Who will be NYCHA’s savior? Priests on the streets of New York are calling for change.
Bishops around the country and the president are calling on Congress to act to save dreamers.
Bishop DiMarzio’s golf outing is raising money for hospital chaplains.
By Jessica Easthope
“It’s been a year and a half since I had a sink,” said the NYCHA resident who didn’t want her name to be used.”
You read that right – she hasn’t had a sink or kitchen cabinets in more than 600 days.
“It’s stressful, I already deal with depression and anxiety and it’s just an overload on top of that, it’s hard, it’s hard, what am I supposed to do,” she said.
A leak on the floor above her’s in the Gompers Houses on the Lower East Side forced maintenance to rip out everything, and the not-so-temporary slop sink they gave her – just adds to the problem.
“Look you see, it leaks and you wash dishes or do anything and you have to keep dumping out the cup,” she said.
This happened just days after her gas was restored – that was out for over a year. NYCHA’s solution – a hot plate she was forced to use to make food for her two children, one is in a wheelchair.
“I want to put in for a transfer, but I need to be close to his hospitals and I don’t know where they’d send me,” she said. “It’s a struggle every day, every day.”
She pays $1,200-a-month for this space, despite the cockroach infestation. And she’s not the only one with complaints.
“It’s very sad that often times people live in very tough, trying situations, these are life issues, it’s quality of life but it’s life,” said Father Thomas McNamara.
Father Tom works with hundreds of residents, and he says the neglect is out of control. According to a report from Citizens Budget Commission within ten years 90 percent of NYCHA housing will have deteriorated to an extent that it wouldn’t be cost effective to repair them.
The resident we met today says the city has let her fall through the cracks, and she doesn’t have faith any official could help.
“Things are supposed to be changing with housing that they keep promising, I don’t have too much faith in the next mayor,” she said.
Back in 2014, NYCHA lost a federal lawsuit that mandated it to fix any issues that violate federal health and safety regulations.
Father Edward Mason, who also advocates on behalf of residents, believes the problem may just be too vast.
“It’s too large but the agreement is still in place, and we continue to just have to hold NYCHA’s hand to the fire to get these repairs done for people,” said Fr. Mason.
Currents News reached out to NYCHA both about the apartment we visited today and general neglect across the city, but our requests for comment have not been answered.
By Emily Drooby
“Appeal the case, number one, but number two, we’re going to make sure that a number of my Republican colleagues say they support the right of Dreamers to come,” said President Joe Biden.
He was explaining his plan of attack, fighting for the deferred action for childhood arrivals policy – also known as DACA.
The program delays deportation to undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as kids. Also known as dreamers.
Biden: “Your mommy or your dad says, I’m going to take you across the Rio Grande and we’re going to illegally going to go into the United States. What are you supposed to say no it’s against the law? I’m no I’m being, I’m being deadly earnest. What could the kids say? What could they do?”
On Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris met with dreamers to further discuss the issues.
There are 600,000 active recipients in the country – 26,000 of them in New York and 1.8 million who are DACA-eligible.
Last Friday, a federal judge out of Texas found DACA to be unlawful, blocking the Biden Administration from approving new applications into the program.
It’s the most recent battle in a long war against the program.
Catholic leaders joining the fight for immigration reform.
The USCCB writing, “As a Church, we recognize the inherent, God-given dignity of every human person, regardless of immigration status. Therefore, we will continue to call for comprehensive immigration reform that preserves family unity, honors due process, respects the rule of law, recognizes the contributions of foreign-born workers, defends the vulnerable, and addresses the root causes of migration, consistent with the common good.”
Cardinal Wilton Gregory of the Archdiocese of Washington doubling down on that statement during a press conference Wednesday.
He said, “When the loss of these rights, forces individuals to migrate to other lands, we must welcome them, protect them, and generously share our abundance with them.”
“That vicious, brutal court decision on DACA I was furious, I was frustrated, another slap in the face,” said New York senator and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
While joining Cardinal Gregory to fight for Dreamers, he added, “We are going to do everything we can to provide a pathway to citizenship for the dreamers and many others.”
There’s a quiet fierceness to Kristine O’Brien – the water is still, but her heart races.
“You’re basically in a full out sprint from the beginning of the race, so it’s intense but it’s really awesome when you’re in a rhythm with seven other women and there’s nothing like it,” O’Brien said of her rowing event the Women’s 8.
Her aim in the boat – go fast, but when she walks out as part of Team U.S.A. at the Tokyo Olympics, she’ll want to slow down and live in that moment as long as she can.
“Being named to the Olympic team was like the dream come true, I’ve trained a long time for this and it’s finally happening,” O’Brien said.
Growing up in Massapequa Park, Long Island, Kristine learned to row at St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School, since then her rowing career has had setbacks and successes – gold medals, championship titles, serious injuries and being cut from the 2016 Rio Olympics team. But through it all her Catholic faith has empowered her to stay the course.
“I came to the realization that I had more in the tank and I had faith through all of that and thank God for everything, without my faith I wouldn’t have gotten to this point,” she said.
Now she’ll be competing in the Women’s 8 with the best in the world in her first Olympic run. But long before she ever stepped foot in a boat, Kristine was part of a different team.
“My mom worked five plus jobs to provide for us and to give us a good life so while she worked my grandma took care of us and it was kind of a team effort,” said Kristine.
She and her twin sister came to the United States at two-years-old from Ireland. She doesn’t have an accent, but what she does have is a strong sense of family and faith thanks to her Irish roots and her grandmother, Nancy, who stays close to her heart.
“She would just be so proud, I pray to my grandma a lot because I know she’ll take care of me and is watching over me,” Kristine said.
Right before Kristine steps into the boat in Tokyo she’ll do what she always does – say a Hail Mary. She’s worked tirelessly toward her goals, but the rest is in God’s hands.
Pope Francis’ visit to Hungary and Slovakia in September will be quite a feat considering he is still convalescing from recent surgery.
The Pope will leave on Sunday, Sept. 12 and return to Rome on Wednesday, Sept. 15.
He’ll have to get an early start on Sept. 12. His plane is scheduled to depart from Rome’s Fiumicino Airport at 6 a.m., and land in Budapest at 7:45.
In the next six hours, the Pope will meet with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and President János Áder.. He will meet with Hungary’s bishops, representatives of the Ecumenical Council of Churches, and with a number of Jewish communities.
He will conclude his stay in the country with the closing Mass of the International Eucharistic Congress.
His plane for the Slovakian capital departs that day at 2:40 p.m.
In less than an hour he will arrive at his destination. But his day doesn’t end there. In Bratislava, he will have an ecumenical meeting at the nunciature, where he will give his first speech in the country. Then he will have a private meeting with the Jesuits who live there.
On Tuesday he will travel to the city of Košice, where he will celebrate the Byzantine Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. After the liturgy, he will meet with the Roma community, which has long suffered from marginalization. Before returning to Bratislava, he will also meet with young people in Košice.
On Wednesday, the final day of his trip, Pope Francis will visit the National Shrine in Šaštín and join Slovakian Catholics for their annual pilgrimage. The shrine houses the image of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, the country’s patroness. Not even during Soviet totalitarianism did pilgrims stop visiting the shrine.
Pope Francis will join bishops for prayer there before celebrating Mass. His flight back to Rome will depart at 1:45 p.m., and arrive at 3:30, p.m.
Although the trip will be only four days, the Pope will attend nearly 20 total events: liturgical celebrations and meetings with different groups.
Brother Marinus Leonard Larue has been described as one man with two lives.
From saving 14-thousand Korean refugees during the Korean War as a U.S. Merchant Marine Captain, to becoming a Benedictine Monk, his canonization cause has been advanced by his Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey.
Joining us now is the Bishop of Paterson, Kevin Sweeney, to discuss. If you’d like more information on the cause or are interested in joining the guild, send an email to brothermarinuscause@gmail.com.
A Catholic high school is getting a million-dollar donation – one of their former students is paying it forward.
Father Henry Torres is paving the way for future Brooklyn priests, becoming the youngest in the diocese to be in charge of a church.
Pope Francis is praying for the victims of a deadly blast in Baghdad. Dozens are dead or wounded as the terror group ISIS claims responsibility.
Germany is now rebuilding as the country recovers from unprecedented flooding – a Catholic group on the ground details the long recovery process.
By Emily Drooby
Running a parish is a big responsibility, one Father Henry Torres is taking on. He’s the new administrator of Mary of Nazareth Parish in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
Father Torres said, “I didn’t think I was going to get called this soon.”
The call, makes him the youngest administrator in the Diocese of Brooklyn right now.
Torres explained, “These are big shoes to fill. These are exciting times, nervous times, but most importantly a time to learn.”
At 30-years-old, Torres is the second youngest in the Diocese ever.
Last year, the Vatican released data showing a priest shortage. However, here in the U.S., Bishops are reporting steady enrollment when it comes to seminarians. Father Torres’ appointment is another good sign.
“It’s a tremendous sign of hope and encouragement that we have young men who are willing to enter into this responsibility and take it on for the greater good for the people of God,” explained Monsignor Sean Ogle.
He’s the Vicar for clergy in the Diocese of Brooklyn. He says there’s a lot of support for young pastors.
“Youth has its advantages and experience and age have their advantages too, and I think what every organization wants is a health mixture of the two,” said Monsignor Ogle.
Father Torres will be learning how to run, not one but two churches. It’s not an easy task, but he’s never shied away from a challenge.
One major trial, two kidney transplants that ultimately put him on a fitness journey, losing 50 pounds.
Using that experience to get the kids from his former church, excited about fitness too.
A strong connection with the younger generation that’s what long time parishioner Claudia Cruz is excited about.
Claudia said, “that’s a good thing because he can influence teens to one day hear the word of God and become a priest.”
That is a big part of his new role. He’ll also build up the church community, renovate, and overhaul the parish’s web presence.
A lot of work, but Father Torres, is ready.
By Jessica Easthope
Richie Diaz owes everything to Cathedral Prep High School.
“I had great experiences, I made great friends, had great mentors all of whom on some level reflected Christ and really were my faith,” he said.
Diaz and Steve Somers have that in common, and both men are giving back in their own ways. Richie, now the principal of Cathedral Prep and Steve, a businessman who’s made sure he’s given back to the school over the years – his most recent gift – a donation of one-million-dollars.
“It was an honor to be able to go to Cathedral, I got more out of that than what I gave, I always do, it’s so much better to give than to receive and that’s been the greatest gift in my life,” Somers said.
He made the announcement at a golf outing last month honoring his former baseball coach, Jim Dilj. Though he’s been generous in the past helping the school build a new science lab – a seven-figure-donation was quite the shock.
“There was a moment of disbelief where we the administration looked at each other quizzically like did we just hear that correctly,” said Philip Franco, the assistant principal of academics and admissions at Cathedral Prep.
Now the million dollar question – what’s that million dollars going to be used for? The students wanted their say.
“We had our jokesters who said let’s buy a movie studio or free lunch every day, but they did have some constructive ideas too, increasing technology, after school offerings,” Franco said.
There definitely won’t be a movie studio, but the plan isn’t mapped out yet; however, both Steve and the administration agree allowing students who can’t afford Cathedral to get the same Catholic education they did – would be life changing.
“Their first question is are there academic scholarships, are there scholarships for financial concerns and now this is one way we can again say ‘yes,’ said Franco.
“My father got a second job for me to go to high school at Cathedral and I know how much of a challenge it is today,” Somers said.
There’s no doubt the donation was generous, but Steve says what Cathedral gave him in four years – you can’t put a price on.
By Erin DeGregorio, Paula Katinas and Emily Drooby
WINDSOR TERRACE — The former executive director of The Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) in the Diocese of Brooklyn is accused in two civil lawsuits of sexually abusing underage boys when he was a CYO basketball coach at St. Joseph’s Church in Astoria in the 1990s.
The lawsuits, filed in New York State Supreme Court in Queens in May, were made public on July 14.
In response to the lawsuits, The Diocese of Brooklyn released a statement saying the diocese’s Independent Reporting Line received an allegation of inappropriate behavior by Robert Caldera on Oct. 14, 2020, and quickly acted on it.
“This was the first allegation ever made against Caldera to the diocese. As is the policy of the Diocese of Brooklyn for all employees, Caldera had undergone comprehensive and periodic background checks. Immediately, on October 15, 2020, Caldera was placed on suspension from his position and restricted from all areas at CYO and any other parish, school, or diocesan property,” the statement reads.
On Oct. 19, 2020, a second allegation involving Caldera was called into the reporting line.
“The diocese has provided outreach to both claimants and has been in contact and cooperated fully with the NYPD Special Victims Unit,” according to the statement.
On April 14, 2021, the diocese terminated Caldera, according to the diocese.
“The protection of children is the most important priority for the Diocese of Brooklyn, and our policies ensure that we inform authorities when we receive allegations of inappropriate behavior. The Diocese of Brooklyn has fully complied with law enforcement authorities and will continue to do so in this matter. The diocese cannot provide any specific details and the status of the investigation into the allegations as they are part of an ongoing investigation that involves law enforcement,” the statement read.
The plaintiffs are identified in court documents only by their initials, J.K. and M.T., due to the sensitive nature of the accusations.
In addition to Caldera, the defendants named in the lawsuits are the Diocese of Brooklyn, St. Joseph Church, Catholic Charities Community Services, and the Archdiocese of New York.
The lawsuit filed by M.T. also lists St. Joseph Catholic Academy as a defendant. M.T. was a student at St. Joseph’s School and played basketball for CYO, court documents said. Caldera was employed as a basketball coach for the CYO and for St. Joseph’s School. St. Joseph’s School is the former name of St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy.
The plaintiffs claim Caldera repeatedly abused them and are seeking monetary damages, both compensatory and punitive, although the amounts are not specified.
The lawsuits were filed under the New York Child Victims Act, a law that extended the time for people who were victims of child sex abuse years ago to file suit against sue abusers.
The Child Victims Act, passed in 2019, raised the statute of limitations for civil cases brought by people who say they were sexually abused as children up until they reach the age of 55. Victims over the age of 55 are allowed a one-year grace period to file their claims.
The law also includes what is called a “look-back window” — a one-year period for adult victims who had previously been prohibited by the statute of limitations, to file suit. In 2020, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order extending the deadline to file lawsuits to Aug. 14, 2021, and cited the pandemic for the extra time allowance.
Caldera grew up playing CYO basketball and baseball at St. Joseph’s, where he attended elementary school. He later served as the parish’s athletic director for baseball and basketball before taking over as its parish athletic representative (PAR) and overseeing the entire sports program there.
Caldera was St. Joseph’s PAR for 17 years before accepting the job as CYO director in 2013. He also previously coached and taught in schools throughout the diocese — including teaching physical education, junior high school social studies, English, and religion at St. Gabriel in East Elmhurst; teaching English and coaching freshman basketball and baseball at St. John’s Prep in Astoria; and teaching at Our Lady of Sorrows in Corona.
The Tablet’s calls to Caldera for comment went unanswered.