As hate crimes against Jewish people surge in NYC following the Gaza conflict, self-defense classes are gaining traction. Discover how one class utilizes an Israeli system from the 1930s to empower participants.
In just a few days, Pope Francis will embark on a significant journey through Asia and Oceania to foster interreligious dialogue. National Correspondent for the Tablet and Crux John Lavenburg joins Currents News to discuss the pope’s travel plans to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, and Timor-Leste.
Watch retired flight attendant Paulie Veneto as he pushes an airline beverage cart from Boston to Ground Zero, paying tribute to the brave flight crews who lost their lives on 9/11.
As summer ends, visiting priests in the Diocese of Brooklyn prepare to return home. One priest shares his emotional farewell at St. Bernard of Clairvaux after a serene few weeks in Brooklyn.
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St. Clare Catholic Academy Teacher Goes Above and Beyond with Solar System Classroom Theme
By Jessica Easthope
A lot of teachers go above and beyond for their students.
In second grade at St. Clare Catholic Academy in Rosedale, Queens, Loren Whitley takes it to a new level.
“You’ll see there are different tables, I have a sun table, a moon table, the stars and the constellations,” Whitley said. “So they learn different parts of their universe and they understand how dynamic they are as individuals in the universe, but also how they have to be a part of something so much greater.”
From the outside looking in, her solar system themed classroom is a fun and colorful environment, but after a little space exploration, Whitley will tell you it serves a bigger purpose.
“I find that for visual learners, making sure that I have the resources that mirrors the work and content in their textbooks, it’s easier for them to recall their information,” Whitley said. “So the classroom decorations help inspire their inquisitive nature.”
As a veteran teacher she knows that where kids learn is just as important as how they learn, and that with an inviting and exciting classroom they’ll gravitate toward the material at hand.
“Children learn best when they’re happy and comfortable when they know, like, I’m going to be accepted in this room,” Whitley said.
Whitley connects everything to Christ.
“God is truly in everything we do,” Whitley said. “Science connects to the solar system, connects to matter, connects to Jesus’ divinity.”
As she helps her students find their place in the universe she’s already in her own.
Queens Bakery Brings Cookies Bearing Likeness of Pope Francis to Rikers Island Inmates
By Katie Vasquez
Since 1937, Laguli Pastry Shop in Astoria has been making Italian sweets.
“The traditional Italian cannolis, the sfordale,” said Maria Notaro, owner of Laguli Pastry Shop.
Notaro’s grandfather, Paolo Notaro, started the business after immigrating from Palermo, Sicily.
“It’s a sense of pride,” said Notaro. “It’s a sense of, you know, my grandfather built this. He was, you know, a pioneer back in the twenties when he came over.”
And for the past almost 100 years, his shop— and his faith—has been passed down through the generations.
In 2015, Notaro got the chance to combine the two together, creating this commemorative cookie for the Holy Father’s visit to the U.S.
“It’s a shortbread cookie,” Notaro said. “So eggs, flour, sugar, butter.”
Notaro is a parishioner of Immaculate Conception Church and continues to be inspired by the pope.
In May of this year, she watched in awe as the Holy Father visited Verona’s Montorio Prison, which has some of the highest suicide rates in Italy.
“I feel like these prisoners aren’t treated as humans at a certain point. And he just brought humanity back to them.”
The images moved her to spread the pope’s message of hope.
She teamed up with Father Zachariah Presutti, founder of Thrive for Life Prison Project, a non-profit that creates opportunities for spiritual development for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. The pair brought 100 Pope Francis cookies to Rikers Island, a special treat for the inmates after Mass.
“Baking for somebody is very human,” said Father Zachariah Presutti, founder of Thrive for Life Prison Project. “So it was a very dignified visit.”
The commemorative cookie—changing from novelty to a sweet memory for Notaro and the inmates.
“They were like, I don’t want to eat the Pope,” said Notaro.
One she hopes will motivate the men behind bars to move toward a better path.
“There’s definitely this much more to this life,” Notaro added. “It doesn’t end here.”
Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 8/28/2024
Teachers in the Diocese of Brooklyn are back in the classroom, preparing to welcome their students even before school officially begins. At St. Clare Catholic Academy in Rosedale, second-grade teacher Ms. Loren Whitley is busy creating a solar system-themed classroom for the new academic year.
Before the summer ends, why not enjoy one last hurrah? DeSales Media Group, the parent company of Currents News and The Tablet, is giving away four free tickets to next week’s Cyclones games! Just bring a copy of the ad from this week’s edition of The Tablet to claim yours.
Pope Francis is gearing up for a significant trip to Asia and Oceania. Starting Labor Day, the Holy Father will visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, and Timor-Leste over an 11-day journey.
The owner of Laguli Pastry Shop in Astoria, inspired by the Pope’s 2015 U.S. visit, created a commemorative cookie. Now, she’s bringing these cookies to Rikers Island to share the Pope’s message with the inmates.
ISIS Claims Responsibility for German Stabbing, Church Leaders Condemn Attack
In Germany, the night of August 23 ended in mourning. A 26-year-old man from Syria stabbed three people to death and injured eight others at a festival in the city of Solingen.
The attack was claimed by the Islamic State the next day, according to media linked to the terrorist group.
The perpetrator of the attack against a gathering of Christians in the city of Solingen is a soldier of the Islamic State. He acted to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere else.
The German Bishops’ Conference and the Evangelical Church were quick to condemn the “inhumane” attack in a joint statement.
As churches, we mourn with the families of the victims and pray for the wounded and the dead. Nothing can justify this unbridled violence. The attack in Solingen allows us to peer into an abyss of evil and our solidarity extends to all those who have to mourn the loss of human life.
Both thanked the police and the emergency services for their work. Their words were clear: “No one should feel alone in the face of cold-blooded murder.”
Diocese of Brooklyn Principals Begin School Year with Faith and Fellowship
By Jessica Easthope
It’s a day designed to welcome principals back, but Brooklyn’s Bishop Robert Brennan knows many never left.
“They started the school year on June 30. But once we’re into September, I’m all in and there’s this newness and an excitement that we all feel,” he said.
Bishop Brennan celebrated Mass for more than 60 principals of Catholic academies and schools across Brooklyn and Queens, Tuesday at the Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston. Their work, he says, is invaluable in the lives of the children they educate.
“Our elementary schools, our academies, they lay basic foundations. It’s true in the educational world but it’s also very true in the spiritual world,” Bishop Brennan said.
Faith-based education allows students to grow in a community, it also allows their educators to do the same. Debbie Hanna, principal of St. Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy in Flushing, Queens says this day is a much needed reset.
“Today is probably one of my favorite days. I have a lot of good things going on in my school, and then I have a lot of challenges so to sit there and know that I’m not alone, I’m not alone makes it a great day,” Hanna said.
With the closure of Salve Regina Catholic Academy at the end of last school year, Andy Estevez, principal of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy in Cypress Hills, Queens has 90 new students.
“We’re here in this particular time, in this particular place called by God to minister to his people, which are our children and our families, and to ourselves, to and our communities,” Estevez said.
As one school looks to accommodate an influx, another is praying for one.
“I want my seats to be filled. I want people to know what great things are done in Catholic schools, it’s not free, but it’s worth the buck,” said Hanna.
Superintendent of Diocese of Brooklyn schools, Deacon Kevin McCormack says his principals are focused on providing the best education but also on what matters most.
“The most important thing that we do is celebrate the gospel and bring it to our kids. But we have to nourish ourselves,” Deacon McCormack said. “Our principles did not rest, they’re there, they’re hustling, but now it’s a good time.”
School starts on Wednesday, September 4.
Holy Games Initiative Continues This Week During Paralympics After Summer Olympics Success
The Olympic Games may have ended, but the spiritual journey continues. The second phase of the initiative to support athletes and visitors with faith and prayer moves forward at the Paralympics.
Olympic chaplain Father Joseph Fitzgerald, a Long Island priest and past Olympian, joins Currents News to share insights on the success of the first phase and plans for the 2028 Olympics in L.A.
Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 8/27/2024
Diocese of Brooklyn principals are starting the year on the right foot. The group of 64 gathered Tuesday for Mass at the Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston and a meeting where they collaborated, shared resources, and discussed their successes and challenges in the year ahead.
The Olympic Games may have ended, but the spiritual journey continues. The Holy Games initiative’s second phase, to support athletes and visitors with faith and prayer, moves forward at the Paralympics. Olympic chaplain Father Joseph Fitzgerald, a Long Island priest and Olympian, joins Currents News to share insights on the success of the first phase and plans for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
A remarkable discovery shed new light on the Old Testament. A piece of 3,800-year-old dyed wool fiber was unearthed in the Cave of Skulls in Jordan. The scarlet dye, one of the most valuable mentioned up to 25 times in the Old Testament, offers fascinating insights into ancient practices.Diocese of Brooklyn Priests Celebrate ‘Man’s Blessed Friend’ on National Dog Day
By Jessica Easthope
Nine-year-old Havanese, Harry Chirichella is all bark and no bite, ever.
“He’s met thousands of people, I’ve never seen him lose his temper. I’ve never seen him snap at anybody, “ said Harry’s owner Father Vincent Chirichella, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Astoria, Queens.
Even through all the white fur, Father Vincent says you can see his thoughts and Harry can see yours.
“I counsel people in my office, and he just will go over sometimes he puts his paws around their leg and, kind of puts his head against their leg. People just instinctively, comforted by dogs because of their ability to give unconditional love,” he said.
Harry has enriched Fr. Vincent’s ministry and the lives of his parishioners. As a certified emotional service animal, he brings an official sense of calm wherever he goes.
“It facilitates an opportunity for, a conversation with them, getting to know them, getting to know their story, getting to know their needs. It’s evangelization. And he’s definitely part of it,” said Fr. Vincent.
Over in Jackson Heights, Father Rick Beuther, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church has an evangelization tool of his own – an eight-year-old Lab named Thomas.
“Parishioners really love Thomas. When you’re contacting people for the first time and he’s always there, he brings the temperature down for people,” said Fr. Rick.
Father Rick and Thomas routinely make visits to parishioners and take walks through the neighborhood.
“Visiting the sick, those who are alone, I always give them a call and say, hey, could I bring a friend,” he said.
For Fr. Rick, there are moments that he’ll never forget, when Thomas showed his heart.
“Just last week, I had a woman, coming in talking to me about the death of her mom. And all of a sudden, he got up and laid on her feet, I said he’s feeling your pain,” Fr. Rick said.
When it comes to these canine companions, their loyalty is limitless.
“Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, he says in one of his, sermons ‘love me, love my dog,’” said Fr. Rick.
“They really make a priest more human,” said Fr. Vincent. “Because sometimes people forget that we are human.”
Sometimes it takes the love of a dog to be a reminder that priests are people too.
Catholic News Headlines for Monday 8/26/2024
A visiting priest at St. Catherine of Genoa Church in Brooklyn is praised for quickly detecting smoke and preventing a fire from spreading.
The NYPD arrested a Queens man for allegedly stealing valuable sports memorabilia from Rick Pitino’s office at St. John’s University.
A historic Olympic bronze bell will ring at Notre Dame Cathedral when it reopens this December.
National Dog Day highlights how dogs bring joy and comfort, even in ministry across the Diocese of Brooklyn!