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From Holy Name of Jesus Church Food Pantry Volunteer to Published Author, an Unwavering Journey

By Katie Vasquez

Every week, you can find Philip Lehpamer at the food pantry at Holy Name of Jesus Church in Windsor Terrace.

Committing one of the corporal acts of mercy.

“It’s part of being a Christian to recognize that people have legitimate differing needs and to try to understand what it is that would really help them,” said Philip Lehpamer, parishioner of Holy Name of Jesus Church.

During the pandemic, the retired actuary, decided to pursue a lifelong goal.

“The mathematician who works for an insurance company?” Lehpamer said. “That’s the easy answer.”

Becoming a published author—a feat he chased hundreds of times with little success.

“I tried them,” Lehpamer said. “Never anything. No total, total rejection.”

Philip’s book, Unwavering Love, is a murder mystery set in 1970s Chicago—where he grew up.

“Parker, the detective, besides being a family man, is also an actuary, which was my profession,” said Lehpamer. “That allows me to write with absolute confidence about that phase of the detective.”

It’s a work of fiction, but it’s based on aspects of his own life—including his faith.

“I wanted to reflect Catholicism,” said Lehpamer. “I wanted to show every detective also had a religious side. In the case of my fictional character, Parker Spooner, his wife, and their children, they are definitely a prayerful family.”

“God’s love is unconditional or unwavering,” Lehpamer added. “But people in marriage reflect unwavering love.”

And now, at almost 83 years old, he hopes his book encourages others to never give up.

“If you have a dream, you have to keep pursuing it,” Lehpamer said. “I would never give up on anything.”

Sister Ita Ford Mural Unveiled at Brooklyn Alma Mater

By Katie Vasquez

A memorial for a former alumnus, Fontbonne Hall Academy in Bay ridge, unveiling this new mural for Sister Ita Ford on Monday.

“We lost Ita so young, so, so full of purpose and courage and, which is a real loss to us,” said Sister Ann Hayden of the Maryknoll Sisters. 

Sister Ita was helping the poor in El Salvador during the bloody civil war when she was murdered along with three other sisters by members of the military on December 2nd, 1980. 

Sister Ann Hayden met Sister Ita when they were both in formation back in 1971 and remembers the woman who would become a martyr. 

“She was a delightful, joyful person. but she also seemed more sophisticated than I would be. and, so I was a little in awe of her,” said Sister Hayden. 

Before she joined the Maryknoll Sisters, Ita Ford was just a girl from Brooklyn attending Visitation Academy and later Fontbonne. Despite her life in service to Christ, not many students at her alma mater knew about her, so Fontbonne set out to change that.

“We thought to ourselves, well, this is the Ita Ford building and the students are still asking, who is Ita Ford?” said Fontbonne Hall Academy principal, Rocco Gentile. 

For the past year, illustrator Aaron Padin created the concept of this graphic photographic mural which includes a timeline of her life and personal quotes. 

“Tons of research and really wanting to figure out a way to tell her authentic story, something that would resonate now and forever with the students that will come through these hallways,” said illustrator Aaron Padin of Padín/Visual Math.

The all-girls school hopes having a role model like Sister Ita will influence the young women walking their halls.

 “She inspires me to be a better person, to be more religious, and, you know, really look forward to helping people and doing what’s right in the world,” said Fontbonne Hall Academy senior, Abegael Mullaney.

“She is the ideal role model to follow in terms of perseverance and commitment and dedication,” said Fontbonne Hall Academy senior, Venetiana Garyfallos. 

 

Catholic News Headlines for Monday 12/2/2024

Fontbonne Hall Academy in Brooklyn, New York, is honoring the life of one of its most courageous graduates with a new mural in her memory.

Someone stole from the donation box at Sacred Hearts – St. Stephen Church in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. We have the developing story tonight.

Maimonides Hospital is chipping in to ensure churches across the Diocese of Brooklyn get what they need to decorate this month and celebrate the birth of Christ.

We remember legendary St. John’s University basketball coach Lou Carnesecca. Carnesecca died on Saturday, Nov. 30, at the age of 99.

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 11/27/2024

North Brooklyn Angels are spreading holiday cheer with their 5th annual Thanksgiving meal drive across four locations.

St. Kevin’s Catholic Academy in Flushing hosts its first-ever balloon parade, inspired by the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Pulse of the Parish spotlights Edward LaPlant, who’s celebrating his 30 years of dedicated service to a Greenpoint church.

North Brooklyn Angels Provides Thousands of Thanksgiving Meals to Neighbors

By Jessica Easthope

The chance to sit down, eat a dignified meal and participate in tradition are what the North Brooklyn Angels are giving the people of their community for Thanksgiving this year.

2024 marks the fifth year the organization that battles food insecurity in the borough has held its “Neighbors Giving Thanks” campaign, providing 1,000 frozen turkeys, 2,000 mobile meals and four sit-down Thanksgiving lunches. 

Mirayda Nunez who came with her son Michael to the Bushwick, Brooklyn location tells Currents News she is endlessly grateful for the support: “It’s helping us by providing a little more, because sometimes it’s hard to get groceries and everything. Eggs, milk especially. Even though WIC helps me with him, it’s still too much for us.”

Turkey and all the trimmings were dished out in an assembly line and given to more than 100 people during the November 26 lunch. Michael Salamanca and his wife Hillary have been volunteering with the Angels for four years, and he says his Catholic faith has instilled in him a love of service – 

“You get what you give,” he explains.  “And this is something that’s important to us. And it makes us feel good. And it’s just an opportunity for us to give back a little bit of all the goodness and the positivity that the Lord and Jesus and God has given us in our lives.”

North Brooklyn Angels board member Jonathan McKenna says the migrant crisis has changed their operation in many ways, allowing them to collaborate with community leaders who know the population best.

“We knew that we needed to help people that have come here with almost nothing and through oftentimes harrowing journeys to be here, “ he notes. “So what can we do to ease that burden for them?”

North Brooklyn Angels will be hosting three more community meals like this on Thanksgiving day. All in all, 600 plates of food will be distributed in Bushwick. 

St. Kevin Catholic Academy Hosts First-Ever Thanksgiving Balloon Parade 

By Currents News

Move over Macy’s, there’s another Thanksgiving parade that’s painting the sky this holiday season: St. Kevin Catholic Academy in Flushing, Queens, held its first ever balloon parade on November 27.

The students were inspired after reading the book ‘Balloons Over Broadway,” a true story about the puppeteer who created the first balloons for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. 

Pupils and faculty alike said the celebration was the perfect kickoff for the season of giving. While this is the first time the balloon parade sailed through St. Kevin, the catholic academy wants to keep the tradition going, making it bigger and better in the years to come.

Bensonhurst Non-Profit Continues to Feed Community Despite Lack of Funding

By Katie Vasquez

Offering the Thanksgiving bird and all the fixings to needy families is an annual tradition for Reaching Out Community Services.

It’s why people lined up outside the new location on 18th Avenue in Brooklyn, New York hours before the event started, hoping to get a feast for their family. That feast is something that those like single mom Ofeliya Amirova know they couldn’t afford otherwise. 

“If I were to go to the store right now, it would be more than $100 easy,”Amirova, a client at Reaching Out Community Services., tells Currents News.

But the Brooklynite was worried when she heard the non-profit was struggling to keep its doors open. 

“I was worrying myself because how are we gonna have the staples,” she asks.

Due to a lack of funding, Reaching Out Community Service had to reduce staff and the amount of families they help every year.

It also impacted this year’s Operation Gobbler Giving. 

 “It’s not going to be as many. We usually have 800 families, maybe about 300 families we’ll take care of,” Founder and Executive Director of Reaching Out Community Services, Thomas Neve, explains. 

He says 2024 has been especially difficult. 

 “I’ve never seen it like this before,” he admits. “You know, people have really gone through hard times. I know everybody wants out there, but I’m not interested in that. I’m interested in those who need.” 

Those waiting in line who have so little say they appreciate the help and that Reaching Out Community Service can give so much.

“It’s sad because they’re good people, and they’ve always been helping people for a lot of years,” says Desree Velez, a client at Reaching Out Community Services. 

“There’s a lot of homeless people, a lot of people in need. A lot of places are closing down,” Camille Allen, another client adds.

The non-profit is taking it day by day.

“I’m going to just walk by faith because right now I have no idea,” Neve tells Currents News, knowing that every holiday meal they provide, brings people closer to the true spirit of the season.  

“This is the highlight of our Thanksgiving,” Amirova says, “because, my daughter’s expecting a nice turkey for us to make, and we make memories.”