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Diocese of Brooklyn Announces Special Collection for Victims of Recent Hurricanes

WINDSOR TERRACE — Bishop Robert Brennan is asking the faithful of the diocese to donate to the victims of recent hurricanes Fiona and Ian.

“We have all seen the painful images of utter devastation and heard of the deaths caused by the recent hurricanes that have affected our brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Florida, and the southeastern United States,” Bishop Robert Brennan wrote in a letter to priests of the diocese asking them to organize a special collection.

“Our hearts and prayers go out to all those affected by these terrible natural disasters,” the bishop added.

Hurricane Fiona brought winds up to 85 mph and more than 20 inches of rain to Puerto Rico on Sept. 18, knocking out water and power on the island. Over 1,000 people were rescued as the storm flooded streets, caused mudslides, and destroyed infrastructure.

On Sept. 23, five days before Fiona dissipated, Hurricane Ian formed, first striking Cuba, and then making landfall in the Ft. Myers, Florida area on Sept. 28, as a Category 4 storm.

Though Ian was downgraded to a tropical storm after wrecking swaths of Florida, it regained strength and regrouped as a hurricane before heading toward South Carolina.

President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration to send federal help before it made landfall in Charleston on Sept. 30.

Residents of Florida and the Carolinas face an estimated recovery cost in the tens of billions of dollars.

As of Oct. 2, at least 80 people were confirmed dead, and more than 1,600 people had been rescued in parts of southwest and central Florida.

In the days after Hurricane Fiona tore through the Caribbean, Pope Francis sent separate telegrams to the presidents of the bishops’ conferences of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, assuring them of his prayers.

Bishop Brennan’s letter stated, “The monies collected will be sent by our Diocese for distribution and direct assistance to the affected by the hurricanes.”

Those who wish to send their checks directly to the diocese can do so.

Checks should be made out as follows:

COMPOSTELA FUND OF THE RC DIOCESE OF BROOKLYN

With the word “Hurricanes” written in the memo  

Mail to:

Diocesan Finance Office

310 Prospect Park West

Brooklyn, NY 11215

New Yorkers On Edge in Financial District Amid Drastic Crime Spike

By Jessica Easthope

Harold Gaffney has seen the worst of what human beings can do to each other, he was a court officer and a court clerk for 36 years, but he’s never seen the city this bad.

“There used to be a time where you had the concept of a crime-busting DA but you don’t have that anymore,” he said.

According to the NYPD, major crimes in the Financial District are up 50 percent this year compared to the rest of the city where it’s up 33 percent. The 1st Precinct, which covers the area, is reporting burglary is up 70 percent, robbery up 15 percent, felony assault up 16 percent and rape up 55 percent.

“People who commit crime don’t feel that there’s a consequence for it, if a person is arrested and back on the street in 24 hours you can have all the arrest statistics you want, the person’s back on the street,” Harold said.

Harold says even during his two-block-walk to church at our lady of victory in the heart of the financial district – he feels unsafe.

“A lot of people who commit crime feel empowered and say “hey let me do what” I want and that’s part of the problem,” he said.

Harold points to the lack of city resources designated to help homeless on the streets as one origin of the recent crime spike, and he’s not the only one.

“They turn to a life of crime, even these homeless people, violent, they’re very violent,” said Eve Smith.

Eve is a baby nurse who walks the streets of the financial district every day – and almost always with children.

“Of course I feel less safe, I was scared when I saw this homeless man he was violent, raging violent, he was attacking people passing by, people are going about their business and they fear for their lives,” she said.

People here say above ground the crime is spread out and sometimes masked by the skyscrapers and professional feel of the financial hub, but below ground – it’s harder to escape.

“I was almost at my stop here and a homeless man sat down and he was screaming and throwing donuts at people and smoking a cigarette right next to me,” said Jessica Levy who works on William Street.

She’s recently back in her native New York after living abroad, she said people warned her about the aggressive crime but she didn’t realize the magnitude of the problem until she saw it for herself.

“I don’t know if it’s only a homelessness problem,” she said. “But after leaving for three years and coming back, New York feels like a slightly different place now.”

Catholic News Headlines for Monday 10/03/22

One of the most historic neighborhoods in New York City is seeing a rise in crime.

A wake is being held today for the FDNY EMS lieutenant who was stabbed to death last week in Astoria.

Communities across Florida are trying to clean up and rebuild five days after Hurricane Ian hit the state.

Journalist Patti Ann Browne’s Memoir Details a Life and Career Guided by Faith

She is a daughter of the Diocese of Brooklyn, educated in its Catholic schools, who went on to become a nationally recognized journalist.

Patti Ann Browne delivered the news on Fox News Channel, MSNBC and other networks.

Now she’s getting personal in a memoir called “Write Your Own Story – How I Took Control By Letting Go.”

Patti Ann joins Currents News to give us a sneak peek of her book that is available on Amazon now.

Florida Continues With Rescue Efforts as Hurricane Ian’s Death Toll Rises

By Rhina Guidos

WASHINGTON (CNS) — As authorities in Florida continued rescue efforts, Catholic parishes and dioceses in the U.S. moved rapidly to collect aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, and U.S. President Joe Biden said it could take years to rebuild what was destroyed.

Though Ian was downgraded to a tropical storm after wrecking swaths of Florida, it regained strength and regrouped as a hurricane before heading toward South Carolina.

Biden approved an emergency declaration to send federal help before it made landfall in Charleston Sept. 30. Residents of Florida and the Carolinas face a recovery estimated to cost tens of billions of dollars.

As of Oct. 2, at least 80 people were confirmed dead, and more than 1,600 people had been rescued in parts of southwest and central Florida.

The Diocese of St. Petersburg, Florida, will hold a special collection at its parishes in October to help with the damage, including in the neighboring Diocese of Venice and is asking for others to help at https://www.dosp.org/disasterrelief.

“Our hearts are moved with compassion for all those who have suffered damage and destruction due to Hurricane Ian, especially our brothers and sisters in the Diocese of Venice,” St. Petersburg’s Bishop Gregory L. Parkes said of the diocese that suffered the brunt of the damage.

Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, called on Catholics and all people of goodwill to pray for those who lost their lives in the Caribbean and the southwest United States due to Hurricane Ian.

He urged prayers “for the comfort of their grieving families and communities” as well as prayers for those who have lost their homes and businesses. “May they find peace and comfort in God’s enduring love for us, even amid these most trying circumstances,” he said.

In a statement released late Sept. 30, the archbishop also prayed the emergency responders would be kept “from harm as they seek to bring relief, comfort and healing” to storm victims.

At a news conference Sept. 30, Biden told Floridians that the federal government would do all it could to help, particularly to rescue people and other recovery efforts.

He also announced that 44,000 utility workers were working to restore electricity for those left without power since the hurricane struck.

In preparing for Ian, the Florida Division of Emergency Management said it had coordinated with utility companies to make sure crews were prepared “to respond and restore power.”

As of Oct. 2, 590,000 people were still without power in Florida, but that figure was a significant reduction from the nearly 2 million who had no power immediately after Hurricane Ian struck.

“It’s not a crisis for Florida, it’s an American crisis,” Biden said during the news conference.

He said the situation on the ground was “far more devastating” than initially believed and “is likely to rank among the worst in the nation’s history.”

The president and first lady Jill Biden were visiting Puerto Rico Oct. 3 to see the devastation wrought by Hurricane Fiona, which slammed into the island a week before Ian hit Florida. The Bidens planned to visit Florida Oct. 5.

In the Diocese of Venice, Bishop Frank J. Dewane gave thanks via Twitter for those who prayed for people in the path of the Hurricane Ian.

“Damage is still being assessed, but it is clear that the devastation in the Diocese is widespread,” he wrote. “There are several crews already at work throughout the Diocese, and Catholic Charities is putting their local team into action. We are grateful for all those who have helped, and continue to help, during this difficult time.”

Catholic Charities USA is collecting donations at https://ccusa.online/Ian.

In Charleston, South Carolina, Bishop Jacques E. Fabre-Jeune offered Mass hours before the storm made landfall “for the protection of all people affected by Hurricane Ian and especially for our essential personnel working to keep us safe,” the diocese said on its Facebook page.

Ian hit close to 2:30 p.m. local time Sept. 30 as at Category 1 hurricane, flooding historic Charleston, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph. The storm was later downgraded to a tropical storm as it hit North Carolina.

As the storm went through the Carolinas, about 850,000 people had no electricity but news reports said power was restored to more than half of them by the weekend.

Wake, Funeral Plans Announced for Slain FDNY EMS Lieutenant

COMMACK — The wake and funeral were scheduled for EMS Lt. Alison Russo-Elling, who died last week in a random attack near her station in Astoria

The wake will be held from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. both Monday and Tuesday at Commack Abbey Funeral Home, 96 Commack Road, Commack, New York. Her funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday at Tilles Center for Performing Arts, 720 Northern Blvd., in Brookville, New York.

Russo-Elling, 61, died Thursday after suffering more than 20 stab wounds during the attack at the corner of 20th Avenue and 41st Street, near her assigned EMS Station, No. 49.

The lieutenant was in uniform as she ventured from the station to get lunch from a nearby deli. She died at Mount Sinai Queens Hospital. 

Fire department officials announced her funeral arrangements on the FDNY’s social media channels. Officials noted that parking for personal vehicles at the funeral home during the wake is reserved for Russo-Elling’s family and close friends.

Additional details about the funeral were not available earlier today. However, Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, a chaplain for the FDNY, said the funeral would be a traditional service held for line-of-duty deaths. These rites include an elaborate procession from the funeral to the internment.

High attendance is expected from public safety personnel and elected officials from New York City and the rest of the nation.

Russo-Elling, a mother and grandmother, was six months short of retirement. She served with the FDNY for 25 years and was among the first responders to the 9/11 terror attacks.

Russo-Elling is the third FDNY member to die this year while on duty.

Firefighter Jesse Gerhard collapsed at his firehouse while on duty in Far Rockaway on Feb. 16.

Timothy Klein, also a firefighter, died on April 24. He suffered fatal injuries while battling a house fire in Canarsie.

Police arrested a suspect, Peter Zisopoulos, 34, Thursday, soon after the attack. He was charged with murder on Friday. Zisopoulos reportedly is mentally disturbed.

Catholic News Headlines for Friday 09/30/22

New York City police are investigating the fatal stabbing of a veteran FDNY EMS lieutenant.

After wreaking havoc on Florida, Hurricane Ian is now battering the Carolinas.

A retired NYPD detective has been named the new Victim Assistance Coordinator in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

 

http://netny.tv

Diocese of Brooklyn Priests Renew Sense of Fraternity and Faith at Away Convocation

By Jessica Easthope

They look like old friends catching up, and many of them are. Meeting like this, away from their parishes, the city, and the needs of their people – is rare. It only happens every three years. It’s called an away convocation, Father Joseph Fonti has been running them for 15 years.
 
This time, more than 250 priests traveled to the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception for a chance to get back to the basics of priesthood – fraternity and faith. Father Fonti says over the years priests have been able to overcome generational and cultural divides.

“The younger guys realize the older men are not that different, similar with the cultural difference, they come from a different ethnicity and language experience but same one God and true church and love for Jesus Christ and his priesthood,” said Fr. Fonti.

The priests are broken up into two sessions over the week. On Wednesday, the groups overlap and come together for meals and a talk by Bishop Robert Brennan.

“We’re unified as brothers in mission and we share a common call, God in his providence put us together on the same team,” said Bishop Brennan.

Priestly fraternity is the theme of this year’s convocation. Monsignor Joseph Calise has been to four of them.

“What I would really want a new priest to get out of this is the feeling that he belongs with us, that there is a fraternity, a feeling of being welcome, especially those priests coming from other countries,” he said. 

For others like Father Elvin Torres, who was ordained last year, it’s brand new.

“Their wisdom, their experience, it’s a lot, I’m just starting right now so to share with them their experience of the priesthood is amazing,” said Fr. Torres.

The priests also heard a keynote speech from Monsignor James Shea, the president of the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota and an author.

“Priests need to be well informed about what’s happening in the culture but also focus not upon just maintaining the way we’ve always done things but transforming strategically the way we’re proceeding,” said Monsignor Shea.

Father Fonti is looking to plan more events throughout the diocese and hopes to hold away convocations more often.

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday 09/29/22

The scope of Hurricane Ian’s destruction in Florida is only starting to be realized tonight.

President Joe Biden said he expects a “substantial loss of life.”

And, Catholic Charities USA say they have response teams in place ready to face the devastation.