SOMOS Community Care Vaccination Efforts Help New Yorkers Fight COVID

Currents News Staff

In September 2019, Pope Francis met with a network of doctors who provide health care to ethnic minorities in New York.

“This solidarity with the sick is a real treasure, and it is a distinctive sign of authentic health care and assistance, which puts the person and his needs at the center,” the Holy Father said.

The doctors of SOMOS Community Care never suspected that they would be faced with the biggest challenge of our time: the coronavirus pandemic.

The virus spread quickly among them and their patients, most of whom live in crowded apartments and struggle with more serious health conditions.

But, they didn’t give up.

“I think our meeting with Pope Francis in September 2019 was prophetic,” Ramón Tallaj, founder of SOMOS Community Care. “This message telling us what we had to do with the poor in New York, and I don’t think we’ve let him down. We haven’t failed him. I think we’ve done the work and we feel very good about it, and if it happens again, we’ll do it again.”

This network of family physicians, doctors are from the same cultural communities as their patients, and treat them in the language most familiar to them. Now, they’re administering vaccines, to guarantee an equitable distribution.

They’ve set up vaccination centers in schools, churches and synagogues throughout New York, to make people feel more comfortable.

“We have the vaccine of hope for the virus of solitude. That’s what we called it: the vaccine of hope,” said Ramón. “The vaccine is more important than the disease. if you don’t want the vaccine, the virus will get to you sooner or later.”

This group of doctors was one of the first to take action when the pandemic broke out, and it has remained one of the most active.

Besides administering vaccines, they have given about half a million COVID-19 tests and also addressed the socioeconomic crisis.

SOMOS Community Care has also distributed 5 million rations of food; supported small businesses in the city; and helped people in need of financial resources pay for funeral costs.

They are doctors who refuse to leave anyone behind.

Currents News full broadcast for Fri, 2/05/21 (Catholic news)

Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.

Some of the top stories on this special edition:

Through wind, rain and heavy snow, Catholic Charities is braving the extreme conditions all week long to bring hot food to those in need.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is still in the hot seat over nursing home deaths – even the White House could soon be getting involved.

Their dreams could become a reality as the Biden administration discusses a path to citizenship for DACA recipients.

Plus, Christmas in February – the NYPD and the Catholic Church coming together to bring cheer to families struggling during the pandemic.

Currents News full broadcast for Thurs, 2/04/21 (Catholic news)

Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

MTA workers who lost their lives to COVID-19, memorialized on screens throughout New York City. We speak with the son of one of those workers.

President Joe Biden is calling for unity and a return to faith at this year’s National Prayer Breakfast, the commander in chief also promising to raise the number of refugees allowed in the country. The move is being applauded by U.S. bishops.

A step toward normalcy – Pope Francis returns to one of the most famous windows in the world for his weekly Angelus.

MTA Memorial ‘Travels Far’ Honors NYC Transit Employees Lost to COVID-19

By Emily Drooby

Mathew Thankachan’s father, Thankachan Mathai, was taken from him 10 months ago – a victim of COVID-19.

“I feel, like, a flood of emotions, and sadness,” he told Currents News. His dad is one of 136 Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) employees lost to the virus, memorialized in an eight minute video. Matthew saw it in person for the first time.

For many, the MTA is just part of their commute, but for Matthew’s father, it was much more.

“He just got this job right as his son was born, so God gave him two good things at the same time,” he explained.

Twenty years on the job, he was a cleaner at a station in Queens when he passed.

“My dad was always very grateful for this job,” said Matthew, “and this memorial, it’s like the MTA is grateful for him.”

Now Matthew is grateful for his Catholic faith, this memorial, and for family moments like the ones depicted in photos.

“At heart he was a family man, so that’s why we picked that photo,” Matthew explained of the memorial video called “Travels Far.”

So many faces lost to the pandemic: heroes – transit workers who risked everything to keep the city running.

“It was so important to us to honor these frontline workers, who came in when other people were able to stay home and they came in to make sure we could get police officers where they needed to be, healthcare workers where they needed to be,” said Monica Murray, Chief Administrative Officer for NYC Transit.

Their fellow employees still do that, every single day.

In mid-January, just days after the MTA’s 70,000 employees became eligible to get vaccinated, shots were already going into transit workers arms, with both agency and union top officials urging their employees to get vaccinated.

The MTA also working on its own not-yet-released vaccination plan.

As for these 136 families, the MTA is providing them with liaisons – point people to help with anything from grief counseling to collecting life insurance.

“Seeing this video helped me to know that I’m not alone,” said Matthew.

Just like family, the MTA is proving that their lines run deep.

Fr. John Cush Puts Catholic Theology in Lay Terms With New How-To Book

Currents News Staff

Do you want answers about all things faith, theology and the Church? Well, now there’s a book for the average lay person wanting to dig deeper.

“The How to Book of Catholic Theology: Everything You Need to Know But No One Ever Taught You,” written by Father John Cush.

The Brooklyn native and Academic Dean at the Pontifical North American College says understanding theology is like falling in love with someone, and joins Currents News to discuss what this analogy means for him and his new book.

Biden Administration Faces Challenges With Foreign Policy and COVID Relief

Currents News Staff

President Joe Biden delivered his first foreign policy address Feb.4 at the State Department.

Meanwhile, new jobless numbers out Thursday show many Americans are still struggling in the pandemic as lawmakers work to finalize a stimulus bill.

“We will repair our alliances, engage with the world once again,” said President Biden during his remarks. “We must meet the new moment accelerating global challenges, from the pandemic to the climate crisis, to nuclear proliferation.”

As his administration begins to lay out their agenda for addressing relations with both allies and adversaries, the White House is also emphasizing the need for economic relief at home

“Every action we take in our conduct abroad, we must take with American working families in mind,” Biden said.

As families across the country continue to struggle amid the unemployment crisis, unemployed mother of three Veronica Bedico feeds her family by using government assistance.

“I am a real person who had a real job, and now I need help so I can provide for my children,” she told Currents News.

To help families like hers, the Biden administration is proposing a nearly $2 trillion dollar COVID-relief bill aimed in part at expanding unemployment benefits and food assistance.

The Democratic-led Senate is scheduled to vote on a budget resolution that will allow them to write and pass a package with a simple majority, without needing a single Republican vote.

“There’s no doubt that some families are still struggling, this isn’t finished. But our economy does not require another multi-trillion dollar non-targeted band-aid,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

At National Prayer Breakfast, President Biden Calls for Unity, Confronts ‘Political Extremism’

Currents News Staff

The pandemic moved the annual National Prayer Breakfast to an online event for the first time in its 69-year history. On Feb. 4, President Joe Biden addressed the lives lost to COVID-19, food disparities, racial justice and appealed for unity among Americans.

“We know this time is different,” Biden said. “Over 400,000 of our fellow Americans have lost their lives to a deadly virus. Millions are out of work. We see long lines for food at food banks that stretch for miles. We hear the call for racial justice some 400 years in the making and we know the dream and more important the reality of justice for all cannot be deferred any longer. We see the existential threat of climate crisis that poses to our planet and everywhere we turn with more severe floods, stronger hurricanes and more intense wildfires.”

The nation’s second Catholic president also addressed the Jan. 6 Capitol riot as an “assault on our democracy” and referenced the “political extremism” that propelled the siege.

“We know now that we must confront and defeat political extremism, white supremacy and domestic terrorism,” he said.

Biden didn’t shy away from talking about his vision of faith as a force for good.

“Where do we turn? Faith,” Biden said. “For me in the darkest moments, faith provides hope and solace, provides clarity and purpose as well. It shows the way forward.”

Myanmar Cardinal Appeals for No Bloodshed, Return to Democracy

Currents News Staff

YANGON, Myanmar (CNS) — Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Yangon has appealed to the people of Myanmar — including the army, which staged a coup Feb. 1 — to remain calm and to work for open lines of communication so democracy can prevail.

“When, in 2015, a peaceful transition to the elected government was effected by the army, that won the admiration of the world. Today, the world tries to understand what went wrong in the following years. Was there a lack of dialogue between the elected civilian authorities and the Tatmadaw?” he asked, using the official term for Myanmar’s armed forces.

He said the world was shocked and angry when it heard the military in Myanmar staged a coup and detained top political leaders, including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint.

“You all promised peace and genuine democracy,” Cardinal Bo said, addressing himself to the military. “Democracy was the streak of hope for solving the problems of this once rich country. This time millions voted for democracy. Our people believe in peaceful transfer of power.”

Noting that the military is once again promising democracy, he said that “Myanmar people are tired of empty promises,” and the military would have to back its words with actions to regain people’s trust. He suggested that they begin by freeing elected opposition leaders, writers, activists and young people. “They are not prisoners of war; they are prisoners of a democratic process. You promise democracy; start with releasing them.”

The military declared a state of emergency and said Gen. Min Aung Hlaing would be in charge of the country for one year because the government had not acted on the military’s claims of fraud in November’s elections and because it allowed for an election despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Suu Kyi’s ruling party had won a majority of the available parliamentary seats in that election. Military rule in Myanmar lasted from 1962 to 2011 before resuming again with the latest coup.

Cardinal Bo, president of Myanmar’s bishops’ conference and head of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, was visiting the northern state of Kachin for pastoral reasons during the coup. Catholic News Service obtained his Feb. 3 statement from Aid to the Church in Need.

Addressing himself to the people of Myanmar, Cardinal Bo told them: “I share deep fellowship with all of you in this moment as you grapple with the unexpected, shocking events that are unfolding in our country. I appeal to each one of you, stay calm, never fall victim to violence. We have shed enough blood. Let not any more blood be shed in this land.”

Speaking to Suu Kyi, the cardinal told her she had “lived for our people, sacrificed your life for our people. You will be always the voice of our people.”

“At the same time, I wish to confirm that this incident takes place due to lack of dialogue and communication and lack of acceptance of one another,” he added. “Please listen to others.”

He urged the international community not to place sanctions against his country, because they “risk collapsing the economy, throwing millions into poverty. Engaging the actors in reconciliation is the only path.”

“I believe all the stakeholders in this country wish the best for our people,” the cardinal said. “I write with prayers and hope that his great nation, this golden land of a graceful people will enter into global stage as a reconciled community of hope and peace. Let us solve all disputes through dialogue.

“Peace is possible. Peace is the only way. Democracy is the only light to that path,” he added.

Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens Braves Snow to Keep Homebound Seniors Fed During Pandemic

By Jessica Easthope

Bob Garnette has braved the pandemic, so a little — or a lot of snow — is an obstacle he’s willing to overcome.

For the last 14 years Bob’s been driving around Queens delivering food to homebound seniors for Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens home delivered meals program, but none of those years were anything like this.

“It’s been a struggle for them, they can’t get out and especially on a day like today, they really appreciate the meals,” said Bob.

9,000 meals-a-month used to be average, but when the pandemic hit, that number shot up. In December Catholic Charities delivered more than 13,000 meals to seniors in Northeast Queens. Over the course of the pandemic, it’s taken on more than 200 new clients, some of whom haven’t left their homes in nearly a year, especially not on days like this.

“Now we’ve really had to take on that role of being, sometimes, the only person they see delivering that hot meal and their point person to the outside world letting their families and case workers know how they’ve been doing and helping with whatever we can,” said Jennifer Llamosi, the program manager.

Over the years, Bob has gotten to know his clients and they’ve gotten to know him. He knows what they like and don’t like. Every senior signed up for the program gets a meal, juice, bread and milk — the basics. But the pandemic has made doing this job anything but simple.

“We have a mask on, we have the meal in a plastic bag, we put it on the door knob, we knock, stand six feet away, wait for the client to come out so it’s not like before when we could just walk in and put it on that client’s table,” Jennifer explained.

But the distance doesn’t break the bond. Bob’s connection to the seniors on his route comes with loss.

“I’ve known these people for a number of years so it has an effect on you,” he told Currents News. “You try not to let it wear you down but they always pop back into your head, as soon as you pass their house and they’re not there anymore, so there is some sadness.”

The feeling of loss might always be there, but so will the reward of making a difference long after the snow melts.

NYPD and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Team Up for Weekly Toy Drive in Astoria

By Emily Drooby

Months after Christmas, the holiday cheer continued in Astoria, Queens and children picked out free toys.

“I’m thankful that they’re doing this,” said Stephany Roldan, whose two sons were involved, “They get happy when I tell them, ‘Do you want to go get some toys today?’ They’re actually excited about it.”

There were choices galore, brought to Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s food pantry by the NYPD. Cindy Paulino of the 114th Precinct helped make it happen.

“The smiles on their faces really means a lot,” she told Currents News.

Thanks to a big donor facilitated by Roman Empire Logistics, her precinct collected an unprecedented number of toys in December. After multiple distributions, they still had plenty of toys left. So they teamed up with the church’s pastor, Monsignor Sean Ogle.

“These are families that don’t have a lot, it was such a happy sort of surprise Christmas for them,” he explained.

The police officers distributed the toys during the church’s new weekly food pantry, which has an impressive origin story itself.

For over 30 years there has been a popular pantry at the church they merged with, St Margaret Mary, which is also in Astoria, Queens.

However, when the need for help grew because of the pandemic, parishioners decided they wanted to help. Members of the very active Hispanic community at Our Lady of Mount Carmel opened this second pantry, finding and collecting the food themselves. They are all volunteers, helping about an extra 100 families a week.

“Just seeing them smile makes you happy because some people didn’t have Christmas because of the situation, some people don’t have jobs to buy food ,let alone presents,” said Aranza Rubi Sanchez, one of their younger volunteers.

The toys are adding a bit of joy after a year plagued by job loss, poverty and school closures.

It’s also a way to build a relationship between the youngest and the “finest” in the neighborhood.

“I think it helps them to see that we are more human than they probably think, behind uniform, and it helps them to not be afraid to talk to us and like I said, build a relationship,” said Cindy.

The toy drive at Our Lady of Mount Carmel has been going on for three weeks, and they plan to continue until all the toys are gone.