Southeast
South Carolina priest says feast of Corpus Christi is a reminder that God wants 'to be with us'
“Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them (John 6:53-56).”
These verses, known as the “Bread of Life Discourse,” come from the Gospel of John, one of the four gospel narratives in the New Testament, Fr. Jeffrey Kirby told Fox News Digital.
Kirby is pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish in Indian Land, South Carolina, and is the host of the daily devotional podcast “Morning Offering with Father Kirby.”
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While the exact authorship of this gospel is unknown, John’s Gospel is most commonly attributed to the Apostle John, says the website Catholic Answers.
This weekend, many Christians are observing the Feast of Corpus Christi, Kirby told Fox News Digital.
In Latin, Corpus Christi translates to “Body of Christ.” The feast day itself was established in the mid-13th century, said Kirby, after a Eucharistic miracle saw a host begin bleeding during Mass.
The Feast of Corpus Christi is a solemnity celebrating the body and blood of Christ, said a South Carolina-based priest. Here, the Eucharist is carried in a special container called a monstrance. (FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images)
Some Christian denominations believe in “transubstantiation,” or the belief that Jesus is physically present in the Eucharist — and pointed to this and other similar Eucharistic miracles as proof.
“St. Thomas Aquinas, a renowned and highly respected theologian and philosopher of the time, was moved by the miracle and encouraged the pope to create a feast day in which the Lord’s Presence could be celebrated,” said Kirby.
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In modern times, “the feast day includes both a special Mass and a solemn procession of the Blessed Sacrament around parish campuses, towns, and cities,” he said.
Additionally, this year the United States is hosting the National Eucharistic Congress – the first in 83 years, said Kirby.
This year the United States is hosting the National Eucharistic Congress – the first in 83 years.
“The Eucharistic Congress is a part of a three-year National Eucharistic Revival called for by the U.S. bishops,” he said.
The bishops hope that the revival will bring about “a strong, more robust, belief in the Lord’s Presence in the Eucharist” that “will spread in the hearts of believers and shared with those who have no faith or are wrestling to find a faith in God,” said Kirby.
Eucharistic processions, such as the one pictured above, are part of the celebration of Corpus Christi, said a South Carolina-based priest. (Jorge Castellanos/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“For Catholics and other Christians, the Lord’s Presence in the Eucharist is the highest gift given by the eternal Son of God to the human family. It is His presence with us,” said Kirby.
The Feast of Corpus Christi, said Kirby, draws back to the upper room where Jesus celebrated Passover with His followers shortly before His crucifixion.
“As the culmination of His three years with them, Jesus tells His followers that He eagerly anticipated eating the Passover with them,” said Kirby.
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The priest continued, “The anticipation is understandable since in its celebration, the Lord fulfilled the ancient ritual and began His own sacrifice. And by His sacrifice, the Lord Jesus offers a new and eternal covenant of reconciliation and love.”
The new covenant “is sustained by sacred memory, and made perceptible by a holy meal,” said Kirby.
The Feast of Corpus Christi “is the annual reminder of God’s accompaniment with us,” said Fr. Jeffrey Kirby of Indian Land, South Carolina. (Fr. Jeffrey Kirby/Getty Images)
This meal, known as the “Eucharist” — which translates to “the great thanksgiving” — is “the edible truth of God’s presence among us.”
He added, “The Lord allows His divine presence to remain with the human family under the appearance of bread and wine in the Eucharist” — noting that the Eucharist “is a tangible reminder to us of God’s accompaniment through the journey of life.”
Without the Eucharist, “There would be no tangible access to the living God or any palpable means of responding to His invitation to be with Him without his Eucharistic Presence,” he said.
“The Lord desires to be with us.”
“Corpus Christi, therefore, is the annual reminder of God’s accompaniment with us,” said Kirby.
The celebration is a reminder to every generation of believers “that Jesus Christ is our friend and companion.”
Said Kirby, “The Lord desires to be with us, walk with us through the joys and sufferings of life, and guide us into the eternal life of heaven.”
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Southeast
Disgraced teacher accused of using Google Docs to groom underage student before alleged sex crimes
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A Palm Beach County, Florida, science teacher is behind bars after investigators say he used a shared Google Doc to secretly communicate with a student before engaging in sexual acts with her at school and inside his apartment, according to an arrest affidavit.
Elias Gordon Farley, 26, a former teacher at Donna Klein Jewish Academy in Boca Raton, was arrested after the student reported the alleged abuse on Nov. 18.
The teen told detectives the interactions began as casual conversations during the previous school year, but over the summer, Farley allegedly created a shared Google Doc in which the two wrote messages back and forth.
Investigators said the file later contained explicit entries describing sexual activity and planning when they would meet privately.
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Elias Gordon Farley, a former teacher at the Donna Klein Jewish Academy in Boca Raton, is facing felony charges after police say he engaged in a months-long sexual relationship with a student. (Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office)
According to the affidavit, the student said the relationship became physical in mid-September inside Farley’s office, where he touched her beneath her clothing. She told detectives the encounters continued for weeks in both his office and a classroom.
By late September and into October, she said the pair were engaging in sexual acts, including oral sex and, at one point, intercourse inside a classroom on campus.
The student also described visiting Farley’s apartment twice in early November after recognizing details he had mentioned about its location and layout. She told deputies that several sexual encounters occurred during those visits.
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A teacher was accused of using Google Docs to talk to an underage student before sexual encounters. (Google Maps)
Detectives later executed a search warrant and said they found bedding, condom wrappers and furniture matching her description. Farley’s roommate confirmed he had not been home on the dates the teen said she visited.
School surveillance video reviewed by deputies also appeared to support her account, showing Farley and the student entering his office together on Nov. 7 and later entering a classroom for about an hour.
The situation came to light after the student confided in an art teacher on Nov. 14 and showed her bruises and bite marks she said came from Farley. Administrators were informed the next day, suspended Farley immediately and reported the matter to child welfare authorities.
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A former science teacher at Donna Klein Jewish Academy in Palm Beach County was arrested after allegations of an inappropriate sexual relationship with a student, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. (iStock)
Farley refused to speak with detectives after being read his Miranda rights, according to the affidavit.
Farley was booked into the Palm Beach County Main Detention Center Dec. 4 and is being held on $500,000 bond, jail records show. He faces charges of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and offense against a student by an authority figure.
In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, Donna Klein Jewish Academy said it is cooperating fully with the investigation and called the situation “a difficult time for all of us at Donna Klein.”
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“We are approaching this serious situation with the utmost care, keeping the well-being of our students, faculty and families at the forefront,” a spokesperson said.
The school said it is working closely with families, teachers and staff to ensure they have the support they need, adding that its priority is maintaining “a safe, compassionate and educational environment for all.”
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The spokesperson said no additional details would be released “out of respect for the privacy of our community” but that Farley is no longer employed at the school.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office at 561-688-3000.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
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Southeast
Florida teens in custody after 14-year-old girl found shot to death, burnt: sheriff
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Two teen boys in Florida are accused of fatally shooting a 14-year-old girl and setting her on fire along a wooded walking trail last week in what authorities are calling a “horrific” killing.
Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson told reporters Thursday that the body has been identified as Danika Troy. He said Danika’s mother reported her as a runaway on Monday.
“Unbeknownst to the mother, Danika was murdered the previous night,” Johnson said.
A passerby discovered Danika’s body along a wooded area off Kimberly Road in Pace, a town about 16 miles northeast of Pensacola, and called 911, Johnson said.
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Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson told reporters that the suspects were supposedly friends with the victim from school. He said investigators were still working to determine a motive. (Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office)
Investigators quickly identified the suspects as 14-year-old Kimahri Blevins and 16-year-old Gabriel Williams and took them into custody.
“This is where it gets really horrific,” Johnson said.
Kimahri Blevins, 14, is facing premeditated first-degree murder charges. Authorities are seeking to charge him as an adult. (Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office)
Williams allegedly stole his mother’s handgun and shot Danika.
“It’s bad enough you kill a 14-year-old. You’re 14. You’re 16,” Johnson said. “Shoot her multiple times, and then they set her on fire.”
Gabriel Williams, 16, is facing premeditated first-degree murder charges. Authorities are seeking to charge him as an adult. (Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office)
Johnson said investigators are still working to determine a motive.
“They have been interviewed, but the motive that they’re giving doesn’t fit the forensics or any facts of the case, so we don’t have a legit motive,” he told reporters.
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Blevins and Williams supposedly knew the victim from school, according to Johnson. He believed the two teens have had previous “run-ins” with law enforcement, though he could not immediately say if they had earlier arrests.
Blevins and Williams are being held at the Department of Juvenile Justice on premeditated first-degree murder charges.
“You don’t want to go out and see a burnt child with bullet holes,” Johnson said. “That’s not something you sign up for.”
Johnson said no parents have been charged at this time, though investigators are “looking into it.”
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The sheriff’s office is working with the State Attorney to charge both teens as adults.
“If you do an adult crime, you gotta do adult time,” Johnson said.
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Florida college student who allegedly shipped 1,500 rounds of ammo to dorm had AR-15 under bed
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A Florida college student who allegedly ordered 1,500 rounds of ammunition to his dorm room also had a semi-automatic rifle under his bed, according to authorities.
Constantine Demetriades, a 21-year-old senior at Rollins College, was arrested by Winter Park police on Wednesday and charged with possession of a weapon on school property after the ammunition order was reported to police by the school’s assistant campus safety director, according to an arrest affidavit, WKMG reported.
After the purchase was flagged, the assistant safety director searched Demetriades’ dorm and allegedly discovered an unloaded AR-15 under his bed inside an unsecured black carrying case with one loaded magazine and five empty magazines, as well as a tactical vest, knives, a black security vest and ear protection.
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Constantine Demetriades, 21, was charged with possession of a weapon on school property. (Winter Park Police Department)
Demetriades, who said he likes to shoot as a hobby, told police he had the rifle on school property because he had recently returned from a Thanksgiving trip to New Jersey, where he said the guns were purchased and registered legally, according to the affidavit.
He said he did not have ill intentions and that he usually stores the firearm at a friend’s home off school property, the affidavit stated. He also said he only brought the gun to campus on one other occasion.
Constantine Demetriades said he did not have ill intentions. (Getty Images)
While Florida allows open carry, Rollins College bans all weapons on campus. Demetriades allegedly said he is aware that weapons are not allowed on campus and that his New Jersey concealed carry permit does not apply in Florida.
The college said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital that he is banned from campus until the situation is resolved, adding that an internal investigation has been opened.
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While Florida allows open carry, Rollins College bans all weapons on campus. (Getty Images)
“On Wednesday, the College received a report indicating a violation of our weapons policy,” Rollins College said in a statement. “After receiving this information, we immediately initiated an investigation.”
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“We quickly identified and contacted the student, who cooperated fully with College officials and local law enforcement as we investigated the matter further,” the statement continued. “The student was arrested and is not permitted to be on campus while the College proceeds with the student conduct process.”
The school said Demetriades was additionally charged with a violation of the college’s weapons policy, and will go through the on-campus conduct process.
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