20 (Currents News full broadcast)

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

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

A cherished cross — a symbol of a Catholic couple’s deep and committed love — has vanished. The family wants it back, no questions asked.

President Trump’s trip to Saint Pope John Paul II’s shrine is being criticized by a top archbishop.

Police are being targeted for attack as the country seethes with unrest.

A Brooklyn food pantry is being helped by a fraternity. The volunteers say it’s their own form of protest.

A doctor survived the coronavirus pandemic and gave his blood. He explains what that means for you.

After Cross Necklace Goes Missing From Catholic COVID-19 Victim, Family Asks for Its Return

By Emily Drooby

Jessica Petrosino is on a desperate hunt for her grandfather’s cross necklace. He was wearing it while battling COVID-19. Now, he’s gone and so is the cross.

“Somebody did this to my grandfather when he was in his weakest moments, because my grandfather would never have allowed somebody to take that cross off his neck,” said Jessica.

It was more than just a necklace. 70 years ago, Theresa and Steve Esposito were married, using two cross necklaces to symbolize their sacred bond instead of wedding bands.

Over the years the couple moved to Brooklyn, attended Most Precious Blood Catholic Church and raised their family. The crosses were always around their neck, a symbol of their love.

“They lived for each other,” Jessica said.

Ten years ago, tragedy struck the family, Theresa was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

Jessica said Steve’s love never wavered.

“My grandfather, up until the last time he saw her was devoted to taking care of her,” she recalled. “The past 10 years he cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner, for her, sat next to her on the couch holding hands.”

Eventually, as Theresa’s mind continued to deteriorate, he took her cross off, to keep it safe.

“He truly guarded her cross because of how much it meant to him, and them,” Jessica said.

Theresa passed away on May 8. Shortly before that, Steve’s battle with COVID-19 began.

When it started the cross was around his neck. The army veteran was in multiple locations throughout his battle. On May 3, he was brought to Brooklyn’s NYU Langone Hospital. On May 6, he was transferred to Bensonhurst Center for Rehabilitation & Healthcare. On May 11, he was brought back to NYU. On May 13, he was brought to Calvary Hospice Hospital where he passed away on May 20.

When the funeral home went to pick up Steve’s body, that’s when they realized the cross was gone. Jessica says it could have happened at any point. However, based on information provided by NYU, the family believes it happened on or before May 11.

They’ve reached out to the police, the hospital, the rehab center, and even the EMT’s for help, but so far, the cross is still nowhere to be found.

Jessica says she will keep fighting until this symbol of love is home because it’s what her grandfather would want.

“He taught us to be strong and to stand up for our family no matter the situation, and we just have to honor him by doing that,” Jessica said.

“We are aware of the patient’s missing pendant and are actively investigating this matter. We are in contact with family and continue to keep them updated on the progress of the inquiry,” an NYU Langone spokesperson told Currents New.

The Bensonhurst Center for Rehabilitation & Healthcare has not returned multiple requests for comment.

Jessica says if someone did take the cross, they can return it anomalously to any police station with her name, Jessica Petrosino. She adds they won’t press charges, they just want the cross back.

Father John Maduri, the pastor of Most Precious Blood Parish, is also calling for the cross necklace to be returned.

“It belonged to their parents, it’s part of their family history, that cross,” he explained. “So, I hope that whoever stole that, or perhaps took it inadvertently if they hear this, if they’re aware of it, just please return it to the family.”

Doctor Who Donated Plasma After Beating COVID Shares Insights on Treatment Studies

Currents News Staff

As researchers try to develop a coronavirus vaccine studies are being conducted on treatments.

At Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, they’re looking at a possible treatment manufactured by patients who have recovered from the disease: plasma.

Dr. Benjamin Planer is a neonatologist at the hospital, but he’s also one of those recovered patients. He tested positive for the virus early on, and since has fully recovered.

He was Hackensack University Medical Center’s very first COVID-related plasma donor. He joins Currents News to share his experience as a donor and share his insights on the study of plasma as a potential treatment.

Violence Against Police Seen Across the Country Amid Protests

Currents News Staff

An NYPD officer attacked by several men and a sergeant seriously injured after being hit by a car, where a disturbing video shows him being mowed down while responding to reports of looting, both happened in the Bronx, New York.

But attacks against police are happening nationwide after the death of George Floyd in police custody.

In Buffalo, New York, an SUV drove right into police, who were lined up in front of their headquarters after a day of peaceful protests turned violent.

And in St. Louis, police say some 200 people started looting, hurling fireworks and pouring gas on officers. Then someone started shooting, and at least four officers were shot.

“The incredible levels of violence that we saw last night are remarkable and should be unsettling to everyone that calls this place home,” Sargent Ben Granda of the St. Louis Police Department.

A police officer was also shot in Las Vegas and taken to the hospital in grave condition.

“Our officers were taking rocks and bottles from the crowd,” Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo. “Officers were attempting to get some of the protesters in custody when a shot rang out and our officer went down.”

Protests continue to rage through cities across the country as looters took over after hours.

A video the NYPD has released shows a cell phone store in Manhattan being burglarized. When police tried to block the suspects as they left the store, an officer was struck by the getaway car.

Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke out about the violence against police.

“A police officer was hit by a car yesterday. It appears to be quite purposeful,” he said. “That’s unacceptable. Police officers shot at, unacceptable. That does not move us forward. Anyone who does that is a criminal, not a protester. An attack on a police officer is an attack on all of us.”

Meanwhile, in Fort Worth, Texas, Police Chief Ed Kraus and his assistant chief walked into a crowd of protesters who were out past the city’s curfew. But instead of arresting them, they knelt down and prayed with them.

“I hope that they the people hear, see our hearts,” Kraus said. “We certainly saw their hearts and that they were hurting.

Omega Psi Phi Brothers Serve Food Pantry as Their Form of Protest in Wake of George Floyd’s Death

By Jessica Easthope

Since the pandemic began the Holy Innocents Food Pantry in East Flatbush, Brooklyn has fed more than 34,000 people, but the coronavirus posed unexpected challenges for its volunteers, like a shortage of PPE.

“One place actually told me you’re not an essential service so we can’t give it to you,” said Joseph Grannum, the Executive Director of the pantry.

Joseph said that before the pandemic most of his volunteers were over 65. When he couldn’t get his hands on masks for them, he was forced to make a heartbreaking call: he shut down the pantry for the month of April.

“It did pain me, but I always believe God has a plan for everything,” he explained.

Little did he know, God did have a plan that would change the pantry’s entire operation, it started with a call from Clyde Cole.

“When it comes to the fraternity and how we do things, service is a very important part of that,” said Cole, who serves as the Social Action Chairman for the Epsilon Chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.

Clyde said the need was eye-opening. Though new COVID-19 cases and deaths are going down, many who were left unemployed by the virus may never return to work.

“People are in a position where they have to think about where their next meal is coming from because of joblessness,” he added.

The fraternity brothers volunteer at the pantry twice a week. They help sanitize, unload deliveries, pack bags and sort through food. They said as outrage over George Floyd’s death is expressed across the country, for them, this is their protest.

“Getting yourself out of your bed every morning to make sure these people have food to eat, and they see a smiling face and someone that resembles them doing work in their community is really how we protest and show our community we care,” said Omega Psi Phi brother Deion Hicks.

The brothers say they won’t let their frustration over Floyd’s death distract from their work in the community.

“We have elected to respond to this issue, our entire, our fraternal lives as well by doing service,” said Clyde.

Through helping their neighbors, the brothers of Omega Psi Phi believe their calls for justice will always be heard.

Catholic Headlines for Monday, 6/01/20 (Currents News full broadcast)

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

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

More protests and more violence from coast to coast. American leaders are struggling to quell the fury and chaos. In the Diocese of Brooklyn, pastors are answering the call to help restore calm.

Desecrated on Fifth Avenue, St. Patrick’s Cathedral is marked with graffiti. Cops are searching for the vandals.

Massive looting in Chicago has left a Catholic bookshop destroyed. Nuns there feared for their safety. One of the sisters is speaking out to Currents News.

The Sacrament of Confession in the Covid-19 pandemic. How a Brooklyn Church is getting it done.

Daughters of Saint Paul Bookstore Faces Economic Impact of Protests and Pandemic

Currents News Staff

Many small businesses are being targeted by looters, many of which have already taken a hit during the pandemic. The protests and pandemic are taking an economic toll across the country.

One of the Chicago businesses that was hit by looters during city protests on May 30 is Pauline Books and Media, the bookstore run by the Daughters of Saint Paul. Sister Tracey Dugas is one of them, and was there when the shop was broken into. It was scheduled to reopen on June 5.

While she and the other sisters are alright, she joins Currents News to describe what happened on Saturday night, and what they saw.

Brooklyn Diocese Pastors Call for Unity Amidst Protests Following Death of George Floyd

By Jessica Easthope

There weren’t any protesters at Barclays Center the afternoon of June 1, but it has been a central place in Brooklyn for thousands of demonstrators. Unfortunately, some protests have turned violent and stores in the Prospect Heights neighborhood have been looted.

Pastors in the Brooklyn Diocese think they know a way peace and unity can be achieved, they’ve been here before.

“Are you angry?” asked Currents News.

“Very, it’s a horrible feeling,” said Father Alonzo Cox, the Pastor of St Martin de Porres Parish in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

Fr. Cox, who serves as the leader of the Ministry to African American Catholics in the Diocese of Brooklyn, has frustrations of his own.

He doesn’t condone property damage, but believes the destruction that has taken place in cities across the country is a reflection of the deep frustration felt by the black community he serves.

“We can’t make a comparison between the loss of a building and the loss of a life,” said Fr. Cox.

These clashes bring back memories of Civil Rights demonstrations in the 1960s, before Father Cox’s time, but something Monsignor David Cassato remembers well.

“I remember those days very clearly,” Msgr. Cassato explained. “This brings back those memories of the 60s in my mind, and I can say we need to work to create peace among all people,” the Deputy Chief Chaplain for the NYPD added.

He says right now, police across the city are serving and protecting while fearing for their lives.

“I don’t think there’s any problem with a peaceful protest, my issue is with people that incite violence,” said Msgr. Cassato.

Both Msgr. Cassato and Fr. Cox are on a mission themselves. They’ve been reaching out to the parishioners and officers they serve with a message of peace and encouragement.

Both pastors say the Church can and historically has played a role in deescalating social conflicts.

“I think of Dr. King,” said Fr. Cox. “When can we all live in harmony and peace?”

Nashville Residents Join in Rebuilding, Prayer After Vandals Damage City During Protests

Currents News Staff

Nashville, Tennessee, residents are pitching in to clean up after vandals left their mark.

Volunteers aren’t only showing love for their city, but also for their police officers.

With nail polish remover and rubber gloves, Andrea Richardson hit the streets cleaning up graffiti and handing out water, wanting to send a message that the damage isn’t what she stands for.

“Simply just wanted to show that that’s not okay,” she explained. “We don’t support that. You can’t treat Nashville this way.”

She wasn’t alone. Gianna Grondona, who has lived in the city for about two years, said she loves Nashville, too.

“I love living here and the last thing I want is to see graffiti on places. That I think are some of my favorites.” she said.

She showed that love by also stopping to pray over police officers she met.

Some were almost moved to tears, and others gave handshakes and hugs.

“There’s transformation coming to our city and that’s going to start with us coming together as a family and as a unit,” said Andrea, “and that’s what we’re about. That’s what the protest is about.”

Andrea said May 30’s peaceful protest was a great show of solidarity, but wants there to be a lasting message.

“I want people to know that people who tried to hijack the protest from yesterday, you don’t get a chance to do that because this, our city, is going to defend itself,” she said, “and say, ‘This is our home, this is our city, this is our place.’

Brooklyn and Queens Catholic Youth Day Goes Virtual

By Jessica Easthope

Every year, Brooklyn and Queens Catholic Youth Day is when young people from across the Diocese celebrate their faith together.

This year because of the coronavirus, the event went virtual and young women and men embraced their new sense of community online.

“I want to welcome y’all to our very first virtual Brooklyn Queens Catholic Youth Day,” said Brandon Morel, who enthusiastically opened the event as the emcee.

Youth Day was streamed live Saturday, May 30 on the diocese’s evangelization YouTube channel, and countless parishes tuned in. Hundreds of participants shared their thoughts in the comments section, a common way young people communicate with each other during the pandemic.

“Although things are a little different this year, our faith, our enthusiasm, our joy and our love for Jesus remains,” said Father James Kuroly.

The virtual Youth Day had all the staples of celebrations in years past. There was music, prayer, a presentation of cultural foods from around the Diocese and the latest social media trend, TikTok.

Before the virus shook the diocese, the keynote speaker at this year’s Youth Day was supposed to be Father Jorge Ortiz-Garay. Fr. Jorge passed away of COVID-19 in March.

“There was a particular priest who we want to dedicate this whole thing to. Brooklyn Queens Catholic Youth Day was scheduled to be a live event, and he opened his doors to us and we know what’s been going on,” said Brandon

Father Henry Torres, the Parochial Vicar of St. Sebastian’s Parish in Woodside, Queens gave the keynote address instead. He told the young men and women that God entered their hearts at baptism, and called that a privilege they should cherish throughout their lives.

“That is the greatest gift you and I have ever received was our baptism, it is through that gift that I am honored and blessed to call God father,” said Fr. Henry.

From the comments on the live stream, the very first virtual Youth Day was a success.