On the newscast: The Diocese of Brooklyn is producing an informational video to address parishioners’ concerns about the abuse crisis in the Church; Tear gas at the southern border and tension on the high seas.
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 Staff
Tension on the southern border, as thousands of Central American migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. hope to enter the country through Mexico.
An escalation Sunday as border patrol agents fired tear gas at migrants, including women and children, after a protest devolved into chaos.
Hundreds of migrants overwhelming Mexican police and blockades, attempting to enter the country illegally.
“The group immediately started throwing rocks and debris at our agents, taunting the agents. And we had two or three agents at a time initially, facing hundreds of people at a time. They deployed tear gas to protect themselves and to protect the border,” said Rodney Scott, Chief Patrol Agent, San Diego Sector Border Patrol.
“No one wants any border officer to be in danger but from what we know, this was an overuse of force. I mean, there are women and children out there. Using tear gas in this situation does not seem justified,” said Lee Gelernt, Deputy Director, ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project.
U.S. officials arrested dozens and shut down the busiest port of entry along its Mexico border.
President Trump seized on the unrest saying “Mexico wants to see if they can get it straightened out but we’ve, during certain times, as you know, closed the border. They’re not coming into the United States. They will not be coming in.”
But not all republicans support a border shutdown. “We would prefer that we keep it open so let’s work really hard to make sure we’re addressing the asylum seekers before they actually come over the border,” said Sen. Joni Ernst from Iowa.
“If there is no cost, there is no love. Love demands sacrifices,” Msgr. Kieran Harrington said in his reflection during Solemn Vespers on the Feast of Christ the King at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, Prospect Heights, last Sunday, Nov. 25.
He was referring to the suffering of so many Christians around the world for whom 100 faithful came to pray at the co-cathedral. The service was part of the Courage in Red – Stand Up for Faith and Religion Freedom campaign.
During the Solemn Vespers, the Voices of St. Joseph Choir, under the direction of Alejandro Zuleta, sang the Gregorian Chant with Magnificat by Tomas Luis de Victoria, O Salutaris Ostia by Charles Gounod and Benedictus by Karl Jenkins.
The Courage in Red campaign is an initiative of Aid to the Church in Need, a Catholic, international organization that provides “pastoral and humanitarian assistance to the persecuted Church around the world,” according to its website.
The organization was created almost 70 years ago to help persecuted Christians under Communist regimes, but during its history the organization have provided assistance to persecuted Christians and poor people in over 145 countries.
During the week of Nov. 25, Aid to the Church in Need asked people of faith to remember those who have been martyred for their faith and stand in solidarity with fellow Christians as they fight for religious freedom by wearing red, the color of the martyrs; lighting parish churches and institutions in red and raising awareness about the need for religious freedom.
Msgr. Harrington, who is also the vicar for communications of the Diocese of Brooklyn, talked about the importance of sending a message to persecuted Christians around the world, “that they don’t suffer alone.”
Reflecting on the time he spent with Christians communities in Iraq this year, Msgr. Harrington said that one of the most repeated phrases among the suffering Christians in Iraq was, “Pray for us.” And that was the main purpose of the Solemn Vespers last Sunday and the Courage in Red campaign – to pray for persecuted Christians.
“We are Christians, we believe in the power of prayer,” he said. “The most important thing is that we […] pray for thus who are suffering.”
The second thing, Msgr. Harrington said, is to materially help persecuted Christians with donations to organizations like Aid to the Church in Need. But the third step, he said, “is to make our voice heard,” to tell our elected officials about this situation.
Symbolic gestures of solidarity were on display around the world over the last week. From Rome to the Philippines, from Mexico City to Paris and London, they illuminated churches in red and invited people to pray for their brothers and sisters.
At the end of the prayer service and concert at the co-cathedral, Brad Miner, who sits on the board of directors of Aid to the Church in Need USA, thanked Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and Msgr. Harrington for their support of the Courage in Red campaign and all of the faithfull for their prayers and help.
We are “hosting several events like this around the country to draw attention to the persecution of Christians especially, but all people persucuted for their faith,” Miner said. “Christians are currently the most persecuted people on the planet.”
Currents News Staff
Authorities say one of the oldest and most isolated tribes in the world is responsible for last week’s killing of American missionary John Allen Chau.
Archived footage from Survival International provides some of the few existing images of the tribe known as the Sentinelese.
They live in complete isolation on the tiny island of North Sentinel.
According to Indian officials, Chau illegally paid fishermen to take him to the isolated island, hoping to convert the tribe to Christianity.
Authorities believe he first canoed to shore on November 16th – deliberately disregarding an established perimeter around the island.
According to journal entries left with the fishermen, and shared with the Washington Post, the 26-year-old wrote “I hollered, ‘my name is John, I love you and Jesus loves you.'”
He was then reportedly shot at by a member of the tribe with an arrow piercing his bible.
The next day, Chau made a second attempt but never returned.
The fishermen he hired later reported seeing the young man’s body buried on the beach by tribe members.
Chau’s last entry in his journal reads, “You guys might think I’m crazy in all this but I think it’s worthwhile to declare Jesus to these people. God, I don’t want to die.”
In 2006, the same tribe killed two poachers who had been illegally fishing near their island.
Survival International, a group advocating for tribal people, believes the natives’ decision to remain isolated should be respected.
“They’ve made it very clear that they don’t want contact. Somebody comes, they have no idea what he’s coming for and why, I think it’s far more self-defense than it is murder,” said Sophie Grig, Survival International Senior Researcher.
On social media, Chau’s family wrote their son “loved god, life, helping those in need and had nothing but love for the Sentinelese people. We forgive those reportedly responsible for his death.”
All they can do is wait to find out when or if their son’s body will be recovered.
Currents News Staff
The Diocese of Sacramento in California is offering free tuition to its more than three dozen private Catholic schools for students displaced by the camp fire.
This includes the Notre Dame Catholic School in Chico.
All education costs associated with the private school will be at no expense through the remainder of the school year. This includes tuition which usually costs between five to six-thousand dollars.
Displaced students will also receive uniforms, school materials, hot lunches and all other expenses.
“We have open seats in some of our schools here across the dices, and we know that over thirty thousand people have been displaced by this fire, including a number of children. And when we heard that the butte county schools were going to need a little bit more time to reopen and knowing that families have been scattered across the north and the Sacramento area, we just thought it would be good to open those desks to kids to get them back into school,” said Lincoln Snyder, Catholic Schools Superintendent.
The offer also applies to 9th through 12th grade students for Mercy High School in Red Bluff.
Displaced families interested in this offer should contact the Sacramento diocese.
The Great Thanksgiving Pumpkin Special. Monsignor Jamie shows you how to take those extra pumpkins for feeding and gift giving centerpieces for everyone from the needy to your family. This episode features Chef Pete Marcolini and his pumpkin sauce. Florist Laura Long and her pumpkin floral centerpieces and Brooklyn Angels Food Truck Executive Director, Ryan Kuonen.
On the newscast: Crisis averted – Police thwart a potential mass shooting; A dramatic rescue caught on camera; Massacre in Africa – the latest on religious persecution in the central region.
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)
By Tim Harfmann
Allan Negron is homeless. His wife and now-adult children left him. And the 58-year-old sleeps at a shelter. But he’ll have a place to spend thanksgiving dinner — CHiPS in Park Slope, Brooklyn. “Have you ever been out there and went hungry? Believe me, you’ll know that this place is a Godsend,” said Negron.
Catholics from nearby St. Francis Xavier Church founded the center in the early 1970s. CHiPS serves 350 meals to nearly 150 people every day.
Wednesday, volunteers were hard at work, dicing and slicing for Thanksgiving. At least 40 turkeys and 100 pounds of potatoes were donated with all the trimmings. Every guest will receive a meal and a to-go tray with leftovers. “They say food fills the soul. It’s healthy for the mind, it’s healthy for the body; and around this time of the year, everybody should have somebody, somewhere, some place to be,” said Janice Lebby. She is the director of the site’s soup kitchen.
Brother Tom Barton, a Franciscan and volunteer, said CHiPS creates a family atmosphere when most the guests don’t have families of their own. “They really are respected, and they really respect each other. That’s the act of faith dynamic,” said Barton.
Negron has been coming to CHiPS for almost a decade. A former construction worker and postal service employee, he’s looking forward to his favorites: turkey, stuffing, and someone to be with. “It’s nice. You sit down, you conversate, you socialize, and have a nice meal. It’s not bad at all,” said Negron.
Negron is grateful and even through his tough time, he hasn’t lost his faith in God. “I ask Him to help me out with the situation that I’m in, and then I leave it all into his hands. Whatever He decides to do, He decides to do.”
CHiPS always welcomes donated food. The center is located at 200 4th Avenue in Brooklyn.
Around the holidays and as Catholics, when a loved one is missing at the table, we tend to think a lot more about heaven. Does it exist? What’s it like? Is our family there?
New York Times bestseller, Mitch Albom, wondered the same thing when he wrote ‘The Five People You Meet In Heaven.’ He joins Currents News to discuss his latest book ‘The Next Person You Meet In Heaven.’
Currents News Staff
These are some of a few photos from the attack on the cathedral and the adjacent refugee camp in Alindao, Central African Republic. The victims were mostly Christians, including the Vicar General of the diocese, Blaise Mada and Fr. Celestine.
“In this attack, the victim is the Church. The situation in the country is very delicate and, in many cases, the religious component is mixed with other factors. In this case, the attack may be a reaction to the murder of a Muslim perpetrated by Antibalaka, a militia falsely defined as Christian that emerged to respond to the violence by Seleka Islamists,” said Marta Petrosillo Spokesperson, Aid to the Church in Need Italy.
At the moment, the number of victims is unknown and could range from between 40 and 100 people. There is a grave situation in the Central African Republic and, as is often the case in many horrific scenarios, the Church has always remained at the side of the weakest.
“Since the beginning of this seemingly never-ending crisis in 2012, it is only priests and religious in many areas who remain to help the population, both Christian and Muslim,” said Petrosillo.
The refugees were attacked by the militias of l’Unité pour la Paix in Centrafrique, an armed rebel group formed by former Seleka. They acted without anyone stopping them, not even the UN forces deployed in the country that have orders to intervene alone. if they are attacked directly.
“What members of the local Church say is really important. They assert that MINUSCA, the UN Peacebuilding office was there but did not intervene,” said Petrosillo.
Pope Francis has the Central African Republic in his heart. He visited it in 2015, against many recommendations that he cancel the trip due to high risks. Therefore, during the Angelus prayer, he lamented this terrible attack.
“I was saddened to hear of the massacre, two days ago, in a refugee camp in the Central African Republic,” said Francis.
For years, this African country, one of the poorest in the world, has been the subject to a bloody civil war between two militias. Seleka, which has an Islamist nature; and Antibalaka, formed by Christians and mercenaries of other ethnic groups and religions, whose main victim is the defenseless population.