‘Pop-Art’ Nun Has First Solo Show in a Decade

Currents News Staff

From now until June 22, pop-art fans can catch a glimpse of some well-known contemporary pieces from Sister Corita Kent in Manhattan.

Sister Corita Kent was born Frances Elizabeth Kent. When she was 18 she joined California’s Order of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

While there she learned the art of printmaking. Her Catholic faith became her pop-art muse until her death.

A star in her own rite, her artwork from the 1960s through the 1980s now hangs in the same museums as artists like Andy Warhol – some right here in New York.

And this month, Sister Corita’s artwork is in its first New York Show in a decade.

“One of things that’s really interesting about Corita’s work is that she was really – even though she was making most of this work in Los Angeles – a lot of it does kind of have this relationship to the streets. So, it was really, you know, kind of about, a lot of it was by looking at the environment she was living in,” said Alex Fitzgerald, the Associate Director of the Andrew Kreps Gallery.

At Spring Summit, USCCB Focuses on Protection and Accountability

By Tim Harfmann

Arriving for the highly-anticipated conference, Catholic leaders from across the United States are planning to tackle bishop accountability and the protection of minors from clerical abuse.

Brooklyn Auxiliary Bishop Witold Mroziewski said that it is their top priority.

“We try to do our best, all of us are very concerned about the situation,” he said.

The bishops were also concerned in November, the last time they gathered in Baltimore.

Thinking they would address a code of conduct, bishops planned on voting on new guidelines for bishop accountability.

But USCCB President Cardinal Daniel DiNardo started the conference with an unexpected announcement.

“I need to open our time together with an important announcement,” he told the bishops.

“At the insistence of the Holy See, we will not be voting on the two action items in our documentation regarding the abuse crisis. That is the standards of accountability for bishops, and the special commission for receiving complaints against bishops.”

The Vatican wanted the bishops to wait until Pope Francis held his global summit focusing on abuse, which took place in February.

Back in Baltimore, bishops like Kevin Vann of Orange, California addressed fellow clerics during November’s conference, committed to righting the wrongs of the past.

“I came from a diocese that was damaged, gravely damaged for 16 years and beyond, by the predatory behavior of the diocesan bishop,” Bishop Vann recalled.

“So this is very personal for me. I know what happened, so we really have to give a clear response.”

Before the U.S. conference concluded, Cardinal DiNardo pledged to follow through.

“We’ll work on finalizing the standards of accountability for bishops, finalizing the protocol for removed bishops, and studying national guidelines for the publication of lists of names of those clerics facing substantiated claims of abuse,” he said.

This time around, the bishops are determined to vote on new accountability standards, something Bishop Witold says is “very important, because we are united as one body.”

Currents News for Monday, June 10, 2019

On the newscast: A helicopter crashes onto the roof of a Midtown Manhattan skyscraper. There’s no indication that terrorism was involved in the deadly incident; New York City’s response to the surging measles epidemic is by slammed by experts. Brooklyn is at the center of the outbreak; A new Brooklyn priest has a joyous Sunday, celebrating Mass and his Nigerian culture; And Pope Francis welcomes a train-load of kids today.

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.

2,000 Gather in Times Square for Pentecost Adoration, Prayer

Currents News Staff

Around 2,000 people took to the red steps in the crossroads of the world for Pentecost on Friday, and did not leave until the sun rose on Saturday.

Organizers said they wanted to celebrate the Holy Spirit’s descent upon the Apostles before Sunday, so that parishioners wouldn’t miss Mass.

And so, Catholics flooded New York City’s top tourist destination, Times Square, to celebrate the Holy Spirit.

Parishioners from St. Pancras church in Glendale, Queens, said the high energy celebration was important.

Society Faces ‘Educational Crisis’ on Sexuality, Says Vatican Document

Currents News Staff

As LGBT supporters are celebrating Pride Month, the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education published a 30 page document on the current “educational crisis” on sexuality.

The document is for Catholic educators, parents and clergy.

Transgender, intersex and polyamory are just a couple themes of the latest Vatican document, “Male and Female He created them.”

Its goal is to guide and support educators amidst changing definitions of gender ideology. It states that sexual identity with LGBT now has a “third gender” option. It defines “transgender” and “intersex” as “ambiguous,” presupposing the sexual difference they hope to negate.

The article says this idea is a “provocative display” that ignores the suffering of sexual indeterminacy.

It regrets common societal changes such as sex and gender no longer being synonyms. As a result, the document says sexual orientations are not restricted to male and female, but to an individual.

It says gender theory also has moved away from nature toward the “feelings of the human subject.” This means many believe only affection is needed, regardless of gender or ability to naturally procreate.

The document says human sexuality isn’t a biological fact anymore, and gender identity shouldn’t be a point up for discussion.

It also states that family has become a “confused idea of freedom,” instead of truths of existence.

Male-female parented families, which it writes are necessary for a child’s development, are a threat to the existence of relationships with multiple partners or “polyamory.”

The document asks education to include acceptance, care and respect of the body, starting from within the family, then in schools and later in Church.

It should be in a process of listening, reasoning and proposing.

The document admits the opposing sides do agree on some points. Neither promote unjust discrimination in educational programs, and both desire “respect for every person,” and seeing “the values of femininity.”

The Vatican document doesn’t actually present new material, but rather restates what the Church stands for and laments changes within society.

It was signed Feb. 2 by the congregation’s prefect and secretary.

Brooklyn Diocese Educators Reach Career Milestones

Currents News Staff

Teachers in the Brooklyn Diocese got their own gold stars this past weekend as the diocese honored educators who have reached milestone anniversaries. More than 50 teachers were honored for their years of service.

Auxiliary Bishop James Massa handed out the awards and celebrated Mass with the teachers, who spoke about how teaching in a Catholic school helped to change their lives.

At the Puerto Rican Day Parade, Prayer Is Always the Priority

By Wandy Felicita Ortiz

Confetti, singing and signs of the cross were abundant at the 62nd annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade, held in New York City on Sunday, June 9.

While the clave of Salsa music pulsed through the air and down the the Fifth Avenue parade route, for a brief moment floats and marchers went silent as they passed St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Puerto Ricans lined the church stairs not just for one of the best parade viewing spots in Manhattan, but in remembrance of a Catholic faith that has seen them through political tension, social strife and even natural disasters.

Moments of reflection amidst celebration are not outside the norm for Puerto Ricans. According to the CIA’s World Fact Book, 85 percent of people on the island of Puerto Rico are Catholic. For over 100 years, mainland-born Puerto Ricans have been embracing the Catholic tradition as they celebrate their culture.

Parishioners from the Brooklyn Diocese braved the heat and the traffic, making their way to St. Patrick’s with faith fresh on their minds, just as their parents and grandparents once did in El Barrio over 60 years ago.

“I’m very proud, and it’s great, you know,” said Christina Santiago-Campbell from Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen Catholic Church in Carroll Gardens.

“Obviously, many of us are Catholic. It’s been wonderful. I’ve seen a lot of people do the sign of the cross as they pass the church. Keep an eye out because there’s always somebody doing the sign of the cross.”

Among the parade viewers at St. Patrick’s was Puerto Rican priest Father Eric Cruz, a Regional Director of Catholic Charities, which has continued to send relief groups from New York City to Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria caused devastation in 2017.

In addition to his work with Catholic Charities, Fr. Cruz also assisted in organizing the cathedral’s yearly Puerto Rican Day Parade Mass.

Standing at St. Partick’s entrance, flag in hand, he and other clergy members from the Archdiocese of New York waved and took photos with parade marchers.

Fr. Cruz knows the parade’s faith history well. From its origins in Spanish Harlem, the Catholic Church has never been a caveat of the parade, but rather a constant focal point of Puerto Rican pride.

“The National Puerto Rican Day Parade has always begun with a Mass to consecrate, to bless the whole week in memory of those who have come in the past. Those bridge builders between New York and the island, including many of our great-grandparents and parents and grandparents.”

Named the Misa Jibara in Spanish, the liturgy on June 2 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral harkened back to the historical roots of the parade.

“It begins with the cultural and religious expression of Catholicism, Christianity in God, the entire week and culminating with this parade,” Fr. Cruz said.

“That goes back to its very beginnings in the 50s in El Barrio. And even then, it began with the Mass from the local parish, and it just continued to grow.”

Fr. Cruz also said that as the island of Puerto Rico continues to heal after Hurricane Maria, Catholic Charities in the city of New York has continued its role in the rebuilding efforts.

“There have been joint missions to the island, joint planning with university officials from both Brooklyn, Queens in New York, CUNY, SUNY, you name it,” Fr. Cruz said. “There was a massive collaboration here looking towards the resurrection of the island.”

While there are hundreds of related events happening nationwide during the first week of June, New York City, which houses the largest population of Puerto Ricans outside the island of Puerto Rico, is known for having the first, largest and most diverse celebration of Puerto Rican heritage in the nation.

For Nerida Rodriguez, a parishioner at St. Fortunata Church in East New York, the celebration starts with her Catholic beliefs.

“Because that’s what it’s based on, it’s based on faith,” she said. “It’s based on faith, it’s based on union and on hope. And a lot of hard work. And it all starts with the basis of prayer.”

For Fr. Cruz, prayers for the future are centered on preserving the culture that makes the annual event what it is.

“The challenge is, when does it stop being significant to the history of Puerto Rico?” Fr. Cruz said. “Especially as generations grow older and have no direct experience with Puerto Rico,” he said, one concern is that “it’s just a party for party’s sake.”

“If it ever reaches that point, end it,” he said, “because that’s not what we’re about. This is about keeping alive who we are, our identity as Latino, Puerto Ricans, our histories and our faith traditions.”

For Rodriguez, preserving the culture can ultimately go beyond Puerto Ricans, as people of all backgrounds have contributed to rebuilding efforts post-Maria.

“It doesn’t matter what parish you’re from, what religion, what creed, nothing,” she said. “You just get together and do justly for the people that are suffering, to build them up again.”

After Ordination: Nigerian-born Priest Celebrates Mass and Culture with God’s People

By Tim Harfmann

Father JohnPaul Obiaeri is a perfect fit in the Brooklyn diocese, which is blessed with people of so many different cultures. Now that he’s serving God’s people, he’s relying on his roots. The Nigerian-born priest celebrated Mass Sunday, June 9 at Saint Clement Pope Church in Jamaica, Queens. It is a parish with a large Nigerian community.

“It’s very beautiful and when you look at the people, when you look at their faces, you see that glittering light from their faces,” said Father JohnPaul. “They enjoy hearing it from their own son in their own language.”

That language was Igbo.

Father JohnPaul used his native language at his first regular Sunday Mass since his ordination a week ago, June 1. He presided over the liturgy at the same church he attended after arriving in the diocese.

“I’ve been practicing to celebrate Mass in English, but never in Igbo. So, it was just coming out naturally because I was born with it, I grew up with that,” said Father JohnPaul.

After Mass, the festive celebration of Father JohnPaul’s priesthood continued with Nigerian music, dance and food. Parishioner Patricia Aghanwa wore a traditional headdress for the occasion.

“In our culture, we celebrate everything. We are very flamboyant people. We’re very celebratory. We honor our people, we celebrate with them,” said Aghanwa.

“The most interesting thing and very humbling experience is the way people call you ‘father.’ It’s amazing,” said Father JohnPaul. “People want to have your blessing. I know very well it’s not something I have. I’m not giving them what I have. I’m giving them what was given to me.”

While Father JohnPaul blessed God’s people, parishioners Aghanwa and Rita Anthony gave him their best wishes.

“For him to stay steady fast, be himself, stay prayerful, stay close to God and stay close to us,” said Anthony.

“We support him 100 percent, and we know that he is in the right place, serving God and serving His people,” said Aghanwa.

In a few weeks, Father JohnPaul will be serving at the Queens parish of Holy Child Jesus in Richmond Hill — his new permanent assignment.

Currents News for Friday, June 7, 2019

On the newscast: Joe Biden is flipping his stand on paying for abortions. He now favors the use of taxpayer dollars for the deadly procedure; A Queens man is facing federal charges over a plot to shoot up Times Square. The suspect has been under investigation for months; The latest move to stop migrants heading for the United States is nearing a deadline. New tariffs on Mexico are about to go into effect; U.S and Russian warships nearly collide at sea. Each navy is blaming the other for the confrontation.

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Biden Backs Out on Hyde Amendment Under Pressure from 2020 Rivals

Currents News Staff

The Hyde Amendment has been in place since 1976, and bars the use of federal funds for abortion procedures except in the case of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.

Joe Biden, the Catholic Democratic frontrunner for president, is doing a 180. He has pulled his support for the long-standing measure after backing it for decades, saying he changed his mind because of the highly restrictive abortion bans being passed in several states around the country.

“I can’t justify leaving millions of women without access to the care they need and the ability to constitute, exercise their constitutionally protected right,” he said.

“If I believe healthcare is a right as I do, I can no longer support an amendment that makes that right dependent on someone’s zip code.”

The about-face comes after intense pressure from other democratic rivals slamming Biden for his ongoing endorsement.

“The Vice-President is absolutely wrong on this one, this is going to deny necessary health care to lower income women and disproportionately to women who live in communities of color,’ said fellow Democratic Presidential Candidate Beto O’Rourke.

But anti-abortion activists and Church leaders are stressing that there is no constitutional right to abortion at taxpayer expense.

“For more than 40 years the federal Hyde Amendment has prevented federal taxpayer dollars from funding abortion,” the New York State Catholic Conference said in a statement.

“Americans do not want their tax dollars funding the destruction of unborn human life; the Hyde Amendment must be preserved,” the statement continued.

Biden said he does not apologize for his previous stance on the Hyde Amendment but that “circumstances have changed,” making access to abortions harder for women who can’t afford it.