Trump Addresses UN on Right to Life, International Relations, Immigration

By Emily Drooby

The eyes of the world’s leaders were on the President Trump as he arrived at the United Nations for his highly-anticipated speech.

The commander-in-chief spoke of tensions with Iran and the trade war with China.

Trump devoted a major portion of his remarks to the tensions with Iran, calling the Islamic Republic one of the “greatest security threats facing peace-loving nations.” He called on other countries to join the U.S. in isolating the regime through economic sanctions, saying, “No responsible government should subsidies Iran’s bloodlust.”

He also defended the U.S. tariffs he has imposed on China, sparking a trade war.

Following up on his historic meeting on September 23 as the first sitting president ever to host a session at the U.N. on religious freedom, Trump touched on issues that are also critical to Catholics.

“This fundamental right is under growing threat around the world. Hard to believe, but 80 percent of the world’s population lives in countries where religious liberties are in significant danger or even completely outlawed. Americans will never fire or tire in our efforts to promote freedom of worship and religion,” Trump said.

The sanctity of life — born and unborn — was a dominant theme for the president as he criticized the UN for promoting abortion.

“We are aware that many UN projects have attempted to assert a global right to tax payer funded abortion on demand, right up until the moment of delivery. Like many nations here today, we in America believe every child, born and unborn is a sacred gift from God,” he added.

Trump also took on one of the top issues of his presidency: illegal immigration.

He vowed again to secure the U.S. southern border, and warned migrants against becoming the prey of human traffickers.

“Do not pay the coyotes. Do not put yourself in danger. Do not put your children in danger, because if you make it here you will not be allowed in,” he warned.

The president added that those calling for open borders are engaged in cruel policies.

Trump also said all people have the right to live in dignity, no matter their sexual orientation, and that the empowerment of women is crucial to prosperity and national security.

Catholic Academies ‘Make the Grade,’ Outperforming Public Schools on State Tests

By Tim Harfmann

Fractions can be frightening for students, especially when it comes to taking tests.

But for Catholic academies in the Brooklyn Diocese, new standardized test scores are in, showing that Catholic education outperformed public schools in both math and English.

“I was very nervous about it. I thought I was not going to do very well because I’m not really good with standardized tests, but I thought it was fairly easy,” said Camille Munoz, a seventh grader at Holy Trinity Catholic Academy in Whitestone, Queens.

Other students across the Brooklyn Diocese did well on the math and English exams.

In the statewide system, a grade of three or higher on a four-point scale is rated ‘excellent.’

On the English exam, 54 percent of fourth grade Catholic Academy students received a score of ‘excellent,’ compared to 49 percent of public school students.

Fifty-nine percent of sixth graders in the Brooklyn Diocese scored high grades, compared to 48 percent of students in public classrooms.

In Math, 51 percent of Catholic Academy fourth graders hit an ‘excellent’ mark, compared to 49 percent in public schools.

Catholic and public sixth graders got the same score of excellence: 43 percent.

Hannia Upton’s daughter is applying to high schools, and she noticed a big difference in state test scores from when her child was in public school.

“She did so well that we’re looking at schools that we didn’t even consider before, because these scores are so good,” Hannia explained.

“Within the first year, her math score went up 25 points on the Terranovas, so right away knew I had made the right decision,” she said.

“It’s essential that we meet the children where they are, give them an opportunity to develop, and move at their pace,” said Doctor Tom Chadzutko, the superintendent of schools for the Brooklyn Diocese.

A key part of the success is one-on-one instruction. Educators also use hands-on technology like Smartboards and iPads, which make tests for students like Camille easy.

“I understood most of the material that we were given, and also we kind of practiced with all of our classes for the state tests,” Camille said.

“It’s a test score. Whether we did good or we did worse, at the end of the day, are we meeting the needs of the children entrusted to us?” asked Dr. Chadzutko of his main concern.

In the end, Catholic education goes beyond the grade — all to build a foundation for the future.

After Dorian, Bride-to-Be Turns Bahamas Bachelorette Party Into Relief Aid Trip

Currents News Staff

The devastation of Hurricane Dorian sparked aid to those living in the Bahamas and coping with the storm’s damage, including Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, who led a donations campaign in the Diocese.

In a similar way, a bride-to-be Rikki Kahley was inspired to lend a hand, turning her bachelorette party into a mission trip.

Rikki was set to celebrate on the island until Dorian slammed ashore, causing her to almost cancel her trip from Georgia.

Then her sister, Chloe, had an idea: turn their time in the Bahamas into a mission trip, and send supplies to people who lost everything.

Currents News for Monday, September 23, 2019

On the newscast: An elusive church vandal is in police custody. She’s targeted St Gerard Majella Church three times; President Trump held a U.N. session focused on religious liberty, making him the first sitting president to do so; A bachelorette weekend turned mission trip. Hurricane Dorian changed the forecast on one bride’s party plans; Married priests in the Amazon? There’s confirmation the discussion is definitely on the agenda.

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Suspect Arrested Sunday in St. Gerard Majella Vandalism Case

By Tim Harfmann and Andrew Pugliese

HOLLIS — Police arrested Nasra Alnadrahi, 69, a resident of Jamaica, Queens, on Sept. 22 on charges of criminal mischief, trespassing and possession of burglar’s tools connected to three incidents of vandalism at Shrine Church of St. Gerard Majella, Hollis, this month.

Alnadrahi was apprehended by police while she was attempting to open a locked gate at the church. She was found with a bag containing a hammer.

She identified herself as the woman in surveillance video from the morning of the first incident on Sept. 10, according to police. The other two incidents occurred on Sept. 16 and 17.

Alnadrahi was arraigned on the charges in Queens County Criminal Court on Sept. 23.

“I’ve been going there for over two weeks to sit down and have coffee,” Alnadrahi said, according to court documents. “It was black magic that made me do it.”

The vandalism caused about $12,000 in damages to St. Gerard Majella’s prayer garden in the parish’s parking lot across from the church.

“Thank God she was found and no NYPD officers were hurt, and the church was not further hurt,” Father JosephJude Gannon, the pastor, said.

Father Gannon announced the news of the arrest at Sunday Mass on Sept. 22 to applause, followed by parishioners sharing hugs.

“It’s a big opportunity for renewal and reenergizing our community after a couple of weeks of darkness and destruction,” Father Gannon said. “We can start fresh.”

After Mass, many parishioners walked across the street to pray before the statue of the Blessed Mother, still standing after two weeks of vandalism. Father Gannon said parishioners are praying for justice and for the woman, too.

“We need to pray for her because we’re a forgiving people,” Father Gannon said. “We need to pray that whatever is dark in her can see the light of the Gospel. We need to pray for the intercession of Mary.”

Sept. 22 was already a special day for St. Gerard Majella’s. The parish kicked off the new religious education year and blessed its new welcome center. Father Gannon said the last few weeks had been tough on him and the parishioners. Now, they are relieved.

The parish plans to have the prayer garden —a project funded by the parish Generations of Faith appeal — restored by the end of this year. Someone has already donated a brand-new TV to be auctioned off with the proceeds going toward the project. Besides, the parish has a Shrine Garden Society already in place to maintain the garden. More families have been joining the group since the incidents occurred, according to the pastor.

Father Gannon said the parish has a GoFundMe page up. The link can be found on the parish Facebook.

While an arrest has been made, the police investigation is ongoing at this time.

Trump: Nations of the World Must ‘End Religious Persecution’

By Emily Drooby

President Trump urged world leaders to protect people of faith in a keynote speech delivered at the United Nations on September 23.

“Today with one clear voice the U.S. calls upon the nations of the world to end religious persecution,” Trump said.

“No right is more fundamental through a peaceful, prosperous and virtuous society than the right to follow one’s religious convictions. Regrettably, the religious freedom enjoyed by citizens is rare in the world,” he added.

Now the president is backing up his words with action by pledging 25 million dollars to protect faithful people, religious sites and relics.

The president has also put together a coalition of U.S. businesses for the protection of religious freedom that will protect people of all faiths in their workplaces.

“True tolerance means respecting the right of all people to express their deeply held religious beliefs,” Trump said. According to the president, 80 percent of the world’s population live in areas where religion is threatened or restricted.

From the Easter Sunday bombings of Christian churches in Sri Lanka to the anti-semitic mass shootings in the United States and worshippers gunned down while praying in Christchurch, New Zealand, the crisis has continued to grow.

“These evil attacks are a wound on all humanity. We must all work together to protect communities of every faith,” Trump said while speaking to an audience of world leaders and survivors of religious persecution.

While the president expressed concern for all religions, he remained focused on Christian persecution, saying that an estimated 11 Christians are killed daily for their faith, a violence that many call genocide.

Trump Decries Christian Persecution, Calls for Religious Freedom

By Christopher White

NEW YORK — President Donald Trump called out world leaders who advocate for tolerance while failing to support people of faith during a historic gathering on religious freedom at the United Nations on Monday.

“Too often people in positions of power preach diversity while silencing, shunning, or censoring the faithful,” the president said. “True tolerance means respecting the right of all people to express their deeply held religious beliefs.”

Trump’s presence at the event marked the first time a sitting U.S. president had convened such a gathering at the United Nations, where he said that advocating for religious freedom remains one of the “highest priorities” of his administration.

During his 12-minute keynote address, the president said that religious freedom is a fundamental building block for any “peaceful, prosperous, and virtuous society.”

“America stands with believers in every country who ask only for the freedom to live according to the faith that is within their own hearts,” Trump said.

He noted that 80 percent of the world’s population live in areas where freedom of religion is threatened or restricted, adding that 11 Christians a day are killed because of their faith.

“Who would even think that’s possible in this day and age?,” Trump asked.

The president also announced that his administration would be allocating another $25 million dollars toward religious freedom initiatives and protecting religious sites and relics. In addition, he revealed the formation of a new coalition of U.S. businesses aimed to encourage respect for faith within the private sector

In a room full of world leaders, diplomats, and survivors of religious persecution, the president paid tribute to a range of high profile victims of religious persecution in recent years, including Father Jacques Hamel, an 85 year old French priest who was killed by Islamic extremists while celebrating Mass in 2016; the victims of recent shootings in Pennsylvania and California by anti-Semitic gunmen; and the massacre of over 50 Muslim worshippers at two New Zealand mosques earlier this year.

Monday’s speech came on the heels of the Second Annual Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom sponsored by the U.S. State Department, which brought together more than 1,000 representatives from civil society and religious groups and more than 100 different foreign government delegations in July. The gathering was billed as the largest religious freedom event in the world. In tandem with the Ministerial, the president also hosted nearly 30 survivors of religious persecution at the Oval Office.

Also in attendance for the meeting were Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence, who called out the Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, for “practically waging war on the Catholic Church” in his introductory marks for the gathering.

The president’s 3-day visit to New York comes at a time when he is engulfed in scandal over allegations that he asked the Ukraine government to investigate political rival Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, for business dealings in the country. On Monday, he told reporters that his phone conversations pertained to rooting out corruption within the country.

Following his remarks, the president was expected to hold individual meetings with a range of world leaders, including President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand, Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan, President Andrzej Duda of Poland, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, and President Moon Jae-in of South Korea.

Among the world leaders present at the United Nations this week is the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who is leading the Holy See’s delegation to the General Assembly. He will take part in high-level meetings on health care, climate change, human trafficking, and the persecution of Christians.

United as One: Diverse Parish Includes Fast-Growing Community

By Tim Harfmann

A diverse parish in Flushing, Queens gathered for a special dedication September 22.

Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio blessed the parish’s school under its new name: Saint Michael’s Catholic Academy.

It was Most Holy Redeemer. The new name was approved by the state starting this school year.

The Queens school is made up of Catholics speaking many languages.

“It really shows the universality of the Church,” said Bishop DiMarzio. “It’s a new Pentecost; our diocese is the new Pentecost. Everybody, different languages, different cultures. They’re all united in one Church.”

That universal Church was on full display at Mass.

“This is like a big melting pot,” said Veronica Tsang, a parishioner.

Part of the pot is the Chinese community.

Of the nearly 300 students at St. Michael’s Catholic Academy, about 60 percent are Chinese. And that number is growing.

“We want to encourage Catholic families, Chinese families to send their children to our school and enjoy a religious education in a safe environment,” said Tsang, who serves on the Board of Directors at the Flushing academy.

Chinese Catholics are one of the fastest-growing communities in the Brooklyn diocese, making up at least 10 percent of those newly baptized each year.

“The Chinese people are embracing the faith, young people especially. They come, sometimes, without any religion,” said Bishop DiMarzio.

“Chinese people are deeply spiritual; and for historical circumstances, historical reasons, that has not been allowed to develop,” said Father John Vesey, St. Michael’s pastor.

They come to the parish to develop that faith.

Sister Binlin Ruan teaches faith formation classes, preparing Chinese Catholics for the sacraments. She recalled two students reconnecting years after immigrating from China.

“’I know you! it’s my classmate!’ They met here together. Oh, it’s amazing! They met in the church,” she said.

In the church, Bishop DiMarizo also blessed part of the sacristy, where sacred vessels and vestments are kept. It caught fire over two decades ago.

The parish plans on completing the sacristy, along with other renovations so it can feel like home for everyone.

Catholic School Students Band Together in Call for Climate Action

By Emily Drooby

Demands for action to prevent climate change rang through lower Manhattan on the afternoon of September 20.

Held ahead of a UN summit on climate change, many of those calls to action came from students — including those from the Brooklyn Diocese.

With the help of the Sisters of St. Joseph, students from their four locally sponsored schools traded in their textbooks for posters and attending Friday’s climate change rally.

“Because at the end of the day, it’s powers in numbers. It’s like I want to come out and support everybody, support what I believe in,” explained Jeuel Calhoun, a student at St. Joseph High School in Brooklyn.

For Isabel Merat and other teens from The Mary Louis Academy, fighting climate change is engrained in the fabric of their school.

“I’m going to Mary Louis. We advocate for change when it comes to the environment, like we are so involved: we have a garden, we do neighborhood clean-up. We take that very seriously, and I’m here protesting with my school trying to make a difference in the environment,” she said.

Climate change is also an issue close to Pope Francis’s heart.

In Laudato si’, the Holy Father’s second encyclical, he discusses the importance of caring for our common home. A quote from Laudato si’ graced the backs of the Sisters of St. Joseph’s matching rally shirts.

For Sister Helen Kearney, the congregation’s president, it’s an issue not only close to their hearts, but one they pass on to their students.

“In 2015 our congregation unanimously passed a land ethic with all of our goals to sustainability. Those same efforts are being taught in our schools. So it’s really important for us to nurture these women, empower them to make changes in this world because we are at the brink of disaster,” Sister Helen said.

The students are grateful not only for the lesson, but also for the congregation’s support.

“I find it really amazing how everyone just supports us,” said Rachel Guillen, a student at The Mary Louis Academy. “The school in general, it’s just a family, and I’m really glad they came here with us.”

Currents News for Friday, September 20, 2019

On This Newscast: Catholic school kids on New York CIty’s streets to protect what Pope Francis calls “our common home.” It could be a miracle when a Catholic martyr’s blood liquefies. Deadly floodwaters inTexas amid a record number of named storms. Mayor de Blasio pulls the plug on his presidential campaign. A major retailer takes e-cigarettes off its shelves. The Diocese of Brooklyn’s links to new Catholic Cardinals.

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