Parish Central: New Evangelization in the Brooklyn Diocese

Currents News Staff

A first-of-its kind project is happening right now in the Brooklyn Diocese as part of a new way for local parishes to highlight how they’re evangelizing the Catholic faith.

As part of the new initiative, on October 6 around 1,300 people went to St. Brigid’s Catholic Church in Bushwick, Brooklyn for a picture day.

Photos and videos were taken of the parish, families, ministries and the St. Brigid school to be featured on the new platform being launched by NET-TV’s parent company, DeSales Media Group.

If you would like more information about the new evangelization platform, you can send an email to [email protected], and type “Parish Central” in the subject line.

Syria Under Attack: Christianity Could Disappear

By Dale Gavlak

AMMAN, Jordan — (Catholic News Service) Turkish warplanes have begun attacking northeastern Syria, causing widespread panic among Christian and other religious communities caught up in the aerial bombardments.

“Christians and others are extremely worried,” Syriac Christian political leader Bassam Ishak told Catholic News Service by phone Oct. 9. “The Turkish bombing seems designed to push people out of their towns, if, in fact, they manage to escape alive.”

Ishak heads the Syriac National Council. A graduate of The Catholic University of America in Washington, he is also a member of the political bureau of the Syrian Democratic Council.

Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces reported civilian casualties but provided no specific numbers.

Ishak has warned for months about a possible Turkish military incursion to settle scores with its perceived enemy, the Kurds, who were staunch allies of the United States and largely responsible for successfully battling Islamic State militants in Syria.

Despite very strong bipartisan U.S. Congressional disapproval of President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to pull back U.S. troops from northeastern Syria, the president did not back down. He said it was too costly to keep supporting Kurdish-led forces in the region fighting Islamic State militants.

Trump made the decision during a phone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan during which Trump was meant to pressure Erdogan over a purchase of Russian warplanes.

Instead, Erdogan got a pledge from Trump to pull back U.S. troops who had worked alongside the Kurds and Syriac Christians fighting Islamic State. This decision also went against the advice of officials at the Pentagon and State Department. Turkey took it as a green light to proceed with its incursion.

An Islamist newspaper, Yeni Akit, which supports Erdogan’s ruling party, posted a warning ahead of the invasion, “Go and tell the unbelievers that the army of (Islam’s Prophet) Muhammad is back,” essentially declaring religious war by Turkey. Erdogan permitted foreign jihadists to cross into Syria at the start of the war in 2011. He also employed al-Qaida and Islamic State militants along with his troops in the 2018 takeover of Afrin, where 300,000 Christians, Yazidis and Kurds were displaced.

Observers say Trump may have unwittingly helped Turkey to unleash Islamist fighters against Kurds, Christians and Yazidis. On Sept. 23, he vowed to protect freedom of religion and belief as well as vulnerable religious groups. But the Turkish invasion is likely to destroy the freedom of religion practiced in northeast Syria, the only area in the Arab world permitting people to choose their faith, according to Christian leaders in northeastern Syria.

“The decision by President Trump took the Christian community of northeast Syria by surprise. It is viewed negatively, and it revives fears of the Turkish massacres of (Armenians and other Christians) of 1915,” said Ishak. Ancestors of the present-day Christians in northeastern Syria fled those massacres.

“There is no trust of Turkey, especially after what Syria and its allied forces did in Afrin in 2018, where they forced religious minorities – Yazidis and Christians – out (of villages and homes) and those who stayed on were persecuted and forced to convert to Islam,” he said.

“The Turkish invasion is expected to be very harsh, not only on the traditional Christian community, but also on the Kurds who have converted in recent years to Christianity and were allowed to openly practice their faith by the self-administration (composed of Kurds and Syriac Christians). These people would be in the most danger because, according to Islamic law, they are to be killed,” Ishak said.

Father Emanuel Youkhana, a priest, or archimandrite, of the Assyrian Church of the East, told CNS by phone from northern Iraq he was expecting a wave of refugees.

“Definitely, many people will try to flee to Iraq, and the borders are expected to be open from the Iraqi side to innocent civilians,” he said.

Father Youkhana runs Christian Aid Program Northern Iraq, a Christian program for displaced Iraqis around the city of Dohuk.

“It’s crazy, this northeast area was the most peaceful, the most stable of all of Syria,” Father Youkhana said. “Now Turkey has come to destabilize all of that, this is clear.”

“Erdogan says he is creating a ‘safe haven’ in northeast Syria to bring Syrian refugees back. Actually, it is a demographic change policy by forcing Kurds, Christians, and Yazidis out and putting Sunni Muslims in their place,” Father Youkhana said.

Currents News for Wednesday, October 9, 2019

On the newscast: New dangers facing Syrian Christians tonight… A war with Turkey is threatening their very existence; And a new salvo in the battle over impeachment. Joe Biden weighing-in for the first time; The growing support for Mother Cabrini and the man playing a big role in the campaign – Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio; Prosecutors are trying to stop Cardinal George Pell’s appeal of a sex abuse conviction from ever being heard.

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.

Bishop, Amazon Synod Council Members Advocate for Married Priests

By Melissa Butz

Bishop Erwin Krautler has been a missionary in Brazil for the past 55 years and is one of the main advocates for married priests participating in the Amazon Synod.

On the third day three of the Synod, criticism arrived, with Pope Francis firing back at those attacking. The Synod has been meeting behind closed doors since the morning of October 7.

The Holy Father used the stage in St. Peter’s Square during his weekly General Audience to call out those still condemning the Amazon meeting.

“To attack a member of the Church is to attack Christ! Even those who are ideological, who do it
for the purity of the Church, attack Christ,” Pope Francis said.

A majority of these attacks have been against the idea of “viri probati,” which means ordaining married men as priests, ideally elders with proven virtue. The theme was also spoken about on Wednesday’s press briefing.

“When speaking about the proposal of viri probati, this doesn’t mean changing the law on ecclesial celibacy,” said Paolo Ruffini, Prefect for the Dicastery for Communication. “This law, like all human laws, could have exceptions in concrete cases. It was also said the lack of priests in the Amazon is not linked to celibacy. They said even ordaining a married man priest may not resolve problems,” he said.

Yet, Austrian Bishop Erwin Krautler presented a different experience from his life in Brazil for the past 55 years.

“I will tell you will total sincerity –there is no other option. The indigenous people do not understand celibacy,” said Bishop Krautler, former prelate of Xingu, Brazil.

He said that upon arriving in an indigenous village, he would be asked about his wife and feel bad he didn’t have one.
Bishop Krautler also explained the essential role of women, saying they lead many indigenous priestless communities.

“So, the woman, what are we going to tell her? ‘Yes, you’re a person, yes you’re very good,'” he asked. “But then we need concrete solutions, and I’m thinking about women’s deaconate. Why not?”

Bishop Krautler explained how the main reason he and others are pushing for these ordinations is because they want access to the sacraments, most especially the Eucharist.

The bishop said some of the people in the Amazon region are even becoming Pentecostal, or other religions where the Eucharist is not so important, since many are able to receive it only a couple times a year.

Judge Defends Giving Amber Guyger Hug, Bible

Currents News Staff

Texas judge Tammy Kemp hugged a former police officer convicted of murder.

It happened just before Amber Guyger was sent to prison for murdering an unarmed man in his own apartment.

There were several key moments throughout Guyger’s trial for the death of Botham Jean, but that moment when the two embraced is what has people talking.

Kemp is now speaking about the controversial moment, and why she did it.

Currents News for Tuesday, October 8, 2019

On the newscast: New demands tonight about Mother Cabrini with top political leaders calling on City Hall to reverse itself and build her a statue; A Bronx teenager is the first vaping death in New York. Governor Cuomo is calling for federal action in the public health crisis; A ray of hope in war-torn Syria… an icon of Our Lady traveling to every diocese; And Jimmy Carter isn’t letting stitches to his face stop him now.

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.

Local Leaders Respond to Mother Cabrini Controversy

CARROLL GARDENS — The outrage over the snubbing of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini by New York City first lady Chirlane McCray’s She Built NYC commission culminated in a march and Mass on Oct. 6 that was led by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and Msgr. David Cassato, director of the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Italian Apostolate, to support a public statue of Mother Cabrini.

More than 1,000, including many Italian-Americans, joined the march in Carroll Gardens that was followed by a Mass at Sacred Hearts – St. Stephen Church. Bishop DiMarzio celebrated the Mass.

The march showed support for Mother Cabrini after she wasn’t selected as one of first seven women to have a statue built in their honor by the She Built NYC project, an initiative that aims to increase the number of statues of women in New York City.

Mother Cabrini received the most nominations of any of the 320 women nominated, and yet she was passed over.

Jane Meyer, a spokeswoman for Mayor Bill de Blasio, said She Built NYC didn’t rely just on the number of public nominations. Instead, it took a “holistic” approach, she said, taking into consideration the advice of a 19-person committee that represented a diverse group of people with a broad range of expertise and backgrounds.

“There wasn’t one particular lever that was pulled more than another,” Meyer said.

“Maybe it wasn’t clear along the way that it wasn’t the most vote gets it.”

Bishop DiMarzio said Mother Cabrini wouldn’t have asked for a statue herself, but noted a statue would honor the memory of immigrants and remind us of our reponsibility to each other.

For Msgr. Cassato, the cause of Mother Cabrini’s statue is personal. One night in 1953, David Cassato, then 5 years old, was headed home from his grandparents’ house. He asked his father about a photo he had seen. That night, he first heard about Mother Cabrini, who had helped Msgr. Cassato’s grandparents when they came to America.

“This is a very emotional day for me because of that picture in my grandmother’s kitchen,” Msgr. Cassato said at the march. “I’ll never forget it.”

Similarly, Jennifer Deluna grew up hearing about Mother Cabrini. She brought her daughter to the march, so she would understand the importance of Mother Cabrini and the importance of service to others.

“(Mother Cabrini) committed her whole life to helping others, especially Italian-Americans, and that’s something we need to remember and memorialize in a structure,” Deluna said.

Fourteen sisters from Mother Cabrini’s order, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, were also in attendance. Sister Maria Loretta Caeti, M.S.C. held a relic of Mother Cabrini throughout the procession. She said she felt Mother Carbini’s presence very clearly.

“I am so proud to be a daughter of Mother Cabrini,” Sister Caeti said. “I really am, especially of the way Mother Cabrini is honored today.”

John Heyer, pastoral associate at Sacred Hearts – St. Stephen, organized the event. He said many have told the She Built NYC panel to include Mother Cabrini.

According to organizers, the march and Mass drew the biggest crowd ever for an Italian Apostotlate celebration.

Meanwhile, after the Mass, Msgr. Cassato announced that the Catholic Foundation for Brooklyn and Queens has started the Mother Cabrini Statue Fund. He said that has already raised $8,000 from four donors.

Heyer said the turnout for the march and Mass was a testimony to Mother Cabrini’s work in New York City, noting that her service occurred more than 100 years ago and yet people are rallying for her today.

In September, Philip Foglia from the Italian American Legal Defense & Higher Education Fund wrote to First Lady McCray about the organization’s frustration with She Built NYC’s decision. He called it an “insult” to Italian Americans.

“Our organization is dismayed by the decision by ‘She Built NYC’ to preempt their own selection process and ignore Mother Cabrini, the clear choice of the public and most deserving person for such an honor,” his letter said.

First Lady McCray responded saying in part, “With seven monuments planned so far, I am proud of the progress we are making; however, it will take many more years to correct centuries of neglect and the glaring gender and ethnic imbalance in our public space…”

Politicians have spoken out since the march to support Mother Cabrini. Like Foglia, they also called for an explanation for snubbing the saint, and ask decision makers to reconsider.

Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-Brooklyn/Staten Island) wrote to the first lady on Oct. 7.

“This decision is truly an affront to Catholics, Italian-Americans and to the voice of the people,” her letter said.

“The people of New York City, who voted to honor Mother Cabrini, deserve an explanation for this arbitrary decision that defies the entirety of the nominating process.”

Republican Congressman Peter King from Long Island took to Facebook that same day.

“The decision by the First Lady of New York City to disallow a statue of St. Mother Cabrini to be erected honoring her as an outstanding New York Woman is absolutely indefensible,” his post said. “Even in this time of heightened sensitivity and so much concern about hurt feelings and injured pride it still appears to be open season on Italian-Americans.”

He went on to say,” “Mother Cabrini deserves to be honored by the City for which she did so much not discarded to satisfy some fashionable demographic. Good people like Mother Cabrini should not be excluded to honor others.”

Ambassador to E.U. Blocked from Testifying in Impeachment Inquiry

Currents News Staff

The U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, was supposed to testify behind closed doors on Capitol Hill on October 8.

“The failure to produce this witness, the failure to produce these documents, we consider yet additional strong evidence of obstruction of the constitutional functions of Congress,” said Demcratic Rep Adam Schiff of the House Intelligence Committee.

House Democrats are furious that Sondland was blocked from testifying.

But shortly before he was scheduled to appear, the State Department directed him not to testify, drawing swift rebuke from Democrats and likely escalating the impeachment inquiry.

“They have done everything they possibly can to obstruct the Congress’ constitutional right to oversight,” said Democratic Representative Mike Quigley.

This move is part of the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry into President Trump, and follows a whistleblower’s complaint about a call Trump had with the Ukrainian president in July.

Sondland was expected to testify about conversations he had that discussed whether President Trump withheld aid from the Ukraine, while pushing the Ukraine for an investigation into Joe and Hunter Biden.

For their part, Republicans said they too had been looking forward to hearing from Sondland, but stood by the White House decision to block the testimony, saying the impeachment inquiry process hasn’t been fair.

“We wish he would have been able to testify too, but we fully understand why the administration made the decision they did,” said Republican Ohio Representative Jim Jordan.

A new poll shows that public opinion may be shifting. For the first time, a majority of Americans are supporting the impeachment inquiry process, with 58 percent agreeing that Congress was right to open the impeachment inquiry, and 38 percent opposed.

In light of today’s developments in Washington, the chairs of the house intelligence, foreign affairs, and oversight committees — said they will be issuing a subpoena to Ambassador Sondland for”both his testimony and documents.”

Vatican’s Choice of Bishop DiMarzio in Buffalo a ‘Sign of Trust’: Archbishop Pierre

By Jorge I. Dominguez-Lopez

CARROLL GARDENS — Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the papal nuncio to the United States, said that Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio was selected to lead an apostolic visitation to the troubled Diocese of Buffalo because of the “trust” the Vatican has in him.

“The Holy Father said, ‘We need to do a total investigation to go to the roots of the problem,’ and Bishop DiMarzio, because of who he is, was given this task […] Certainly, it is a sign of trust toward Bishop DiMarzio,” Archbishop Pierre said.

The Diocese of Buffalo has been under a cloud because of cases of sexual abuse and cover-up. On Oct. 3, Archbishop Pierre announced that Pope Francis had decided Bishop DiMarzio will make an apostolic visitation to the diocese to conduct a fact-finding mission.

On Oct. 6, Archbishop Pierre celebrated the French-language Mass as St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church, Carroll Gardens, where he spoke to The Tablet.

Archbishop Pierre explained that Bishop DiMarzio’s mission was to listen to the people in the Diocese of Buffalo, collect the facts and send the results of his investigation to the Vatican.

“It is not a judgment, it is an investigation,” Archbishop Pierre said. “It is a service that the Holy Father has asked [Bishop DiMarzio] to do, to examine what is really going on.”

Asked about the Pan-Amazonian Synod that was starting at the Vatican that day, Archbishop Pierre explained that ecology has been an important topic for Pope Francis from the beginning of his papacy. He said that the pope made clear in his encyclical, “Laudato si” that caring for our “common house” is an important issue for the church.

Pope Francis decided to put the environment at the center of this synod, according to Archbishop Pierre, “because of its importance for the future of humanity.”

The synod fathers will also discuss the possibility of having married men ordained as priests to serve in remote areas of the Amazon region. Archbishop Pierre said that “the pope listens to the needs of the church today.” But he also pointed out that the synod doesn’t decide on the issues. The proposals of the synod are presented to the pope for his approval.

Archbishop Pierre was visiting St. Agnes for a second time. He said that two years ago Bishop DiMarzio had invited him to visit the parish and meet its French-speaking community. This time around, the nuncio was also visiting his nephew, who is French and lives in Brooklyn, where he is a member of the St. Paul & St. Agnes parish.

Bishop Sansaricq is Honored on His 85th Birthday

By Allyson Escobar

CANARSIE — Retired Auxiliary Bishop Guy A. Sansaricq was honored on Oct. 5 by the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Haitian Apostolate at Our Lady of Miracles, Canarsie, for his 85th birthday and for his nearly 60 years of service as a priest.

The celebration came during a time of upheaval in Haiti, Bishop Sansaricq’s native country, as Haitians have been violently protesting the economic crisis there. They are demanding that President Jovenel Moïse resign because of alleged corruption and embezzlement.

“We cry about the situation, but what can we do? We just pray for our brothers and sisters,” Bishop Sansaricq, director of the diocese’s Haitian Apostolate, said in an interview with The Tablet.

“It’s a complete mess and out of control; the government cannot control it,” Bishop Sansaricq said. “Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a clear plan or leadership. So nobody knows how this is going to stop.”

As leader of the National Center of the Haitian Apostolate (NCHA) in the United States, Bishop Sansaricq ministers to all Haitian clergy and laypersons in the country.

There are an estimated 1.5 million Haitians in the U.S., and more than 80,000 Haitian immigrants live in the Diocese of Brooklyn, according to NCHA, which is based in Flatbush. The country itself has a population of 11 million, 80 percent of whom are Catholic.

Bishop Sansaricq grew up in Haiti and was ordained in 1960. His first assignment was in Nassau, the Bahamas, where he served Haitians who had fled from their home country, which at the time was ruled by a dictator.

In 1971, Bishop Sansaricq came to the Diocese of Brooklyn to continue his ministry. He served the longest at Sacred Heart of Jesus, Cambria Heights, and later served as pastor of St. Jerome’s in Flatbush.

During that time, Bishop Sansaricq was appointed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to head the diocesan and National Haitian Apostolate, a network for the growing Haitian-American Catholic community. St. John Paul II named Bishop Sansaricq “Prelate of Honor” in 1999.

In 2006, after serving for years at local parishes, Bishop Sansaricq was consecrated an auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

“When I first came, there were maybe six Haitian priests in the diocese to help cover the ground,” Bishop Sansaricq recalled. “Now we have about 30 Haitian priests — some who are involved in the Hispanic Apostolate, others who are hospital chaplains, several involved in English-speaking parishes, others who are settled in parishes with a large portion of Haitians.”

Bishop Sansaricq formally retired in 2010 at the age of 75. Ten years later, he serves at St. Matthew-St. Gregory the Great Parish in Crown Heights, in addition to his work for the Haitian Apostolate.

“We bring people together to reflect together, to see how we can grow and work as a community,” said Juvinia Joseph, a Sister of the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary. The Sisters help run the Apostolate’s events. “The Haitian Apostolate is a place to bring together people’s talents, the gifts of who they are; their passions and the [vibrant] Haitian culture.”

Spearheaded by Bishop Sansaricq, the Haitian Apostolate serves the community nationwide through French-Creole Mass celebrations, yearly pilgrimages, youth rallies/retreats, a national radio and television station, a quarterly bilingual newsletter on matters concerning Haiti and the Catholic Church, pastoral leadership programs, and an annual convention.

Elreta Fowler, secretary for the diocesan Vicariate of Black Catholic Concerns, said that the Apostolate has been tremendous at helping Haitian immigrants in need of services, from education to immigration.

“I’ve seen it for myself; the Bishop and the Sisters [of the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary] have never turned away anyone in need,” Fowler said.

At the birthday celebration in Canarsie, Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte (D-Flatbush) and local City Council members honored Bishop Guy Sansaricq with an official proclamation on behalf of New York state’s 42nd District, Little Haiti and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.

“Bishop Sansaricq has really fought for justice, and has been the forefront of all messages of hope, especially for our brothers and sisters in Haiti who are suffering, pressed for justice, peace, equality,” said Dr. Pierre-Paul Cadet, president of the Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad, in an opening speech. “He has been a powerful voice in the struggle.”

“His heart and his palms are open,” noted Rosanne Barber, who works at St. Matthew – St. Gregory. “He is a teacher, in all sense of the word. He has really advocated for our community.”

Dominique Mazile, a parishioner at St. Jerome’s, said she received monetary aid and prayerful support from the Haitian Apostolate for a children’s shelter she helps run in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She said that Bishop Sansaricq’s support has made her feel “wonderful and welcomed.”

Gregory Jack from St. Matthew – St. Gregory described Bishop Sansaricq as “a person of great faith. He brings a warmth and peace whenever he is present, and [he is] very unassuming.”

“You sit with him and you don’t necessarily realize that he’s a Bishop, really… he’s such a humble man, in terms of prayer and liturgy.”

Meanwhile, Bishop Sansaricq said his birthday wish is for the Catholic Church — whether in Haiti, Brooklyn, or all over the world — to grow in numbers.

And when asked about the secret to a long, fulfilling life, Bishop Sansaricq simply said, “Prayer,” and a relationship with Our Lady of Perpetual Help, the patron saint of Haiti.