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Brooklyn & Queens Catholic Youth Day ‘Ignites’ Faith

By Tim Harfmann

For seventh grader Grace Carlin, attending the 2019 Brooklyn and Queens Catholic Youth Day was an eye-opening experience. “It’s incredible because you don’t really know how much God has impacted anybody until you really see it,” said Carlin, who attends Saint Francis de Sales Catholic Academy in Belle Harbor, Queens.

Carlin joined nearly 1,200 other young people for the diocese’s special rally in Brooklyn’s Windsor Terrance neighborhood. Their theme was ‘Ignite.’

“The fire begins with one match and spreads. I think that is what’s going to happen with these young men and women from the diocese. They’re going to ignite each other in the fire of the spirit,” said Brooklyn Auxiliary Bishop Octavio Cisneros.

The bishop celebrated Mass for the young women and men, who also had the opportunity to go to confession and adore the Blessed Sacrament. “If you come as a Church, He has to be the center of it all. It is Jesus that will ignite our hearts, our lives,” said Bishop Cisneros.

For Tiffany Chyke-Okpuzor, a Queens high school senior, all of the day’s activities, including live music and motivational speakers, moved her spirit. “I feel that music is a way for everyone to just get up and have fun. So, with music that praises God, it can make other young people understand that Church is not boring. It can actually be lively and fun and interesting,” said Chyke-Okpuzor.

Paul Morisi, director of youth and young adult formation in the Brooklyn diocese, helped rally the young people on Saturday, March 29th; “Usually we get some young people who start off kind of sluggish on a Saturday morning, but once they hear the music, see there’s a bishop here with them, and there’s some praise and worship opportunities; by the end of the day, they’re really excited. So, it’s a wonderful opportunity to see that transformation in young people.”

Chyke-Okpuzor judged the youth day to be a big success, and she’s ready to ignite the faith when she’s back at her Saint Clare parish in Rosedale, Queens. “It inspires me to continue helping others and to continue bringing other people to be able to experience the same experience I had at these youth days,” said Chyke-Okpuzor.

Currents News for Friday, March 29, 2019

On the newscast: The Pope takes new action to protect minors; We’ll have all the details on what the Holy Father is doing. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio will be here to talk about mobilizing the Brooklyn Diocese in support of the unborn; He’s pledging support for the international 40 Days for Life campaign. The battle is still raging over the Mueller Report; It’s President Trump versus congressional Democrats. One Queens Catholic school is taking is taking their arts and music program to a whole other level; Emily Drooby has the story.

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)

Catholic School’s Popular Music Program Gets Big Boost

By Emily Drooby

Emmy Liu-Wang plays the cello, the piano, and she sings.

The 12-year-old is musically gifted and her talent has grown while attending St. Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy in Flushing Queens.

Emmy said, “It’s just what I love to do and I’m just so happy that I get to do it in school here.”

The Catholic school has a strong music program. Emmy’s mom Clare Liu, who’s a cellist, is one of the school’s music teachers.

Mom and Emmy feel the 12-year-olds musical and performing talents have grown since transferring to the catholic school. Her faith, has also grown, the school inspired Emmy to become Catholic.

The 7th grader explained, “Once I came here, my second-grade teacher, she taught me all about it and I completely fell in love and I wanted to get baptized in third grade.”

Her mother added, “She begged me she said, ‘mommy I want to be baptized’ and I said ‘okay of course, I 100% support you.’ She was so happy.”

While in school at St. Andrew Avellino, Emmy learns about her religion, and the instruments she loves, something she did not do at her public school.

Emmy said, “I mean, I liked my old school but it didn’t really have to much of an opportunity for me to perform and do all the stuff I love to do. This school, I feel, almost like I am performing every day, it’s amazing.”

The school offers all types of programs from chorus to band to percussion to strings and even piano. Teaching kids of all ages to love music.

Now, the school will be able to inspire and teach even more students. A 100,000 dollar grant from the Diocese of Brooklyn will go into the arts and music programs at the school.

Kimberly Larkin, who started the programs and is the music director, said this grant will put instruments in the hands of more students which has always been her goal.

Larkin said, “I wanted the kids to always be making music, because I think it’s easy with limited resources to fall into that the class becomes academic and the students do learn the music notes or they learn songs, but I just really wanted it to be hands on so the students were making music.”

The school has already received half of the funding and is making immediate improvements.

Pope’s New Vatican Law Punishes Vatican Employees For Not Denouncing Abuse

Currents News Staff

The new Vatican laws extend to all Holy See and nunciature employees, with fines up to 5,000 euros, and jail time of up to six months.

After the February Summit on Sexual abuse, Pope Francis has taken action, creating new laws in Vatican City State demanding that sexual abuse claims be immediately reported.

For the first time, Vatican law enforces not reporting alleged sexual crimes with fines up to 5,000 euros, and jail time of up to six months. The only exception to this is if it was heard in confession under the sacramental seal.

The Vatican’s new three-text legislation applies only to the Vatican City-State and its youth seminary, but stand as an example for bishops worldwide on how to implement rules to protect minors and vulnerable persons from sexual abuse.

“It’s a matter of changing the attitude, and this is much more difficult than changing a law and thinking that it is the solution. It’s necessary to have an invested and proactive will to put the spirit of the law into practice.” said Hans Zollner, President, Center for Child Protection, Pont. Gregorian University.

The first text is the new law. It legally equates minors with vulnerable adults, providing thefirst-ever Vatican-defined definition for “vulnerable person.”

The new laws also updates the statute of limitations of abuse in the Vatican from four to 20 years after the minor turns 18.

The second text lists 12 brief articles with guidelines for training Vatican employees about abuse risks and prevention methods. It encourages all victims to freely speak out by creating a service offering medical and psychological help to those abused.

The third text contains Pastoral Guidelines for the Vicariate or “Vatican Diocese”. Adults must be visible to others if with a minor. Additionally, to contact a minor by telephone or on social networks, adults must obtain parents’ and guardians’ written consent.

The new norms are not canonical, rather civil and pastoral for the Vatican. It states priests are assumed innocent until proven guilty and a person found guilty of abuse will lose his or her Vatican job.

With these new laws Pope Francis is specifically setting an example as a model for the global Church. The new law will go into effect June 1, while the guidelines are enforced immediately under a three year trial period.

Unplanned

Host Craig Syracusa welcomes back Abby Johnson. Her life story is the foundation of the new movie UNPLANNED, which opens in theaters around the country on March 29. UNPLANNED shares Abby’s journey from being the director of a Planned Parenthood clinic to becoming one of the loudest voices in the pro-life movement. Ashley Bratcher, who plays Abby in the movie, and producer Chris Jones join Abby in discussing the making of the movie! And later in the show, Laura DePalma visits the red carpet premiere of UNPLANNED!

Don’t miss this truly inspiring episode! To learn more about the movie, visit unplannedfilm.com If you want to get involved in the pro-life movement, or if you are looking for support before or after an abortion, visit unplannedfilm.com/resource.

‘Ring-Gate’ Shows Folly of Over-Analyzing Every Papal Gesture

After nearly a week of theological speculation about “Ring-gate,” the Vatican says the pope’s reluctance to let people kiss his ring after a Mass in the Italian town of Loreto was due to a fear of spreading germs, as opposed to him dramatically ending a longstanding practice in papal protocol.

 

Teamwork Earns Catholic Academy Top Robotics Prize

By Tim Harfmann

Zipping across the science lab floor, a remote-controlled robot can pick up and throw a ball. The group, known as the ‘Sharp Blades,’ built it from scratch. “It’s really awesome being able to build stuff and represent the school,” said Jamila Torres. She’s a fifth grader and Sharp Blades team member.

At a citywide LEGO competition, the young inventors from Saint Bartholomew Catholic Academy in Elmhurst, Queens beat nearly 30 other teams in the ‘core values’ category. “That meant that the judges saw the team is really a cohesive team, they respect each other, they work together, and they have fun while they’re working,” said Francis Belizario, the leader of the award-winning team. The group is made up of nearly 20 students from the fourth to the eighth grades and started working together only a few months ago. “If you get one or two kids who are great with robot design or research, you get an award; but you have to have every single person on the team working together,” said Belizario.

The Sharp Blades credited their Catholic education for winning the core values category. “It helps with behavior. It also teaches you to be a good student and a good role model for little kids,” said Jesson Phagoo. He is a fifth grader and team member.

And what they’ve learned building robots will help them in the future. Fifth grader Danielle Tuble dreams of becoming an engineer, following in her father’s footsteps. She wants to help people back in her family’s homeland of the Philippines. “They travel through boat, which is why I want to design a bridge so people with cars can travel from one island to another island,” said Tuble.

Now, the mini-but-mighty geniuses have their inventions on exhibit at the New York Hall of Science in Queens. At this weekend’s expo, they’ll show off their robots — and core values.

Currents News for Thursday, March 28th, 2019

On the newscast: Strong reactions are forming a backlash against New York’s extreme abortion law.  The pro-life movement is growing; An uproar over proposed budget cuts to the Special Olympics.  A cabinet secretary defends herself; The links between radical right-wingers in Europe and the New Zealand mosque massacre; And new reaction tonight about kissing the papal ring of Pope Francis. The Vatican has something to say.

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)