Accessibility and Education Are Essential to Vaccination Efforts in NYC’s Least Vaccinated Neighborhood

By Emily Drooby

Far Rockaway in Queens is a community devastated by COVID-19. For having one of the city’s highest death rates, they also have one of its lowest vaccination rates. Only 26 percent of people are fully vaccinated and only 32 percent have gotten their first dose, according to city data.

Father David Bertolotti serves at the local parish, St. Mary Star of the Sea and St. Gertrude Parish. While he made the decision to get vaccinated, he heard many reasons for hesitancy from parishioners.

“Some people, it’s political. They don’t want to be forced,” Father Bertolotti said. “Some people fear for their own health. They’re afraid if they’re dealing with some other health thing.”

Those are vaccine hesitations that Dr. Ari Benjamin has heard too.

“You get the full range, but the majority of people are reasonable,” explained Dr. Benjamin. “They’re just a little hesitant because it is something new.”

The doctor is with the Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center. As one of the few health care providers in the area, they’ve been at the forefront of the neighborhood’s vaccination efforts.

The health center’s CEO, Miriam Vega, says the low rate comes from the two ‘A’’s – the first being accessibility.

“The Far Rockaway area is a very isolated, insular community,” Miriam explained. “They don’t want to get on the A train to try to get to some other location deep in Queens to get the vaccines.”

According to city data, there’s now at least seven vaccination sites and two pop-ups in Far Rockaway and the neighboring Edgemere neighborhood to address this concern.

The second ‘A’ is acceptability. The Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center is using education to address the different mindsets.

“We do it at the individual level, the community level, and through social media as well,” Miriam said.

The health center staff members are talking to patients and they’re bringing teams onto the streets and holding town halls. They’ve also urged people to ask questions.

“Come in and speak with someone and get an informed opinion,” explained Dr. Benjamin. “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.”

This part of Queens is a very diverse area. How is the health center adapting? They’re changing their messaging based on the community they’re talking to.

The education push seems to be working. The health center – which is now only vaccinating people on the weekends – had over 500 people this last weekend. That’s a 40 percent jump from previous weeks.

“We are starting to see a snowball effect now,” Miriam said. “So once a couple of people get a vaccine, the neighbors are like, ‘oh they got the vaccine and they’re okay, so maybe I should get it as well.’”

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday, 6/10/21

Visiting the Queens community with the lowest vaccination rate in the whole city.

Church leaders are speaking out after another act of vandalism against the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Pope Francis rejects the resignation of the top cardinal from Germany. The pontiff is calling on him to “tend to his sheep.”

The Diocese of Brooklyn is taking on climate change by launching a new energy initiative at an affordable housing residence.

Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens Launches Sustainability Initiative

By Jessica Easthope

On a rooftop in Brooklyn, faith and sustainability are meeting. Blocks of solar panels are a pilot for the Laudato si Corporation – Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens’ latest initiative inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical.

“Our relationship with the Earth should be comparable with our relationship with God,” said Timothy McManus, the senior vice president of the Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens’ Progress of Peoples Development Corporation. “We should be good stewards and we should protect what the Earth naturally provides us.”

This summer, Catholic Charities is putting solar panels on the roofs of four of its affordable housing buildings. The initiative will add low-income families as part of the climate change solution.

“This is an issue for the whole world, especially for the poor people who seem to get the brunt of every ecological disaster and it is the people who are the poorest who suffer the most,” said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio.

Not only are the solar panels ecological, they’re economical. The panels pump more than 250 kilowatts of energy back into the grid that conEdison pays for.

“We will be using the revenue generated through this to reinvest in those other buildings,” McManus said.

Catholic Charities is hoping sustainability in the Diocese of Brooklyn will reach new heights and create waves of change.

“Creation has been entrusted to humanity,” said Father Patrick Keating, the deputy CEO of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens. “So we’re supposed to care for it and that’s really what Pope Francis calls for and by making these buildings a little bit more sustainable, we’re helping the environment.”

Solar panels are expected to be installed on four of Catholic Charities’ 44 buildings used for supportive housing, seniors and low-income families by early fall.

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday, 6/9/21

Charged with murder — the man believed to be responsible for the death of a 10-year-old boy from Queens walked into a precinct and confessed.

The vice president wrapped up her first foreign trip but the big question still remains: Will she visit the U.S.-Mexican border?

The last survivors of the Parkland Massacre have graduated — you’ll hear their next steps.

A dream years in the making. A Brooklyn priest earns his stars and stripes and becomes a United States citizen.

Papal Organization Aid To The Church In Need Steps-In To Support Myanmar Families

Currents News Staff

Pope Francis’ papal organization – Aid to the Church in Need – is stepping in to provide extra support to priests, religious sisters, catechists, and needy families in Myanmar.

“The Church is emphasizing both in her appeals and still more by her work, that as a small minority in this country, she will do everything possible to promote peace and the development of the nation,” said Aid to the Church in Need’s Executive President, Dr. Thomas Heine-Geldern.

Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng is just one example of the Church’s struggle for peace in Myanmar. A month after the coup broke out, this photo of her kneeling before the military forces begging for peace went viral on social media.

Yet Sister Ann Rose says her courageous act was merely a way of defending those behind her.

“I only wanted to defend the people since they were in danger,” said Sister Ann Rose of the Sisters of St. Francis Xavier. “I just wanted to save those people, the young people. For this reason, I got on my knees to let the young people escape from the danger.”

Although Sister Ann Rose is shown alone before the military in the photo, she says that God was always with her amid the danger.

“The Holy Spirit led me to make this gesture,” she said. “I thought that God was working through me to save these people. For this reason, I did it.”

While only six percent of Myanmar’s population is Christian, places of worship, including Christian churches, have been targets of military attacks. That makes the value of prayer all the more important.

Pope Francis has been one of the world’s most outspoken global leaders on the crisis in Myanmar. In May, he dedicated a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica to pray for peace in the country.

“I know that some political and social situations are bigger than we are,” Pope Francis said. “Yet the commitment to peace and fraternity always comes from below: each person, in small ways, can play their part.”

Over 800 civilians have been killed by military forces in Myanmar since February and over 4,000 are currently being detained.

Father Anthony Alimnonu Becomes a United States Citizen

By Jessica Easthope

Father Anthony Alimnonu was given an American flag on the day he became a citizen. It’s small but it means the world to him.

Last month, Father Anthony, the parochial vicar at St. Anselm’s Church in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, was sworn in as a United States citizen: an achievement decades in the making.

“It was a dream come true,” he said. “I heaved a sigh of relief. I was very happy when I received that letter inviting me for swearing in. I was jumping up and down in my room like a kid.”

Growing up in Nigeria, Father Alimnonu was on track to become a priest at an early age. His mission took him around the globe and 15 years ago, he arrived at St. Anselm’s. He spent every summer serving at the church until one day, he realized it had become his home.

“I’ve always had the desire to become an American citizen,” said Father Alimnonu. “It goes back years since the first contact I had with this country. It made a good impression on me.”

The bonds he built at St. Anselm’s helped him along the way. One parishioner at the church, Gretta Rafferty, has been with Father Alimnonu at every interview and appointment. Gretta was there on his big day supporting him because she remembers when she became a citizen after coming here from Ireland in 1960’s.

“It was a great pleasure being there and to give him a little bit of support because I know what it’s like not to have anybody except the people you work with,” said Greta.

Father Alimnonu says living in a country that was built on religious freedom is a privilege. It’s his American dream come true.

“This country was founded on religious freedom,” he said. “How lucky we are to worship freely in our country.”

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday, 6/8/21

Remembering a 10-year-old boy gunned down in Queens.

Hacking attacks are plaguing U.S. companies — but what’s being done about it?

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio is calling on the faithful to return to Mass — why he says we need church more than ever.

A New Orleans priest celebrates his ordination the only way he knows how — by dancing in the street while a band plays some Big Easy jazz!

Friends Honor Life of 10-Year-Old Shooting Victim Justin Wallace on His Birthday

By Emily Drooby

Happy birthday balloons blow in the wind and on the stoop sits a cupcake. At the family home where he was gunned down, instead of a birthday party, there’s a memorial for Justin Wallace. He didn’t make it to 11.

People like Wanda Mcneill stop by to pay their respects to the young boy and to send a message of solidarity to his family.

“People are supporting them, people are thinking about them, people are outraged,” Wanda said. “I mean we are outraged.”

Anger is a popular feeling among neighbors like Leitoya Dixon.

“I just don’t understand why no one in this community has turned this man in,” Leitoya said. “Ten years old.”

Justin was shot and killed on Saturday, June 5. He was an unintended target while near the doorway of his aunt’s home. His 29-year-old cousin was shot too and is recovering.

In video released by the NYPD, the suspect fired several rounds directly at the house from the sidewalk.

The suspect, Jovan Young, turned himself in on Tuesday, June 8. He is in custody in connection to the deadly shooting on multiple charges of murder, attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

“I pray to God that this person is found and I pray to God that some elected officials do something around here, something more,” Leitoya said.

Little Justin is just one of latest and one of the youngest victims of recent gun violence in NYC.

Shootings are up over 68 percent this year. So far, 602 incidents have led to 687 people either injured or killed according to the police department.

Mayor Bill de Blasio is calling for federal and state help, but hasn’t give a solid solution to the bloodshed.

During a press conference the New York City mayor said it has to stop.

“It’s going to effort so much work, but it has to stop because this is not a way for us to live,” de Blasio said.

Back in Far Rockaway, Justin’s school community is mourning his senseless death.

“He loved math, whenever he was asked to do something, his favorite word was, ‘I got you,’” said school principal Nicole Griffin. “He was a tech wizard, so he was one that we often called on for any technical needs.”

She tells Currents News the school is offering counseling for students, with some services coming from Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens.

One of their clinical directors, Chad Billington, explains why counseling is important in a situation like this.

“It’s important to provide that type of service for kids, because this is obviously something that is unforeseen, very sudden, can be very traumatic to them,” Chad said.

The school plans to hold a small memorial for Justin outside of Challenge Preparatory Charter School on Thursday, June 10 at 7 p.m.

This story will continue to be updated.

St. Michael’s Catholic Academy Celebrates Asian Culture and Language Amid Rash of Hate Crimes

By Jessica Easthope

Seeing the world through Teresa Xue’s eyes, at 11 years old, it consists of family, school, church and friends. Yet, she’s not blind to the hate that’s directed at people who look like her.

“With all this craziness going on, people start to relate this pandemic to Asians creating Asian hate,” she said. “I don’t feel good about it.”

At Teresa’s school, St. Michael’s Catholic Academy in Flushing, Queens, she gets to be totally herself: proudly Chinese and Catholic.

“I can learn both about my religion and study deeper about it while still having my Chinese roots and keeping a part of that as well,” said Teresa.

The school is 70 percent Asian, but regardless of ethnicity, students have just as many classes in Mandarin as they do in English. They learn Asian history and culture. It’s a safe haven from the bigotry sometimes found on New York City’s streets.

“So many students come to school with their grandparents and are they going to be targeted? What are they learning?” said school Principal Maureen Rogone. “We’re teaching peace. We’re teaching acceptance and what they’re seeing outside. It contradicts what we’re about.”

Sister Mary Ruan, the coordinator for Chinese outreach at the school, says she’s never experienced religious freedom before coming to the United States and this recent rash of hate crimes brings her back to the days when she felt she needed to hide who she was.

“In Fujian it’s very difficult, culturally,” Sister Mary said. “It’s hard now, currently.”

But when new families enroll at the school, Sister Mary makes them feel at home.

“I always try to introduce myself and say I’m from China, and when they see I speak Chinese, they feel comfortable,” said Sister Mary.

At St. Michael’s, education is the response – it’s hoping to grow a community where Asian culture, language and values are celebrated not hated.

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio Highlights Centrality of the Eucharist in Pastoral Letter

By Jessica Easthope

For many Catholics, it’s been more than a year since they’ve been in church, and more than a year since they received the Eucharist. Now the bishop of Brooklyn says it’s time to come back.

“The Eucharist heals, it’s a remedy for all of the ills that we have because we’re close to the Lord himself,” said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio.

The importance of receiving the Eucharist is the subject of a new pastoral letter just issued by Bishop DiMarzio. Now that restrictions are being lifted throughout Brooklyn and Queens, he believes it’s important to get back into the pews.

“Reminding people of the centrality of the Eucharist, how important it really is and what we believe about it,” he said.

In his letter, Bishop DiMarzio cites a Pew Research Center survey that showed only 31 percent of Catholics believe the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The survey also showed that belief is most common among older Catholics.

“They haven’t kept up with their faith,” the bishop said. “In my generation, we memorized every question. This is not the catechesis that most people got. They didn’t get that clear understanding of our faith that was in prior generations, so it kind of watered itself down.”

Bishop DiMarzio believes the livestreaming of Masses has been a great tool during the pandemic, but can’t serve as a replacement for receiving the Eucharist. He added that it’s the job of priests to make Mass enjoyable.

“It’s important that they celebrate reverently, correctly, and have good sermons,” the bishop said. “There has to be something attractive. It’s an obligation, yes, but it shouldn’t be onerous, it should make us happy.”

Though many COVID-19 limitations are dwindling, Bishop DiMarzio says the pain of the health crisis is still there, but the Eucharist can help us move past it.

“If we ever needed to come to the Eucharist – now is the time,” he said. “There’s so much burden this pandemic has put on us, but the relief can come through the Eucharist and will show us that some good can come out of this pandemic.

Now that churches in the Diocese of Brooklyn are at full capacity, the Sunday obligation is back in effect.