2024

The New York City Council passed a bill allowing religious schools, including Catholic schools in Brooklyn with 150 or more students, to be reimbursed for security guards following a recent deadly shooting at a Wisconsin Christian school.

A Catholic school in Brooklyn held a special mass at St. Anselm Church to bless the new Bay Ridge Catholic Academy choir, marking the first such event for the academy, which was founded in 2019, with over 70 students in the choir.

St. Francis College in Brooklyn dedicated its “Our Lady of Angels Chapel” to the late Frank and Mary Macchiarola, a couple who dedicated their lives to education.

With Christmas just five days away, Pope Francis will start the festivities with Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, followed by the official launch of the Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year.

Diocese of Brooklyn Schools Among Those To Be Reimbursed for Security Through NYC Legislature

By Jessica Easthope

Religious and private schools across New York City are celebrating a major victory: on Dec. 19 the New York City Council passed a bill allowing non-public schools with 150 students or more to be reimbursed for a security guard.

Cheers were heard on the steps of City Hall as a looming vote to make 384 schools safer took center stage in the City Council chamber.

The bill is an expansion of an existing law that allows non-public schools with 300 students or more to be reimbursed for a security guard. Now the number of students has been reduced to 150, covering 42 Dioceses of Brooklyn schools, including three high schools and 39 elementary schools.

“It shows that we work together and that when we’re at our best, no matter what we call our God, that’s when we can say we’re a society that cares about people,” Superintendent of Diocese of Brooklyn Schools, Deacon Kevin McCormack, tells Currents News.

He was there to support the bill’s passing, with the vote coming just three days after a student and teacher were killed at Abundant Life Christian School in Wisconsin. It was the 327th school shooting so far this year.

“Anywhere you look, you’re going to see these horror shows that are going on. This is going to make a difference,” says Deacon McCormack. “This is one extra layer to bring safety to our kids. And for that, we have to say thank you to the City Council and to all those who are supporting this bill.”

“Here you have something tragic like that happening at a school in Wisconsin, a small Christian faith based school. It’s heartbreaking,” explains Deanna Philippe, principal of Cristo Rey High School in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. “So we are deeply grateful to the City for this opportunity as every student, no matter where they are, deserves to be safe.”

Philippe had testified in front of the City Council on behalf of the Diocese of Brooklyn earlier this year. She says a security guard will not only improve the physical safety of her students and faculty, but their mental health as well.

“I couldn’t tell you just how excited we are and how relieved we are at Cristo Rey Brooklyn that we’ll have some security guards available on staff to help keep our community safe,” she adds.

The bill, which passed in the City Council Thursday Dec. 19, is expected to be signed into law by New York City Mayor Eric Adams within the next 30 days. It will take effect in July of 2025, and security guards will be at their posts by the start of next school year.

St. Francis College Honors Former Chancellor with Chapel Dedication

St. Francis College in Brooklyn recently dedicated its chapel to honor the late Chancellor Frank Macchiarola and his wife, Mary. Frank Macchiarola, who passed away in 2012, was instrumental in guiding New York City through financial challenges in the 1970s and later served as chancellor of St. Francis College. His wife, Mary, recalled his deep connection to the chapel, noting, “He used to go to the chapel all the time. He found great comfort there.”

The dedication ceremony was a heartfelt tribute to the couple’s enduring commitment to faith and service. Mary Macchiarola described the event as “overwhelming,” reflecting the profound impact her husband had on the college community and the city at large. This dedication ensures that the Macchiarolas’ legacy will continue to inspire future generations at St. Francis College.

TONIGHT AT 7: NYC Passes Bill to Reimburse Security for Public, Private Schools

By Currents News

Nearly 400 religious and private schools are safer after the New York City Council passed a bill allowing them to get reimbursed for security guards. The passing of that bill opens up city funding for 42 Diocese of Brooklyn schools. Reporter Jessica Easthope will have the details from City Hall tonight.

Currents News Special: The Best of 2024

As we near the end of the year at Currents News, we’re taking a look back at 2024, a year of faith and fellowship in New York highlighted by the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Eucharistic Revival.

We’ll revisit that day of prayer, music, and catechesis around the Body of Christ and the National Eucharistic Congress as well.

We will also review how schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn go above and beyond to teach children with special needs.

Plus, Currents News highlights how one man in New Jersey is spreading Christ’s love through music.

Pulse of the Parish: Keith Goldberg, Saint Francis de Sales

By Currents News

Before the players take the court and the fans fill the stands there’s just one person at St. Francis de Sales’ summer classic setting it all up. From moving bleachers into place to grabbing the scoreboards and setting up the first aid station, Keith Goldberg never stops moving.

“I’m in the yard approximately 20-25 hours a week,” he tells Current News, and for more than 15 years he has been the director of the church’s summer basketball league.

“I wanted to do what others had done for me growing up, and I got started and couldn’t let go,” he explains.

Goldberg spends close to 40 hours a week volunteering his time organizing the classic. He does so in addition to his full-time job as executive director for the diocese of Brooklyn’s Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) program.

The summer classic started 40 years ago with 26 teams and about 300 people. Now there are 104 teams and over 1,200 people ages seven to 69.

Goldberg handles it all without an assist, and the pastor of St. Francis de Sales parish in Belle Harbor, Queens. Father Bill Sweeney says drafting Goldberg for the job was a slam dunk.

“I have never met anybody more selfless than Keith,” he tells Currents News. “You never have to ask twice and he’ll do anything, anything for you. He’s always around, he’s always looking at the positive side of it.”

Goldberg says he’s not sure how many more years he’ll be lugging equipment around this yard, but for now, he’ll power forward.

“The faith is at the center of it,” he says, “and to do something that is not specifically church, but brings everybody involved and keeps people focused on their association with the parish is very important to me.”

Now you know Keith Goldberg from St. Francis de Sales and how he makes up the pulse of the parish.

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 12/18/2024

With just a week until Christmas, The Tablet is on a mission to ensure every child in the Diocese of Brooklyn has a gift to unwrap. Volunteers at a local non-profit, ‘Make a Difference,’ are busy wrapping presents, thanks to funds raised by the newspaper’s Bright Christmas initiative.

So far, tens of thousands of dollars have been collected, but more support is needed to reach even more families in need. Find out tonight how you can get involved and make a difference this Christmas!

Keith Goldberg, the driving force behind the success of St. Francis de Sales’ Summer Classic basketball league, is tonight’s Pulse of the Parish.

The Tablet’s Bright Christmas Really Does ‘Make a Difference’

By Katie Vasquez and John Alexander

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — When a 12-year-old girl asked the Make a Difference Christmas organization for oil for Christmas, its founder, Thomas Flood, said he initially thought she was referring to body oil or oil for a diffuser.

As it turned out, the girl meant oil for her home because they had no heat or hot water.

“So on Christmas Eve, we had 60 gallons of heating oil delivered,” Flood said.

That is just one example he shared of how Make a Difference Christmas has helped children and families over the years. The organization was founded by Flood and Ann Turner 29 years ago to collect and distribute Christmas gifts and essential items for children and families in need.

Last year, with the help of donations from Bright Christmas and others, the organization delivered gifts to 1,000 children. In addition, it provided 300 children with hats, gloves, socks, shoes or sneakers, two outfits, two pajamas, and one wish list item — ranging from a Barbie doll to a train set to an iPad.

In the early days, the direction of Make a Difference Christmas was shaped by Turner’s father, Deacon Tom Heaphy, who collected and distributed Christmas gifts from the basement of St. Mary Gate of Heaven Parish in South Ozone Park.

Now approaching its third decade, Make a Difference Christmas fulfills a desire to help children and the less fortunate with toys, clothes, and other necessities during the

Christmas season — something Flood said was inspired by his Catholic faith, family life, and education.

“Everything we were taught [in Catholic schools] about being there for others resonated with me,” Flood said. “But that was not the first time I heard that. There were seven of us in my family, and my parents taught us how to be people for others and it manifested through our Jesuit Catholic education.”

Flood is a graduate of Holy Child Jesus Catholic Academy in Richmond Hill, Regis High School in the Upper East Side, and Boston College. He has spent his professional career with Catholic entities, including 11 years with the Diocese of Brooklyn. He is currently the vice president of institutional advancement at St. Thomas Aquinas College.

The story of the young girl asking for oil was just one instance Flood shared of the impact Make a Difference Christmas makes. He also told of the organization securing baseballs signed by the New York Mets’ Peter Alonso for two young boys whose mother is ill and delivering presents to the home of a five-year-old girl whose mother is terminally ill with cancer, and unable to shop for Christmas.

He also highlighted the time a grandfather approached the organization on behalf of his granddaughter, whose dream was to attend Xaverian High School.

“We rallied eight or nine friends, and with Make a Difference as the conduit, we have been paying a portion of her tuition,” Flood said. “And while we are giving something to someone to change their lives, the truth is they are changing our lives.”

Flood said his work with Make a Difference Christmas is fulfilling and meaningful.

“My friend Ann and I find it an honor to be the facilitator of other people’s charity. This legacy has been entrusted to us to carry on, and now we are starting to get our children involved,” Flood said. “Whether it’s wrapping gifts, giving gifts, delivering gifts — it’s a very, very rewarding experience.”

How to Help

If you’d like to donate, visit thetablet.org/brightchristmas.
Or, write a check made out to “The Tablet’s Bright Christmas” and mail it to:
The Tablet Bright
Christmas Fund
856 Pacific Street
Brooklyn, NY 11238

TONIGHT AT 7: ‘Make a Difference Christmas’ Supports Families Through Bright Christmas Fund

By Currents News

Elves are hard at work getting ready for Christmas, but not at Santa’s workshop. At Thomas Flood’s home the organization “Make a Difference Christmas” is making holiday magic for hundreds of kids thanks to The Tablet’s Bright Christmas Campaign. Katie Vasquez unwraps all the details for us tonight.

How to Help

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 12/17/2024

The Gianna Center is providing faith-based alternatives to in-vitro fertilization for Catholic couples facing infertility.

A deadly shooting at a Wisconsin Christian school left two victims dead, with the suspected 15-year-old student shooter dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

A new documentary offers a glimpse into the inspiring life of Father Rafael Fabretto, founder of a non-profit aiding Central American children.

Pope Francis celebrates his 88th birthday today, marking him as the third-oldest pope in office, with achievements including 47 international trips, 300 general audiences, and 900 saints canonized.