St. Mel’s Catholic Academy Alumni Build New Playground Dedicated to Their Mothers

By Jessica Easthope

When you’re a kid, it doesn’t get any better than the rush of recess on the playground and being silly on a slide. At St. Mel’s Catholic Academy in Flushing, Queens, something so joyous was born out of sorrow.

“My mom was completely healthy one day and the next she was in the hospital and fought for 17 days,” said Kimberly Levin, the Vice President of the Unsung Siblngs Foundation.

Early on into the pandemic, Kim’s mom Dottie died of COVID-19 and a proper funeral wasn’t possible. But for Father Joseph Fonti, pastor of St. Mel’s Church, he gave her family some closure.

“He allowed us to bring our mother’s coffin outside of the church,” Kim said, “and family and friends were scattered all over the street as he screamed into a microphone giving my mother’s final blessing.”

After her mom’s passing, Kim – a St. Mel’s alumna, was driven to give back to her school and church with the help of her family’s non-profit, the Unsung Siblings Foundation.

“When we met with Father Fonti, we said ‘what can we do for you now,’” Kim said. “And we talked about a few different things and the word playground was said.”

The foundation took bids, found a company and in a few months, the playground was built.

“The glory of God is when we’re fully alive,” Father Fonti said, “and if a playground can bring that out, it’s not only lifting them up, it’s lifting us all up.”

When it came time to raising money for the playground, Kim called on her best friend RoseMarie Lanzetta. Kim and RoseMarie’s moms were also best friends, inseparable for decades and now together again.

“We grew up together as sisters pretty much and they really wanted to honor my mom in a way that she deserves and this wall it’s a symbol of who they were,” RoseMarie said.

The Unsung Siblings Foundation raised $68,000 and paid for the rest of the $81,000 playground named for Kim and RoseMarie’s mothers, but for Principal Amy Barron, it’s priceless.

“There’s no sound more beautiful than the joy of children laughing and playing,” Amy said, “and I’m so blessed to be able to hear that every day on that playground that was gifted to us.”

To thank everyone who made the playground possible, Kim created a donor wall with one special tribute: butterflies.

“It’s about new life, transformation, rebirth,” Kim said, “and our mothers were symbols of strong, beautiful women who were about their family first, faith and their friends.”

Now the playground is bringing together past and future generations of St. Mel’s students. They’ll always remember it as the place where they first spread their wings.

Catholic News Headlines for Friday, April 16, 2021

The federal government helping pay for COVID-19 funeral arrangements.

A mass shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis — police trying to figure out why.

The Vatican’s international health and medicine conference — find out which famous faces are invited.

Happy 94th Birthday Pope emeritus Benedict XVI!

Congresswoman Malliotakis’ Border Visit Reveals Horrific Conditions

By Currents News Staff and Paula Katinas

WINDSOR TERRACE — The crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border is “completely outrageous” and getting worse by the day, according to Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, who recently traveled to Texas to get a firsthand look.

“What I saw was disorder and chaos,” Malliotakis told Current News on April 15. “It was a very alarming trip.”

Malliotakis described the conditions at the border as “a humanitarian crisis” as well as a national security crisis.

Malliotakis, a Republican representing New York’s 11th Congressional District (Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn), went to the Rio Grande Valley on April 9 as part of a delegation of GOP House members. The trip was organized by Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise, the House minority whip. The lawmakers visited a center in Donna, Texas, where migrant children are being housed, and talked to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents.

Malliotakis said she witnessed heartbreaking scenes of kids in overcrowded spaces.

“Children are being jammed and crammed into bubbles where they stay all day long on top of each other,” she said.

Malliotakis said the facility is set up to accommodate 250 people, but “they had 4,000 individuals there.”

She also expressed concern that the flood of migrants entering the U.S. is coming at a time when the nation is still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The facility was “certainly not part of social distancing,” she said.

Illegal border crossings are at a 15-year high, according to CBP data. CBP took 170,000 people — including 18,500 unaccompanied minors — into custody in March, an increase from 78,000 in January.

The delegation also visited an intake center where migrants are processed in McAllen, Texas, and toured the Rio Grande River on a boat.

Malliotakis said CBP agents told the congressional delegation that cartels are smuggling people across the border and making a ton of money doing it.

“You’re talking half a billion [dollars] that the cartels are making. They are viewing people as a commodity,” she said.

She said CBP agents described a horrific incident in which smugglers threw a 6-month-old baby into the Rio Grande from a raft because the agents were closing in. The smugglers knew the agents would stop chasing them and concentrate on saving the baby.

Malliotakis, who supported former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, laid the blame for the border crisis at the feet of President Joe Biden. She charged that Biden’s border policies, which include allowing unaccompanied minors into the country, have caused the situation to escalate.

At a March 25 press conference, Biden disputed charges that his policies are responsible for the situation. The increase in people crossing into the U.S. is a seasonal spike that “happens every year,” he said.

The administration is taking steps to address the situation — including setting up a 5,000-bed facility, the president said.

Biden said his administration is looking at the long-term by increasing financial aid to Central American countries to improve living conditions in their nations so that migrants won’t be so desperate to flee.

Malliotakis called for the reinstatement of migrant protocols that Trump had put in place. Those protocols included having people seeking asylum wait in their home countries as their cases were processed.

The U.S. needs to “send a message that our borders are not open for illegal migration,” Malliotakis said.

MTA Survey Shows Spike in Crime, Dip in Ridership as Agency Works to Get NYC Back on Trains

By Jessica Easthope

New York City and its subway system are evolving around the pandemic. Crime is up, ridership is down and now the MTA is pulling out all the stops to get people back onto the trains.

Train after train, the cars are nearly empty. At the Bowling Green station in Lower Manhattan, people appeared to be socially distant on the platform. But one question remains — are there just less people?

“The negative impact on ridership and revenue is orders of magnitude worse than the Great Depression,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Pat Foye. “During the Great Depression, subway ridership, at the bottom, went down 13 percent. In March or April of 2020, subway ridership was down 95 percent.”

Pat said the last year has been the most challenging ever for the agency. Ridership was still down 35 percent and it’s not only because of COVID-19.

“The subway system is safer than it was five, 10 and 15 years ago,” Pat said. “But the increase in crimes, like the stabbing spree on the A train three or four weeks ago that resonates and frankly terrifies New Yorkers. No one wants to go back to the bad, old days of rampant crime.”

According to a survey of more than 25,000 active riders released by the MTA this week, only 26 percent were ‘satisfied’ with safety on trains. Crime and harassment was the top concern: 72 percent say they’re ‘very concerned’ about safety on their commutes.

“In the later hours of the night, there’s hardly anyone else on the train, so it’s concerning,” said commuter Ameena Caesar.

“I’m very cognizant of my surroundings,” said Liz Murray who commutes from Brooklyn. “I keep my back to the wall. Before, you really didn’t have to think about it and now you have to pay attention.”

To address safety concerns, the MTA added 600 more NYPD officers to its subway patrol, but the officers are spread out among 472 subway stations. Many riders say they haven’t seen an increased police presence.

“Honestly where I live in Brooklyn,” Liz said, “I don’t see police ever.”

But the MTA’s disinfecting efforts on trains and platforms are being noticed.

“They’re very clean,” said commuter Ben Thompson. “It’s been commendable on the MTA. It’s been well-managed and maintained.”

If it wasn’t for federal aid, the MTA would have lost $5.6 billion dollars this year, which is why Pat said getting riders back is the priority.

“The goal for this coming year is for us to be fully prepared to welcome New Yorkers and tourists from around the country and the world back to the subway system,” Pat said. “We want to present to everyone a safe environment.”

One move that’s expected to generate more than $116 million dollars for the MTA is happening: raising the toll prices on bridges and tunnels. As for subway fares, that increase has been postponed for several months.

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday, April 15, 2021

We’re back in the subways hearing from the MTA and riders if the crowds will ever return.

Democrats in the House introduce legislation that would expand the Supreme Court.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis gives us her eyewitness account on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio weighs in on a very important Vatican conference.

‘Toxic Cocktail’ Forcing Unaccompanied Children to Cross U.S. Border Says Catholic Organization

Currents News Staff

As migrants continue to enter the U.S. from Mexico, the number of unaccompanied children in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services is now over 18,000.

Catholic organization “Hope Border Institute” is working to help them and others. Their Executive Director Dylan Corbett joined Currents News to discuss the ongoing events at the border and what his organization does to help.

If you would like to donate to Hope Border Institute, go to hopeborder.org

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday, April 14, 2021

The emergency CDC gathering discusses the pause of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

A Minnesota officer seen shooting an unarmed man will be charged for his death.

President Biden gives his timeline to get troops out of Afghanistan.

Brooklyn’s St. Francis College helps families struggling with tuition.

Xaverian HS Student Surprised with Full Tuition Scholarship to St. Francis College

By Jessica Easthope

“Attending St. Francis College would allow me to pursue my dreams and help me to create a future of success I’d be most proud of.” That’s the last line of the essay that sent Emily Castellano on her way to living her dreams.

Earlier this month, the Xaverian senior got the surprise of a lifetime. St. Francis College (SFC) faculty showed up on her doorstep April 1 to let her know she was awarded a full tuition scholarship to the Brooklyn college.

“It was a rush of emotions and crazy,” Emily said. “My mom was crying. I couldn’t believe I was the one who got it. My friend applied for it too.”

More than 450 students applied for the Presidential Scholarship. Emily was one of just four students who got it.

“Students haven’t had much to celebrate,” said SFC Assistant Vice President of Enrollment Management, Robert Oliva. “So we thought, why not bring a little bit of St. Francis College to them so they can celebrate with their family, friends and with their school community.”

Last year, St. Francis College welcomed in 747 students — its largest freshman class ever. This year, it’s hoping to beat that. Normally, almost every incoming freshman will receive some kind of merit-based scholarship. For this upcoming school year, the school has accepted more than 3,500 students and every single one was given a scholarship.

But what sets Emily apart? Robert says he saw it right away.

“What separated Emily from the rest was her commitment to serve the community and one another and to make a difference,” Robert said.

Emily says she can’t help but look back on that moment.

Her mother started working to pay for tuition at Xaverian, but during the pandemic, she lost her job. Emily’s dad, who owns an extermination business, lost nearly all his customers.

“It was very hard for us at that time,” Emily said. “We were worried about how we’d pay our bills and everything and the tuition. It was a scary time for us, but thank God everything worked out well.”

Emily will be graduating in five years with a master’s degree in accounting. Just like Xaverian’s Clipper mascot, Emily’s going to be navigating a new adventure. Even though the waves might get rough, her faith will keep her steady.

Emily’s first day at St. Francis College will be Sept. 8.

Infectious Disease Expert Weighs In on the J&J Vaccine Pause and What To Do If You Received One

Currents News Staff

Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are calling for a timeout in the use of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine. That’s because of six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot.

Currents News brought in medical expert, Dr. Robert Tiballi, infectious disease specialist from The Catholic Medical Association to discuss the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine concerns.

Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Use Halted After CDC and FDA Recommendation

Currents News Staff

“Right now, I would like to stress these events seem to be extremely rare,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock. “But COVID-19 vaccine safety is a top priority for the federal government.”

The cases, all in women between the ages of 18 and 48, all occurred six to 13 days after vaccination. One has died, another in critical condition. The six cases are out of nearly seven million doses of the one-shot vaccine administered in the U.S. so far.

The clotting, not seen, the government says, after Moderna or Pfizer vaccines.

“People that have vaccine appointments with the other vaccines, should continue with their appointment,” said CDC Principal Deputy Director Dr. Anne Schuchat.

A CDC advisory committee will convene wednesday, April 14, to discuss next steps.Some states already anticipated fewer Johnson & Johnson doses this week because of an unrelated production problem. Many have followed the recommendation to pause already.

The White House COVID response team says it won’t have a major impact on U.S. vaccination goals. Experts say overall, benefits of vaccination still outweigh COVID’s risks.

“I want to emphasize that the risk-benefit ratio is way in favor of benefit,” said Executive Associate Dean at Emory School of Medicine, Dr. Carlos Del Rio. “The vaccines have saved thousands of lives already.”

Those who received the J&J vaccine within the last three weeks and develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath should contact their health care provider.