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Stairs That Jesus Himself Walked Opening To The Public

Currents News Staff

For the first time in 300 years, pilgrims will be able to climb the Scala Santa or the Holy Staircase on the original marble that Jesus himself walked. This experience is only open for 60 days, from April 11 until Pentecost, when wood will be placed over the stairs yet again to preserve the soft marble.

Since summer 2018, the stairs have been closed with work ranging from the frescoes above to the last step of the marble stairs.

“It was necessary to restore the walnut wood that covered the 28 steps of the Holy Stairs. This walnut wood was put into place in 1723 by Pope Innocent XIII to protect the marble steps. The steps are very worn down by the faithful climbing them,” said Fr. Francesco Guerra, Rector of the Scala Sant

Millions upon millions have climbed these stairs, seeking indulgences for the soul.

“Pilgrims can get a plenary indulgence, which means remission for every stain of sin and every consequence of sin. The effort of this physical sacrifice allows us to feel concretely closer to Jesus’ pain, experiencing pain and fatigue, like He experienced,” said Guerra.

Additionally, Fr. Francesco insists this experience draws believers closer to Christ, through respect and devotion. Faith in tradition is also concretely marked along the way.

“One can see there are crosses in certain places to protect where, according to tradition, Jesus fell and there are drops of blood. If you look closely, near the cross the marble is conserved very well, while as nearby it is very worn out,” he said.

Tradition says these marble stairs were brought from Jerusalem by Emperor Constantine’s mother, St. Helena, once Christianity was the Roman Empire’s main religion.

The restoration of the entire sanctuary and the additional staircases located next to this one has taken six years. It should all be complete by summer 2020 to prepare for the millions more Christians who will make this pilgrimage in the future.

Organizers & Survivors Prepare for the Annual Hope and Healing Mass

By Emily Drooby

During a preparation meeting for the Brooklyn Dioceses annual Mass of Hope and Healing, Anthony Hughes took a moment to make an offering.

Back in the 1980’s early 1990’s, Hughes was abused by a priest, now he’s a member of the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Survivors Advisory Committee.

Hughes said, “One, we believe that there is a God and we believe that God comes first in our lives and we feel that prayer and a type of healing does come from God himself, and so I think it’s important that we keep turning to him for help.”

The committee is made up of survivors, secondary victims and professionals in the field of child protection. Together they plan the Diocese’s Mass of Hope and Healing. The liturgy is offered for survivors of abuse and everyone impacted by sexual abuse, like parents.

Hughes said, “I think what it does promote, there is healing, there is help.”

This is the fifth time the Mass is being held. Jasmine Salazar, the Vice Chancellor and Victim Assistance Coordinator for the Brooklyn Diocese explains it was born at the request of survivors and works as a supplement to the services already offered by the Diocese.

Salazar explained, “There was a need for something more. There was a need to let other survivors and victims’ know that the Church cares, the Church is here for you.”

The confidentiality of everyone in attendance will be respected.

From the readings, to the music, to the prayer card, everything at the Mass is chosen by survivors.

Salazar said, “They really take a lot of time into planning specific details to make this a very special experience that is sensitive to survivors and also speaks to survivors.”

The Mass of Hope and Healing is being held at St. Athanasius on April 30th at 7pm, it’s open to anyone who wants to attend.

Currents News for Tuesday, April 9, 2019

On the newscast: The “Heart of a Priest” in the Diocese of Brooklyn. Catholics are venerating the relic of Saint John Vianney, the patron of parish priests; A public health emergency in parts of Brooklyn. The move is made to clamp down on a major measles outbreak; Counseling for women seeking healing and forgiveness after going through the deadly experience of abortion; “Sister Strike” now has her own baseball card.

Today’s top news from the Catholic perspective anchored by Liz Faublas. Currents News airs Monday through Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET on NET-TV (netny.tv)

‘Heart of a Priest’ Tours Brooklyn Diocese

By Tim Harfmann

The incorrupt heart of a priest, Saint John Vianney, was on display for all to see. Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests. “It’s a grace that encourages us to continue, to listen to God’s word in our heart and do His will,” said Brooklyn Auxiliary Bishop Paul Sanchez, who celebrated Mass at Cathedral Prep School and Seminary in Elmhurst, Queens on April 9th. The school is where teenagers consider the possibility of becoming priests. “They’re pondering the question, ‘what is God asking me to do with my life?’ John Vianney asked that question and look at the great things He was able to do with him. God was able to take him and make him an icon of His love. That’s what we do here at Cathedral,” said Father Joseph Fonti, rector-president.

For students, being in a presence of the relic is a wonderful experience. “Seeing the relic here probably inspires a lot of us to consider the priesthood and learn more about our faith,” said Peter Cardenas, a Cathedral Prep freshman.

The 19th-century priest was born in France. Vianney was known for reading hearts and being a great confessor, often spending up to 18 hours a day in the confessional. The sacred relic is on a U.S. pilgrimage sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. “What better relic to bring around, especially at this time in the history of the Church, than to allow the priests to be able to speak heart to heart, and for the lay people to come and pray for their priests,” said Brian Chufield. He is one of the men who travels with Vianney’s heart.

The veneration was open to the public. Students from Incarnation Catholic Academy traveled from Queens Village. Other Catholics were also there to touch and pray before the icon. “I have had a great devotion to Saint Jean Vianney for many years. I’m overwhelmed to be here with his heart,” said Charles Scally. The 78-year-old and his wife, Barbara, traveled from Philadelphia.

It was an overwhelming response that St. Vianney will provide an increase in vocations and a renewal of the Church.

Worshippers have the chance to venerate the Vianney relic on April 10th. The ‘Heart of a Priest’ will be at Xaverian High School, Bay Ridge from 2:30pm-3:30pm and Saint Thomas Aquinas Church, Flatlands from 7pm-9:30pm.

Is A College Degree Worth The Stress That Comes With Getting It?

Currents News Staff

More and more students are getting stressed out, causing a mental health crisis among young people.

According to a new study by the CDC, in 2007 more than half a million young people between the ages of 5 and 18 went to the emergency room for suicidal thoughts or attempts.

Eight years later, in 2015, that number had doubled to more than million.

Joining us to talk more about how we stop kids from succumbing to the pressure is Bill McGarvey, a columnist for the Jesuit America Magazine.

Program Provides Spiritual Healing And Support For Women Who’ve Had An Abortion

By Emily Drooby

Back in the 1980’s, Pamela had an abortion. For over 20 years she held on to the pain she felt, hiding it from the rest of the world.

Pamela explained, “I suffered for many years, silently, in a culture that basically, really dissuades people from ever really speaking out about their abortion experience.”

But In 2011, she found a message in her local parish bulletin, asking, “Are you hurting from a past abortion?”

Pamela said, “It was that little blurb for Rachel’s Helpers in my parish bulletin that really changed my life.”

With the help of the support group, Pamela started healing.

She made clear that, “It was the first time I was really able to reveal all the pain I had been feeling for so long and exactly what had happened.”

Now, years later, Pamela helps run the group, along with several other women.

Pamela explained, “I feel that I am able by this to take something horrible that I did and turn it for good for other women.”

Rachel’s Helpers’ Forgiven and Set Free program uses scripture readings, writing exercises, and guided discussions to help women who have had an abortion, heal spiritually.

Julia, with the Queens pregnancy help center, The Bridge to Life, helps lead the discussions, working from the Bible and a Bible study book called Forgiven and Set Free.

Julia said, “That is our call to help them feel that they have been forgiven and set free.”

The group meets within the Diocese of Brooklyn once a week for eight weeks, the number that matches the chapters in the Bible study book. They have two sessions each year, in the fall and spring.

Pamela believes what she found in her parish bulletin was thanks to divine intervention.

Pamela said, “I haven’t seen it very often again so I do believe I know that was there for me and I know the Lord was showing me a way.”

Her hope is that with Rachel’s Helpers, other women in need will be able to follow the same path to healing that she did.

If you or someone you know would like more information about Rachel’s Helpers, call (347) 702-2352.

Measles Outbreak: Failure To Vaccinate Could Cost Big Bucks

Currents News Staff

New York’s measles outbreak is now a public health emergency in Brooklyn’s Orthodox Jewish community.

Mayor Bill de Blasio made that declaration this morning, ordering unvaccinated people living in certain Williamsburg zip codes to get vaccinated immediately.

The zip codes covered by the emergency order are 11205, 11206, 11221 and 11237.

“This outbreak has been spreading. There are almost 300 cases already; overwhelmingly in Brooklyn. The only way to stop this outbreak is to ensure that those who have not been vaccinated, get the vaccine,” said de Blasio.

Those who don’t comply face fines of up to one-thousand dollars.

O’Malley: Abortion Bills Will Have ‘Radical Consequences For Society’

(CNS) WASHINGTON, D.C. – As polarization on the issue of abortion continues to increase throughout the country, Massachusetts legislators in early April trotted out bills to expand abortion access throughout the state, in a similar manner to the Reproductive Health Act passed in New York.

In a statement released April 6, Boston Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley condemned the bills, calling them “threatening to human life and dignity” and urging “(opposition) even by those who support the Roe v. Wade decision.”

The Massachusetts Senate version, S.B. 1209 – whose twin in the House is H.B. 3320 – was filed by Democratic Sen. Harriette L. Chandler and allows abortion with no restrictions up to the 24th week of a pregnancy.

Additionally, it provides for abortions past this point given “the abortion is necessary to protect the patient’s life or physical or mental health, or in cases of lethal fetal anomalies, or where the fetus is incompatible with sustained life outside the uterus.”

In that regard, it also stipulates that “(m)edical judgment may be exercised in the light of all factors – physical, emotional, psychological, familial and the person’s age – relevant to the well-being of the patient” before a practitioner performs an abortion.

Legal professionals have pointed out that exceptions for “health” can be used to justify an abortion for almost any reason.

Americans United for Life’s chief legal officer, Steve Aden, told Catholic News Service recently in an interview about Georgia’s heartbeat bill that the word “health” invokes “the precedent in Doe v. Bolton,” the companion case to Roe v. Wade.

In that case, Aden noted, “health” is construed so broadly that it effectively “gives you abortion on demand.”

Notably, the Massachusetts bills require consent forms only from the woman who is seeking to have a procedure performed, which ostensibly precludes the possibility of parental consent before a minor’s abortion.

O’Malley remarked that he was not addressing “the proposed legislation from a religious perspective but as an issue of human rights, in this case the right to life” and that he “(does) not seek to impose the Catholic Church’s teachings on a diverse society.”

He then described the bills as ignoring vital moral dimensions of the abortion issue, and in that way blinding women and doctors to the true consequences of their actions.

“While the procedure has significant clinical dimensions, there is also a human reality that deserves more adequate recognition at any stage of development,” O’Malley said. “By depersonalizing the reality, the legislation dehumanizes the decision faced by women, their families and physicians.”

The Massachusetts House and Senate are both currently under Democratic control. The Senate version of the bill is being reviewed in the Joint Committee on Public Health.

Catholic Church To Develop Affordable NY Housing

Currents News Staff

The Catholic Church is dealing with New York City’s affordable housing crisis.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan and other Catholic leaders are working on new ways to transform church properties into living spaces for low income families.

“For us in the Church, this is a no-brainer. It’s a duty,” said Dolan.

At least six church properties are being converted into low-income and affordable housing within the Bronx and Manhattan.

The initiative will create nearly two-thousand units over the next decade. That doubles the two-thousand units developed over the last forty years.

Monsignor Kevin Sullivan heads Catholic Charities in the New York Archdiocese and he said “in this day in age, when housing is such a challenge, when affordability is such a challenge, that the church is doing this as an affirmation of our continued reaching out.”

At Saint Augustine Terrace, a third of the new units will be set aside for adults with mental illnesses, where they’ll receive services from Catholic Charities.

The city’s First Lady, Chirlane McCray, stressed the importance of treating mental illness saying, “for New Yorkers living with serious mental illness it means stability and the freedom that comes with living independently, surrounded by the support they need to stay healthy.”

Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens is also hard at work setting up affordable housing.

Since 1975, more than four-thousand units, with supportive services, have been developed through the “progress of peoples” corporation.

Anyone interested must apply in writing to:

CCPOP Management

191 Joralemon Street, 8th floor

Brooklyn, NY 11201

Currents News for Monday, April 8, 2019

On the newscast: The Catholic Church is tackling New York City’s affordable housing crisis. The latest on what’s being done; The crime was caught on camera. Now, police are hunting for two thieves who stole donations from a Queens church; The Church in Ireland today, in the wake of the Pope’s visit there not long ago; “Be Bold!” The direction given to hundreds, including a Vatican bishop, attending a major event in the Brooklyn Diocese.

Today’s top news from the Catholic perspective anchored by Liz Faublas. Currents News airs Monday through Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET on NET-TV (netny.tv)