Is it possible to graduate college, get a job, and still become homeless? Father Eric Cruz tells Ed Wilkinson how it happened to him, and how friends and family helped make him the man and priest he is today.
By Katie Engesser
Keeping time to the tunes of old; men, women and children march through a sea of green for over 6 hours on 5th Avenue. They are celebrating their heritage with the oldest parade to their patron.
“Today is St Patrick’s Day,” Brooklyn’s Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio explained, “It’s a day that New York becomes Irish.”
The show of Irish pride has been going on for over 250 years. The first parade was held in 1762. At the time, wearing the green was banned in Ireland so the Irish sailed to the land of the free, where they revelled in the opportunity to speak their language, wear their colors, and sing an old Irish ditty to the sound of bagpipes.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, head of the Archdiocese of New York, said, “When we Irish came here, we got in! Now sometimes we had a lot of hardships, and adversity and animosity when we got here but that’s why I think the Irish have a tender spot in their heart for the immigrant.”
The theme of this year’s parade revolved around immigration and welcoming the stranger.
“The Irish had a lot to do with establishing New York and building it and keeping it going,” Bishop DiMarzio said.
Even among the thousands lining the streets around St Patrick’s Cathedral, some came from other lands to join the fun. At the heart of the St Paddy’s Day celebrations was the Irish Catholic faith. Before the parade, a mass was held to commemorate the patron saint of the Emerald Isles.
“We’re celebrating St Patrick’s Day and St Patrick and the faith that he brought to Ireland and the faith that the Irish people brought to our church in the United States,” Monsignor Jaime Gigantiello, pastor of the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Brooklyn.
Faith, fun, and Irish pride making it easy for Irish eyes to smile.
By Tim Harfmann
It was a Saint Patrick’s Day celebration at the Brooklyn Catholic Academy bearing the name of the fifth-century saint. “He was the patron saint of Ireland,” said Grace Condon, a 4th grader. At Saint Patrick Catholic Academy in Bay Ridge, Irish eyes smiled as students stepped danced and sang along to traditional Irish music.
But the day was filled with more than just singing and dancing. Before the festivities, students attended a special Mass to honor Saint Patrick, who was known for converting the Irish to Catholicism, baptizing thousands into the Church and leading Ireland to becoming a mostly-Catholic country.
Father Greg McIlhenny ministers to Catholics at the Bay Ridge church and had a special challenge for the students; “Saint Patrick had a deep devotion of prayer to God, and that’s how we increase our lives. So, I’m challenging the kids this Lenten season to grow in that love for God and be more like Saint Patrick.”
Some students accepted the challenge, literally, dressing up as the saint for a look-alike contest. “Saint Patrick was a priest, then a bishop. Then, he taught Ireland about religion. And the king let him build churches everywhere,” said Matthew Keenan. He is a third grader and participated in the contest. “He taught people that there are three people in the three-leaf clover — the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,” said John Horan. He is a first grader and also participated. The contest ended in a tie.
For these students, it’s a celebration of fun and faith.
On the newscast: Horrible violence at two New Zealand mosques turned Friday prayers into a massacre; Catholic leaders worldwide are speaking out about the deadliest terror strike the country has ever experienced; Following up the Protection of Minors summit, Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio joins us to discuss the Pope’s action plan; Getting ready for Saint Patrick’s Day at a Brooklyn school that is named for him.
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)
Currents News Staff
Houses of prayer and peace were grotesquely transformed into places of horror and death in New Zealand, March 15.
One suspect is being charged with murder, others are in police custody.
At least 49 people are dead and 48 others are hospitalized in the New Zealand city of Christchurch.
A self-proclaimed racist claimed responsibility for the slaughter of innocents.
“Many of those who would have been directly affected by this shooting are migrants to New Zealand,” said New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern. “They may even be refugees here. They’ve chosen to make New Zealand their home. It is their home. They are us.”
Authorities have arrested 28-year-old Brenton Tarrant, an Australian citizen with ties to white nationalists.
He’s charged with murder and was expected to appear in a Christchurch courtroom on March 16. Two other suspects have also been detained. A number of firearms were recovered at the scenes of the shootings and two explosive devices were found in one vehicle.
New Zealand police say attacks on the Masjid Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Masjid Mosque were well-planned and strategic. The blueprint of the gunman’s intentions outlined in a hate-filled 86-page manifesto filled with anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim rants.
The horrifying attacks were carried out as worshippers were gathering for Friday prayers or ‘Jumah’ which means ‘Day of Assembly’ in Arabic.
One witness who was inside the mosque when the gunfire erupted said he heard the gunman “continuously shooting for ten to 15 minutes.”
Church’s Response
In an outpouring of support for the victims and the citizens of New Zealand, the Vatican released a statement saying the Pope is: “deeply saddened to learn of the injury and loss of life caused by the senseless acts of violence… He assures all New Zealanders, and in particular the Muslim community, of his heartfelt solidarity in the wake of these attacks.”
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio issued a statement saying, “I strongly denounce the horrific attacks at the two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, which were aimed at immigrants and people of faith. On behalf of all Catholics within the Diocese of Brooklyn, I offer my prayers for those who have perished and who have been injured in these mass shootings. This is an unsettling reminder that the right to religious freedom is under attack throughout the world in nations that allow their citizens to worship the God they believe in.”
Meanwhile, President Trump tweeted: “49 innocent people have so senselessly died, with so many more seriously injured. The U.S. stands by New Zealand for anything we can do.”
The shooter’s racist manifesto, entitled “The Great Replacement,” lays out the alleged gunman’s motive – including a mission to avenge “thousands of deaths caused by foreign invaders.”
The shooter also indicated he wanted to create conflict and divisiveness by choosing guns as a method of killing.
New York Security
Heavily armed New York Police Department anti-terror officers were mobilized in the immediate aftermath of the New Zealand massacre.
They’ve been posted at mosques and other key sites across the city.
Despite the security deployment, the NYPD is saying there are no known threats.
Governor Andrew Cuomo has ordered state police to increase patrols around mosques and other houses worship across the state, adding “at a time of great division we will stand up to hate in all its forms.”
Meanwhile police departments across America are tightening security at mosques and other sensitive locations.
U.S. Leaders Cite ‘No Credible Threat’
The White House says it is closely monitoring developments. Trump’s National Security Adviser John Bolton said, “We’re going to cooperate with the New Zealand authorities to the extent we can, if there’s any role that we can play. But we’re obviously following the events there very closely.”
The Department of Homeland Security said there is no credible threat to the U.S. but officials are remaining vigilant and sending condolences.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, “The thoughts and prayers of the American people are with the victims and their families today. The United States condemns this hateful assault.”
And the Council on American-Islamic Relations condemning the attack and urged Muslims here in the U.S. not to shy away from worship out of fear.
“We tell our community do not be afraid,” said Nihad Awad from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, “and do not abandon your mosques. Not today. Not ever.”
Attack on Religion
Terror against holy places has left a bloody trail around the world with at least 25 assaults in the last decade.
Including the October, 2010 attack against Our Lady of Salvation Catholic Church in Baghdad where 53 people died.
Six people were killed by white supremacist wade Michael Page at the Sikh temple of Wisconsin in August, 2012.
Nine parishioners and their pastor were shot to death in June 2015 by Dylann Roof at South Carolina’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.
In 2017, 26-year-old Devin Kelley opened fire at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, killing 26 people.
Last October, 11 people lost their lives at the Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue in Pittsburgh.
And in January, two suicide bombers attacked a Roman Catholic Cathedral in the Philippines, killing 23 people.
The suspected killer reportedly targeted New Zealand because it would show nowhere in the world was safe despite Muslims in the nation have a long history of living in peace.
New Zealand’s Muslim Population
The very first Muslims who arrived in New Zealand settled there in 1854. The city history now holds the record as the location of the island nation’s deadliest attack.
Since the 1990s, Muslim migration has accelerated to New Zealand. In a country of nearly five million people, more than forty-six thousand identify as Muslim.
According to the 2013 census, that’s up nearly 30 percent from 2006.
Compared to other religions, Muslims make up less than two percent of the population in New Zealand.
According to census data, almost half of the population identifies as Christian, though actual church attendance is closer to 15 percent.
With increased immigration in recent years, a growing number of citizens do not identify with any religion.
Leaders from across Australia and New Zealand were quick to denounce the massacre and apparent hate against migrants.
Just last year, New Zealand had announced it would lift its refugee quota and it was also in the process of settling groups of 20 refugees from Afghanistan and Eritrea every 8 weeks.
Gun Ownership On The Rise
New Zealand is known for its low levels of gun violence and reputation for tolerance and safety.
Investigators believe this is why suspect Brenton Tarrant picked the country.
In a manifesto they believe to be his, the author writes about how an attack there would show “that nowhere in the world was safe, the invaders were in all of our lands, even in the remotest areas of the world and that there was nowhere left to go that was safe and free from mass immigration.”
According to police figures, the death toll from Christchurch is greater than the total number of homicides in the country for 2017.
New Zealand’s gun ownership rate has risen in the past decade to become one of the highest in the world.
According to gun policy, a firearm prevention group, the total number of guns held by civilians rose by more than 60 percent in the last decade.
The number of guns privately owned by civilians in estimated to be 1.5 million.
Currents News Staff
Scientists at Northwestern University say they are making a chip that would connect your brain to the internet.
John Brehany from the National Catholic Bioethics Center joins Currents News to talk about the dangers of such a device.
On the newscast: A threat to the independence of Catholic schools in New York. The latest on what the institutions are doing to protect themselves from the state; A parents’ nightmare as a cluster of cancer cases break out in an elementary school; Congress rejects the national emergency declaration and President Trump vows to fight back for his border wall; A Queens parishioner who goes to mass every week marks a milestone.
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)
By Tim Harfmann
It was a birthday bash 100 years in the making.
“I feel pretty good! I feel super today!” said Caroline Darienzo. She hit the century mark and was surrounded by family and friends at the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Ozone Park, Queens. That’s where Caroline goes to Mass every Sunday. Before the party, Caroline and friends were in church for a special birthday liturgy and a request. “I tell Him to look over me and He has,” said Caroline.
The thing Caroline cherishes most about her life is spending time with family. Though she’s a widow and never had children, Caroline has dozens of nephews and nieces. She’s even a great-great aunt. While we were talking, Caroline received a surprise from some of them. “Oh my gosh! These… these are… my relatives from Florida!” said Caroline. Her nephew, niece and great-nephew made the trip to be with her on this special day. “It was great! We had been planning this for a couple of months. We were scared that she couldn’t take it, being that her heart is 100 years old,” said Fred Distasio jokingly. He is Caroline’s nephew.
Caroline is the oldest of six children. Her youngest and only living sibling is 82-year-old Marie Francione. “She was like my second mother growing up. She used to take me shopping. She was the first one to make me get a permanent wave hair style, even though I hated it,” said Marie as she smiled. Caroline was born in Jamaica, Queens in 1919 and had a career in the oil industry. Now retired for nearly four decades, she loves sewing and cooking. She even busted a move on the dance floor.
Caroline had some tips about living a long life, “Laugh. Joy. Eat. And be merry.” And that she was — on her 100th birthday.
By Emily Drooby
Catholic schools are widely recognized as the best in New York City. Now, bureaucrats in Albany want to put them under the thumb of public-school authorities – and that would make a big difference for students at Xavier High School.
Student William Shelton said “Xavier has individuals in positions of authority that care that they want you to grow.”
“The religion aspect for me is usually the best part,” said Patrick Scariano, another student at the school.
Arthur Gange added “It’s always been my favorite subject but Xavier has done more than enough to make me love the subject even more.”
The New York State Education Department issued a new set of rules that would subject all nonpublic schools – including Catholic institutions – to so-called evaluation by public school officials.
Michael Livigni is Xavier’s Headmaster and he added, “Our schools are not the problem so I think instead of taking on the schools that are a problem, the education department is creating a blanket rule that doesn’t make much sense.”
The State is justifying public overseers in Catholic schools by saying the outsiders would be able to intervene if a complaint is made about a nonpublic school.
Xavier’s President Jack Raslowsky says that move is unwarranted, adding “There’s rules and regulations and law now to allow them to respond adequately to complaints. And this extra layer of call it what you will, interference, oversight, is just unnecessary.”
And at the same time, the city’s public school system is facing its own challenges.
A week ago, state Senators warned Mayor Bill De Blasio to get better control of discipline in the classroom if he wanted to retain his control of the city’s public schools.
Xavier is well-known for its academic excellence.
Last year, 99 percent of graduating students went on to 4-year colleges.
Right now, New York’s Catholic Conference of schools is supporting a court action to block the Education Department’s implementation of the new rules.
The regulations could impact 192 religious and private institutions statewide if put in place.
“The independence and the roots of our faith, have strengthened us and allowed us to do great work,” said Raslowsky.
Livigni adding, “We cover whatever New York State says and suggests we should, we just do it in a way that’s tried and true for almost 500 years.”
The next step in the court case will come at a hearing on March 29th.
For more about the Catholic Academies, parish schools and high schools in the Brooklyn Diocese visit catholicschoolbq.org. The website has information about admissions, financial aid, and a lot more.
We did reach out to the New York State Education Department for comment on this story, but, so far, they haven’t responded.