St. John the Baptist Church Celebrates 150 Years of Service

Currents News Staff

One of the oldest churches in the diocese is still going strong as it celebrates 150 years of serving their Williamsburg community.

St. John the Baptist Church marked a milestone anniversary on Sunday June 23, with a Mass in English and Spanish by Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio.

Bishop DiMarzio explained the deep roots the church has for the Brooklyn Diocese.

“This is a very interesting parish. This is the first place where we established the seminary and St. John’s University was first established here,” he explained.

“So this is a mission of the Vincentian Fathers who came to the diocese just a few years after the diocese was established.”

Vatican Releases Global Report on Effects of Cyberbullying

Currents News Staff

Bullying and cyberbullying are an increasing phenomena, with serious consequences for children’s emotional health and educational development.

To present this issue with real data, the pontifical foundation Scholas Occurrentes released the first Global Report on Cyberbullying.

Pope Francis sponsored the study with a message declaring war on cyberbullying.

“The emptiness of the aggressor’s own identity is apparent. There is a need for them to attack in order to feel like a person,” he said.

According to Scholas, boys are more likely than girls to be bullied on the Internet. For girls, the effects of bullying are stronger, such as a loss of confidence, stress, and difficulty sleeping.

Arturo was the victim of serious assault by a gang of teenagers he did not know at all.

Now that he has recovered, he told his story, and said that insults on the internet may be even worse.

“It can be said that cyberbullying is more despicable and may be even worse than bullying itself. With bullying, you have your persecutors right in front of you. With cyberbullying, not only are they unseen, you also have to confront an invisible audience,” he said.

For months, the Scholas Papal Foundation has been proposing new steps to combat the issue of bullying.

“Our idea is gathering young people from all over the world and say to them: You are sometimes the victims – we always talk about the victims – you are also the bully, but you are also the public,” said José María Del Corral, President of Scholas Occurentes.

“Well, we are not going to study to see what we do with you, but you are the ones who are going to implement a different policy, and we the adults are going to discover our responsibility.”

For 24 hours, Scholas brought together young people and experts from around the world in a large virtual gathering to showcase useful initiatives against bullying and how to detect it.

Queens Church Moving Forward After Devastating Fire

By Emily Drooby

Parishioners of St. Pius X did what they always do Sunday morning, attend church. However, this week something was very different, they couldn’t use their church.

Exactly one week ago the house of worship went up in flames. Video taken inside the church just one day after the blaze shows the devastation, twisted windows, burnt books, melted candles.

The Pastor, Father Jean-Miguel Auguste says, almost everything was destroyed.

He explained, “The books, the tabernacle, everything, we keep everything in the Sacristy.”

It could be weeks before they know if the building can be saved or if it has to be rebuilt but nearly everything inside the church was reduced to ashes.

Despite the devastation, the people of St. Pius X are determined their faith community will live on. To ensure that happened, they moved their weekend masses to the school across the street and borrowed essential items needed for celebrating mass, like a chalice, from other local parishes.

“We’re determined to stay together,” said Kathleen McCabe, a member of the church’s Parish Council. McCabe proud to see her church coming together to overcome what happened.

She said, “I think it shows that it doesn’t matter what the building is that you’re attending, it’s the heart of the community, the people. What we always say is, ‘God is the Church, is the people’ and it just proves that we have always been that.”

Many of the St. Pius X faithful were worried the fire would prevent people from celebrating their faith, but it didn’t. Mass was attended by many, a site which inspired parishioner Fiano Jackman.

Jackman explained,”It proves to me that God is there. God is with us because people are coming out so it shows that they have their faith and we all believe and we are holding strong, we are taking our strength from him.”

The determination of the parish proving that church is so much more than just a building.

Currents News for Friday, June 21, 2019

On the newscast: Iran is showing off the missiles it says brought down a U.S. drone while President Trump is explaining why he stopped the clock on retaliation; The streets of Hong Kong packed again in protest as the top cardinal there speaks out; Word that ICE raids are about to begin with 2,000 families targeted for arrest and deportation; And in Brazil, an unexpected visitor in the sanctuary during mass.

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.

HOPE in Queens: Feeding New York’s Undocumented Laborers

By Tamara Laine

At nearly 78 years old, Deacon Art Griffin has dedicated over 20 years to helping homeless men and women and now migrant day laborers. Deacon Art is the founder of Project HOPE, which stands for Help Our People Eat, and that is exactly what they do.

Every Tuesday he greets them with a smile and a brown-bagged lunch.

“I’ve been doing work with the homeless since 1995,” he explained.

“Take the average of 40 a week for 50 weeks, and you do it for 10 years, that is 20,000 at least,” the number of sandwiches Deacon Art estimates he’s handed out since he started offering lunches.

Currents News joined Deacon Art for a ride along to see the impact firsthand, gathering at Transfiguration Church in Queens before loading up his car and hitting the streets.

With an estimated 62,000 homeless and 10,000 undocumented day laborers in New York City, just a look out the car window highlights the crises this humble organization faces.

“Now I see familiar faces,” said Frank Griebel, one of a handful of volunteers that make Project Hope possible. He has been by Deacon Art’s side since Project Hope’s inception 11 years ago.

The program is an offshoot of a previous outreach program founded by Deacon Art, which was defunded by the city in 2007.

“We used to get people with heroin, and addicts and take them to hospitals,” Deacon Art recalled.

“We don’t really get that now. We get what you see now, the feeding and the conversations, and if they need any help, we try to help.”

Just a short drive away, in the basement of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Frank’s wife, Maureen and four others gather every Monday. They bake bread together, preparing the sandwiches for delivery.

“It depends on the weather,” said Frank of what they bring to those in need. “For example, it is summertime so we bring water. In the wintertime, we take out soup.”

“It feels good to help someone,” said Frank’s wife Maureen. They pack each bag with care, hoping it has an impact.

On the street, Deacon Art hands out sandwich after sandwich to thankful hands. And though his mission hasn’t changed, the people he serves has. The majority are now undocumented day laborers.

Manuel, who asked that we not use his last name, waits on this corner near Queens Boulevard every day for work.

“Very difficult for the chance to find a job,” he explained.

“When there is no work, sometimes we go days, hungry, hungry, hungry…”

He came to America to escape Ecuador’s failing economy and violence, and like so many others, in search of a better life.

Manny Castro, Executive Director of New Immigrant Community Empowerment, said that the organization has seen an increase in day laborers because of the city’s construction boom and sanctuary city status.

“There is a lot of fear and concern amongst the immigrant community about what is coming next, what they might experience at their work site. There is an increase in anti-immigrant sentiment,” he said.

Coming from the diocese of immigrants, Deacon Art helps everyone, no matter when they arrived in the country. This is a service that a service that one worker, who asked to be called John, says is indispensable when work dries up.

“They have been offering their services to us for years, and I respect that so much,” he said. “We don’t get work and we don’t have cash or anything, so they are really helpful.”

Here, the need is never ending.

*Portions of this story have been translated from its original Spanish.

Trump Calls Off Retaliation Strike on Iran at Last Minute

Currents News Staff

On June 21, President Trump said he called off what was supposed to be a retaliatory strike for Iran’s downing of a U.S. unmanned drone, with just 10 minutes to go. This comes as relations between the U.S. and Tehran have become increasingly strained in recent weeks.

That day members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard released video of debris, claiming it is from the U.S. drone that was shot down on June 20.

“I thought about it for a second and I said, ‘you know what, they shot down an unmanned drone, plane, whatever you want to call it, and here we are sitting with a 150 dead people. I didn’t think it was proportionate,” said President Trump, explaining why he called off the strike already in motion.

“Unfortunately, we’re heading toward a confrontation which is very serious for everybody in the region,” said Hamid Baeidinejad, Iran’s ambassador to the U.K.

Earlier this week, Iran announced it would ramp up enrichment of low-grade uranium and stockpile more of the material than is allowed under the Nuclear Deal.

Last week, the U.S. said it had video evidence that Iran attacked two tankers in the Gulf of Oman.

“It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman,” said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

Iran denied responsibility for the tanker incidents, but called the drone incident a warning message to the United States.

“Even if there’s no strikes in the near future, you could see the Iranians trying to provoke Trump again in the days ahead,” said Global Affairs Analyst David Rohde.

Experts say to expect more of those “warnings” to come.

Pope to Naples Theologians: Do Not be Indifferent Towards Adversity

Pope Francis traveled to Naples to participate in a conference on the teaching of theology in Catholic universities.

Throughout the morning of June 21 he heard several lectures on how theology can help to promote dialogue to reduce tensions between the different peoples and religions of the Mediterranean.

Later that morning, Pope Francis spoke on how the renewal of the study of theology can help society become a meeting place for the acceptance and coexistence of different cultures.

“I dream of theological departments where there exists the conviviality of differences, where a theology of dialogue and acceptance is practiced, where one is exposed to the multi-faceted model of theological knowledge in place of a static and disembodied sphere,” Pope Francis said.

“A place where theological research is capable of promoting a difficult but exciting process of enculturation,” he continued, also calling for an increase in dialogue and collaboration between theological disciplines, but also with other religions.

He expressed that Catholic theologians should also study Judaism and Islam. In addition, he mentioned that theologians should not be indifferent to the adversities faced by humanity.

“Without communion and without compassion constantly nourished by prayer – this is important, for one can only do theology on one’s knees – theology loses not only its soul, but also its intelligence and its ability to interpret reality in a Christian way,” the pontiff said.

Pope Francis also defended theological freedom in universities: “Without the opportunity to experience new paths, nothing new can be built and no space is left for new inspirations by the Holy Spirit.”

“Among scholars, onward with academic freedom. Ultimately, the Magisterium will have the final word. But you cannot do theology without this freedom.” he explained.

“While preaching to the People of God, please do not harm the faith of God’s people with questions under dispute. Your duty is to handle these disputed questions with other theologians. But for the people of God, your duty is to deliver substance that nourishes their faith, that does not make the faith relative.”

Before leaving, Pope Francis gave them a blessing.

The Cardinal of Naples then bid his goodbyes, saying, “Holy Father, thank you, and may Our Lady accompany you,” in the Neapolitan dialect.

Pope Francis’s third visit to Naples for the conference and lasted only a few hours, after which he immediately returned to Rome.

Currents News for Thursday, June 20, 2019

On the newscast: An Iranian missile has shot-down a U.S. drone in the Middle East. President Trump is promising a response; A big breakthrough in New York for the people who help put food on your table. Catholics are applauding; A human trafficking victim’s transformed life into a mission of hope and happiness; Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio is recognizing the women and men of the Brooklyn Diocese who are making a difference.

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.

Catholic Academy Hosts Carnival Fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House

By Emily Drooby

The ribbon has been cut, the rides have been blessed, and Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy’s 2019 carnival has kicked off.

But the second annual event isn’t just fun-filled, it’s also a way to give back.

The carnival doubles as a fundraiser both for the school and for the Ronald McDonald House.

“It’s amazing, I’m a very big believer that little hands, helping little hands makes a huge difference in a child’s fundamentals. And if they learn the meaning of giving they definitely grow up to be amazing adults,” said Theresa Brucculeri from the Board of Directors at Ronald McDonald House, Long Island.

According to Brucculeri, for years the school has been a big supporter, raising thousands of dollars for them, not including the money from this carnival fundraiser.

Christine Lucchese, President of the Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy Parents Association, organized the event. She said it’s a great way to teach students about giving back.

“They just can’t wait to have fun and to give back, because we have been talking about this foundation for about a month and a half now, really letting them know what the cause is about, why were are doing this, and we really want them to learn the meaning of giving back, giving back as a community, giving back as a person,” she explained.

Maura McCarthy who is on the academy’s Board of Directors, agreed that giving back is an important part of a Catholic education.

“We try to instill academic values, religious values, and community support values and it’s so great,” she said.

“Throughout the year we have shown videos on how that house really helps support families whose children have cancer and are struggling. So it’s wonderful that they’re having a great time, but it’s also wonderful that they’re helping people.”

And the students love it.

“I’m happy that I could help, because I would be sad if I had something wrong, and it’s just fun to help someone else,” said Reilly, a student at the school.

The carnival is happening on Friday June 21 from 5pm to 10pm, Saturday June 22 from 3pm to 10pm and on Sunday June 23 from 2pm to 9pm.

It will take place at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy’s parking lot located at 34-45 202nd Street in Bayside.

Supreme Court on Church Vs. State Case: Cross to Stay on Public Land

Currents News Staff

The Supreme Court has come to a verdict in the separation of church and state, as Justices have ruled that a 40-foot tall cross can remain on public land in Maryland.

The symbol was erected nearly a century ago as a World War I memorial. Atheists sued to have the cross moved or changed.

In the seven-to-two decision, the court majority wrote that the cross “has become a prominent community landmark, and its removal or radical alteration at this date would be seen by many not as a neutral act, but as the manifestation of a hostility toward religion that has no place in our traditions.”

The national correspondent for The Tablet and Crux, Christopher White, has been reporting on the challenge to the cross since it started. He joins us in studio to discuss the Supreme Court’s latest decision.