Archives

After Ordination: Father Michael Falce’s First Days as a New Priest

By Tim Harfmann

For Father Michael Falce, the feeling of being newly ordained to the priesthood is setting in.

“Wow, all these years of, ‘I want to be a priest! I want to be a priest!’ Well, now I’m a priest, so I’m ready to get to work,” he said.

And he went straight to work — hearing confessions just hours after being ordained by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio last Saturday, June 1.

“I was very nervous about the first time sitting there, I’ll be very honest,” he recalled.

“But after the first couple of people it became, wow, a wonderful experience. And I sat there saying to myself, ‘I have a very long road ahead of me.’”

On the long journey, the focus of his priesthood is celebrating the Eucharist.

Father Falce celebrated his first Mass on Sunday, June 2 at his home parish of Saint Pancras in Glendale, Queens.

“You could really see the joy of many parishioners who, for so many years every time they saw me when I would come home, the question would be, ‘how many more years? how many more years?’” as they waited for him to be ordained to the priesthood.

Now, that question is finally answered.

On June 4, he visited Saint Mel’s Church in Flushing and celebrated Mass for the Catholic academy’s seventh graders.

Students took time to ask the new priest questions.

“What’s it like being a priest?” asked one.

“These first three days have been wonderful,” he said.

Father Gerard Sauer concelebrated at the Mass. He is St. Mel’s current pastor.

But in a few weeks, Father Sauer will become the pastor of Saint Patrick’s Church in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn — where Father Falce has been assigned.

Father Sauer recalled the advice he received from his first pastor after being ordained in 2001.

“‘For every single day you’re a priest, you meet somebody else,’ and he goes, ‘the more you’re a priest, the more people are going to meet you, and want you, and need you.’

Father Sauer bestowed his own advice on his brother priest.

“Enjoy every bit of it, take it slow, and continue to serve the Lord,” he said.

Father Falce plans on doing just that, as soon as reality completely sets in.

“I have to keep saying to myself, ‘I am a priest,’” Father Falce admitted.

 

 

New Yorkers Take to Albany in Fight for Tenant Rights

By Tamara Laine

Hundreds of social justice crusaders stormed the capital in an act of civil disobedience to fight for tenant rights. The protest was a last ditch effort to demand action on pending legislation that would strengthen protections for tenants.

One by one, they were carted away by police.

A peaceful act of civil disobedience at times turned chaotic, as protesters tried to block off major sections of the Capitol building hoping to be heard.

“People deserve to have a roof over their heads,” said Charlie Dulik, a Catholic organizer from Churches United For Fair Housing.

“There’s a million quotes in the Bible to that affect. There’s a million teachings that all of us have had in church over the years about providing for people, especially those who are most vulnerable.”

The reforms are a package of nine bills that have been proposed for renters rights, which would strengthen protections for the nearly one million rent-stabilized tenants living in New York City, as well as renters across the State.

“My own sort of fear and frustration with the housing system, coupled with seeing people on all sides of me suffering, really radicalized me in housing. That’s what brought me here,” said Peter Harrison of the Democratic Socialists of America.

This is an issue personal to many residents in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, many of whom pay more than 30 percent of their income on rent.

In a statement, State Senator Julia Salazar who introduced one of the bills and represents parts of Brooklyn said, “It’s important that New Yorkers understand that this crisis is entirely man-made. The landlord lobby has used its political power and campaign cash to write our housing laws for their own benefit.”

However, some pro-landlord organizations who have not yet returned Current New’s request for comment, have argued that reforms will put working-class landlords and contractors in a financial pinch.

State Senator Zellnor Myrie argued that now is the time to fight back.

“Too many bad landlords have gotten away with charging sky-high rents and making record profits while their buildings fall apart and their tenants struggle to feed their families,” he said.

“This is not just a housing crisis, but a moral crisis.”

They vow that this not the end of the fight.

Current regulations are scheduled to sunset on June 15, as this is an ongoing issue that continues to affect many living in Brooklyn and Queens.

Currents News will continue to cover this story as it develops this month.

Missouri Courts to Decide Fate of State’s Last Abortion Clinic

Currents News Staff

The future of Missouri’s last abortion clinic remains uncertain.

A judge heard arguments on June 4 before deciding the fate of the state’s one and only clinic.

A dispute between the state and Planned Parenthood began in March, when officials refused to renew the clinic’s license.

“There are a number of serious health concerns that still exist at the Planned Parenthood in St. Louis,” said Missouri Republican Senator Mike Parson.

“Every step should be taken to ensure that all laws are followed for safety and well-being of women’s healthcare.”

Last week a judge ruled to temporarily keep the clinic open and operating, citing “immediate and irreparable injury” if it were to shut down.

If the clinic closes, Missouri would become the first state in the U.S. with no abortion clinics or services since the passing of Roe v. Wade.

The case in Missouri is just one in a number of state-wide battles that carry national implications.

“A state with no access to abortion is obviously devastating,” said Dr. Colleen McNicholas from the Planned Parenthood of St. Louis.

She said that as the sole abortion clinic they see about 3,000 Missourians for abortion services a year, and that closing the clinic could have dangerous effects for women.

“It’s really devastating when you think about the impact on their own individual health and the health of their families,” she added.

Missouri has some of the strictest abortion laws in the country, banning abortion at 8 weeks of pregnancy.

40 Years Since St. Pope John Paul II’s Historic Visit To Poland

Currents News Staff

It is 40 years since St. Pope John Paul II first visited Poland from June 2-10 in 1979.

It was a historic moment, as at the time the country was ruled by the oppressive regime of the Soviet Union.

The Polish Ambassador to the Holy See, Janusz Kotański, fondly remembered St. Pope John Paul II’s visit to Poland.

He recalled the hope this pope brought to the many people who despairingly believed the Soviet Union would last forever.

“Right in the middle of Warsaw there were around a million Poles,” Kotański said.

“We were listening with tears in our eyes to the words of this Polish pope. He treated us seriously. He was telling us, ‘you must do this and that. You mustn’t be afraid. You are Catholics. You are Poles. You are are young. The future belongs to you.’”

He noted how St. Pope John Paul II’s visit helped bring about peaceful change and ultimately, the collapse of communism.

This is because soon after his visit, millions of Polish people formed the Solidarity trade union.  

“The Communist party was always saying, ‘Yes we are here for you! We are for the workers! For the poor people!,’” Kotański said. “However, these people were now saying ‘no.’ It was a kind of revolution that was absolutely peaceful, absolutely peaceful.”

The people were praying the rosaries and on the gate of the Gdansk shipyard, there was a great portrait of John Paul II,” he recalled.

“I know it was also of course the weakness of the Soviet economy, Ronald Reagan’s very good and strong policies. However, who started it? Who did it? St. John Paul II, Karol Wojtyła and the millions of Poles who were not afraid.”

One of the reasons St. Pope John Paul II wanted to visit Poland was to mark the Millennium of the baptism of Poland. In 1966 the Communists had not permitted Pope Paul VI to visit to celebrate this important occasion for Catholicism in Poland.

According to the Polish Ambassador, the Soviet government warned St. Pope John Paul II not to visit, and afterward sought ways to destroy solidarity among the Polish people.

“The first secretary of the Soviet communist party, Leonid Brezhnev, had said to Gierek, first secretary of the Polish Communist party, before John Paul II’s visit, ‘Oh we know Wojtyła is a wise man,’” Kotański said.

“‘Tell him he must announce he is sick. It would be better for him not to come to Poland.’ They tried during the martial law. Jaruzelski was trying to destroy our solidarity, our liberty, but he couldn’t. It was impossible.”

Kotański also said it is important that people do not to forget St. Pope John Paul II, who strongly stood against the violation of human rights and life.

The 30th Anniversary Of The Tiananmen Square Massacre

Currents News Staff

Thirty years later, it’s an event most remembered by the lasting images it produced. Tiananmen Square packed for weeks with demonstrators calling for a more democratic government, and on surrounding streets, the subsequent chaos and violence.

The fires, the tanks, the gunshots – hundreds if not thousands were killed as the government sent in troops to shut down the protests. An official death toll was never released.
For those who were there on June 4, 1989, the memories remain fresh.

Every now and then, several men get together in Beijing. They all protested in Tiananmen and spent about 15 years in prison because of it. It’s come to define the remainder of their lives.

“Average people in China only have a very basic awareness of what happened. People have already forgotten it,” said Dong Shengkun, who protested in Tiananmen Square.

School children are not taught about it. It’s not mentioned in their textbooks. There are no memorials to remember those who died. On Chinese internet, anything about the pro-democracy protests is censored.

For all the witnesses and all the horrific pictures, China’s government pretends a seminal event of the 20th century didn’t exist.

Asked last week about the military’s role in the event, a defense ministry spokesman would only say “our stability and achievements have already addressed your question.”

Once they mention it, it’s very possible that the legitimacy of their regime will be threatened.

Fang Zheng protested in the square and lost his legs after being run over by a tank. He says China’s ruling communist party wants to stay in power more than anything else, and talking about what happened could undermine the Chinese public’s confidence in party leaders. Erasing a government atrocity from history is in its interest.

“And in the recent years under the rule of president Xi Jinping, the political situation has become harsher,” said Zheng.

Zheng and other critics say not talking about what happened in Tiananmen is right in line with the increased repression in China recently.

Hundreds of human rights lawyers arrested. Extrajudicial imprisonment of dissidents. Increased censorship of the media and the internet. The mass detention of ethnic Muslim minorities. China denies all of that, but they are all things designed to exert control and quash dissent. Done by a government, critics say, whose biggest fear is a repeat of what happened in 1989.

Many in the west thought China would democratize after what happened in Tiananmen square. It didn’t.

Perhaps the most well-known scene from the events of 30 years ago is a man, alone, walking in front of a column of military tanks, trying to stop their advance. He’s paid homage right now at an exhibit in Taiwan.

Currents News for Monday, June 3, 2019

On the newscast: The March for Life in Albany. We are there as the fight for the unborn is brought to the doorstep of the politicians; A big day in the Brooklyn Diocese as Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio ordains new priests for the Church; And the Bishop is honored by the John Paul II Foundation. We’ll explain why; An Irish Archbishop is telling parents what they should not buy for their kids’ First Holy Communion.

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.

In Romania Pope Francis Promotes Unity and Forgiveness

By Tim Harfmann

The Holy Father hit on several big themes during his three days in Romania. At the top of the list, unity among the country’s people and leaders.

“It is necessary to walk together,” said Francis.

The Pope also called for unity among Christians, pointing out that Romania’s Orthodox faithful and Catholics died together during the Soviet persecution.

“That which they suffered, to the point of sacrificing their lives, is too precious an inheritance to be disregarded or tarnished,” he said.

The Pope beatified seven Catholic bishops who died for the faith during Romania’s communist rule. Francis said the martyrs loved the Church.

“The new blesseds suffered and gave their lives to oppose an ideological system that oppressed the fundamental rights of the human person,” he said.

Another big theme from Francis was hope for Romania’s Catholics. They only account for about seven percent of the population.

Addressing Catholic families and young people in front of an image of Our Lady, Francis asked them to be sources of inspiration.

“Where there is noise, let us try to listen. Where there is confusion, let us inspire harmony. Where everything is uncertain and ambiguous, let us bring clarity. Where there is exclusion, let us offer solidarity,” he said.

Francis echoed that message of solidarity while seeking forgiveness from the Roma community, the country’s most marginalized and discriminated people.

He listened to one Roma family and assured that there is room for them in the Church.

“If it were not like that, it would not be the Church of Christ,” he added.

The Holy Father also apologized to the Roma people for the persecution they have faced throughout history.

“I would like to ask your forgiveness for this. I ask forgiveness, in the name of the Church and of the Lord, and I ask forgiveness from you,” he said.

New Yorkers March On Albany For The Right To Life

By Emily Drooby

Jack Thimons is only nine years old, but he’s already standing up for the lives of the unborn through his website Convert Cuomo, inspired by the governor’s push for the so-called Reproductive Health Act.

Jack is Catholic, and the site he built with his father asks for prayers.

“Governor Cuomo passed a really bad law,” Jack said. “I got really frustrated and I really wanted to do something about it.”

“Building the site and seeing what has come of it already, it’s just incredible to see how many people have sacrificed and prayed for conversion of Governor Cuomo,” Jack’s father Thomas Thimons said of the website.

“I think it’s just going to continue.”

Jack, Thomas and the rest of their family attended the New York March for Life in Albany, where pro-life activists marched in the capital and sent a strong message to the state’s politicians.

People descended on Albany from all over the state, including Denise Collins who came all the way from the Immaculate Heart of Mary church in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

“One person makes a big difference, and I wanted to be part of the crowd, part of the count,” she said.

“Especially in New York State, it’s important to show up and to stand up to legislation that is antithetical to the pro-life mission, antithetical to our own humanitarian values, that life has value, and the R.H.A. is definitely in direct violation of that,” said Kate Maloney, a member of the organization ‘Students for Life.’

Richard Barnes of the New York State Catholic Conference explained that events like the march help remind politicians that they represent people who are pro-life.   

“Sometimes they take a vote and they walk away from an issue,” he said.

“We want them to understand that people in their communities are very concerned about this issue, and their people are going to continue to talk.”