Relic Swiped as Queens Man Prays in East Harlem

By Tim Harfmann and Andrew Pugliese

MANHATTAN — An unidentified male stole a bag outside Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on East 116th Street in Manhattan on Oct. 13. Inside was a second-class relic, a piece of stone from the Shrine of St. Michael on Mount Gargano in Italy.

Teddy Thongratnachat, 27, a parishioner at St. Sebastian, Woodside, was at the East Harlem parish for the weekly Sunday 10:30 a.m. Latin Mass, which he has attended since 2014.

After Mass, he was praying the rosary with a group of faithful outside the church, as they have done once a month for the last two years. He was intending to return the relic, which was in a $175 bronze reliquary, to his friend who had let him borrow it a few weeks earlier for a celebration of the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel on Sept. 29.

The most recent prayer gathering in East Harlem was in honor of the anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady in Fatima in 1917. The participants held a banner to invite those passing by to join them. They also had a statue of Our Lady of Fatima. When Thongratnachat went into the church to return the statue and banner, he realized his bag was missing.

“I thought maybe I left it in the basement or sacristy,” he said. “I checked those areas, but the worst reality was true that someone took my bag because I wasn’t paying attention.”

Thongratnachat said the bag also contained documents and other valuables, including another relic, a rosary which had touched the tomb of St. Therese of Lisieux in France.

He thanks cops, whose patron saint is St. Michael, for their work on the case. While he is shocked, sad and angry, he has learned a lesson. Now, he hopes the man returns the bag to Our Lady of Mount Carmel or to the local precinct and asks for prayers.

“Please pray for the person who took my bad that they may return it,” he said. “Thank you for all of your prayers and words.”

Misconceptions on Catholic Faith in Television and Media

Currents News Staff

Joining Currents News in time for Halloween is the technical advisor on the Catholic faith for the CBS television show ‘Evil,’ Msgr. Donald Sakano.

He also the retired pastor of the Basilica of Saint Patrick’s Old Cathedral in Manhattan, and a trained expert in the field of exorcism.

He shares what it’s like to be a Catholic technical advisor on a tv show, what misconceptions arise in media when it comes to the faith, and the current state of mass entertainment from a Catholic perspective.

St. Joseph The Worker Catholic Academy Hosts Annual Halloween Walk-a-thon

Currents News Staff

Despite a rainy Thursday morning, St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy pressed on with its annual Halloween Walk-a-thon and fundraiser.

Students dressed up in their Halloween best and showed off their costumes to parents, grandparents, teachers and neighbors as a way to raise money for the school and recognize the Catholic tradition surrounding All Souls Day.

Ghouls, goblins, a hot dog and even a dinosaur gathered together indoors, walking to music and excited for the classroom Halloween parties to follow.

Currents News for Wednesday, October 30, 2019

On the newscast: A giant gathering of Catholic kids are rallying for the rosary. More than a thousand young people are praying for Blessed Virgin Mary’s help; An exclusive story about the most famous bat boy in baseball history. It’s something you’ll only find in the Tablet; Election day is around the corner and Currents News talks to a priest and a rabbi talk about faith at the polls; There’s no stopping Jimmy Carter. What he’s planning to do next after his latest fall.

Watch weeknights at 7:00 pm EST on NET-TV in the New York City area on Spectrum, Optimum, and Fios. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive notifications about new content.

Voting Concerns for People of Faith in the 2020 Elections

Currents News Staff

Currents News is asking two religious leaders about voting and whether ballots should be linked to faith.

Joining us are Monsignor Guy Massie, pastor of Brooklyn’s Sacred Hearts and Saint Stephen Church and vicar of Ecumenical & Interreligious Affairs for the Brooklyn Diocese, and his friend Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, the president of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership.

The two discuss what Catholic and Jewish voters should pay most attention to when making their election choices, and what religious voting blocks people of faith may face looking ahead to next November’s presidential election.

Catholic Students Unite in Devotion at Rosary Rally

By Tim Harfmann

On October 30, over 1,000 children from 12 Catholic academies across Brooklyn and Queens arrived by the busload at the Co-Cathedral of Saint Joseph to pray the rosary as one and ask for the Blessed Virgin Mary’s help.

With the sacred beads held in their hands, the students prayed for personal intentions, but they also had big issues as the objects of their prayer: especially the sanctity of life.

“Being in Catholic school, I always thought that praying was really important and it’s one of the ways you worship God. I think using an instrument like the rosary is really important,” said Alexandra Sciacca, an eighth grader at Notre Dame Catholic Academy.

“We are here for a reason: to love God. And we are here to honor and to respect our lives given. And to give away such an amazing life is, like, a big sin,” added fellow Notre Dame eight grader Maya Wierciszewski.

Filip Drazic, an eight grader at Saint Bernadette Catholic Academy, prayed for the less fortunate.

“I think about helping all the poor and my family for everything that they have, that I have; and what everyone needs in this world: food, water, hunger,” he said.

The Catholic Church dedicates the month of October to praying the rosary.

Brooklyn Auxiliary Bishop James Massa led the rosary rally, praying for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

“Children have an intuitive sense that Mary is the mother of all Christians, the mother of the Church. And when we unite ourselves in the devotion of the holy rosary, we are connected with the whole Church,” said Bishop Massa.

In this way, students from the Diocese of Brooklyn can be connected to the whole Church.

Pro-Life Laws Struck Down at State Levels Could Reach Supreme Court

By Emily Drooby

The fight for life is heating up across the U.S. as pro-life laws in several states have run into roadblocks in lower courts that could propell them to the Supreme Court.

The latest state facing the roadblock is Alabama, where a federal judge blocked a law that would end nearly all abortions in the state.

Christian Rada, the director of Respect Life Education for the Brooklyn Diocese, said that the judge’s action is actually encouraging to many pro-life advocates.

“I feel encouraged i feel like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.

“My counterparts in Alabama have been saying that they’re encouraged by this block. They look at is as this is a way for not just the Alabama community to address the abortion issue, but more of the nation to address it,” he explained.

The decision to halt Alabama’s pro-life law could wind up before the Supreme Court, which some of the state’s politicians have made clear is the ultimate goal.

It’s also believed to be the goal of other state lawmakers in places like Georgia, Ohio and Kentucky. They’ve all passed pro-life laws against abortion that have been overturned. As appeals move forward, they hope the cases will get to the Justices on the high court. With a new conservative majority on the bench, Roe v. Wade might be reversed.

Kathleen Gallagher of the New York State Catholic Conference said that what the states are doing have helped to educate the country on the horrors of abortion, and that the fight to protect life is crucial. But, she worries that going to the Supreme Court could backfire.

“It’s risky and dangerous, because it could actually move us away from toppling row where they could further embed it into our abortion juris prudence in this country,” she explained, and that no one knows how the Justices will vote on abortion matters.

As the fight for life continues, advocates like Alice Lemos — a board member for the Queens crisis pregnancy center The Bridge To Life — remind others why the fight is important:

“Babies are the most defenseless members of our community, and if we can’t defend babies than who can we defend?”

Pope Francis Mourns Deaths from Protests in Iraq, Asks They Be Heard

Currents News Staff

Pope Francis rode around St. Peter’s Square on the Popemobile to see as many pilgrims as possible.

Before concluding the General Audience, he asked for calmness in Iraq to help resolve their problems.

Since the beginning of October, 250 people have been killed during protests against government corruption. The protesters also ask for potable water, health care and access to education.

“As I express my condolences for the victims and closeness to their families and wounded, I urge authorities to listen to the cry of the population that asks for a dignified and peaceful life. I urge all Iraqis, with the support of the international community, to pursue the path of dialogue and reconciliation and to seek the right solutions to challenges and problems of their country,” said Francis.

In his weekly catechesis, the Pope recalled that the book of the Acts of the Apostles tells the arrival of Christianity in Philippi, the first city in Europe.

The first convert was a woman named Lydia. Then, it was the jailer who watched over Paul and Silas. Both opened their homes to the apostles.

“Let us ask the Holy Spirit to open our hearts to God and welcoming to others, with a bold faith capable of breaking the chains that oppress us and others,” added the Holy Father.

While the Pope was talking, it began raining, prompting him to shorten his speech and finish early. Minutes later, the sun came back out. The storm did not ruin the party.

Officials Issue Evacuation Orders and Warnings as California Fires Continue

Currents News Staff

As California officials work to fight the wildfires burning in the state, more than 26 million are people under red flag warnings, from California to Arizona.

The Kincade and Getty fires in northern and southern California are both unpredictable, both terrifying and both forcing people to flee. They’re leaving once populated neighborhoods free from signs of life.

What’s still to come? Wind gusts up to 65 miles per hour in the north, and as high as 80 miles per hour in the south.

“Those can pick up and transfer the fire miles away sometimes,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

“The danger has not passed yet and we continue to monitor the situation,” said Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick.

Windy, dry conditions are fueling the flames, but threatening lives in a much different ways.

Up north in wine country, the Kincade fire’s flames have firefighters feeling surrounded.

Down south, highly-populated Los Angeles county has already seen homes turned to ashes.

Evacuation orders are continuing, with officials across the state sending out even stronger warnings.

“Be prepared to go at a moment’s notice,” warned Essick.

Currents News for Tuesday, October 29, 2019

On the newscast: History is made at the Vatican. Pope Francis bringing together leaders of great religions to protect life from deliberate death; The strictest Pro-Life law in the United States is being blocked tonight by a federal judge in Alabama. The case could go to the Supreme Court; An update one year after the worst massacre of Jewish people in U.S. history; And important information to know about breast cancer.

Watch weeknights at 7:00 pm EST on NET-TV in the New York City area on Spectrum, Optimum, and Fios. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive notifications about new content.