During Teacher Appreciation Week, Astoria Teacher Recognized for Going Above and Beyond

By Emily Drooby

At first, school teacher Patricia Cavera was tepid about technology. But she did a complete 360 this year and is now tackling technology for one reason: her students.

For 25 years, Patricia taught in Catholic schools. She’s also a product of Catholic school education herself. At her current school, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy in Astoria, Queens, she’s beloved.

Patricia’s principal says she was always iffy about technology, until the pandemic hit. It was already a difficult year.

“I think everybody felt it, especially the children that are experiencing this,” Patricia said.

Patricia knew she needed to step up and learn more about technology for the sake of her students. So, she did.

She learned how to use the school’s virtual whiteboard system. That meant she could seamlessly teach students in two different classrooms, as well as virtually.

Even with the personal face-to-face time split in half, students still felt like they can rely on her.

One of her students, Hudson Joseph Geiger, said she helps him understand how to do his work.

“She’s going to be there, teaching me, helping me when I need it,” Hudson said, “and I don’t have to worry too much if I make some mistakes, because she will help me understand.”

Her tenacity and drive makes her an inspiration to fellow teachers like Nicole Biscaglia.

“Nothing seems to frazzle her, nothing seems to phase her. She’s always very calm and composed, the way she speaks and talks to the kids and parents,” Nicole said. “That’s a trait that every teacher wants to have and I hope to have that one day.”

What fuels Patricia? That this isn’t just a job.

“I’m blessed to be here,” Patricia said, “because it doesn’t feel like work.”

Students Anxiously Await the Results of the Tablet COVID-19 Fundraiser

By Emily Drooby

The Tablet Newspaper’s COVID Relief Fundraiser is a tight race. The contest is now closed and the scores are being tallied.

Noelle Pianoforte thinks her school, St. Athanasius Catholic Academy in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, has a good shot at winning. She personally sold over 25 newspaper subscriptions which means big money for both her and her school.

“What made me want to sell so many is so I could raise money for my school,” fifth grader Noelle said.

Each subscription was a $20 sale, with $5 going to the school and $10 going to the student. It’s money that can be a big relief explained Msgr. David Cassato.

“They can help their parents pay their tuition with that and it’s a great incentive for the kids to do it, help mom and dad out,” said Msgr. Cassato, the diocesan vicar for Catholic schools the pastor of St. Athanasius Church. “Everyone is struggling in this COVID time.”

He said it was a great competition.

“Many people participated and I’m praying St. Athanasius was the highest school,” Msgr. Cassato said.

Of 52 schools that participated in the fundraiser competition, St. Athanasius has emerged as a major contender for the top prizes including thousands of dollars.

However, principal Diane Competello says no matter what the results, their school already won.

“Even if we don’t win as the highest school, we have won in many other ways,” Diane said. “In getting our children to work together toward a common goal and to instill in everybody that you can help. This is a way you can help.”

Just as important was that the students had fun, which is something that was very much needed during this difficult year. Orders are still being tallied, but a winner will be named by the end of the month.

“It was good to see them excited about something because it was a hard year from the COVID,” Diane said. “We had so many limitations on so many things, so to be excited about something together as a school community is something beautiful to see.”

Pope Francis Inaugurates “Prayer Marathon” For an End to The Pandemic

Currents News Staff

Pope Francis has asked that this month of May be dedicated to praying insistently for an end to the pandemic.

That’s why he kicked off what the Vatican is calling a “prayer marathon.” Each day will feature a different Marian shrine.

The rosary will be the main prayer for the marathon. It will be streamed live from a different shrine every day at 6 p.m., Rome time.

Pope Francis inagurated the marathon at the Vatican, with a prayer in front of an ancient mosaic in St. Peter’s Basilica, on Saturday, May 1.

Each day after that, the rosary will be broadcast from a different place, like Guadalupe, Fatima, Lourdes, the Immaculate Conception in Washington, Medjugorje in Bosnia and la Caridad del Cobre in Cuba.

The Holy Father will conclude the marathon on May 31, in a chapel in the Vatican Gardens.

The Vatican wants to involve as many Catholics as possible and invites them to connect from their homes or parishes to pray for the end of the pandemic.

It’s no coincidence that the rosary is the chosen prayer, as May is traditionally the month the Catholic Church dedicates to the Virgin Mary.

In fact, on May 30, 2020, during the first wave of COVID-19 infections, Pope Francis invited doctors, nurses, hospital chaplains and family members of pandemic victims to pray the rosary together in the Vatican Gardens for the same cause.

Catholic News Headlines for Friday, 4/30/21

Pandemic prayer marathon – Pope Francis is calling for divine intervention to end the COVID-19 crisis worldwide.

New York City exodus – parishes are seeing their congregants move away.

Minority-owned businesses are struggling as well, but they hope the mayor’s plan to reopen the city this summer will help.

We mark ten years since the beatification of Pope John Paul II.

Ten Years Ago: The Beatification of John Paul II

Currents News Staff

Ten years ago one of the most significant ceremonies ever took place, the beatification of John Paul II. Some 1.5 million pilgrims traveled to Rome for the ceremony on May 1, 2011.

“I came because I felt something wonderful, and the two times I was close to him were beautiful moments,” said one pilgrim.

Many camped out near St. Peter’s to be the first to enter the square. “Africa, we come from Africa, from very far away because he was a great man of God. The Pope came to Nigeria and now we came to Rome,” added another pilgrim.

At five in the morning, the police began letting them in. Shortly after, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims were gathered around the Vatican.

There were 87 delegations from around the world, including seven heads of government, 16 heads of state and five royal households then entered the square. The ceremony began at 10 in the morning.

The Polish nun who cared for John Paul II until his death and the French nun who was miraculously cured of Parkinson’s through his intercession, presented Benedict XVI with a relic of his predecessor.

After the Mass, the Pope and cardinals prayed before the remains of the new Blessed. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims were also able to approach the coffin.

A few days later, John Paul II’s remains were transferred to the Chapel of St. Sebastian inside of St. Peter’s Basilica, where they continue to rest today.

His tomb has become one of the most visited places in the Vatican.

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday, April 29 2021

New York City’s mayor wants to reopen by July. The news comes as a Godsend to businesses — especially ones owned by minorities who struggled through the pandemic.

The big takeaways from President Biden’s speech to Congress — and what he skipped over in his first address.

The U.S. is sending more than 100 million dollars worth of supplies to India as the country reels from a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Pope Francis signs a new measure to fight corruption at the Vatican.

An Inspirational Restaurant in Queens Gives Back to Their Community Despite Pandemic Struggles

By Emily Drooby

Sangria Tapas Bar & Restaurant has been a staple of the Jamaica, Queens neighborhood for 17 years. They’re located near a courthouse and a major stop on the Long Island Railroad, so normally there would be a large lunch rush. But with the pandemic, that’s gone.

“It has been very tough, very, very tough,” said co-owner, Rita Coutinho.

Rita and her family are faithful Catholics and longtime parishioners of St. Pius X Church in Rosedale, Queens. When the city first shut down last year, they lost about 80 percent of their business.

Now with less restrictions and both New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo announcing their intentions to fully open the city back up soon, they’re seeing an improvement.

“Thank God we are doing better, [but] it’s not the same thing like before COVID,” Rita said.

They’re now up to about 50 percent of their business. However, they did spend about $30,000 on COVID safety features. They had to dip into their own pockets to keep the place afloat. Like many restaurants, they’re calling on the government for financial help.

A new survey suggests that the pandemic has especially affected minority-owned small businesses. Ninety-percent of the survey’s respondents said they won’t last six months without financial relief. This is according to a survey done by nonprofit, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) New York City.

That makes what Rita and her co-owners did even more incredible. While it was a time of struggling, they still gave away $11,000 worth of meals to first responders and local churches who distributed them to parishioners. They have another large drop planned for next month.

“We know that God is going to help us because we are helping the community,” Rita said, “and the community comes to support us, so it’s like a beautiful circle.”

Now, it seems that God is helping them. If all goes well, Mayor de Blasio plans to fully reopen the city in just two months, on July 1.

It’s an announcement that inspires hope. Rita told Currents News that every morning she thanks God that she still has her health and her business.

“Gives you the hope that something better is coming for everybody,” Rita added.

COVID Crisis in India: The U.S. Will Send $100 Million in Supplies to the Country

Currents News Staff

India is facing one of the world’s worst COVID-19 outbreaks: more than 200,000 people have died.

Crematoriums are running around the clock and new infections continue to rise and continue to break records.

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy says hospitals are overwhelmed.

“More than 350,000 people a day are getting infected,” Murthy said. “They’re seeing the hospital systems in many cities on the brink, unable to meet the full demand. They’re running out of oxygen.”

And medical experts in the U.S. say we need to step up.

“We can’t stop until COVID has been conquered all over the world,” Murthy added.

Dr. Richard Besser, former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the outbreak is a risk.

“Transmission anywhere in the world poses a risk to people everywhere in the world,” said Besser.

This week, the White House committed to sharing up to 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, while still not authorized in the U.S., with other countries.

The U.S. is delivering supplies worth more than 100 million dollars to India that includes the following:

Refillable cylinders of oxygen
1,700 oxygen concentrators to pull oxygen from the air
15 million N-95 masks
Supplies to make 20 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine
1 million rapid diagnostic tests
The first of 20,000 treatment courses of Remdesivir

Planes packed with supplies will continue into next week.

“Global pandemics require global cooperation,” said Murthy.

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday, 4/28/21

The pandemic is forcing people into homelessness – but a new building in the Bronx is offering hope.

President Biden is set to deliver his first speech to a joint session of Congress. He’s expected to press for expanding access to health care and police reform.

Abortion fight – two New York dioceses are asking the Supreme Court to review their case against the state.

A man attacks a mural of the Virgin of Guadalupe with a sledgehammer. The pastor is calling for justice, but praying for the suspect.

Catholic Charities of New York’s New Affordable Housing in the Bronx Is Changing Lives

By Emily Drooby

The most important thing in the world to Tameca Gather are her three kids. So when a dangerous situation forced her family into the shelter system, she was devastated.

“It was depressing, it was really depressing,” Tameca said. “I used to cry every day and blame myself for the situation I got into, for my children, for me to end up in the shelter.”

They didn’t have a reliable place to call home.

“A lot of days we didn’t have no heat, when it was like two degrees outside, we didn’t have no heat,” she said. “I had to boil water for my kids to stay warm. My kids, I had to buy blankets. I had to go to my mom’s house to buy a space heater. It was really cold and we had to suffer.”

Now, Tameca and her family don’t have to suffer. That’s because she’s the new owner of an apartment at Catholic Charities of New York’s new housing complex in the Bronx.

“I love my apartment, I would not trade it for nothing in the world,” said Tameca.

The mother of three now has a safe, clean and affordable place for her family to call home.

Second Farms is housing for low-income families. It has 319 units, with 38 units reserved for people who were homeless. They have a community room, a laundry room, a daycare room, a fenced in courtyard, and soon, they’ll even have their own supermarket.

Thousands of people applied to live in this building. Right now, it’s only one-third of the way full, but they’re sorting through applications as more applications are underway.

“I mean the average rent now in the Bronx is like $2,000 a month for a one bedroom,” explained Renee Lopez, senior case manager for Catholic Charities Of New York. Her office is in the building.

“So now, they’re able to move to an apartment that’s so much more affordable for them, where they can work, bring their children to the daycare, go to the supermarket,” Renee said.

Rent is already high for many, but the pandemic and the rampant unemployment has made it even worse. An estimated 1.2 million households are at-risk of eviction in New York State, according to financial service consulting firm, Stout.

This building, which took two years to build, is helping to relieve that financial burden for families like Tameca’s.

“I’ve been praying so hard because I was in the [housing] system for like three years,” Tameca said, “And I prayed and I swear, God answered my prayers.”