How St. Joseph’s College Overcame COVID Struggle

Currents News Staff

School is out for summer and another year for students is now in the books – but it was anything but ordinary. Undergraduate college enrollment fell again this spring, another five percent, with students across the country not able to afford, or not wanting to pay for remote experiences.

But that’s not the story of one college in the Diocese of Brooklyn – St. Joseph’s College. Financial aid budgets actually increased there. Currents News asked the school’s president, Donald Boomgaarden, how the Brooklyn college was able to pull this feat off during COVID.

A Catholic Family’s Tragic Loss Inspires Tens of Thousands of Dollars in Donations to the Arts

By Emily Drooby

One-thousand-dollar scholarships for two graduating St. Elizabeth Catholic Academy stuents. Big money inspired by a big loss.

One went to valedictorian, Trevor Bheer.

“It definitely is a good feeling getting a scholarship, especially from that cause,” Trevor said.

The cause, a family’s love for their late son.

“He was our best friend, it’s hard, it’s still hard,” explained Helen DiPietra.

The hardest thing in the world. In 2017, Helen DiPietra lost her only child, William, also known as Bill. A brain tumor took the 42-years-old’s life.

Pieces of him still fill her home; a photo in his FDNY EMT uniform, one of his collectable Star Wars figurines, handwritten notes from the film he was working on – all pieces of Bill’s legacy.

In the four years he’s been gone, his mother created another legacy, the William F. DiPietra Foundation.

Inspired by an award given out by his film grad school, LIU.

Helen told Currents News, “I spoke to my husband about it, and I said, we should do something like that.”

They did, starting the foundation, using private donations and money from selling Bill’s many collectables to help fund it.

The foundation supports two of Bill’s loves, FDNY causes, and the arts.

Scholarships and grants for the places he went to school including St. Elizabeth. Targeting film makers, drama clubs, and students involved in the arts.

“I feel like Bill’s Catholic education, his Catholic upbringing made him the person that he was and I just try to carry on the way he would want me to,” said Helen.

Helen taught at St. Elizabeth’s for 29 years. It’s where she met now Principal Jeanne Shannon.

“Her whole purpose in life is to support this foundation, and to secure her son’s legacy and to support things that were important to him, so she has done so much,” Jeanne told Currents News.

In only three years, the foundation has given out about $50,000.

“It’s very fulfilling, it’s sad sometimes,” Helen said, “but I just know he would be proud of me.”

With her son close to her heart, Helen has turned one of the greatest tragedies in life, into a lasting legacy.

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday, 6/15/21

A major milestone in the fight against coronavirus – 70% of all New Yorkers have received at least one coronavirus vaccine.

President Biden speaks with leaders from the European Union ahead of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

DACA recipients are marking nine years since the program was founded allowing migrants brought here as children to stay in the country.

NY Celebrates Reopening and Major Vaccine Milestone but in Some Areas the Vaccine Effort is Lagging

By Emily Drooby

“Give New Yorkers a round of applause,” said Gov. Andrew Cuomo talking to a crowd during his Tuesday, June 15, press conference.

The state hit a major milestone: 70 percent of New York adults are partially vaccinated. Now, with over 400 days logged since the state shut down, it’s set to reopen.

“What does 70 percent mean?” asked Gov. Cuomo. “It means we can now return to life as we know it.”

The governor announced that almost all state-mandated COVID restrictions have been lifted.

That means no more social distancing or gathering limits for many places like camps, gyms, movie theaters, and sports venues. That also means no health screenings or contact tracing protocols.

Private businesses can impose stricter standards if they want to.

However, CDC restrictions including masks are still in place for health care and correctional facilities, schools, public transit, and homeless shelters.

“This is a momentous day and we deserve it, because it has been a long, long road,” Gov. Cuomo said.

Adults in the state have at least one vaccine shot and the city stands at 68.4 percent vaccination rate– but some neighborhoods are still well under 50 percent.

According to the most recent city data, some of the neighborhoods with the lowest vaccination rates in the Diocese of Brooklyn include – Canarsie, Rosedale, Flatlands/ Midwood, Bedford-Stuyvasant, and Far Rockaway. They are all under 45 percent.

During a recent interview, health care officials from the Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center in Far Rockaway, Queens said accessibility and vaccine education were part of the issue.

They stress the importance of reaching out for information.

“Come in and speak with someone and get an informed opinion,” explained Dr. Ari Benjamin of the Center. “That’s the most important part. Don’t listen to what you see on the internet or from someone who may not be an expert.”

Looking at the numbers in some of these neighborhoods – work does still need to be done – even Governor Cuomo cautioning that we are still in this fight.

Still the state hit a major milestone and Tuesday night there will be a moment of celebration, fireworks will ring out across the state and landmarks will be lit in blue and gold.

A tribute to the strength and resilience of New York.

The Medici Chapels Restored: Grime-Eating Microbes Feast on Stained Sculptures

By Melissa Corsi

Normally, people try to remove bugs from inside places, but not the Medici Chapel in Florence, Italy.

They are actually bringing them in for some deep cleaning on 16th century sculptures by Michelangelo.

As the coronavirus raged in Italy, experts and museum directors were secretly trying to figure out how to clean the massive sarcophagus inside San Lorenzo church – created by Michelangelo as a final resting place for the Medici family in the 1520s.

Glue, oil, and phosphates – residue from years of copying the statues – proved hard to remove. But they just happen to be the ideal feast for dirt-eating microbes.

Monica Bietti, former director of Medici Chapels, came up with the idea. She says first scientists had to photograph the Carrara marble to discover its material make-up.

“Once we understood the type of material, the scientists at the National Research Council in Italy selected multiple bacteria that were compatible and could eat the stains,” she said.

The scientists tested the eight bacteria behind the altar and chose three that selectively and gradually eliminated the dirt, without touching the marble.

They even left a small square to show what it looked like before the bugs had their fill. The mission was a success – the marble once again boasting its clarity, luminosity and natural beauty.

“Bacteria did their job wonderfully. We hope that the bacteria will never have to be applied again,” said Paola D’agostino, the director of Bargello Museums.

Pope Leo X – the first Medici pope – hired Michelangelo to design the mausoleum in 1513.

During the cleaning process, it appears the grime was traced back to one improperly buried body, Alessandro Medici.

The assassinated ruler in Florence was not disemboweled before being laid to rest in 1535, leaving his remains to stain the chapel for nearly five centuries.

It took the all-female team of museum directors, art restorers, and scientists 8 years to complete the clean-up.

History at Your Fingertips: A Look Inside the Archives of St. John’s University

Alyse Hennig has one of the most interesting jobs on Saint John’s University campus – combing through hundreds of years of history.

Ancient prayer books, diaries, letters – history you can hold in your bare hands. Hennig has an eye for detail and continuity.

“You can see what was going on not just in the university but in New York City and the world at the time through the lens of Saint John’s,” she said.

A lens that also focuses on the rise of the church in Brooklyn and Queens. The diocese’s first bishop looked to the Vincentians for vision and inspiration and SJU was born.

They have the original groundbreaking shovel from 1868. It would have been used by Bishop John Loughlin, the first Bishop of Brooklyn, to break ground at the original louis avenue campus.

The shovel has additional markings to commemorate other ground breakings like St. Thomas More Church, now at the heart of the campus.

And that’s just the start. They have the original Sunday announcement books, going back to 1907.

Artifacts preserved, thanks in part to the Vincentians who were great record keepers. A perfect example is the ledger they call “St. John’s Diary” that documented their Catholic mission with impeccable penmanship and thorough reporting.

“The Vincentian fathers kept this diary of the events going on. It talks about the groundbreaking and the first day of school in 1870 and it goes on through the 1890s,” said Hennig.

We also got a glimpse of some very special artifacts like a remarkable text from the rare books collection of Saint Augustine’s sermons and the imitations of Christ, dating back to 1486.

We saw photos of the first woman ever to graduate from SJU, Sister Lumena Price in 1913, and rare images from the Spanish flu of 1918.

“I found the names of at least 14 students, faculty and alumni who did die because of the pandemic,” Hennig said.

But World War I had an even greater effect on the university.

“These are the students in the training core. And the other students were involved in other activities to help raise funds for the war. And to cheer on their fellow students who went off to fight. The university was really transformed at that time,” Hennig says.

A transformation that continues today as St. John’s University remains faithful to the mission.

It was amazing to see these precious relics up close – all you needed was a little good hand hygiene, something we’re all used to these days.

And because the pandemic has limited on-campus attendance, Hennig says they’ve added even more content on their website so people can still enjoy all the archive has to offer.

Just head to stjohns.edu/libraries to check out this amazing collection.

Catholic News Headlines for Monday, 6/14/21

An Italian American nun who changed the city forever is back in Brooklyn.

A ticker tape parade is on the books. Not for a winning sports team but for hometown heroes you might call friends.

A struggle New Yorkers know well – a check up on the coronavirus crisis in India.

A top cardinal tells us why it is so hard to get people vaccinated.

Israel’s New Government Sworn In

Israel’s new government was sworn in on Sunday, ending Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year hold on power.

In his final speech as Prime Minister before being replaced Netanyahu lashed out at his rivals.

“You call yourself the guardians of democracy, but you are so afraid of democracy that you are ready to pass fascist laws against my candidacy – the language of north Korea and Iran – in order to maintain your regime,” he said.

The man who replaced him is right-wing rival Naftali Bennett. Late Sunday night Bennett won a crucial confidence vote in Israel’s parliament.

The swearing in made it official and Bennett became Israel’s Prime Minister. He promised a different kind of politics – one aimed at unity and agreement – not discord and division.

“Two times in our history, we lost our Jewish home exactly because leaders of the previous generation were not able to sit one with another and compromise. I am proud of the ability to sit together with people with very different views from my own,” he said.

The 49-year-old high-tech millionaire is Israel’s first religious Prime Minister. His rollercoaster political journey has taken him through a series of different political parties on the right.

He now leads the most diverse coalition in Israel’s history, including the first Arab party ever to join a government.

Until the final moment Netanyahu was working to scuttle Bennett’s government and hang onto power.

In language echoing former President Donald Trump, Israel’s longest serving leader accused his rivals of the greatest fraud in the country’s history.

Trump gave Netanyahu major political gifts: Recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, moving the American embassy to Jerusalem, normalization agreements with some Arab countries, and more.

But it was never enough to get Netanyahu what he craved – an outright election victory. Netanyahu could not overcome a polarized electorate and the ongoing corruption trial in which he has denied wrongdoing.

He is now leader of the opposition as he watches Naftali Bennett lead the country into a new era of politics.

Mother Cabrini Statue at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and St. Stephen’s Parish

By Jessica Easthope

If you ask the Sisters of the Sacred Heart, a big celebration is what Mother Cabrini deserves.

“I was very excited to see the finished product and I think the parish and the Italians in the Brooklyn Diocese will love it,” said Sister Antonina Avitable, a Missionary Sister of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

On Friday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a statue of Mother Cabrini was unveiled outside of Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and St. Stephen’s Parish in Carroll Gardens. The monument reads “A woman who helped build New York City.”

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini was America’s first saint, she came to the country from Italy in 1889 and was an advocate for immigrants.

“To recognize someone who gave so much of herself, gave all of herself for others and did it because of her love for Christ, I hope this monument creates more missionary disciples like she was,” said John Heyer, the lay pastoral associate for the parish.

The monument was a long time in the making. In 2019 the city announced Mother Cabrini would not be honored with a statue despite receiving the most nominations for the She Built NYC campaign – but the Diocese of Brooklyn, a community that knew her well resisted.

“My mother went to Sacred Hearts school when Mother Cabrini was here, she talked about her often, it really seems to connect me to my mother more with all of this going on,” said Sacred Hearts parishioner Ann Troiano.

The statue which took 60 artists and five months to create has hidden symbols – like a piece of luggage to honor her work with immigrants, and a dress worn by one of the children in the statue, the same one she was wearing in the only known picture of her as a child.

“She told her nuns one day, Jesus gave me His heart and I gave him mine so that’s why she had the courage to do so much, basically miraculous things way out of the way for a woman in her day to accomplish,” said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio.

Mother Cabrini will now watch over the streets of the Diocese of Immigrants, her image sending a message to those who come here for a better life.

“We showed New York and the world that Mother Cabrini’s spirit, love for her people, for her faith, for every immigrant of every color, every creed, every faith is still out here working,” said parishioner Louis Pepe.

Now anyone who passes by the statue will know the woman who helped build New York City did it for Christ.

Catholic News Headlines for Friday, 6/11/21

Come back to Mass! Brooklyn’s Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio issues a pastoral letter on the importance of receiving communion.

Far Rockaway in Queens is falling way behind the curve when it comes to vaccinations. Community leaders are working to get shots in arms.

More vandalism against the Diocese of Brooklyn — are these hate crimes? The NYPD is investigating.

Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens is doing their part to go green.