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ACCEPT
Father Nicholas Apollonio is the new pastor at St. Gabriel’s Parish in East Elmhurst. His friend and predecessor, Father Gioacchino Basile was small in stature but left big shoes to fill.
“Father Gioacchino was very small but he had an enormous heart,” said Father Apollonio. “He was a holy priest, he loved the people, he was with them until the very end.”
Father Gioacchino’s life was tragically cut short by COVID-19 back in April. Now, Father Apollonio is continuing his legacy in the very church where Father Gioacchino contracted the deadly virus. When he became pastor, Father Apollonio was also made chaplain of Mount Sinai Hospital in Brooklyn, which has grown his passion for helping the sickest in the community. His fear of the virus has taken a backseat to being there for his parishioners.
“He sent me here and He will help me on my mission,” he said. “He accompanies the one He sends and I hope I can follow in Gioacchino’s footsteps.”
Like Father Gioacchino, Father Apollonio is serving alongside St. Gabriel parish’s Parochial Vicar, Father Bob Sadlack who says the parish lost a spiritual father and bright light who had big dreams for the church.
“He’s left a legacy here of humility,” said Father Sadlack, “a love for the people more than anything else and also to announce the love of God to all of us through art and architecture he really had a plan to refurbish the church.”
The men say Father Gioacchino would want them to continue to focus on the people of East Elmhurst, a community ravaged by the pandemic. After Mass, Father Apollonio spends a good part of his day in confessions listening and advising those who have been through so much.
“It has not been easy and I’ve seen a lot of suffering and death in the homes of people, but the Lord was there, Jesus Christ was present,” he said.
With Masses resuming at St. Gabriel’s, Father Apollonio can continue Father Gioacchino’s work of ministering directly to his people. He’s also making sure that renovations to the church are being done just how the late-Father Gioacchino wanted it.
Protesters cheered after tearing down a statue of Christopher Columbus in Baltimore, July 4. The monument was then thrown into the harbor.
In Waterbury, Conn., on July 5, protesters discovered a beheaded statue of the Italian explorer. Some said they weren’t upset about it, calling it a symbol of oppression, but others were startled by the site.
“I’m of the firm belief that we need to learn from our past and not destroy it,” said protestor Francis Uribe.
In Sacramento, Calif., a statue of Junípero Serra was targeted, set on fire, spray painted and torn down. Saint Junípero Serra was an 18th century priest who led missionary efforts in California. Some see him as a controversial figure over his treatment of Native Americans.
“It’s a disgrace for us that we have to drive past those statues everyday and see people who committed genocide and torture on our people being glorified,” said Ronnie Gonzalez, a protestor.
But others see this removal as an assault on their heritage and say St. Serra is an important part of the Catholic religion after Pope Francis canonized him in 2015.
“We prayed to him for his help in everything that we do,” said Uribe. “It’s something that goes into the deep hearts of all Catholics.”
Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto denounced the toppling of the statue, saying in a statement, “This act of vandalism does little to build the future.”
He went on to say, “There is no question that California’s indigenous people endured great suffering during the colonial period. Yet it is also true that while Father Serra worked under this colonial system, he denounced its evils and worked to protect the dignity of native peoples.”
As for the Columbus statues, Andre DiMino is a spokesperson for the Italian-American One Voice Coalition, and is strong in supporting the monuments to the explorer and how Italian-Americans find pride in him.
“For me actually, I actually have a personal story because I’m a first generation Italian-American and my parents both came here from Italy,” he recently told Currents News.
“My grandfather, when he came over, he was a longshoreman. And he was spit upon and paid less on the docks of New York when he worked there,” DiMino explained.
“He saw Columbus Day as the one day of pride fo him,” he added, “and therefore, I think that is the kind of legacy we should continue for Italian-Americans.”
Regarding Saint Junípero, in June protestors pulled down several statues in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
On Monday, July 6, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke out about the growing gun violence gripping the city, calling it “a very serious situation.”
The mayor pointed a finger at the coronavirus pandemic and the shutdowns it’s caused.
“We have a real problem here, and I think profoundly the fact that our court system is not functioning and needs to function again underlies all of this,” he said. “We have to get things back into gear.”
During the Fourth of July weekend, 10 people were killed and over 60 others were shot.
According to the newest NYPD crime stats, there were 205 shootings in June 2020, more than double the number from 2019.
The NYPD’s Chief of Department, Terence Monahan, blames several factors for the surge.
“Bail reform, COVID releases from prison, court shut down, which has Rikers at half of where they were last year of the population,” he said. “I have said this before: the animosity towards police out there is tremendous.”
New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan is calling for an end to that animosity and the demonizing of cops.
In an op-ed, he wrote, “The men and women of the department realize they are far from perfect. But we know that while bad apples there indeed may be, they are very rare.”
Paul DiGiacomo, the president of the Detectives’ Endowment Association, Inc, is worried about the effect new police reforms have had and will have. He argues it’s now harder for cops to subdue suspects.
“It emboldens the criminal element and it lessened the authority of the police department,” he said. “If the police don’t have the full backing of our elected officials to support them, this is the end result.”
Brooklyn Monsignor Robert Romano, the Assistant Chief Chaplain of the NYPD, is also calling out elected officials.
“Progressive doesn’t mean to let people do what they want to do, because if it continues this way, those same politicians are going to be the ones begging the NYPD to do something,” he told Currents News.
The mayor is turning to the police and the community to get the violence under control.
“We have to double down on neighborhood policing efforts in upper Manhattan,” de Blasio said. “It will take the efforts of clergy and block associations, and elected officials, and civic groups and parents. We are going to need all hands on deck to address this issue.”
Brooklyn native Kevin Sweeney was joyfully installed as the eighth bishop of Paterson, New Jersey on July 1.
He spent years as a priest and a pastor in the Diocese of Brooklyn, and his installation was an unusual type of celebration due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with limited people allowed inside the church and all clergy donning masks.
Bishop Sweeney joins Currents News to discuss what it’s been like to take on this new role during such a turbulent time and what he hopes to accomplish as the Bishop of Paterson.
Putting his episcopal ministry in the hands of Pope St. John Paul II and St. Mother Teresa, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was ordained a Bishop and installed as the eighth leader of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J.
“They’re both such a great inspiration about who we are as Catholics in our times,” said Bishop Sweeney. “There’s more of them out there. We just have to find them.
“Now we get to work. We will strive to promote vocations. We will proclaim the Gospel of life.”
Bishop Sweeney was ordained July 1 at St. John the Baptist Cathedral, Downtown Paterson, before a limited number of people due to COVID19 limitations set by the State of New Jersey.
Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Archbishop of Newark, was the main consecrator with Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and retiring Paterson Bishop Arthur Seratelli as co-consecrators.
Only immediate family members and a few Brooklyn priests joined bishops from the area and a small representation of people from Paterson inside the 150-year-old church that was designed by Brooklyn architect Patrick Keely. The State insisted that the congregation be held to 100 people.
Outside the Cathedral, two dozen motorcycle police officers and members of the city’s Fire department lined the street as an honor guard. Two firetrucks extended their ladders to support a large American flag across the middle of Grand St. They were joined by a raucous group of members of the Neo-Catechumenal Movement who chanted “Alleluia” to the lively beat of guitars and drums. They held large banners, in English and Spanish, welcoming Bishop Kevin to their city.
Bishop Sweeney broke from the entrance procession to the church to thank the public servants, to greet several city officials, and to show his appreciation for the support of the mostly-Hispanic singers, who continued chanting outside throughout the two-and-a-half hour ceremony, waiting to greet their new spiritual leader as he exited the church.
Bishop Sweeney has served for the past ten years as pastor of St. Michael’s parish, Sunset Park, an immigrant parish comprised mostly of Hispanics in Brooklyn. He was named by Pope Francis to head the Paterson Diocese on March 30.
The middle child of three born to the late James and Agnes Sweeney, both immigrants from County Mayo, Ireland, he credited his upbringing to a strong faith-filled family life.
“Any good that I can do is due to them,” said the Bishop in his remarks after the ordination Mass.
He also praised the education he had received at St. Luke’s School, Whitestone; Cathedral Prep, Elmhurst; St. John’s University, Jamaica; and Immaculate Conception Seminary, Huntington.
He introduced three members of the Cathedra Prep faculty in the congregation, Msgrs. John Maksymowicz, Richard Marchese and Philip Reilly, and his seminary rector, Msgr. John Strynkowski.
Representing Pope Francis was the Vatican’s Nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Christoph Pierre, who read the papal bull appointing Bishop Sweeney. The Archbishop presented it to Bishop Sweeney, who then displayed it to the clergy of the Paterson See as well as to the congregation, as is the custom when a new bishop is appointed.
During the ordination ceremony, Cardinal Tobin placed his hands on the head of the new prelate. He also anointed his head with holy oil, and presented him his episcopal ring, miter and crozier, symbols of his authority as head of the diocese.
Cardinal Tobin said that the laying on of hands symbolized the unbroken succession of bishops from the original 12 Apostles.
“It is Christ who preaches through this ministry of the bishop,” even in our own day, said the Cardinal.
He reminded Bishop Sweeney that being a bishop is “a ministry of service, to serve rather than to rule.” He said that the poor, the oppressed and the underserved have a “privileged claim” on the ministry of a bishop.
“You have been chosen from the flock,” he said. “Do not forget your roots.”
Brendan Sweeney, the youngest of the siblings, said his brother “sees the priest as a servant. His first priority is the people’s lives that have been entrusted to him. That’s more important to him than any title. He’s happy to serve people.”
Bishop Sweeney explained that he had chosen “God Is Love” as his episcopal motto. “I would like to begin my ministry as a Bishop with those words,” he said.
“We walk by faith, my brothers and sisters. We have been living in a terrible way these past three months,” he said, referring to the virus pandemic and the national wave of racial strife. “But we have walked by faith. How much does our world need hope in these days.”
Bishop Sweeney said that his first priority will be getting to know the geography of his new home in the Garden State.
“I’ve got to learn about the three counties, Passaic, Morris, and Sussex,” he explained. “I’m going to be on the road a lot. I’m looking forward to it.”
Bishop DiMarzio praised the work that Bishop Sweeney did in Brooklyn, bringing enthusiasm to his role as vocation director, parish priest and pastor in immigrant communities.
“He’s what we need today – a young bishop who has the Spirit with him,” said Bishop DiMarzio. “He certainly understands multi-culturalism. That’s Brooklyn. He can bring that experience here to Paterson because it’s not that much different. You have the suburbs, but you also have the city and the diverse cultures that you have to understand.”
On the evening prior to his installation, Bishop Sweeney participated in a vespers service at St. John the Baptist Cathedral, led by Bishop Saltarelli.
In his homily, the outgoing bishop, who has spent the last 16 years leading Paterson, said that the bishop’s role is “to be the face of Christ to his people.”
He said that Bishop Sweeney has been well prepared by his pastoral ministry, his understanding of priests, and his compassion and love for people. He said the bishop’s role is “to look at others and see a son or a daughter who has been redeemed in Christ.”
Msgr. James Mahoney, Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia, welcomed Bishop Sweeney to the diocese, noting that he is an ardent Yankees fan.
He pointed that out that Bishop Sweeney is now the Bishop of the final resting place of Yankee Hall of Famer Yogi Berra, who is buried in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, East Hanover.
It was the homecoming many have been dreaming of as Sunday Mass resumed in the Diocese of Brooklyn. Saint Sebastian Church in Woodside, Queens was open and parishioners like Marilyn Mubarak were thrilled.
“To feel the vibration of the people, to feel the joy of the music, to feel the priest in persona Christi, it’s amazing,” said Marilyn.
For the first time in months, parishioners were able to receive the body of Christ and pray together as a church community. It was a beacon of hope amid so much loss.
“We know that a lot of our faithful have lost loved ones whether here, or back home in their countries so it’s been tough, it’s been tough,” said Father Henry Torres, the church’s parochial vicar.
Church staff estimates about 50 parishioners died from the virus — many others were sick.
Parishioner Nicky Torres managed to stay healthy despite working at a hospital. Now he’s thanking God.
“All the essential workers, all the health care workers, all the first responders, the Holy Spirit was just in us, with us,” he explained.
With the virus still looming, special measures were in place inside the church to keep people safe. The pews were taped off, the collections baskets didn’t move, and the pastor read safety instructions for communion.
Saint Sebastian Church had another addition unique to their parish: a new pastor, Father Patrick West, who joined the church family on June 30.
“It’s exciting,” said Fr. West. “We exist to celebrate our faith with people and to share our faith with people.”
The celebration of the Sunday liturgy resumed with the vigil Mass on Saturday July, 4. Every church has their own schedule and reopening date, so it’s important that parishioners check with their parish.
Joe Estevez returns to the Mission of San Juan Capistrano to explore the repairs to the church, the recent sainthood of Father Junipero Serra, as well as the unusual phenomenon of the famous swallows who have returned here each March for centuries to nest.
Joe Estevez covers the 150th anniversary of the Little Sisters of the Poor in the United States, who began in Brooklyn, and interviews several of the sisters. He speaks to Mother Marguerite about how she fell in love with the Little Sisters of the Poor from their simplistic lifestyle to their engagement with the elderly.
Hallelujah rang out in the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn as four men took their final steps toward priesthood and a new life.
Though their faces were covered with masks, the now priests have shown their true colors. Father Peter Okajima says he’s ready for the challenge of becoming a priest during a pandemic and time of racial unrest.
“It points out that our call to the priesthood is so much more important now because there’s more hurt and division in the world and we need unity,” said Father Peter.
Father Nestor Martinez, the most junior of the group, leaves a big family back in Colombia, but he’s welcomed parishioners at Divine Mercy in Williamsburg, Brooklyn into a new family of his own and is ready to share his priesthood with them.
“This is a gift that we’re going to receive today and we’re going to share it and preach the good news to the people,” said Father Nestor.
In addition to receiving the gift of his priesthood Father Dragan Pusic got another gift at his ordination, a message to his family from Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio in Croatian.
Father Dragan says as times change, God’s love is eternal.
“We see the world is changing and we are globalizing our church so we have to show this unity and become one,” said Father Dragan.
Father Gabriel Agudelo-Perdomo has waited 40 years to be ordained. He says its the encouragement he’s received along the way that allowed him to go the distance.
“There are many people who have encouraged me to reach this goal, this is very important to me and I was to thank all the people who have stayed with me through this process,“ said Father Gabriel.
With these four priests, Bishop DiMarzio has ordained 100 priests in his time as the leader of the Brooklyn Diocese. Having recently celebrated his 50th anniversary as a priest, he had some solid advice to give.
“Recognizing that we have a unique vocation to proclaim the truth to the world so we don’t shy away from telling the truth,” said Bishop DiMarzio.
Their ordination is a new beginning for the priests, it’s a call they’ve waited to answer their whole lives.