The Oldest Priest in the Diocese of Brooklyn Credits Kindness for His Long and Full 98 Years of Life

By Emily Drooby

A big party for a big day.

On Friday, May 28, everywhere Father Frank Labita went, he was greeted with birthday wishes.

“I’m the happiest guy in the world,” Father Frank told Currents News.

He turned 98-years-old, making him the oldest priest in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

“Ninety-eight years, that’s all,” Father Frank said. “Don’t add any more.”

Many of those years were spent as a priest. It’s something, he says, he knew he wanted to do at only 14-years-old.

“I was aware that there was a lot of suffering in the world, and I thought to myself, if I become a priest, maybe I will be able to help people with their problems and they’ll be at peace,” Father Frank said.

Coming up on 72 years of being ordained, Father Frank brought his big smile and positive energy to churches across the diocese. This year, he celebrated his birthday at the Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston.

Reporter Emily Drooby asked him, “What’s the secret to 98-years?” which Father Frank replied, “try to always be good and kind and patient and loving with people.”

He shared his special day with seven priests’ ordination anniversaries.

Father Robert Czok served for 55 years.

“God really writes straight with many crooked lines,” Father Czok said. “It’s hard to follow sometimes, but he’s still in charge, and I still follow him.”

Following God and being there for people is a crucial part of the priesthood for all three men including Father Frank.

“Help people be kind, never scold, never yell, be loving,” Father Frank said.

Words to live by and words that after 98 years, Father Frank still lives by.

How America’s Wounded WWII Veterans Shaped the Nation’s Disability Rights

As we took time this Memorial Day Weekend to remember those who died while fighting for our country, we’re also focusing on the wounded who came home from World War II and fought for the disabled.

Author David Davis joined Currents News to talk about his Christopher award-winning book “Wheels of Courage: How Paralyzed Veterans From World War II Invented Wheelchair Sports, Fought for Disability Rights and Inspired a Nation.”

Teachers and Nurse Among Ten Men Ordained Permanent Deacons in the Diocese of Brooklyn

By Emily Drooby

Ten men became deacons in the Diocese of Brooklyn over Memorial Day weekend. Among them was Antonio Gordon and John Kramer. They both risked their own health to keep the city running during the pandemic.

John is a teacher at Archbishop Molloy High School. Antonio is a nurse with 40 years of experience in healthcare.

“Just being in the field where you can make a difference for people, accompany them in their plight and their pains, has been really uplifting,” Antonio said.

Now, they’ll both continue to make a difference in people’s lives as deacons.

“I really hope to witness my faith and communicate what the Church has to offer everyone,” John said.

Both had to study and prepare for this moment during the pandemic, but nothing was going to stand in their way so they could serve others.

“It was a really long journey, but I just always felt the tapping from God and needed to answer it,” said John.

Antonio was thankful.

“I’m just so grateful that I’m having the opportunity to serve God,” he said.

Eight other incredible men were ordained to the permanent diaconate May 29 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights. The ordination itself was very busy but also felt similar to pre-pandemic times.

All of the ten deacons have different jobs and backgrounds, like Robert Fedorowicz who emigrated to the U.S. about 20 years ago from Poland.

“I’m speechless. I’m just thinking what the next day will bring and praying that I will fulfil God’s will,” Robert told Currents News.

The permanent diaconate means they will stay deacons and are not on the path to priesthood.

As Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio explains, they’re an essential part of a parish.

“They represent God’s people,” Bishop DiMarzio said. “They can relate to people. They are in the parishes. They’re the stability sometimes in the parishes. Many times, the pastors move, but they stay. They live there, that’s their commitment.”

Deacons can also do the following: baptize; witness marriages; perform funeral and burial services outside of Mass; distribute Communion; preach the homily; teach the faith; and visit the sick.

It’s not easy to get to this point because it takes years of studying and hard work. However, surrounded by family, friends and clergy, the hard work paid off as these men took on a role that will bring them joy for the rest of their life.

Catholic News Headlines for Friday, 5/28/21

Pro-life advocates are praising the Supreme Court for hearing a case out of Mississippi — it could overturn Roe v. Wade.

Hate crimes against Jews taking off in Brooklyn. Patrols are stepping up their presence, but does it even help? A rabbi with what New York City really needs.

An inside look at the families at the heart of the crisis in the Holy Land — why they couldn’t escape Gaza even if they wanted to.

St. John’s University is celebrating a big anniversary.

Answering the Call: Deacon Elvin Torres’ Story

By Jessica Easthope

Deacon Elvin Torres steps up to plate and hits another home run.

“I think baseball it runs in Dominican blood,” he said.

He’s happiest when he’s doing what he loves. You can find him sometimes in a uniform – and other times, he’s wearing vestments.

Growing up, the Dominican Republic was home base: faith, family and of course, baseball, were all he ever needed.

“Growing up taking all the socks and putting them together and making a ball,” said Deacon Elvin. “Sometimes you don’t have money for a ball, and sometimes when the orange fell from the tree, you’d take it and hit it with your hand.”

His family is in New York City visiting and cheering him on through everything. His parents are devout Catholics, but as he got older, his faith deepened and he began to see priests as superstars.

“Why he did all the things he did at the altar, why he talk and everyone has to listen to him,” the deacon said. “I didn’t realize at that time, God was talking to me through the priest, because I was like ‘I want to be like him,’” he said.

But once he was old enough to realize priests don’t get married, he was out. He wanted instead to play the position of a family man.

“I had a friend and we became boyfriend and girlfriend, one and a half two years, it was a beautiful relationship,” Deacon Elvin said. “But I didn’t feel complete, I was missing something.”

Then life threw him a curveball.

He entered the seminary, earned degrees in philosophy and theology that brought him to the Diocese of Brooklyn. His home parish of St. Rita in East New York took him in 5 years ago and now he’s ready for the big leagues.

On his seminary team “The Relics,” Deacon Elvin says whether he was at Mass or at bat, God was always with him and every hit and the rare strike out has led him here.

“God is everywhere, if you are playing, praying, working God is there,” he said.

He can still remember every home run and the feeling that came with them – but he says nothing compares to this.

“I have never been so happy,” he said. “And the ordination it will no doubt be the best day of my life for sure.”

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday, 5/27/21

A veteran group recruiting the young to help their fellow soldiers.

An expert tells us how wounded World War II vets went on to shape this country.

An Oakland bishop robbed at gunpoint – his message to the thief.

Then meet the man stepping up to the plate – becoming a priest in the Brooklyn Diocese.

Catholic War Veterans Recruiting New Members to Continue Their Vital Services

By Emily Drooby

A door that’s always open is one with the Catholic War Veterans and Auxiliary of the United States of America.

You may not have heard of them, but they rely on their Catholic faith to help veterans, especially those struggling monetarily, physically, or even mentally.

Now, they’re hoping to recruit you.

“We’re trying to grow both organizations at one time,” said National Commander David Crum.

The group is recruiting for their two divisions. There’s one division for military veterans and then there’s one for family and the need is great. David says 20 years ago, they had more than 250,000 members.

“Now, we are about 8,000 combined,” David says.

They’ve seen a large loss of members. This year, about 100 national members passed away.

The U.S. Department of Defense estimates that only 1 percent of Americans have served or are serving in the military. Only 25 percent of them are Catholic, according to the Archdiocese for the Military Services.

The group started in the Diocese of Brooklyn by Monsignor Edward Higgins, with the first members coming from his parish, Immaculate Conception Church in Astoria, Queens.

Now, 86 years later, the headquarters resides in Bellerose, Queens. They do a lot for others. For example, they provide funerals for impoverished veterans, help deal with the notoriously difficult VA issues and provide a safe space to talk and be heard, which is crucial for those who are struggling mentally.

“They can come to our meetings,” says John O’Shea, the Department Commander of New York. “After the meetings, again there’s the comradeship, the ‘hey, I went through that, it’ll pass,’ or ‘maybe I went to therapy, maybe you should go to therapy, because it helped me, it’ll help you.’ That’s the things we have to put out there.”

While members must be Catholic, they still help everyone.

“We don’t care what military branch you were in, what religion you are, what color you are,” David says. “Our job is to help veterans.”

In order to continue this important work, they need new and young blood. Now, they’re doubling down their recruitment efforts using targeted mailings, attending events outside of churches, and even working with bishops across the state.

For more information or if you or anyone you know would like to join, check out: https://wp2.cwv.org/ They are holding their national convention for members this August in Astoria.

The Rise of Anti-Semitism in New York City

Currents News Staff

Cell-phone video shows a man hurling anti-Semitic insults at a group of Jewish men. Police say he punched a 67-year-old man in the face when he tried to enter a synagogue. The suspect was arrested and charged with assault, but the hate crimes task force is investigating. His arrest is the most recent in a string of assaults against Jewish people.

“That was probably the most pain I’ve been in quite a long time,” said assault victim Joseph Borgen.

Joseph Borgen recalled this terrifying assault in Times Square last Thursday. The 29-year-old, who was wearing a yarmulke, was on his way to a pro-Israel rally.

“Before I could even react, I was surrounded by a whole crowd of individuals who, yeah, as you mentioned, proceeded to kick me, punch me, hit me with flagpoles, crutches,” Joseph said.

He says the gang of attackers was yelling anti-Semitic slurs. The NYPD hate crimes task force is investigating and has made at least one arrest.

“There is increased anti-Semitism and we do need to be attentive to it,” said Rabbi Brad Hirschfield.

Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, with the National Jewish Center For Learning and Leadership, is right. This is just one of several anti-Semitic incidents that have occurred across the nation during and after the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Here in New York City, hate crimes reported to the NYPD stand at 202 so far this year, which is a 77-percent increase compared to the same point in 2020. Many of them were crimes against Jews.

Rabbi Hirschfield says anti-Israel and anti-Semitism are not the same – but that line has been crossed.

“We’re gonna really have to figure out what it means on all sides to support the causes we believe in, but not fuel them with historic hatreds and biases,” he said. “Simply because you believe your cause is good, it doesn’t mean everything you do in the name of that cause is good.”

When it comes to increased cop cars patrolling – the rabbi says he’s happy with the city’s response of adding more police patrols in Jewish neighborhoods. He also says the problem won’t be solved until people stop using politics to justify their hatred.

Fordham University Students Transform Minecraft into ‘Ramcraft’ and Build Virtual School

By Jessica Easthope

For the last year, streaming classes, virtual meetings and online campus events have become the norm, but one group of students at Fordham University is taking it a step further by building a virtual school on Minecraft.

Zoe Demacopoulos is a senior at Fordham. She’s been playing the video game Minecraft for 10 years.

“I’ve played on 100 different servers and I’ve been a moderator on three of them. I help make sure rules are being followed by everyone,” said Zoe.

When she heard the school was starting a project called “Ramcraft,” she teleported right in.

“In the game, you build with blocks,” said Chris Vicari, an educational technologist at Fordham. “It’s a virtual form of Legos and you basically build piece-by-piece whatever you wish to construct and in our case, it’s the buildings around here.”

Chris started the program. With blocks,or voxels as they’re called in the game, Chris and a group of student volunteers are building the school. In the virtual realm, the school is almost identical to the real thing.

“We’re looking at Google Maps. We’re working with facilities to get blueprints of the structure,” said Chris. “There are some math calculations going on behind-the-scenes to see how big scale-wise we will make these structures.”

But recreating the buildings isn’t all fun and games – it takes a ton of time.

“Some buildings take two weeks, three weeks, others may be done quicker,” Chris said. “We may have the structure built, but then we want to make the aesthetics represent what it is in real life.”

Many of the students participating have never even set foot on campus. The program has allowed them to build friendships as they build the school. Zoe says the brightness of her computer screen brought some light on the darkest days of the pandemic.

“It’s nice to be able to leave a mark at Fordham,” Zoe said. “We had to cancel so many things last year and this was one thing that never got canceled.”

For Zoe, the reality of the program is something Fordham prides itself on – and there’s nothing virtual about it.

“I really relate it to one of the Catholic pillars of this university, which is cura personalis,” she said. “In Latin, that means care for the entire person. This program is really about making connections, building community, social interaction and fun and entertainment in light of the pandemic.”

And what the students are really doing is designing their futures.

“I want the students to feel empowered, to feel like they can be a part of something they can put on their resume or portfolio,” Chris said. “It’s more than just playing games, it’s an opportunity.”

The pandemic was the catalyst, but the project will likely outlive it. The entire Fordham realm will take a few years to build and might even be the future of campus tours.

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday, 5/26/21

Hate crimes against Jews taking off in Brooklyn. Patrols are stepping up their presence, but does it even help? A rabbi with what New York city really needs.

An inside look at the families at the heart of the crisis in the Holy Land — why they couldn’t escape Gaza even if they wanted to.

We are back at square one — Biden ordering U.S. intelligence to intensify investigations into COVID-19 origins.

Free college? How a shot in their arm could get your child’s head in the books.