Archives

Vietnam Veteran Receives New Home

By Tim Harfmann

An American war hero was the recipient of a brand new home July 2 in Staten Island.

Marine Sgt. Michael Sulsona, a Vietnam veteran known simply as Mike, rolled his wheelchair into his house for the first time.

“You always appreciate what you have, you know? But this is like a bonus,” said Sulsona.

Mike’s old home wasn’t wide enough for his wheelchair and completing daily tasks were difficult.

In this new Staten Island home, hallways are wider, the master bedroom and bathroom are on the first floor, and Sulsona won’t have to struggle to reach a cabinet.

This is all thanks to the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, named in honor of the fallen September 11th responder who ran through the Battery Tunnel to save others.

Stephen’s brother, Frank, is the foundation’s chairman and CEO.

“As Saint Francis said, ‘Brothers and sisters, while we have time, let us do good.’ And today, this was very good,” said Siller.

Sulsona was 19 when he stepped on a landmine in Vietnam. He had to have both legs amputated.

For his bravery, Sulsona was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star with Valor.

He and his wife, Frida, are Brooklyn natives. They grew up attending Mass at Saint Agnes and Saint Paul churches in Carroll Gardens.

Sulsona explained how his Catholic faith plays a role in life, saying, “In spirituality, you know?

You’re thankful for what you get, and you’re never going to lose by doing good for someone else.”

The 67-year-old is now an ambassador for Tunnel to Towers, reaching out to other vets and families struggling to adjust after war.

“It’s tough to get it together. I understand a lot of them just have a tough time getting through life, but we have to pull it together,” Sulsona said.

Protesters Demand Closure of Migrant Detention Facilities

Currents News Staff

On July 2, protests are taking place across the country to demand closure of detention facilities holding migrant children and families.

Eleven migrants in total have died in U.S. custody since September in what is being described as a “human rights crisis” at the southern border, specifically at facilities where migrant children are being held.

“I am very confident in what it is we are doing by way of caring for these individuals, these incredibly vulnerable populations in our custody again in absolutely over-saturated conditions,”  said Robert Perez, Deputy Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Others aren’t quite as confident, claiming that some were forced to drink water out of a toilet. 

“What we saw today was unconscionable,” said Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. 

Members of Congress visited two border patrol facilities in Texas on July 1, after reports of deteriorating and unsanitary conditions.

“If you’re a parent or a grandparent out there, I would say look at your child and go hug your child because you would not want a law enforcement agent to treat your child the way we see those kids being treated,” said California Democratic Representative Norma Torres.

The reports have sparked protests in places all across the country.

“We’re having, at Customs Border Patrol, to detain these people longer than these facilities were ever designed to do. We take any and every allegation of misconduct very seriously. We get to the bottom of the facts, and there will be consequences to those who do not adhere to our standards of conduct,” said Perez. 

During Pope’s Meeting With Putin, Peace to be at Top of Agenda

Currents News Staff

The third meeting between Russian president Vladamir Putin and Pope Francis will be more than a cordial visit. There are many political issues of common interest that are sensitive.

The first of these is peace in Ukraine. Pope Francis will ask Putin to put an end to the conflict. This is because one day before their meeting, Pope Francis will talk with the major archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, and the bishops who govern it. 

Russia is also a major influence in Venezuela, and the Vatican is concerned about the crisis in this country. In the past, the Holy See played an important role in trying to facilitate dialogue between the government and its opposition, although it failed in its attempt. 

The Middle East is another issue of interest to both. Russia does not want to lose its influence in the area, and the Vatican does not want Christians to disappear from the region due to violence. They are both interested in bringing stability to that region. 

Additionally, it is likely they will discuss the possibility of Pope Francis visiting Russia. This because now, the relations between Rome and the Patriarch of Moscow are more cordial. 

The meeting is expected to be long. In the past, their discussions have lasted 35 to 50 minutes. If he stays true to his style, Vladimir Putin will be late. He is the only world leader who makes even popes wait.

Currents News for Monday, July 1, 2019

On the newscast: Pope Francis takes action against attacks on the sacramental seal of confession. He’s telling priests to protect it with their lives; There are calls tonight to honor 9/11 first responder Luis Alvarez. He died from cancer at the age of 53; New York’s first archbishop John Hughes and his connection with today’s immigration crisis; An American hero who served the country in World War II is being honored by France.

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.

New Vatican Document Orders Priests to Protect Seal of Confession, Even With Their Lives

By Tim Harfmann

For Monsignor Thomas Caserta, nothing could force him to reveal what was told to him in the confessional. “If that means I go to jail, well I go to jail,” he said.

The Holy Father’s order on July 1 to release a new document about keeping confessions secret is coming, according to the Vatican, in the “light of a worry negative prejudice against the Church.”

In California, legislation already passed the State Senate, which calls for priests to tell authorities the details of penitent’s confession of sexual abuse crimes.

“Its worked. It has been successful in identifying bringing to justice and preventing child abuse and neglect,” said Democratic Senator Jerry Hill. He introduced the bill, which is not yet law in the state.

Monsignor Caserta is the pastor of Saint Bernadette Church in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn and a Theology professor at Saint John’s University. He’s also involved in the spiritual direction of priests and religious in the Brooklyn diocese.

He called Senator Hill’s measure a direct attack on the Church.

“It is a gross violation of religious liberty, which is exactly what the Holy Father said,” Monsignor Caserta continued. “And in no way, under no circumstances, should a priest be expected to reveal anything he heard.”

Monsignor Caserta said he would appeal to the sinner instead, “I could try to use my moral authority, as a priest, to urge the person to go forward and report their wrongdoing to the appropriate authorities; but I can’t make that a condition of their absolution.”

The pope’s new document points out that keeping confessions secret is an act of martyrdom to the unique and universal saving power of Christ and His Church.

New York’s First Archbishop: An ‘Unrelenting Spokesperson for the Downtrodden’

Currents News Staff

Bishops have long been fighting for the rights of immigrants here in the United States.

While today’s migration crisis is along the southern border, in the past Europeans, including Irish Catholics, were discriminated against in this country.

A big fighter for Irish immigrants was New York’s first Archbishop, John Hughes.

Here to talk more about Archbishop Hughes, is Catholic historian Richard McCann.

Bishop DiMarzio Visits St. Pius X to Offer Help After Fire

By

Last week, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio visited St. Pius X, Rosedale, the parish whose church was almost destroyed by a fire earlier in June, to offer help from the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Bishop DiMarzio visited on June 28, the feast day of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to meet with Father Jean-Miguel Auguste, pastor of St. Pius X.

“It’s always sad to see a church that burns — because it’s a sacred place, and we don’t expect that to happen, but it does happen at times. It seemed to be an electrical problem that happened in the church, no negligence, so we’re happy about that,” Bishop DiMarzio told The Tablet.

Bishop DiMarzio said insurance will cover most of the costs of the repairs.

“There will be enough money to repair the church, to put it back in shape the way it was, and better,” he said.

The parish will rebuild the pews and sacristy and put in new windows.

“I am confident that we can put the church back together again. It may take about a year, but we’re hoping that it could be a little sooner,” Bishop DiMarzio said. “It’s all covered, the parish will continue. And we’re very happy that there’s a good conclusion to the tragedy. New Yorkers are resilient. We don’t give up very easily. So I think that there’s a stick-to-it-tiveness; it’s their parish, they’re going to see it through…we’re going to restore it so they can continue to come.”

A two-alarm fire gutted the inside of the church, which was built in 1960, on June 16.

The fire was caused by accidental electrical wiring in the area of the altar, according to the FDNY, which said its investigation has concluded. Two firefighters sustained minor injuries, according to the FDNY, and no other injuries were reported.

“We are taking it one day at a time. The fact is that the church is burned, and we have to rebuild. So we will do what we have to do,” Father Auguste told The Tablet. Father Auguste was coming home from a Vatican mission trip with his parishioners when he heard the news. “It has been draining, and a challenge, but we’re not afraid because we’re not alone.”

Other parishes in the dioceses have been helping with donations, and St. Pius X parishioners and Father Auguste are planning ways to raise funds.

In the meantime, daily Masses are being held in the basement of the rectory, and weekend Masses are being celebrated next door at Success Academy.

“Sometimes you don’t know how people are going to react. To see them come together faithfully, to pray, they bring food to the rectory, they bring things to help, and they call and say, ‘Father, we’re here for you, to help you, whatever it is. Whatever it takes, we’ll be there for St. Pius,’” Father Auguste said. “When you hear that [as a pastor], you say that maybe you are doing something good.”

Abandoned Baby Monica Mourned at Funeral at Our Lady of Perpetual Help

By Tim Harfmann

NYPD officers escorted the funeral hearse as it slowly rolled up to the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Sunset Park, Brooklyn on Saturday, June 29.

It was the final farewell to an unborn child who never had the chance to take her first breathe.

A bagpipe blared as one officer carried the tiny, white casket into the basilica. Inside that casket was the body of an unborn baby girl believed to have been in the fifth month of pregnancy. She was abandoned by her mother earlier this year. The funeral was organized by Life Center of New York, a crisis pregnancy center in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

“We’re giving, in debit, to baby Monica the respect and dignity that she didn’t have in life,” said Trabulsi, executive director of Life Center.

They named her “Baby Monica” in honor of Saint Monica, who was known for her dying words.

“‘Care not where you lay my bones, just remember me at the altar.’ So, we’re remembering Monica at the altar,” said Trabulsi.

On February 18, Baby Monica’s body was discovered in a bag near a tree on the corner of Linden Boulevard and Bradford Avenue in East New York, Brooklyn. According to the NYPD, the mother hasn’t been identified.

The Life Center was so touched by the news, they contacted the medical examiner’s office and within the last few weeks, the office released Baby Monica’s body so they could give her a final farewell.

“We’re not judging the mom or anything to that, but we want to show that the culture of life exists around the culture of death that we have in our state and our country,” Trabulsi said.

Over 100 Catholics filled the pews of the basilica.

“God bless this baby. We know she’s in the arms of our Lord,” said Cathy Donohoe, who attended the funeral. She is the president of Bridge to Life, a pregnancy center in Flushing, Queens. “But, pray for the mothers that have such tremendous decisions to make when they’re pregnant.”

Pro-life advocates also wanted pregnant mothers to know that help is available.

Former New York State Republican Senator Marty Golden said parents can turn to safe havens.

Under the state’s Abandoned Infant Protection Act, parents do not face charges for handing over custody of a newborn a month old or younger if it is done in a safe manner.

“Anybody that needs help can go to a police department, a fire department, a church. No questions asked, just turn the baby over,” said Golden. “There are plenty of people out there that are dying to have a baby, to be able to bring a child into this world and to bring a child up in this world.”

Baby Monica was buried at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery in Staten Island.

Her body has finally been laid to rest.