Day One Of Pope’s Visit To Romania Marked By Many Firsts

By Emily Drooby

Pope Francis is visiting Romania, three decades after the nation was liberated from communist rule.

The regime, as well as poverty, had forced many to leave the country. The Holy Father had them in mind when speaking to Romania’s civic leaders.

“I think of all the brothers and sisters who are abroad,” he said in his address.

“It is an act of patriotism, an act of brotherhood. it is an act of justice, continue to do so.”

Besides meeting the first couple of Romania, Pope Francis was also greeted by the top clergy of Romania’s Orthodox Church and the country’s Catholic bishops.

The first person Pope Francis spoke with: a young man in a wheelchair.

The Holy Father applauded the Romania of today and its establishment of democracy, adding that for Romania to move forward it must be unified, especially spiritually.

“It is necessary to walk together. It requires developing not just material conditions, but the very soul of your people,” he said.

Pope Francis also spoke on the importance of building an inclusive society, insisting that caring for the poor is how the nation’s success will be measured.

“We need to help one another, to not give in to the seductions of a ‘culture of hate’ and individualism that – perhaps no longer ideological as in the time of the atheist persecution – is nonetheless more persuasive and no less materialist.”

Forging Christian unity was an important part of Pope Francis’ mission, as he also spent time at the headquarters of the Orthodox Church, Romania’s main religion.

The journey’s motto has been ‘let’s walk together.’

The Holy Father also recited the Our Father prayer while at the Orthodox cathedral. He made history by reciting the prayer in Latin, the first time it had ever been done at the cathedral.

The big close to day one was Mass at the Catholic Cathedral of St. Joseph in Bucharest. It was the first celebration of the liturgy there by a pope since Saint John Paul II in 1999.

The Road To Priesthood In The Brooklyn Diocese: Edwin Ortiz’s Story

By Katie Engesser

Tomorrow Deacon Edwin Ortiz is going to be ordained a priest, but when parishioners of St. Fidelis Church in College Point, Queens ask him if he is excited or nervous about ordination, he has a different answer.

“It feels surreal,” he said, “because it’s been such a long journey to get here. I think it’s more shock and awe.”

Deacon Edwin’s faith-filled journey began at home. His parents are immigrants from El Salvador who escaped a civil war in hopes of creating a better life for his five siblings.

“The army over there was trying to get my brothers to fight in the war, and so that’s when my dad just grabbed them and left,” said Deacon Edwin.

The baby of the family, Edwin was the first child born in the United States. The church ending up becoming a big part of his family.

“I really got more involved just because I felt bad that no one was there to help during Mass. The priests in our lives have been so good to us, it was just easy to return the favor,” he said.

Still, Deacon Edwin never really had a thought about priesthood until high school, when a priest at his parish asked him if he had ever considered the priesthood.

“I said ‘no,’ my friend said ‘yes.’”

So Deacon Edwin went, for moral support, to a seminary open house with his friend.

Sitting in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, he felt God.

“It was a moment of comfort…it was a moment like, almost like I was being embraced,” he recalled. For Deacon Edwin, the seminary felt like home, so he began studying for the priesthood.

But in his last year in the minor seminary, Deacon Edwin had an accident.

“I was playing basketball one night with some friends, and I ended up collapsing.”

He found out he had what was called an arrhythmia, or an irregular heartbeat that needed medical attention.

His last semesters of seminary ended up being spent between studies and the hospital.

The added stress made Deacon Edwin decide to take a year off, but then something unexpected happened.

“That one year became nine years, because I got into a serious relationship,” he said. That’s right, Deacon Edwin got a girlfriend.

And so, with the option of the priesthood out, he decided to try nursing school. The problem was nursing school was expensive.

“So I ended up seeing a commercial for the Navy, that they would pay for school. So I said ‘let’s go for it.’” Deacon Edwin was accepted, and was stationed on a ship going to Japan.

Not wanting a long distance relationship, he and his girlfriend broke up.

While in service, Edwin was constantly traveling, offering medical help to people in need. Though he enjoyed the work, there was something missing.

He hadn’t gone to Mass in years.

So one night, alone on the flight deck of his ship, Deacon Edwin prayed to God and reflected on his life.

He found himself considering the priesthood again, but he was confused. So at his next assignment in Washington D.C., while heading to the Mass ahead of the March for Life, he asked God for a sign.

And he got it from Cardinal Sean O’Malley who was giving a homily about the wedding feast at Cana.

“He focused on Mary,” Deacon Edwin recalled, “and he repeated her words: ‘do whatever he tells you.;”

So he did what God was telling him to do, and re-entered the seminary.

Now, as Deacon Edwin prepares for the priesthood, he is looking to the priests of the Brooklyn Diocese as a guide.

“The amount of priests that have helped me grow closer to God, I can never really repay them for that. I only hope that I am able to do the same for others.”

One Year As A Priest: ‘It Is The Greatest Gift Of God’

Currents News Staff

Four men are about to yes to God and are vowing to serve the people of the Brooklyn Diocese as priests.

Father Alessandro Linardi became a priest one year ago and now ministers at St. Athanasius church in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.

He joins us to talk about his first year as a priest.

Pope Francis Arrives In Bucharest To Begin Three-Day Visit In Romania

Currents News Staff

The Pope’s plane landed at the Bucharest airport 10 minutes before the scheduled time. A sea of Romanian flags awaited him there, with hundreds of pilgrims waving.

Getting off the plane, the Pope slipped a bit. Thankfully, it was only a scare.

President Klaus Iohannis, accompanied by his wife Carmen Lăzurcă, was waiting for him at the foot of the stairs.

He was also received by a representative of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The Pope greeted him with special attention and kissed his medal.

Pope Francis also encountered the country’s Catholic bishops. Yet, a sick child was the first citizen the Pope stopped with before beginning this three-day trip.

The Pope’s visit has aroused a curiosity in the country. Along the road, the people even got out of their cars to see the Pope up close.

New California Proposal Would Require Priests To Violate Seal Of Confession

Currents News Staff

The California Senate recently passed a law that would require priests to violate the seal of confession, which mandates that topics discussed in the confessional remain between clergy and parishioners.

The attack on the sacrament is the latest of several actions by lawmakers around the world that would undermine the seal of confession and threaten religious freedom.

National correspondent for The Tablet and Crux, Christopher White, joins us now to discuss the disturbing trend.

Trent Shelton

Craig Syracusa gets the chance to talk with Trent Shelton a former NFL player turned motivational speaker and author of the new book “The Greatest You: Face Reality, Release Negativity and Live Your Purpose”. Trent is a former NFL wide receiver, who played for the Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks, and Washington Reskins, and throughout his career people would always say that one day he would speak to the world and have the opportunity to inspire them with his words. He decided to test that theory and now he reaches over 50 million people a week. He talks with Craig about the path his life took and the struggles he has faced in his life. Trent also talks about he works to help everyone he meets live a more purposeful life.

Currents News for Thursday, May 30, 2019

On the newscast: A Catholic tragedy in Mexico when a bus carrying pilgrims home from Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica crashes and bursts into flames. Many people are dead; A threat against the Sacrament of Confession. Lawmakers in California are trying to break the sacred seal; Catholic students in Brooklyn form a human rosary in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary; A high school graduate celebrates with her father even though they are apart.

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.

Saint Athanasius Catholic Academy Forms Human Rosary To Honor Blessed Mother Mary

By Tim Harfmann

Bead by bead, or in this case balloon by balloon, students prayed the rosary at Saint Athanasius Catholic Academy in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.

The month of May is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

To honor her, students formed a human rosary in the schoolyard, holding balloons and rosary beads, hands folded around them in prayer as they recited the decades.

“This is a tool for these young kids to learn devotion to Mary and the rosary,” said Monsignor David Cassato, pastor of Saint Athanasius.

He believes that teaching children the rosary at a young age creates a strong relationship between them and the Mother of God.

“When you need a little break from what’s going, hold onto the rosary and pray the rosary,” he added.

“I feel like it’s really important,” said third grader Anya Lerner, “because since we’re in a Catholic school, that’s probably the key to what to do: to pray.”

“She’s a mother to everyone because she was the Mother of God, our Savior and our Lord; and she’s just a very important part of my life,” said Jezebel Minchala, a fifth grader at the Brooklyn Catholic academy, who sees Mary as her role model.

From Spanish to Italian, Arabic to Albanian, students prayed in 10 different languages.

Eighth grader Annalisa Conte led the Italian recitation.

“Not everyone speaks the same language,” she said, “and everyone gets the opportunity to pray.”

“She inspires me a lot by doing good things and respecting one another,” said Lerner.

After praying, students let the inflatable rosary soar into the cloudy sky, symbolizing their prayers rising into heaven.

Catholic Church In Mexico Mourns Parishioners Killed In Bus Crash

By Emily Drooby

The Archbishop of Tuxtla, Mexico has confirmed that of a group of his parishioners caught in a bus crash, 19 people are dead.

The pilgrims were visiting the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City when their bus got caught in a multi-vehicle collision. Another 31 people were injured, including a priest.

The number of lives lost could still go up with many parishioners still in the hospital, and at least four in critical condition.

“This is like losing a child, various children” said Tuxtla Archbishop Fabio Martinez Castilla.

“No one expects anything bad to happen when you leave home. We always expect to return safely. This has made us feel more human.”

There were people of all ages on the bus, including young kids and teenagers from the parish of Saints Peter and Paul.

The bus collided with a tractor-trailer, flipped over and burst into flames on the highway near the city of Maltrata. There were about 60 people on board.

The destroyed bus was one of two on the pilgrimage. The other made it home safely.

Few names of the victims have been released. The bodies were badly mangled in the accident and I.D. cards were destroyed, so authorities have only identified four of the deceased.

“We need to help these families to find peace so that they may bury their loved ones and assist those who are hurt,” said Archbishop Castilla.

The Archdiocese and the faithful are now focusing on honoring those they lost and providing them with a Catholic burial.

Graduate Celebrates By Hugging Her Father At The Border

Currents News Staff

Last week, Texas student Sarai Ruiz celebrated her accomplishment of graduating from Hector Garcia Early College High School, but someone was missing from the crowd.

“My whole life I had thought that my whole family was going to be there,” she said, “unfortunately my dad couldn’t be there because he can’t cross.”

He was unable to cross the border into the U.S. from Mexico to attend the ceremony. Even though he couldn’t be there in person, now Ruiz’s dedication to her father has gone viral.

“When I was about four years old, my dad was deported. It was just me and my mom in my hometown of Sheboygan, Wisconsin,” she recalled.

Wanting to be closer to her father, Ruiz and her mother moved to Laredo, Texas, and later found a difficult but effective way to be together once again.

“It’s hard to wake up early, like at five a.m. just so you can cross and go to school, and then cross back in the afternoon,” said Ruiz. Her diploma is now the result of her hard work and dedication.

“Right after I graduated, I decided to see my dad at the bridge.”

The embrace was captured by her cousin because Ruiz wanted to share it with loved ones.

“I wanted my whole other family to see it, and some of my friends to also see it as well.”

Ruiz had no idea the video would go viral like it did. Their video on Facebook has now been shared 24 thousand times, and reached more than 2.3 million views.

Some have even reached out to her with similar experiences.

“People started sending me messages that they were proud that I didn’t forget where I came from, and that they were going through the same situation.”

Hector Garcia Early College High School Principal Jose Eduardo Iznaola believes Ruiz’s success is due to her perseverance.

“It’s a story of resilience, of grit, of thinking that nothing is impossible,” he said.

Besides a big hug on the bridge, her father shared something more with her that night, the love of a father and daughter, that knows no borders.

“He said that nobody could ever separate us, that only God could separate us,” said Ruiz of the special moment with father, “that will forever be engraved in my mind.”