Four New Priests Ordained in the Diocese of Brooklyn

By Jessica Easthope and Paula Katinas

It was the biggest day of his life and Father Elvin Torres was so overwhelmed with joy, he cried.

“I feel the Holy Spirit with me,” he said as he prepared to be ordained by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, June 5. After his life-changing moment came and the bishop laid his hands upon his head, signifying his ordination, Father Torres stood on the altar and shed tears of happiness.

Father Torres, a native of the Dominican Republic, was one of four new priests ordained at a special Mass at the Co-Cathedral on June 5 in front of a large crowd of fellow priests, auxiliary bishops, family members, and others. Father Chin Nguyen, originally from Vietnam, Father Hung Sy Tran, also Vietnam-born, and Father Robinson Olivares, who is originally from the Dominican Republic all became priests on Saturday.

The Mass featured soaring music and such time-honored rituals as the Litany of Supplication (in which the candidates for priesthood prostrate themselves on the altar in a sign of humility as the congregation invokes the intercession of the saints), the laying on of hands, and the Prayer of Ordination.

Each new priest was vested on the altar, receiving his stole and chasuble, and received the Sign of Peace from a group of fellow priests. The congregation applauded for several minutes after.

The Diocese of Brooklyn, which is often called the Diocese of Immigrants, is welcoming the new priests who came here from other lands to serve God — a fact that Bishop DiMarzio touched on in his homily.

“Most of you have struggled for many years to come to this moment. Your journeys have been varied, none have been easy,” he said, adding that they faced language barriers, among other obstacles. “But here you are today.”

They were ready. Prior to the Mass, each man spoke of the happiness and sense of peace he felt.

“Since this morning, I felt super joyous, an incredible feeling of peace and of readiness to go out and receive the blessing and the anointing of Jesus as his priest and to go out wherever he sends me,” Father Olivares said.

He has a sense of what his mission will be: “God is calling me to reach out to so many people who are in great need of the love of God and his mercy.”

Father Torres, who called the day “a blessing,” said there is grace everywhere.

“The reason I am here today is God’s will,” he said.

He is aware that he and his three friends are becoming priests just as the world begins to come out from under the cloud of COVID-19 and their work will include convincing Catholics to come back to church.

“We are the priests of the pandemic,” he said, adding that he wants to show “how, when the world is going through something really bad, God is still there with his grace.”

Father Tran spoke about the joy of training for the priesthood and the friendships he developed with Fathers Olivares, Torres, and Nguyen, and how they lifted each other up when the going got tough. “I think that is our mission and our desire — to serve each other. Jesus said, ‘I come to serve, not to be served,’ ” he said.

Summing up his feelings, Father Tran said, “I feel very excited today and very happy.”

Father Nguyen felt “tremendous happiness in my soul, in the mind and in my heart right now.” He also felt the grace of God.

“I feel it in me. I’ve waited for this moment my whole life. God has called me and I answered the call,” he said.

Family members were among the congregation. “We’re so proud of him. We’re so happy he has chosen this path,” said Elsa Pena, Father Olivares’ sister. She came to the Mass with their mother, Celsa Olivares. “I’m very happy, incredibly joyous,” she said in Spanish as her daughter translated.

The family lived for several years in Spanish Harlem, a tough neighborhood at the time they resided there, “but we were always involved in our church and that kept us going,” she said.

Young Robinson Olivares was an altar boy and the Olivares kids were in the church choir.

At the end of the ordination Mass, Bishop DiMarzio announced the new priests’ assignments. Father Nguyen will be serving at St. Luke Church, Whitestone. Father Olivares will be at St. Matthias, Ridgewood. St. Sebastian Church, Woodside is where Father Torres will serve. Father Tran has been assigned to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Astoria.

Catholic News Headlines for Friday, 6/4/21

Answering the call — four new priests are coming to the Diocese of Brooklyn. We have their stories. From the Dominican Republic to Vietnam and now ministering to the “diocese of immigrants.”

The moments leading up to ordination day, where their road to the priesthood ends and their new path with Christ begins.

A special report on The Tablet’s COVID fundraiser — the winners are making thousands for their schools.

Winners of The Tablet’s COVID Relief Fundraiser Earned a Big Surprise: Larger-Than-Life Checks!

By Emily Drooby

A big surprise and a big check for three Catholic school students in the Diocese of Brooklyn! The Tablet Newspaper’s COVID Relief Fundraiser top sellers earned a unique visit for their hard work.

The goal was to sell as many newspaper subscriptions as they could. With 48 subscriptions, fifth-grader Noelle Pianoforte of St. Athanasius Catholic Academy in Bensonhurst took home the grand prize: a $3,000 check.

“I can’t even explain how I’m feeling,” she said. “I’m just so happy about it.”

Her mom, Kristy, says a huge portion of the money is going to next year’s tuition.

“She worked hard, so it’s good that she got to see her hard work pay off,” Kristy said.

As for Noelle, the real prize was helping her school.

“Raising money for your school isn’t really that hard,” she said. “It’s just fun and it’s really exciting.”

For every subscription sold, the schools got five dollars. That made principals like Diane Competello of St. Athanasius both grateful and proud.

“It’s so nice to see that spirit in a child,” Diane said. “She wants to give back. She wanted something for the school. She wanted something for her family. She really, really stepped up to the plate.”

The big checks were dropped off personally by The Tablet’s Marketing and Circulation Manager, John Alexander, who spearheaded the fundraiser.

“So heartening, and it’s so rewarding,” John said. “Just to see their faces, their happy faces, to know they accomplished something, something that again not only benefits them, but benefits their school and their families.”

Second place went to eighth-grader Jias Jordan with 40 subscriptions.

“I’m kind of just astonished that I got 2,000 dollars,” Jias said.

On top of that, he also got a bonus from his school. St. Elizabeth Catholic Academy in Ozone Park also awarded him for being the top student and gave him one month of free tuition.

“I saw that you could get one month free of tuition,” Jias said. “So I just decided to do it to help financially my family.”

Third place went to third-grader Santiago Diniz of St. Sebastian Catholic Academy in Woodside.

“I was so happy,” Santiago said. “I actually won!”

His 22 subscriptions earned him a $1,000 bonus.

He had a unique selling strategy with his mom.

“We just made a video elevator pitch,” Santiago said. “My mom sent it as a text message to everyone we knew.”

In total, $20,000 dollars was given away to the students and $11,000 to the schools. However, Msgr. David Cassato, Vicar for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn, said the help is priceless.

“Everybody today is struggling financially, I don’t care who you are,” Msgr. Cassato said. “Every church is struggling financially, every school is struggling financially, and you know what they say, every little bit helps. A little bit here, a little bit there. It pays tuition, it keeps the school electric bill paid.”

There were more winners. Two schools also won $3,000 bonuses for having the highest amount of sellers.

St. Francis De Sales Catholic Academy of Belle Harbor, Queens, won in the “large school” category and St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, won in the “small school” category.

The Tablet Newspaper has plans to relaunch the fundraiser next school year.

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday, 6/3/21

A historic deal could mean the beginning of the end for Israel’s longest serving Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

New scrutiny on Dr. Anthony Fauci after thousands of his emails from the beginning of the pandemic were released.

A memorial for Vietnam veterans is vandalized.

We hear from the fourth and final deacon on his path to priesthood in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Why This Political Coalition Is Threatening to Overthrow Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu

Currents News Staff

Opposition leader Yair Lapid, alongside his main coalition partner, Naftali Bennett, got on the phone with the Israeli president to tell him one thing: they’re uniting to oust the prime minister out of office.

“Mr. President, I am calling you to say that I have succeeded in forming a government,” said Yair, the leader of Yesh Atid. “With the factions of Yesh Atid, Yamina, Kachol Lavan, Ra’am, New Hope, Meretz, and the Labor Party, all of them together, they signed for me.”

The unlikely allies, political rivals of longtime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have announced a deal to form a unity government. That means Netanyahu would be ousted from office.

“Mr. President, we will do together whatever is good for Israel and will see you at the swearing in ceremony,” said Naftali Bennett, leader of the Yamina party. “Thank you very much.”

After four elections, and more than two years of political dysfunction, under the deal of this coalition, the right wing leader Bennett will serve as prime minister first. Then two years later, centrist leader Lapid would take over as part of a rotating leadership deal.

And for the first time in Israeli history, an Arab Israeli party will also be part of the coalition. Earlier in the week, Netanyahu spoke out, denouncing Naftali Bennett as a man who cared about nothing but becoming prime minister. That reminded Israelis that before the March election, Bennett said he would not sit in a government led by Lapid.

“I heard Mr. Bennett,” the prime minister said. “To my sorrow, he is misleading the public. The same lies, the same hate, as somebody who is assisting for division and hate.”

Meet The 94-Year-Old Musical Maestro Who Loves Playing Piano for the Catholic Church

Currents News Staff

A key instrument to one parish’s success…

94-year-old Mary Anne Tupa has been playing the piano and organ at Holy Family Catholic Church in Grand Forks, North Dakota for nearly 60 years!

Mary Anne joined Currents News to share the secret to what keeps this mother of 11 going and why she decided to dedicate her time to sharing her faith with others.

Answering the Call: Deacon Chin Nguyen’s Story

By Jessica Easthope

Most people hate change, but Deacon Chin Nguyen’s life has been defined by it. He’s never resisted it or complained. He’s embraced it and always trusted in God’s plan.

“I believe in God’s call and my parents always prayed for us to become good Catholics,” he said.

Growing up in northern Vietnam, Deacon Chin is the second youngest of 10 children. His name means nine in Vietnamese. As a young kid, his uncle who is a priest in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, went back to Vietnam for a visit. Life as he knew it would never be the same.

“My uncle, who is a priest in Long Island, he said if we stayed in the north, there would be no education at all and he saw that, so he sent us to the south,” Deacon Chin said.

The four youngest children in his family left their parents to live with an aunt in southern Vietnam. It was a great opportunity that came with a harsh reality.

“From the north to the south, we don’t fly like over here, so we visited my parents every three years and there were no cell phones,” he said.

But his love of God blossomed out of hardship – faith soon became his family’s legacy. The four siblings who made that move as children grew to dedicate their lives to Christ.

“My brother was the first one to join the seminary in Ho Chi Minh city, in Saigon now, and my other brother joined another local order in Vietnam,” said Deacon Chin.

At Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Astoria, Queens, Deacon Chin has made a deep connection with parishioners. He learned how to speak their language – literally.

“I can do the Italian reading for the Mass, Spanish I can do the reading and share a homily, Chinese I can do some short conversation,” he said.

He’s trying to blend in with the community around him as he prepares for his life’s mission.

“In Brooklyn, it’s what we call a melting pot,” he said. “So I see the need to understand people more to really serve them effectively.”

Deacon Chin is still practicing, getting better every day, but no matter how fluent he becomes in Italian, Spanish or Chinese, God’s language is universal.

What Happens Next After the Discovery of Indigenous Children’s Remains

Currents News Staff

More than 200 pairs of shoes were laid on these Vancouver steps. Their souls were symbolically, now at rest.

Catholic leaders are responding after the remains of 215 children were found buried, for decades, on the grounds of the Kamloops Indian residential school in Canada. The former school was run by the Catholic church and later by the federal government.

Archbishop J. Michael Miller of Vancouver called the news ‘troubling,’ saying in a statement that “the pain that such news causes reminds us of our ongoing need to bring light to every tragic situation that occurred in residential schools run by the church. The passage of time does not erase the suffering that touches the Indigenous communities affected, and we pledge to do whatever we can to heal that suffering.”

The Indigenous community in British Columbia calls it an “unthinkable” discovery.

“It was devastating,” said Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation’s Chief Rosanne Casimir. “It was actually quite mind-boggling.”

Former student Harvey McLeod says he was subjected to abuse at the school.

“What I realized yesterday, how strong I was as a little boy…how strong I was as a little boy to be here today,” Harvey said. “Because I know that a lot of people didn’t come home.”

According to Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Indigenous children were forced to attend the school. They were separated from families and many were neglected and abused. Some even disappeared and their families never knew what became of them.

“What they were told was that, when children were missing, that they were told that they ran away,” said Chief Rosanne.

Native leaders say it’s time the government steps up.

“There is obviously more to do,” said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The prime minister called the discovery ‘a painful reminder of a dark chapter in the country’s history,’ but he isn’t making any specific promises.

“This government is committed to reconciliation,” he said. “We are committed to the truth.”

The Race For NYC Mayor: Republican Fernando Mateo Says Public Safety Is His First Priority

Currents News Staff

Primary Day is less than three weeks away in the race for New York city mayor. Currents News asked all of the frontrunners, both Democrat and Republican, to tell our viewers why they should be the city’s next mayor.

Republican candidate Fernando Mateo joined Currents News to discuss his platform and what are his plans if he were to become mayor of New York.

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday, 6/2/21

Another possible hate crime against the Diocese of Brooklyn – police in Elmhurst are searching for the person who topped a sacred statue leaving it in pieces in the latest act of vandalism.

Catholic leaders in Canada expressing sorrow after children’s remains are found near a formerly church-run school for native kids.

A cyberattack on one of the largest meat producers in the country could result in rising prices at the supermarket.

A young boy flees Nigeria and finds a new passion in the U.S.