Brooklyn Diocese Anticipates Reopening Schools Come September

By Emily Drooby

Catholic schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn are hoping in the fall – school will be in session, in person.

Thomas: “Our ultimate goal is really to have 100% reopening.”

Superintendent of Schools, Thomas Chadzutko is hoping to see students in September. He is teaming up with Joseph Esposito, the diocesan official responsible for opening churches and schools safely.

“We are pretty confident that we can open up on time with the most normal situation possible,” Esposito told Currents News.

Right now, the plan to have students in class this fall needs the okay from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. He has said a decision about the state’s schools will be made the in first week of August

Esposito wants moms and dads to know there will be a lot of safety measures in place: hand sanitizing stations, enhanced cleaning, and health checks at all school entrances.

“I want them to feel very confident that we are going to do everything we can to keep their children safe,” he explained.

The goal is to have a normal Monday through Friday school week.

“Most of the schools have the room to social distance, to clean the schools,” Esposito said. “If there is more room needed, a lot of the schools have auditoriums and gyms and other areas they can use.”

But if that proves impossible, a blend of online learning at home and classroom time is being looked at, too.

“I think we really need to give parents hope,” Chadzutko added. “I think we need to give our teachers hope and say, “Let’s plan for full reopening and if we have to kick it down a notch to hybrid, I think that’s acceptable.”

The diocese is studying school reopenings in other countries – and are continually checking with their own medical experts for best practices. They’re promising to follow whatever guidelines the state lays out, but they’re also asking for help.

“I really would like to plead for the city and the state to not forget us when they’re giving out programs to their schools,” Chadzutko said.

Catholic Business Owner Gives Back to Brooklyn Diocese By Sanitizing Churches Amid Reopening

By Jessica Easthope

A machine that rapidly sprays chemicals is what will keep parishioners safe as they return to church. Mike Nihill, the owner and operator of Germinator Mobile Sanitizing, guarantees it.

“We are out here performing our two-step process, which gives a 90-day guarantee on the church’s surfaces. We’ll be spraying our hypochlorous and our shield on the surfaces of the church to protect the parishioners and the community from any pathogens and COVID,” said Mike.

Germinator Mobile Sanitizing has been disinfecting churches in the Brooklyn Diocese. On July 15 the company took on the task at Our Lady of Angels in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

“It’s very important for the community to know that our product will keep people safe and allow them to congregate safely in the church and give people the peace of mind that the area is safe,” Mike said.

Father Kevin Abels, the new Pastor of Our Lady of Angels, says his parishioners are doing everything they can to stop the spread of COVID-19. Now, he can say he’s doing the same.

“People are coming to celebrate Mass, they’re observing social distancing, they have their masks on and we want to assure them we’re taking every precaution so that people can come and worship God,” Fr. Kevin said.

The chemical being sprayed out of the machines is 1,000 times stronger than Purell. It’s completely organic, safe and smells pretty good.

“We believe this is a process that will help open up churches and secure the community during this troubling time of a pandemic,” said Mike.

Mike and Fr. Kevin are both graduates of Cathedral Preparatory School and Seminary in Elmhurst, Queens. Mike says doing this for churches at an affordable rate is his way of giving back to the diocese that’s already given him so much.

“My heart is in the Brooklyn Diocese, and I feel like this is one opportunity to give back to the Brooklyn Diocese. My company is helping keep people safe and get people back into churches,” he told Currents News

So far, Germinator has cleaned nearly 30 churches. In addition to the exclusive rate parishes are getting, pastors who refer Germinator to each other receive an additional 15 percent off sanitizing services.

Notre Dame Catholic Academy of Ridgewood from NET TV Honors the Graduates of 2020

Notre Dame Catholic Academy of Ridgewood’s Class of 2020 From NET TV Honors the Graduates of 2020. We all know that 2020 has been a challenging year but our elementary school graduating class has risen to the challenge. Many have faced personal hardship and loss in their families and all of them have needed to adapt to remote learning and distance from their friends. This program salutes their accomplishment and ensures this milestone moment of their graduation is recognized throughout the Diocese. Airing all summer long on NET TV! #Classof2020 #NotreDameCatholicAcademy

Good Shepherd Catholic Academy Class of 2020 from NET TV Honors the Graduates of 2020

Good Shepherd Catholic Academy Class of 2020 from NET TV Honors the Graduates of 2020. We all know that 2020 has been a challenging year but our elementary school graduating class has risen to the challenge. Many have faced personal hardship and loss in their families and all of them have needed to adapt to remote learning and distance from their friends. This program salutes their accomplishment and ensures this milestone moment of their graduation is recognized throughout the Diocese. Airing all summer long on NET TV! #Classof2020 #GoodShepherd

St Kevin’s Catholic Academy Class of 2020 from NET TV Honors the Graduates of 2020

St Kevins Catholic Academy Class of 2020 from NET TV Honors the Graduates of 2020. We all know that 2020 has been a challenging year but our elementary school graduating class has risen to the challenge. Many have faced personal hardship and loss in their families and all of them have needed to adapt to remote learning and distance from their friends. This program salutes their accomplishment and ensures this milestone moment of their graduation is recognized throughout the Diocese. Airing all summer long on NET TV! #Classof2020 #StKevins

Our Lady of Hope Class of 2020 from NET TV Honors the Graduates of 2020

Our Lady of Hope Class of 2020 from NET TV Honors the Graduates of 2020. We all know that 2020 has been a challenging year but our elementary school graduating class has risen to the challenge. Many have faced personal hardship and loss in their families and all of them have needed to adapt to remote learning and distance from their friends. This program salutes their accomplishment and ensures this milestone moment of their graduation is recognized throughout the Diocese. Airing all summer long on NET TV! #Classof2020 #OurLadyofHope

Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy Class of 2020 From NET TV Honors the Graduates of 2020

Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy Class of 2020 From NET TV Honors the Graduates of 2020. We all know that 2020 has been a challenging year but our elementary school graduating class has risen to the challenge. Many have faced personal hardship and loss in their families and all of them have needed to adapt to remote learning and distance from their friends. This program salutes their accomplishment and ensures this milestone moment of their graduation is recognized throughout the Diocese. Airing all summer long on NET TV! #Classof2020 #BlessedSacrament

Auxiliary Bishop James Massa Appointed to Lead St. Joseph’s Seminary

Currents News Staff

Auxiliary Bishop James Massa will now be the new rector at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie, New York. Bishop Massa joins Currents News to talk about his new role in the Archdiocese of New York and what that means for the young men answering their call to the priesthood.

Currents News full broadcast for Tues, 7/14/20 (Catholic news)

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

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Will Summer’s Heat Help Stop Coronavirus Cases? Experts Are Doubtful.

By Emily Drooby

Coronavirus infection rates are spiking in some of the hottest states in the country, even though early indicators suggested that heat and humidity would slow the virus. But in recent weeks, the opposite has happened. Experts are now predicting the weather won’t have any substantial impact.

“It’s not that weather is actually going to affect the virus itself…even if the virus was weakened in the heat and humidity of the outdoor environment, most of the transmission is expected to be indoors,” explained William Nieter, a climate scientist at Saint John’s University.

Sunlight can reduce the transmission of COVID-19, according to experts like William, but not enough to curtail the growing numbers. Factors like population density and social distancing have a much larger effect on how the virus spreads, as do masks.

“Common sense,” he urged. “You don’t want to enter into close proximity with people, with anybody, without your mask.

But lax adherence to the rules could be one of the reasons for the surge in cases. Even so, the death rate is going down or holding steady in many states because of more testing, an uptick in younger people getting infected – who have better odds at survival – and aggressive treatment strategies that are saving lives.

“In addition to the remdesiver and the dexamethasone, we have sera from recovered patients that although is not effective late in the disease, it’s actually beneficial early,” explained infectious disease expert Dr. Robert Tiballi.

He also says the virus may even be weakening, but that we can’t let our guard down, because the next few weeks will be telling.

“It’s usually in the later phase after 2 to 3 weeks that patients actually enter the most dangerous phase where they could lose their life,” he explained, “so actually, we’re kinda coming up on that now.”

And though nobody knows for sure, transmission-curbing behaviors could be reducing the amount of people exposed to the virus while they are out in public, potentially driving down mortality rates.