Brooklyn Firefighter Falls to Death Helping Victims

By Tim Harfmann

The New York City Fire Department is mourning the loss of one of its bravest.

“They were, obviously, very upset and very distraught over this whole thing. The firefighters from the company were actually in shock,” said FDNY chaplain, Monsignor John Delendick while describing the emotion of Steven Pollard’s family and fellow firefighters from Ladder Company 170 in Canarsie. The 30-year-old was with the department a year-and-a-half.

Pollard responded to a call over the Mill Basin Drawbridge along the Belt Parkway Sunday night and tried saving two car-crash victims. But he fell through the gap between the lanes and plunged nearly 50 feet to his death.

Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said, “It’s an incredibly sad night for the Pollard family, for the Fire Department family, for our city. One and a half years on the job, Steven Pollard had, just starting out, [ended] his life tonight in the process of helping others.”

“You’ve lost a family member, and it’s very difficult. And you have to take time to pray,” said Monsignor Delendick. Pollard and his family are parishioners at Good Shepherd in Marine Park. Pollard received his sacraments at the Brooklyn church and was part of the religious education program. He graduated from Brooklyn’s St. Edmund Prep High School in 2006. He was described as ‘very respectful’ and was also a member of the hockey.

Outside the Canarsie firehouse was a makeshift memorial with flowers. Canarsie residents are in mourning. “It breaks everybody’s heart. I mean, who doesn’t love a firefighter? They’re really good guys; so I think everybody, the whole community, hurts,” said Sharon Chambers, a Canarsie resident. “I’m very sorry to hear what happened. My deepest condolences go out to his family and friends. I wish him all the best. God bless him,” said Raphael Watts, another resident.

Pollard is the 1,150th member of the department to die in the line of duty. His wake is scheduled for Wednesday, January 9 from 7:00 – 9:00 PM and Thursday, January 10 from 2:00 – 4:00 and 7:00 – 9:00 PM at Marine Park Funeral Home, 3024 Quentin Road, Brooklyn, New York. A funeral Mass will be held 11:30 AM on Friday, January 11 at Good Shepherd R.C. Church, 1950 Batchelder Street, Brooklyn, NY. A committal service to follow at the Green-Wood Crematory Chapel inside Green-Wood Cemetery, 500 25th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11232.

Currents News for Monday, January 7, 2019

On the newscast: The FDNY is mourning as they lose one of their own in the line of duty; Another claim of abuse against former Cardinal McCarrick; Governor Cuomo pushes to legalize abortion; With temperatures dropping, NY’s most vulnerable gear up for what’s coming.

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)

NYCHA Residents Speak About Building Heat

By Emily Drooby

Lily Randolph says she’s lived in the same Van Dyke New York City Housing Authority, or NYCHA, building since the 1950’s. Randolph said, “Every year I have to go through this.”

Randolph says she now has heat in her NYCHA apartment, but didn’t for weeks. Randolph said, “I was cold the whole time.”

Father Edward Mason, the Pastor of Our Lady of the Presentation and Our Lady of Mercy, is a longtime housing advocate, and he says situations like Randolph’s have become the norm.

Father Mason, said, “It’s been bad for a long time, and people become complaisant, they become used to the situation. Yeah, its winter the waters going to break we are going to be cold, and that’s unacceptable.”

Father Mason, who has over 400 NYCHA residents as parishioners, recalled a recent situation; “She was telling me, saying, ‘oh I’m happy the heats back on, it was out for three weeks’ and I’m saying well why didn’t you let us know..and her attitude kinda was well, doesn’t that always happen? And because something always happens people think it’s okay and we just have to learn how to deal with it and no!

Father Mason, who also works with East Brooklyn Congregations, an organization where one of the focuses is affordable housing, he likens the situation to a dark cloud hanging over people’s heads.

A local NYCHA resident we spoke with, who didn’t want to speak on camera, agrees; explaining he showers the night before, in case he wakes up without hot water. Others say they’ve been lucky this year like NYCHA resident Amanda Ortiz, who said, “The heat is perfect, we got good heat.”

Some residents explain last year they weren’t so lucky. NYCHA resident, Henrietta Cary, explained: “…the beginning of last year, not so good, it was very cold.”

Cary says this year has been better, “The heat in Van Dyke has been okay, some people say they haven’t but my building so far so good, thank God.”

Father Mason explains the best way to fix NYCHA issues going forward residents to speak out and be their own voice.

Those who run into affordable housing issues can contact East Brooklyn Congregations at (718) 642-1450.

We did reach out to NYCHA for comment on this story but did not hear back.

Warning From The Pope – Annual Address To Diplomats

Currents News Staff

In his address to the diplomatic corps, Pope Francis promoted social justice and defense of the weakest, while severely condemning violence, climate change, arms trade and one more that he called “one of the plagues of our time.”

Pope Francis once again condemned the sex abuse crisis, restating the Church’s mission to combat it.

“The abuse of minors is one of the vilest and most heinous crimes conceivable. FLASH The Holy See and the Church as a whole are working to combat and prevent these crimes and their concealment,” said Francis.

He additionally recalled wars in Yemen, the Ukraine and especially in Syria, including the millions of refugees that have come from them.

“The waves of migration in recent years have caused diffidence and concern among people in many countries, particularly in Europe and North America,” he said.

Pope Francis encouraged everyone to open their doors, put down their weapons and protect the most vulnerable in society, instead of restricting the number of immigrants allowed in a country.

Cuomo & Clinton Tout Abortion Agenda

By Christopher White, The Tablet’s National Correspondent

NEW YORK — Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday that he would push to expand abortion rights in New York State as a central part of his political agenda for 2019.

With former presidential candidate Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by his side at a press conference at Barnard College in Manhattan, Cuomo vowed to enshrine Roe v. Wadeinto the New York State constitution by passing what he has termed the “Reproductive Health Act.”

The bill, which he intends for the Democratic controlled state legislature to pass, would allow abortions for any reason during the third trimester of pregnancy right up to a mother’s due date.

Although Cuomo has pushed the bill in past legislative sessions, it had been blocked by the Republican controlled legislature. Cuomo says he is motivated to pass the legislation in the immediate future because he is convinced that newly appointed Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh will vote to overturn Roe,the critical 1973 decision which enshrined abortion throughout the country.

If Roe were overturned, abortion law would be decided by each individual state.

Cuomo made the proposed legislation a central tenet of his gubernatorial reelection campaign. On Monday, he boasted “”We have led the way on women’s rights like no other state, period.”

In addition to removing any restrictions on abortion, the draft legislation would allow for non-doctors to perform abortions and would remove all criminal penalties for abortion, even if it were contrary to the mother’s choice, such as the intentional targeting of an unborn child in an act of violence. In addition, the legislation removes the current protections for infants accidentally born alive in the course of an abortion.

While Clinton lauded the legislation as part of the fight for women’s equality, Catholics in the state have protested the efforts noting that New York already is “the abortion capital of our nation.”

According to the New York State Catholic Conference, there is an average of 29.6 abortions for every 1,000 women reproductive age, which is twice the national average in the United States.

In New York City, nearly one in three pregnancies end in an abortion, with that number being even higher among African-Americans. State Senator Rubén Díaz, a Democratic legislator in the Bronx, has been one of the strongest opponents of abortion in the state, specifically criticizing what he has termed the targeting of African and Hispanic communities.

The New York State Catholic Conference has denounced the current legislation for what it has labeled as its extremism and said it “goes far beyond Roe v. Wade.”

In a flyer distributed on Monday, the Conference is calling on Catholics to combat the legislation through direct appeals to legislators, prayer, and support for crisis pregnancy centers and ministries that provide assistance to women who have had an abortion.

“Tragically, the political reality following the 2018 mid-term elections means that we are unlikely to defeat this measure in the State Legislature Governor Andrew Cuomo is a strong proponent of the bill, and has promised to sign it into law,” the flyer noted. “If the legislation is indeed enacted into law this year, we must do all we can to ensure that vulnerable women facing unplanned pregnancies do not avail themselves of it.”

Democrats in the state legislature have noted that they are seeking to pass the new legislation by January 22, which will mark the 46^thanniversary of Roe v. Wade.

To date, an estimated 60 million abortions have taken place in the United States since that time.

Christian Bale Thanks Satan At Golden Globes

Currents News Staff

Christian Bale took home a Golden Globe for best actor in a motion picture musical or comedy.

However, it’s what he said during his acceptance speech that raised eyebrows.

After thanking his family and friends, Bale revealed his inspiration behind his portrayal of former Vice President Dick Cheney was Satan.

Bale also said that maybe he should play Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell next.

Three Kings Parade Proudly Displays a Diverse Brooklyn

By Katie Engesser

Traditional dances grace Graham Avenue for the 22^nd Annual Three Kings Day Parade; a holiday that commemorates the Three Magi’s visit to the baby Jesus.

“They respected Jesus Christ and they brought him gifts,” explained Bryan Figueroa, a student at Queen of the Rosary Catholic Academy in Williamsburg.

Three Kings Day is also known as the Feast of the Epiphany. It’s a long-held tradition in Spanish speaking communities. According to custom, the Three Magi bring gifts to the children instead of Santa Claus. But parents say this holiday is about more than presents.

“It’s not always about the gifts,” says mother of two Farrah Ruiz, “it’s about spirituality, getting together.”

“The purpose of the parade is for our children to know our traditions, our customs,” explained the parade’s president and founder, Radames Millan.

Colorful costumes, music, dancing, live animals, and the Three Kings themselves are all part of the parade. Though the march has become a staple for Latinos in Brooklyn, the changing neighborhood has made the celebration more diverse.

“Williamsburg the past couple years has changed dramatically,” said life-long resident Javier Cortes, “it’s one of the most gentrified areas in New York City.”

Queens of the Rosary Catholic Academy are one of the groups participating in the parade. They march to teach their students about diversity and, as the last catholic academy in Williamsburg, to keep them in touch with their community.

Javier, who is also a parent from the school and the president of the academy’s Home Association, said “It’s kind of like a lesson for the kids as well- to show them that look, we’re very diverse, we can go out there, we can be a part of the community, there are different races, different nationalities out there and this is the era that we’re growing up in right now.”

And while this celebration marks the official end for the Christmas season, many of the students won’t forget the true reason for the holidays.

“God is our creator,” said student Adriana Antonia, “He’s the one that created us into this world and He’s the one that created this world for us, so we should actually be very thankful for that.”

Currents News for Friday, January 4, 2019

On the newscast: Decades after a baby Jesus was stolen, it’s returned to its original church; Washington is abuzz with historic job numbers as the government shutdown wages on; Baking king cakes in Brooklyn.

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)

Brooklyn Bakery Prepares Traditional Three Kings Bread

By Tim Harfmann

Brooklyn bakers are working non-stop to turn yeast into a feast. “It really is a family gathering,” said Miguel Lopez, owner of Don Paco Lopez Bakery in Sunset Park. It’s a sweet shop that’s been making the oval-shaped pastries since the early 1990s. It’s for the Epiphany — or Three Kings Day.

The loaves are called Rosca de Reyes, or Three Kings bread, and they’re not your basic loaves. There are several tiny statues of the Christ child hiding inside each loaf. “It represents the tradition when Joseph and Mary hid the baby Jesus from King Herod,” said Paco Lopez Jr, who also works at the bakery. If you cut the bread and find a figure in your slice, you’re in charge of another fiesta. “You have to throw a party on February 2nd. Why February 2nd? Because we believe it’s when Mary and Joseph presented baby Jesus to the church,” said Miguel.

The tradition dates back to 14th-century France and was eventually picked up in Mexico. Each loaf takes about four hours to make. “We actually begin around 3 or 4 in the morning and it goes until 8pm or 9pm because people demand it,” said Paco.

There’s such a demand — over 3,000 loaves are baked at the bakery’s Sunset Park and Manhattan locations. The tradition is so popular that other communities — not only Mexicans — are buying the bread. “They want to bring this tradition to their children, even though they are not Mexican, because this tradition has been well taken by other communities, and we welcome that,” said Paco.

Three feast of the Epiphany, or Three Kings Day, falls on Sunday, January 6, 2019.

Baby Jesus Statue Returned After Almost 90 Years

By Emily Drooby

The Pastor at Our Lady of Grace in Hoboken, now combined with St. Joseph, explained the church was started after they received a mysterious package, but they couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw what was inside of it.

The Pastor, Father Alexander Santora, explained, “We received a package in the office that looked suspicious. It was crudely wrapped, it wasn’t sent to a person, just the church. No return address.”

Father Santora and his staff called the Hoboken police about the package, which was mailed from Florida. The bomb squad responded.

Father Santora, said, “They found that it was this baby Jesus and there’s an anonymous letter, typed, that stated it was stolen from the church.”

The letter explained the statue was stolen from the Church’s nativity scene in the 1930’s. Generations later the person who had it decided to send it back to its proper place, the church, writing; “Knowing the story, I felt it should be returned to the rightful owner…”

Father Santora called it a, “total surprise” adding he was unaware the statue was stolen so many years ago, but today he’s accepting its return in good faith.

Now almost 90 years later, the baby Jesus statue is back at the church and on display in a different nativity scene. Instead of being in a crib, it’s still in the mailed box as a reminder of its mysterious past. Parishioners are thrilled to see it on display, like Maureen Wilgocki who said, “I was shocked when he said it…Maybe that’s a good sign, maybe we’ll have peace.”

Father Santora explained the returned statue demonstrates a valuable lesson, he explained, “Always do the right thing, no matter how long it takes. You can do the right thing. And I think that’s a universal message.”

The statue will be on display inside this Hoboken church along with their nativity scene until mid-January.