Catholic Academies in Brooklyn and Queens Closing

By Emily Drooby

Mary Queen of Heaven Catholic Academy, Mill Basin; Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Academy, Dyker Heights; and St. Camillus Catholic Academy, Rockaway Park, Queens – will close their doors for good in June.

Two Bushwick academies: St. Frances Cabrini and St. Bridgid, will merge into one school, housed at St. Bridgid. School officials cited serious budget deficits because of declining enrollment as the reason for the changes.

They explained the schools did everything in their power for years to keep these academies open but, unfortunately, they still hit a critical point and realistically could no longer cover their overhead.

For example, Mary Queen of Heaven saw a 60 percent decline in enrollment from five years ago. The school is $250,000 in the red for the current school year.

At Our Lady of Guadalupe, enrollment is down 35 percent and they have a $200,000 deficit for this school year.

St. Camillus has seen enrollment drop by 25 percent with a deficit of $20,000 for this year and over $100,000 deficit for the past two years.

The merger of St. Frances Cabrini and St. Bridgid credited to declining enrollment and unexpected building repairs totaling over $200,000.

In a statement, Dr. Thomas Chadzutko, the superintendent of Catholic schools in the diocese, explained, “When resources are constrained, it affects all aspects of the learning environment, which eventually impacts students and their needs. Our children are our first priority.”

Officials added that redirecting funds into schools that are more stable will ultimately lead to a better education for students. Affected students will be accommodated at nearby Catholic academies and will get a $500 tuition assistance grant if they go to an academy or parish school within the Diocese of Brooklyn, and if they’ve met their financial obligations.

The goal is to place students in neighboring Catholic schools.

Cathedral Club Dinner Supports Catholic Education

By Tim Harfmann

NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill addressed hundreds at Brooklyn’s Cathedral Club Dinner about the important role of faith in the city. “If we’re going to continue to make New York City a safe place for all 8.6 million residents, we all have to work together; and I think the Church plays a big part in that. We have to recognize each other’s humanity. I think that’s how we make the city even safer,” said Commissioner O’Neill.

The Cathedral Club is the top, lay, Catholic organization in Brooklyn — hard at work for over a century. At it’s annual dinner, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio pointed to its contributions in strengthening Catholic unity; “We see people coming together, working together for a common cause, and at the same time respecting one another. This is what we need in our society!”

For the future of society, the Cathedral Club earmarks the proceeds from its dinner to a scholarship fund for Catholic high school students. “The Catholic faith is under attack from every direction these days. I think it’s important and our mission to keep the Catholic high school program going,” said Brian Long, president of the Cathedral Club. The club’s mission is strongly supported by Jorge Dominguez, editor-in-chief of The Tablet and Nuestra Voz, and Liz Faublas, anchor of Currents News. “(Students are) the ones that are going to carry on the traditions. They’re the ones that are going to carry on the faith. So if we can’t all come together for that, then we’re truly lost,” said Faublas. “You see people here from so many different backgrounds, different cultures. Everybody’s together. This is when you think, you remember, that Catholic means universal,” said Dominguez.

Part of that universal Church is the event’s honoree, Domenick Cama. He is the president and COO of Investors Bank. Cama remembered how a Catholic education made a difference for him. “It served as a foundation for me and my career, in my family, and it has really served as the backbone of everything that has been good in my life.”

New York’s top cop, Commissioner O’Neill, told a similar story. “The message that I received at home from my mom and dad was that this life is not just about you. It’s about other people. That was reinforced by that Catholic education.”

What Happens If Trump Declares National Emergency?

Currents News Staff

President Trump made another pitch to Congress for his proposed border wall, during his State of the Union Address.

“Simply put, walls work and walls save lives,” said Trump.

But he’s not been shy about considering bypassing their approval and declaring a national emergency, to gain access to emergency funds instead.

“Having a national emergency does help the process. It would certainly help the process,” said Trump.

The United States is actually already under 31 states of declared emergency, according to a review of documents from the Congressional Research Service and the Federal Register.

One goes all the way back to the Carter administration, a response to the Iran hostage crisis in 1979.

President Trump has made three, including one to punish foreign actors found to interfere in U.S. elections.

Typically, they’re not controversial because there’s broad consensus, like President Bush’s declaration following the 9-11 terrorist attacks.

Congress can vote to overturn it, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wouldn’t say whether his republican-controlled chamber would do that.

“Well, we don’t know what route the president’s going to take so I’m not going to speculate on it at this point, As you know, it is an expedited procedure with a simple majority,” said McConnell.

If the President were to veto Congress, they’d need two-thirds of each chamber to override it.

The judicial branch may also have a say, if as expected, legal challenges questioned whether the President is overstepping his authority, and whether what’s happening at the border reaches the threshold to warrant such a move.

Shutdown Talks Stall As Deadline Looms

Currents News Staff

Time is running out – democrats and republicans are scrambling to avoid another government shutdown. And all optimism once surrounding the negotiations has faded.

“I think the talks are stalled right now,” said Sen. Richard Shelby.

The impasse is over two key issues. The first, how many undocumented immigrants can be held in detention centers used by immigration and customs enforcement.

A key democratic negotiator saying that a limit on those held would “force the Trump administration to prioritize arresting and deporting serious criminals, not law-abiding immigrants.”

Republicans calling the cap a non-starter, arguing it would force ICE officials to make impossible decisions about which immigrants to detain.

The second, how much money should go to a border wall or barrier.

Key lawmakers are set to meet Monday afternoon, hoping to revive talks and make new progress, in order to hit the Friday deadline and keep the government open.

The White House is not ruling out another shut down.

“You asked me a question: is the shutdown entirely off the table? I would say no,” said Mick Mulvaney, the Acting White House Chief of Staff.

If no deal is reached, 800 thousand federal workers could find themselves furloughed again, or asked to work without pay.

Meanwhile President Trump is in El Paso, Texas Monday for his first political rally of the year, making his case once against for the border wall.

From Argentina To Rome – Family Meets Pope Francis

Currents News Staff

Rome is the ideal travel destination for any family, even more so for a family from the same country as the Pope, Argentina.

This family of four came to Rome from Buenos Aires to see Pope Francis up-close in the General Audience.

“Being Argentinian is special, because we’ve seen the Pope up close. But the magical thing is the people, how the people love him. It’s something so awesome you cannot explain it,” said Luis Beltramo. “After we had touched the Pope and been with him we said to ourselves, ‘That would be impossible to think of back in Argentina,’” he added.

The youngest in the family was so excited about the moment, she said she was speechless upon seeing Pope Francis.

The oldest daughter, Delfina, admitted that she refused to take out her cell phone, to truly enjoy the moment. “There are already many pictures and videos of the pope, so I wanted to live the experience without my cell phone. I did not record him and I enjoyed it more that way. I was excited and a little shocked because I never imagined that I could meet the pope. I was also nervous,” she said.

They’ve already visited relatives in Rome and several cities in Italy. Then they will travel to Spain where they will visit more relatives. It’s a trip full of sights and family reunions.

“The places leave an impact; they are unforgettable. It is something you carry inside and you will never forget. It has a lot of history, it’s something unique,” said Mariela Beltramo.

It’s a trip full of emotions, new places and familiar moments they will forever remember as the trip “in which they met the Pope”.

Chinese Catholics in Brooklyn Celebrate a New Year

By Katie Engesser

Brooklyn’s Bishop Nicholas Dimarzio is celebrating the Lunar New Year with a liturgy at St Michael’s Church in Flushing.

Parishioner Anne Huang explained “Chinese New Year is very important for the Chinese people because we have to celebrate and remember the ancestors.”

After an offering of candles and flowers, the Bishop blesses the ancestral altar with incense. The tradition isn’t a Catholic rite but it has been handed down for generations among the Chinese people. This sign of respect is a key element in a mass of thanksgiving during the Chinese new year.

“This is part of the Chinese culture: to recognize where you came from and honor the ancestors,” Bishop DiMarzio said.

The Catholic Church has had a turbulent history in China. The first recorded missionary priest arrived there in the 13th century. But by the 18th century, Christianity had been banned. In the 19th century, Europeans who tried to spread the faith could be sentenced to death. For a long time, Catholic Church officials were reluctant to recognize Chinese customs. Pope Pius XII changed that, allowing the Chinese rituals to be performed during mass.

Today, Beijing and the Vatican are working to heal the rupture in relations that has existed since the communists seized power in China seventy years ago. A new agreement is in place sharing authority over the appointment of bishops between the Holy See and China’s state-governed church. Meanwhile in the United States, an influx of Chinese to our shores is helping to grow the American catholic church. Last Easter, in the Brooklyn diocese alone, 350 Chinese Americans were welcomed into the faith.

For this holiday celebration, Bishop DiMarzio participates in a long-held Chinese New Year’s tradition: distributing red envelopes containing small gifts as a symbol of good luck.

Anne reflects “we carry on… we remember it and we carry on our Chinese New Year.”

Currents News for Friday, February 8, 2018

On this special edition of Currents News… Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio pays tribute to the greatness of Catholic education by visiting two academies for Catholic Schools Week; Caught on camera… Trying to steal from the same church … again! The amazing story from Saint Gerard Majella Church in Hollis, Queens; Why more married millennials are staying together after pledging their vows; The big celebration of New Year… how Chinese Catholics are making a difference in the Church.

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

Currents News for Thursday, February 7, 2019

On the newscast: Young Catholic adults are turning to prayer in the wake of New York’s abortion law where Saint Patrick’s Cathedral is the scene of a powerful vigil; president trump prays for children at the national prayer breakfast; Virginia officials are embroiled in growing controversy involving racism and allegations of sexual assault; he’s been an important part of Brooklyn life for decades, but now Michael Long is making a big change.

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

Young New Yorkers Respond to Abortion Bill

By Emily Drooby

Young people came together Wednesday, February 6th, to pray for an end to abortion.

During his homily, Father Roger Landry, said, “What happened in Albany on January 22nd 2019; what happened at the Supreme Court on January 22nd, 1973, subverts the foundations of common life and culture.”

A Mass held at St Patrick’s Cathedral for young adults searched for a way to cope with New York’s recently passed Reproductive Health Act.

Catherine, who went to the Mass said, “I’m struggling a little bit with how I’m going to deal with it. You can pray, and you can be angry, and you can post on social media. But when it comes down to it, it’s like Father said in his homily, we all have to figure out what we are going to do ourselves.”

The bill does several things but one of the most troubling to Catholics, it legalizes abortions up to birth in some cases. It has stirred up the late-term abortion debate across the country even being mentioned during the State of the Union when President Donald Trump said, “Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother’s womb moments before birth.”

A recent Marist poll, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, says 75 percent of Americans think abortion should be limited to the first three months of pregnancy.

Father Landry explained, “If NY is going to become not the abortion capital of the U.S., but the pro-life capital of the U.S., it’s going to be by Catholics and others working together to bring a culture and life to a place where unfortunately, the culture of death is celebrated.”

Meg C, who went to the Mass said, “One of my friends referred to it as grieving, and I realized that was what I was actually doing, it really was heart-wrenching to me.”

Young people who attended the Mass say during this trying time, being among other like-minded people is a comfort.

New Caravan Arrives As Lawmakers Hear Testimonies On Family Separations

Currents News Staff

Troops stand guard as a massive migrant caravan arrives at the U.S. / Mexico border.

“We’ve come in search of something better for our family,” said Elmer Orlando Zamora from El Salvador.

Nearly 2,000 people want to seek asylum and enter the United States through Eagle Pass, Texas, but U.S. Customs and Border Patrol says it can only process 16 to 20 people per day.

“At this point, the system is at a total capacity,” said Paul Del Rincon, the Eagle Pass Port Director.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent about 500 state troopers to the border and the Pentagon moved about 250 military members to the Eagle Pass area.

Border security is a sticking point for Congress and the President. A funding deal needs to be reached by next Friday, before part of the government shuts down again.

“We need border security. We have to have it. It’s not an option. Let’s see what happens,” said President Trump.

Lawmakers are also looking into the Trump administration’s zero tolerance illegal immigration policy, which forced thousands of migrant children from their families at the border.

“I do not believe that separation of children from their parents is in the best interest of the child,” said Commander Jonathan White of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last year, the government said more than 2,700 children were taken from their parents at the border but this year, a Health and Human Services Inspector General report found that number was wrong, and thousands more families were actually separated.

“To be clear, what happened to these children should never happen in this country,” said Rep. Dianna DeGette from Colorado.