D-Day veteran and TikTok star ‘Papa Jake' Larson dies at 102
Tributes for 'Story Time with Papa Jake' poured in from followers across the United States, where he had been living in Lafayette, CA., and from towns around Normandy still grateful to Allied forces who helped defeat the occupying Nazis.
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Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Pope Leo XIV urges over 1 million Catholic young people to spread faith and enthusiasm
ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV on Sunday urged more than a million Catholic youths to 'spread your enthusiasm and the witness of your faith' when they return home to some 150 countries, during a Mass closing a weeklong encounter with the next generation of faithful. 'Aspire to great things, to holiness, wherever you are,'' Leo urged the young faithful. 'Do not settle for less. You will then see the light of the Gospel growing every day, in you and around you.' The young people camped out in sprawling fields southeast of Rome overnight after attending a vigil service for the Jubilee of Youth on Saturday, also presided by Leo who has been ferried to and from Vatican City by helicopter. The Vatican said more than 1 million young people were present, along with 7,000 priests and 450 bishops. The special Jubilee celebration is part of the Holy Year that is expected to draw 32 million people to the Vatican for the centuries-old pilgrimage to the seat of Catholicism. The week has been a joyous gathering marked by bands of youths singing hymns as they move down cobblestoned streets, praying rosaries in piazzas and standing for hours at the Circus Maximus to confess their sins to priests offering the sacrament in a dozen languages. Leo also shared tragic news on Saturday. Two young people who had made the pilgrimage to Rome had died, one reportedly of cardiac arrest, while a third was hospitalized. Rain overnight awakened the faithful but didn't dampen their spirits. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. 'At least we were a little covered, but we still got a bit wet. We lost our voices a little. It was cold, but we woke up to a beautiful sun and view,'' said Soemil Rios, 20, from Puerto Rico. 'Despite the difficulties, it was very nice and very special to have been part of this historic moment.' Sister Giulia De Luca of Rome acknowledge that 'waking up was a bit tough,' but that she was looking forward to seeing the pope again. 'It will be very nice to conclude a very intense week together. Definitely a lot of fun, but also very challenging in many ways,' she said. ___ Barry reported from Milan
Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘God understands us': Inside a Nigerian church where deaf people find faith and community
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — It is like any other church in Nigeria 's megacity of Lagos. A lectern faces rows of plastic chairs. A biblical quote is written on a beam above. There is a music section, with a set of drums. Sash-wearing church wardens move around to enforce order. But it is also different. For hours, the only sounds are exclamations and thunderous bursts of drums, with their vibrations the cues for when to pray, kneel or respond to the preacher's calls for 'Hallelujah.' This is a church for deaf people in Somolu, a mixed-income suburb, where about 50 to 60 people worship weekly. Imoh Udoka, a father of two children, has attended the church for 36 years. He was 9 years old when he contracted meningitis, losing his hearing as well as access to his faith. Most churches in Nigeria do not have accommodation for deaf people. Then Udoka, now a teacher of sign language, discovered the church via community outreach. 'Here in this church, we have access to worship God in our sign language,' he told The Associated Press. 'God also understands us' Remi Akinrenmi is one of the pastors. Every Sunday, he mounts the pulpit with charismatic energy to preach in sign language. His big frame makes for a commanding presence. On one Sunday, he preached about the sinister consequences of jealousy. On another, he preached the importance of faith. Attendees waved their hands above their heads in response to 'Praise the Lord.' Most important for Akinrenmi is that members see the church as a community. 'There was no community for us before the deaf church started,' he said. 'Now, we see each other and say, 'Oh, you are deaf, too. I am also deaf.' And we are now together and have formed a community.' God understands every language, he said: 'With sign language, God also understands us.' Disability advocates say that in the absence of inclusive churches and institutions, churches like this and a handful of affiliates in southern Nigeria are crucial, especially in African societies where the perception of people with disabilities is influenced by traditional beliefs. Some see a disability as a divine punishment. 'An exclusive space like this church offers them an opportunity for a safe space to be able to connect and relate,' said Treasures Uchegbu, founder of Speaking Fingers, a sign language advocacy group in Lagos. 'They can say, 'I am not a deaf person just standing alone, I have other deaf people around.'' How the church came to be The church organizes evangelism outreach programs to other deaf communities in Lagos. It also runs a teaching unit for sign language, a vital tool for understanding the world better, according to Akinrenmi. Hearing children of church members also attend the classes to better relate to their parents and others, and some hearing students attend church services for immersion learning. The church started in 1956 in colonial Nigeria as the Christian Mission for Deaf Africans. In today's Nigeria, an estimated 10 million people out of the population of 220 million are deaf or have difficulty hearing. There is limited infrastructure in Nigeria for people with disabilities, and laws to improve their welfare and prevent discrimination are barely enforced. Efforts by advocates to push for more inclusive legislation have not materialized. They blame a lack of political will. Oluwakemi Oluwatoke-Ogunjirin, a 49-year-old worker with the Lagos state government, was born deaf. She attended hearing churches with her family but always felt lost. Depending solely on public infrastructure in other parts of life, she struggles to get by. But at the church, she said, she has found a community where she can feel safe and understood. 'The church goes beyond faith; we have people like ourselves that we can talk to as friends,' Oluwatoke-Ogunjirin said. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. With the church's help, she has improved her sign language and can communicate widely, breaking the isolation she grew up with. 'The sign language makes life very easy for us,' she said. 'It helps us communicate beyond the church.' ___ For more on Africa and development: The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Winnipeg Free Press
5 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
At this summer camp run by grandmas, kids learn cooking skills and life advice
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The smell of frying garlic and ginger is inescapable as it wafts through the room, while a row of fidgety kids watches an older woman in a blue plaid apron cooking in front of them. 'When I was growing up my mom used to make this a lot,' she says, showing a chicken stir fry recipe. At this 'Intergenerational Summer Camp' in a Southern California suburb, the grandmas are in charge. Every week, they taught a group of 8-to-14-year-olds how to cook a new dish and a do a handicraft such as sewing, embroidering, clay jewelry and card marking. 'Isolation and loneliness is something that seniors are challenged with, and they love having younger people around them,' said Zainab Hussain, a program manager at Olive Community Services, a nonprofit aimed at bringing older adults together that hosted the camp. The camp was held at a community center in Fullerton, a city in Orange County that's home to a large Arab population, and many of the campers and grandmas come from those communities. In between activities, the small room bustled with energy as the girls chatted and munched on snacks. Some of the volunteer grandmas milled around and watched, content to just be around the youngsters. In July, during the final week of camp, Janna Moten and her friends were learning how to use a sewing machine and make pouches. 'Slowly, slowly,' one grandma chided as Moten stomped on the machine's pedal, causing the needle to rapidly jerk up and down. She pressed her foot down again, gingerly, and managed to sew a straight line. 'Honestly, I'm just here for the food,' the 9 year old quipped. Still, she beamed as she showed the two pieces of fabric she sewed together and turned inside out, forming a rectangular pocket. Moten said she's been practicing hand-stitching at home after learning embroidery a previous week. 'Sewing's pretty easy, it's just hard keeping the lines straight,' she said. She added that her own grandma was stricter than the ones at summer camp. Haqiqah Abdul Rahim, the instructor for sewing, said many kids don't learn these skills at school anymore through home economics classes, so they're 'filling in a gap.' She stood in front of the room at the start of the activity, holding up various tools and explaining what they were: seam roller, thread snipper, rotary fabric cutter. Rahim also doesn't get to spend a lot of time with her grandchildren because they don't live close. 'It is heartwarming to be able to interact with those who love being around you,' Rahim said. The kids have learned about kitchen safety and how to cook with a grandma's touch — such as mixing spices with water before adding them to a dish so they don't burn, or using fresh turmeric. The summer camp was held in partnership with the Golden Connections Club, started by high school student Leena Albinali last year to foster interactions between teens and elders. The 14-year-old lives with her grandma but realized other students didn't have the same opportunity to spend as much time with their grandparents. She also learned about ageism and other challenges faced by senior adults in one of her classes. At monthly lunches, they invite seniors to the school and discuss topics where both groups can learn from each other, Albinali said. 'They treat us like we're their grandchildren,' she said. The teens share what they know about artificial intelligence and its impact on their lives, and the elders share life stories and advice. One of the most important things they've shared with her is to live in the moment, something that's taken on new meaning for her. 'The people we have right now, they're not going to be with us forever,' she said.
