Pilgrims Headed To National Eucharistic Congress Make It To West Virginia

There’s less than a month to go for pilgrims walking to Indianapolis for the first National Eucharistic Congress in 83 years.

Among them is Zoe Dongas, who works in the Office of Young Adult Outreach in the Archdiocese of New York.

Dongas made it to West Virginia, where she reflected on the blessings of her journey.

With less than a month to go before reaching Indianapolis for the National Congress, here’s a progress update on the four routes the pilgrims are taking.

Down south, the Saint Juan Diego Route has reached Alabama. There, the pilgrims, along with some 550 people, processed with the Blessed Sacrament through downtown Mobile.

The St. Junipero Serra Route out west continued a decades-long tradition in Nebraska.

The Diocese of Lincoln has celebrated this field Mass for over fifty years on the site of a 1720 battle, where a Catholic priest and 43 others were killed.

This year, it coincided with the pilgrimage.

In the Northern Marian Route, pilgrims visited with the Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Cross in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The nuns greeted the Blessed Sacrament and the perpetual pilgrims and sang the Blessing of St. Francis.

In the eastern St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route, pilgrims stopped for lunch in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Bishop David Zubik gave them a blessing before they continued on their journey.

All four routes are traveling 6,500 miles, leading to the National Congress in Indianapolis.

Salve Regina Catholic Academy Shuts Its Doors

by Katie Vasquez

There were cheers kicking off the last day of school at Salve Regina Catholic Academy but the joy is fleeting as this is the final time the teachers, students and parents will see each other.

“I’m going to say goodbyes and just pray and hope that everything works out well,” said Sherice Martin, a parent at Salve Regina Catholic Academy. “I’m going to miss all my friends,” said Shemar Celestin, a 2nd grader at Salve Regina Catholic Academy.

The Diocese of Brooklyn announced in March that four schools will close their doors at the end of the school year.

Along with Salve Regina, it includes St Matthias Catholic Academy in Ridgewood, Visitation Academy in Bay Ridge, and St Catherine of Genoa-St Therese of Lisieux Catholic Academy in Flatbush.

Most of the students have found new schools and some of the staff will move on to other positions.

“There’s no coming back. There’s no looking back in the school, and that in the hallway, nothing, nothing. It hits really, really, really hard. So it’s been a heart wrenching day for all of us,” said Salve Regina Catholic Academy parent and school aide, Aneta Jaimangal.

But what happens to all the items inside the school? Desk, chairs and books will be offered to other diocesan schools.

Religious statues and paintings will stay with the church affiliated with the school.

Staff will have until July 15th to pack up everything else.

“We have to box up all the student records. we have to box up the admin files and everything, and then all that gets sent out to archives. so we will be here for the next few weeks doing all the paperwork that has to get done for the diocese,” said Salve Regina Catholic Academy principal, Michelle Donato.

Holding on to all the memories of the school before the doors close permanently.

“It’s just very fond to our hearts. We have so many things that, you know, we’ve experienced here,” said Salve Regina Catholic Academy parent, Joselyn Vasquez, “it’s just, you know, a hard place to replace.”

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday 6/20/2024

School’s out for summer, but it’s a bittersweet farewell for Salve Regina Catholic Academy in East New York, closing its doors for good.

Louisiana’s new law mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools, signed by Governor Jeff Landry, sparks nationwide debate.

In New York, a state appellate court reinstated a proposed constitutional amendment for abortion rights on the November ballot, reversing a lower court decision, with opponents planning to appeal to the state’s highest court.

Join us as we catch up with pilgrim Zoe Dongas on her journey along the Seton Route to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis.

St. Francis De Sales School for the Deaf Models Inclusivity With New Accessible Playground Makes Strides

By Jessica Easthope

The sounds of a playground are unmistakable.

Even though the children playing hear nothing but silence, at St. Francis de Sales School for the Deaf in Crown Heights, recess is access.

“It’s beautiful because you’ll see children in wheelchairs, children with canes,” said Jodi Falk, executive director at St. Francis de Sales. “You’ll see sign language. You’ll see picture exchange, communication books, and iPads, all the multiple ways that our students communicate.”

This playground, which opened this spring, took five years of work, research, and compassion to get off the ground.

Falk said it’s made of soft bouncy material suited for all types of walkers and rollers.

“One of our core values is independence,” Falk said. “Whether you’re in a wheelchair, you’re a walker, or you are deaf, blind, everything is accessible to the students to go independently.”

The structure, which was partly funded by the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation grant, has features for every St. Francis student – deaf, deaf-blind, and deaf-disabled.

Dawn Welters, supervisor of instruction and operations at St. Francis de Sales, said she wishes she had this when she was a kid.

“They don’t have any barriers, and they can do whatever they want,” Welters said. “And that’s something I want for all deaf children, all deaf-blind children, and deaf-disabled children. All barriers are broken down here.”

But for the kids who do play here, they enjoy it, in some cases, more than they could ever express.

“I like the swings, yeah, I like the swings the most. So that’s fun,” said Wilber Sandoval, a student at St. Francis de Sales. “And the playground makes me feel good. And I’m smiling. And I have lots of fun there.”

“I like the playground. And I like the merry-go-round. That’s my favorite one,” said Zaira Ramroop, a student at St. Francis de Sales. “Yeah. I love playing with my friends on the playground.”

Not only was St. Francis de Sales School for the Deaf intentional about the design of the playground, they were intentional about the color for students who are also visually impaired. One area colored in blue and yellow signifies a place to play, while another area colored in red signifies a place to walk.

“It’s been part of the strategic vision of the school to become state of the art,” Falk said.

It’s still a climb to get to true, universal inclusivity, but St. Francis de Sales covers new ground every day.

“I do have hope for what the world looks like in the future,” Welters said. “The students can start the work, and they become advocates themselves. And that’s the kind of environment we have here. So, yeah, Saint Francis would be very proud of the development and relationships established here.”

“We are a safe haven for the students and their families,” Falk said. “And we are a model for what it should be.”

In addition to the new playground, St. Francis de Sales School for the Deaf has also created a very real way to teach independence.

This is Activities of Daily Living – a mock apartment where students can learn how to complete basic household tasks like washing clothes, making a bed, and using a TV.

Before students use the brand new space, they will set goals and work toward them with their therapists in an effort to create lifelong skills that will allow them to live more balanced and independent lives.

If you want to help St. Francis de Sales School for the Deaf on their mission of inclusivity, you can donate at sfdesales.org/donate.

Man With ALS Fulfills Lifelong Skydiving Dream

By Jessica Easthope

It started with a surprise from a good friend. It’s been a life of love for aviation for 66-year-old Mark Johnson.

“I used to fly an airplane when I was a kid,” said Mark Johnson. “I always wanted to jump out of one.”

Johnson is living with ALS. He was given two to five years to live, but that was 24 years ago.

Since then, he’s been fighting. However, in mid-April, he was moved into hospice care and was asked if he could do one thing, what would it be. He said he would like to jump out of a plane.

“I’m very excited,” Johnson said. “I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to do it.”

So on Friday, June 14, Mark suited up.

Johnson said he hopes he’s an example of why folks fighting ALS should never give up.

“A lot of people don’t know much about ALS,” Johnson said. “It’s very devastating.”

He credits his courage on this day.

“That has to do with the people I have around me today,” Johnson said. “They gave me that hope and courage. Live one day at a time and live it to the fullest. My father was an airline pilot. I’ve always loved to fly. I think it’s a sense of freedom with all of God’s creations out there. Beyond amazing.”

Johnson actually learned to fly a plane before he had a driver’s license and has always wanted to skydive throughout his life.

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 6/18/2024

Compassion and accessibility intersect in Crown Heights. We’ll show you the new inclusive playground at St. Francis de Sales School for the Deaf where children who are deaf, deaf-blind, and deaf-disabled play together without limits.

President Joe Biden is expected to announce a new immigration policy that would protect undocumented spouses of US citizens from deportation.

Details of the president’s discussion with Pope Francis at the G7 summit are being released. The two leaders met about the need for a ceasefire in Gaza, the war in Ukraine, and peace in Sudan and the Congo, according to a White House statement.

Pope Francis condemned the persecution of Christians in the Congo. The Holy Father said there’s a climate of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Christians in Congo have faced ongoing oppression since 2014, with armed groups targeting individuals and destroying dozens of churches. Pope Francis has called on the international community to help stabilize the area.

Bishop Emeritus Nicholas DiMarzio Celebrates 80th Birthday

While dad’s everywhere were being celebrated on Father’s Day, a beloved father in the Diocese of Brooklyn was celebrated for a different reason.

Yesterday was Bishop Emeritus Nicholas DiMarzio’s 80th birthday.

Hundreds sent their well wishes to our former bishop on social media.

Fox-5 Anchor Bianca Peters Graduates From St. Athanasius After Getting Another Chance at Kindergarten

St. Athanasius Catholic Academy in Bensonhurst saw 20 kindergarten students graduate this past week, but one of them stood above the rest.

At the beginning of the school year, Bianca Peters, a morning news anchor at Fox-5 News, spent a day with Christina Galante’s kindergarten class, hoping to have a better experience than she did 30 years ago.

Peters had to repeat kindergarten as a kid, but this time around she got to walk across the stage confidently.

Peters said that if she had attended St. Athanasius Academy, she knows she would have thrived.

Peters says her latest participation in kindergarten has been the best time yet.

St. Adalbert 8th Grader Lets Musical Gift Guide His Future

By Jessica Easthope

It’s not every day you hear rock-and-roll bursting out of the windows of a Catholic academy, but here at St. Adalbert in Elmhurst, eighth grader Andrew Nazario is in his element.

“If anything’s bothering me, I should go play some instruments,” Nazario said. “And it’s kind of like an escape where I get to calm down and relax a little bit and do what I love.”

This summer, Nazario’s task is to learn to read music. In September, he’ll be attending Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, ranked among the most prestigious in the country.

“I think I have to heighten my skills a little bit before I go to LaGuardia,” Nazario said. “The kids there, they’re probably been playing since they’re like two or three years old.”

It’s hard to believe, but these fingers touched a guitar for the first time just two years ago, and the drums only this past December.

“It wasn’t too hard,” Nazario said. “But when I really started practicing chords and scales and started learning about music theory, it became a little bit harder. But it’s still fairly easy for me.”

With every note, Nazario unlocked a God-given, but hidden, talent. His father Ricardo said music has changed the trajectory of his son’s life. It turns out Nazario was born to perform.

“We’re super proud of him,” Ricardo said. “My wife and I decided we’ll get him a used instrument first, and if he likes it and if he’s good at it, then we’ll progress from there.”

It wasn’t until Nazario learned to play a 19th-century Spanish folk song that Ricardo realized Nazario’s guitar playing might be more than a hobby.

“I knew at that point that things were a little bit different with Andrew,” Ricardo said. “We didn’t have to give him direction. We didn’t have to push him. He took it upon himself to learn on his own. And it’s his musical ear.”

The music is in his head, but it’s faith that guides his hands. He wears this St. Gregory medal every day.

“He’s a patron saint for musicians, singers, and teachers,” Nazario said. “He kind of guides me to what I want to do. And it gives me courage.”

“His faith is going to carry him. We know that he has hidden talents,” Ricardo said. “So what he’s done now, it’s amazing. But what’s to come is going to be even more powerful.”

Nazario’s headed to high school ready to work hard. The rest he can play by ear.

Queens Crossing Guard Returns to Work 9 Months After Being Hit by a Car

by Katie Vasquez

As kids head to Our Lady of Hope Catholic Academy, Liliana D’Onofrio, or Lilly, as they call her, is there to guide them.

“My day is always very bright if I can see her. She’s really very good,” said Evangeline Roca, a parent at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Academy.

D’Onofrio’s a staple in Middle Village where she lives and has worked as a crossing guard since 2008.

“I watch them grow up and then they come back and visit me when they’re in high school,” D’Onofrio said. “When they’re in college, they come back and say, ‘Lilly, remember me?’ I just love it, love it, love it.”

She’s missed most of this school year, as she spent nine months recovering after a serious accident.

“I missed her,” said Gianna Grecula, a student at Our Lady of Hope Academy, “because she was gone for a while.”

“I start to cry when I start to think about it because I’m grateful. I’m very, very grateful to be here,” said D’Onofrio.

Police say that on Sept. 26, D’Onofrio was helping students cross the street at dismissal time when 51-year-old Sinead Welsh hit D’Onofrio with her car.

Welsh was charged with reckless endangerment and DWI, police said.

D’Onofrio was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, but she woke up with no memory of the accident.

“I didn’t remember that I was hit by the car until my husband explained it to me,” D’Onofrio said.

It was a relief to students and parents when she returned to work on June 10, especially to those who had witnessed the accident.

“We were like, very surprised that she’s back, especially from the freak incident that happened,” said Aidan Moylan, a student at Our Lady of Hope Academy.

“It has been very sad. She’s our welcoming morning every day, right?,” said Amanda Quintana, a parent at Our Lady of Hope Academy. “So we missed her very much. and we were praying for her to get well.”

Now the Our Lady of Hope parishioner wants to make up for lost time, and work through the summer.

“I just like the community. I love the people. Everybody’s friendly. I enjoy it,” D’Onofrio said. “I work with wonderful people and I love the kids. I just adore the children.”