Students from Catholic academies across Brooklyn and Queens put their skills to the test at the Diocese of Brooklyn’s annual Math Bee.
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By Katie Vasquez
The champions from elementary schools across the Diocese of Brooklyn were greeted with applause as they entered the gym at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy for the diocese’s annual Math Bee.
Students from various Catholic academies gathered to solve challenging math equations in front of an audience of nearly 200 people.
“I just love doing it, it just makes my brain work and I like that,” said Leon Latayf, a fourth grader at St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy.
The competition tested more than math skills. Moderator Timothy Dillon, principal of Good Shepherd Catholic Academy, said the event also strengthens students’ confidence and public speaking abilities.
“I think it’s not just the math, also just the public speaking skill,” Dillon said. “It’s very difficult to do math under high pressure in front of an audience of almost 200 people. So they really do a phenomenal job just gathering that skill.”
Christian Cheng, a fifth grader at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy in Queens, recruited his family to help him prepare.
“My parents were asking me questions from the math bee, and then I had to answer them,” Christian said.
He earned third place and said he enjoyed the structure of the competition.
“I like the rounds. I like the different questions they ask,” he said. “For example, round 10 is division, round eight is addition. So all different things.”
Second-place winner Benjamin Tastaca, a fifth grader at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy, said he did not have a specific strategy heading into the contest.
“I just winged it pretty much all. I studied a bit,” Benjamin said. “I was really nervous but now I feel proud.”
Leon Latayf ultimately took first place for St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy, though he admitted he was unsure of the outcome beforehand.
“I was nervous I was going to lose,” Leon said. “I was really nervous but it was kind of easy.”
Dillon emphasized that every student who stepped onto the stage demonstrated courage.
“It takes a tremendous amount of bravery and courage just to get up in front of all these people,” he said. “So we want to make sure the kids know that they’re all winners.”
Students said they hope to return to the stage next year for another chance to compete.
By Katie Vasquez
Quick thinking and math skills are front and center as elementary school champions from across Brooklyn and Queens compete in the Diocese of Brooklyn’s annual Math Bee. With only seconds to solve each problem, students put their knowledge to the test in a fast-paced academic showdown.
By Paula Katinas and Jessica Easthope
Fran Vella-Marrone believes that God is in her corner. Literally.
Vella-Marrone, a 62-year-old paralegal from Dyker Heights, has taken up boxing, not to go 12 rounds in a championship fight, but to throw swift jabs at Parkinson’s disease, an illness she has been living with for the past two years.
Twice a week, Vella-Marrone heads to Gleason’s gym in DUMBO to put on a pair of gloves and train with former professional boxer Gary Stark Jr. to improve her strength, stamina, and coordination.
“It’s making a difference. I can tell,” she said. “One of my symptoms is that I have stiffness in my hand and my arm on my right side, and my leg. When I work out, I feel so much better. Everything feels looser. I can move better.”
What Vella-Marrone does isn’t traditional boxing. Instead of hitting people, she hits a punching bag. But she otherwise mimics a boxer’s movements in the ring.
When Vella-Marrone was diagnosed in 2023, she said she relied on her Catholic faith to help her cope. She is a parishioner of St. Ephrem Church in Dyker Heights and also attends Mass at the Shrine Church of St. Bernadette.
“I believe that everything happens for a reason,” she said. “I thought that if I had this disease, that God felt I could handle it.”
After her doctor recommended that she take up boxing as exercise, she looked for a trainer, but Vella-Marrone, who works full-time at the Connors & Sullivan law firm in Bay Ridge, had a tough time finding one who could fit into her busy schedule.
“Most Parkinson’s patients are older and retired. And the boxing lessons take place in the middle of the workday,” she explained. “I needed to work out nights and weekends.”
Vella-Marrone is also busy with other activities, serving as chairperson of the Kings County Conservative Party and as a member of the Dyker Heights Civic Association and the Cathedral Club of Brooklyn.
She searched in vain until one day, when she came across Punch4Parkinson’s, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that pairs patients with trainers in their local communities. She completed an online questionnaire and received a phone call from Ryan Roach, the founder.
Within a short time, she was paired with Stark and climbed into the ring at Gleason’s Gym.
Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, progressive brain disorder that causes tremors, stiffness, and slowness in movement. Its symptoms often worsen over time, but treatments can help patients manage them.
According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, 1.1 million people in the U.S. are living with the disease. Each year, 90,000 people are diagnosed. Actor Michael J. Fox of “Back to the Future” fame went public with his battle with Parkinson’s in 1998.
Boxing has been linked to Parkinson’s by medical experts. According to the McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Florida, doctors who treated the late, great champion Muhammad Ali provided evidence that he had Parkinson’s due to repeated blows to the head in the ring. Ali died in 2016.
And a 2017 study of retired Filipino boxers found that 80% of them had Parkinsonism, an illness with Parkinson’s-like symptoms.
However, many doctors, like Vella-Marrone’s, have recommended non-contact boxing for Parkinson’s patients. “You’re only in danger if you get hit in the head,” she said. “What we do is different.”
Vella-Marrone said she plans to continue boxing for a long time.
“Parkinson’s is something you can live with,” she said. “You have to keep moving.”
By Tablet Staff
The Diocese of Brooklyn is pursuing a “global resolution” to resolve the approximately 1,100 remaining sex abuse cases brought against it, Bishop Robert Brennan announced in a Feb. 12 letter to the faithful.
“The impact of sexual abuse is devastating,” Bishop Brennan said. “As your Bishop, I again offer my deepest apologies to all the victim-survivors. We hope fair and comprehensive action to resolve the lawsuits stemming from the New York Child Victims Act can further the healing process.”
The diocese did not put a financial estimate on the process. In the letter, Bishop Brennan states that the diocese will cut costs and set aside “significant funds to compensate victim-survivors.”
The diocese hopes it can resolve the claims through insurance proceeds, taking advantage of assets — like rental properties and property sales — and some cost-cutting measures, according to the diocese’s legal counsel.
As has been the case with past settlements, and will remain the case for any future settlements, funds from parishioner donations and parish offerings will not be used to resolve the cases, Bishop Brennan said.
“The process of marshalling these funds entails difficult financial choices, but the diocese is committed to fairly compensating all meritorious claims,” Bishop Brennan said. “The diocese is immediately undertaking steps to amass and set aside substantial and sufficient funds to support our compensation efforts.”
CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO READ THE FULL LETTER FROM BISHOP BRENNAN.
Over 90% of the 1,100 remaining claims are from more than 35 years ago, with most from the 1970s and the second-most from the 1960s, according to the diocese’s legal counsel. They further added that most of the cases were filed under the New York Child Victims Act, a 2019 state law that extended the statute of limitations for a survivor of child sex abuse in criminal and civil cases.
“We will endeavor to resolve expeditiously all meritorious claims, and to avoid the time, expense, and emotional strain for victim-survivors that would be caused by individual trials,” Bishop Brennan said in the letter, adding that the diocese and its legal counsel have spoken with attorneys representing hundreds of victim-survivors to begin the process.
Jeff Anderson and Associates, which represents over 200 victim-survivors who have brought cases against the diocese said Bishop Brennan’s announcement “offers a real opportunity for resolution and progress.”
“We look forward to the opportunity to work toward a resolution and will continue litigation as necessary,” the firm said in a Feb. 12 statement.
Since 2017, according to Bishop Brennan, the diocese has paid over 500 victim-survivors more than $100 million through its Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program. Outside the program, the diocese has resolved about 100 more cases, according, to its legal counsel. Funding to resolve cases to date has typically come from asset sales, counsel explained.
Bishop Brennan said the diocese is “fully committed to the protection of children,” noting its adherence to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and the diocese’s agreement with the State Attorney General to enhance prevention and investigation procedures.
“Today, after significant reforms brought about by the Charter and by rigorous and constructive study and by strengthening our processes, including through cooperation with the New York State Attorney General, our diocese is a place where children can safely learn and grow in their faith in Christ,” Bishop Brennan said.
For the current global resolution process, Bishop Brennan said the diocese, its legal counsel, and attorneys representing hundreds of victim-survivors have agreed to engage Judge Daniel Buckley and Paul Finn as “neutral mediators.”
Buckley previously mediated a global settlement of sex abuse claims filed against the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and has recently been tasked with globally resolving the claims against the Archdiocese of New York. Finn, meanwhile, has mediated hundreds of sex abuse claims brought against the Archdioceses of Boston and Milwaukee, as well as the Dioceses of Rochester, Rockville Centre, and Syracuse.
“We will seek their guidance in swiftly and justly resolving the meritorious claims brought by victim-survivors against the Diocese of Brooklyn,” Bishop Brennan said.
Anyone who is a victim of sexual abuse within the diocese is encouraged to call the confidential reporting line (888-634-4499), which connects directly to law enforcement authorities.
For information on how the diocese is dealing with clergy sex abuse, visit the website of the Office of Safe Environment and “Protecting our Children” on the Diocese of Brooklyn’s website.
The Diocese of Brooklyn is pursuing a “global resolution” to resolve the approximately 1,100 remaining sex abuse cases brought against it.
A Brooklyn woman with Parkinson’s disease is fighting back through boxing, using faith and fitness to slow the disease and inspire others.
Bishops across the country are urging the University of Notre Dame to reconsider a leadership appointment after raising concerns about the professor’s public support for abortion.
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By Jessica Easthope
After a life-changing diagnosis, one Brooklyn woman steps into the boxing ring — not for a title, but for her future. At the gym, she’s finding strength, purpose, and a new way to face the challenges of Parkinson’s.
by The Tablet Staff
PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Seven Catholic elementary schools in Brooklyn and Queens will permanently close at the end of the school year in June, the Diocese of Brooklyn announced on Feb. 11.
Officials cited sustained enrollment declines, coupled with ongoing fiscal challenges, as the main reasons. The seven schools are:
The diocese will assist families of students with enrollment in different Catholic schools within the diocese, officials said. The diocese will make resources available to faculty and staff members affected by the closures, they added.
“Our responsibility is both pastoral and practical,” said Deacon Kevin McCormack, superintendent of schools for the diocese. “We will walk with our families and employees through this process, while continuing to strengthen Catholic education throughout Brooklyn and Queens.”
To assist families in transitioning to nearby Catholic schools, the diocese’s Office of Catholic Schools has created a website, catholicschoolsbq.org/schooltransitions, with information on open houses, transferring Futures in Education scholarships, and contact information to answer questions and respond to concerns.
According to the diocese, all seven schools have seen a significant decline in enrollment since 2019, with losses accelerating sharply between 2024 and 2025.
As a result of the enrollment decrease, officials said the schools are collectively operating at a deficit totaling millions of dollars, creating a financially unsustainable situation.
The decision to close the schools came after an extensive review process that included analyses of several factors, including enrollment trends, operating costs, capital repairs, and long-term sustainability, while accounting for rising insurance and pension costs, officials said.
Despite significant efforts to stabilize enrollment and finances, officials noted that the seven schools are no longer able to operate in a pastoral and fiscally responsible manner. Here are the enrollment figures for each school:
Calling the closures “an extraordinarily difficult moment for our school communities,” Deacon McCormack noted the decision was not an easy one.
“These schools have served generations of families with dedication and faith,” he explained. “The decision to close them was made only after careful consideration and with great sorrow.”
All activities and events at the seven schools will go on as planned through the rest of the school year, officials said. They added that while the closure of these schools marks the end of an important chapter, providing access to a Catholic education in Brooklyn and Queens remains a priority for the diocese.
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By Katie Vasquez
Classrooms at St. Joan of Arc School reflect the global makeup of the surrounding community, where more than a dozen languages are spoken by students and families.
“Jackson Heights is called the world in one neighborhood, so of course our school represents that diversity,” said Agnes Mosejczuk, principal of St Joan of Arc School. “We have so many cultures in our school.”
That diversity was on full display during the school’s annual Cultural Day, when students were allowed to skip their uniforms and proudly wear traditional clothing representing their ancestry.
Sixth grader Giovanni Salgado-Gordillo showcased attire from Guatemala, along with its customs and traditions.
“Traditional clothing the people wear in every way. Guatemala. Typical. And dances or traditional parties,” he said.
“This outfit that I am wearing is from Guayaquil, it’s a city in Ecuador,” said sixth grader, Kayla Novillo.
The day began with a Mass celebrated by retired Brooklyn Auxiliary Bishop Octavio Cisneros, during which students delivered readings in 12 different languages, including French, Gaelic, Spanish, and Albanian.
Seventh grader Leon Mitnot, whose parents are from France, participated in the multilingual readings.
“That was fun,” Mitnot said. “I don’t do it that much, but I’m happy to spread the language in church. I think it was really fun.”
Following Mass, students gathered in the school gym to share a variety of dishes representing their diverse cultural backgrounds.
Eighth grader Maleyah Millare said the celebration creates a welcoming environment for everyone.
“I think it’s beautiful that we get to bring our own traditions and we don’t have to hide them,” Millare said. “We gather people from all around the world to eat, to feast, and to pray together as one.”
For Kunga Paljor, also an eighth grader, the day was about sharing personal history.
“I felt really excited because I wanted to show where I’m from and my history,” Paljor said. “I want to spread awareness about my culture.”
Bishop Cisneros said the celebration served as a powerful reminder of unity.
“We are from different countries, with different colors and accents,” he said. “We are all different, yet we are all the same. We are all children of God.”