, or scammers, pose as a pastor and ask parishioners for money.

In May of 2019, a similar scam targeted other Catholics in the Diocese of Brooklyn. At one point they even posed as Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio.

Now, the scam is back. This time, the texts say the donations will help patients battling the coronavirus.

Denise Das’ family was on the receiving end.

“They really push you, they make you feel very, ‘Oh my God I need to do it right now.’ That’s very dangerous,” she added, “It keeps calling me all Sunday until I blocked. It keeps saying, “Oh I need it right now, did you get it? Why are you not sending to me?'”

Denise works for Fr. Gannon so she knows his cell phone number, which is how she was able to recognize the scam. However, she says she could see how someone could be victimized, especially with how aggressive the scammer was being.

Fr. Gannon says he would never text a parishioner for a donation.

“Absolutely not, that’s not the normal way we would do that, we would have a personal conversation with them,” he said.

The scammer also hit at least three parishioners at St. Helens Church in Howard Beach, Queens.

The church’s pastor, Father Francis Colamaria said, “I’m feeling dishearten by this, there are people who are trolling our information online and then taking advantage of our parishioners.”

Maria Scaramuzzino recently received a text. She was also targeted back in 2019. Luckily, she didn’t give them any money, but unfortunately some have.

“You are taking advantage of people who are faith based, who are going to help their priest and their church,” she explained.

The texts have also popped up at Holy Family Church in Fresh Meadows, Queens.

If you or somebody that you know receives one of these text messages, the best thing to do is to report it to the police and to your pastor.