Queens Priest Uses Hidden Musical Talent to Reach His Parishioners During the Pandemic

By Emily Drooby

Parishioners of Saint Robert Bellarmine in Bayside, Queens know Father Pil-Koo John Hwang as their beloved parochial vicar, but soon they will learn his hidden talent.

“I assume most people don’t know,” he said, “so this is going to be an opportunity to let them know that your priest can do something.”

He’s a singer and composer. While sitting in his home studio, Fr. Hwang told Currents News he’s composed almost 20 songs.

Music has always been a big part of his life. Before the seminary, he attended music school. Eventually, he taught himself the art of composition.

Now he’s using his talents to give back to his parishioners, throwing a solo concert that will stream on the church’s Facebook and YouTube pages.

Throughout the pandemic, the clergy at Saint Robert Bellarmine have been doing their best to be there for their parishioners. They have livestreamed mass and other services. They’ve also taken to the streets to bless upwards of 90 homes.

This concert is another way for them to stay connected to their people.

“I just wanted to let them know that they’re not alone, I’m here for them. Just enjoy,” said Fr. Hwang.

The concert will mostly feature songs by Father Hwang. It will go live at 7:30 p.m. on May 5.

The Road to Priesthood in the Brooklyn Diocese: Deacon Dragan Pusic’s Story

By Jessica Easthope

Deacon Dragan Pusic has waited his entire life to get to this point, and later this month he’ll be ordained a priest.

“To recognize the call it took me long. 42 years to recognize a call for the priesthood,” Deacon Dragan explained. “It’s something that forms slowly in some people, and I’m a kind of late vocation, as you would say.”

Growing up in Croatia, a mostly Catholic country, Deacon Dragan doesn’t know a life without the Church. Commitment to God runs in his family.

“There are several priests in my family and a religious sister who served here in Manhattan lifelong,” he explained.

For for most of his life, the priesthood never entered his mind — he imagined something much different.

“I didn’t wish to be a priest and I planned to marry, have a wife and lots of children,” Deacon Dragan said.

But God had another plan for Deacon Dragan, looking back he believes the seed was planted long before he even realized.

“A missionary priest was coming to our parish from Africa and I was begging my brother to take me to the talk, so from that early moment I was interested in those things, and I didn’t know why,” Deacon Dragan said.

Part of his early involvement in the Church revolved around his first love: music.

“When I was 16 I was in the church band, at that time rock and roll was really popular in the church,” Dragan said.

Deacon Dragan says church gave him an outlet to showcase his talents on the guitar, so he kept coming back.

“Guitar is my love and a refuge in moments of difficulty,” he told Currents News. “Guitar for me, it’s difficult to explain. When you touch the strings, there’s a special feeling.”

Decades after his old church band members went their separate ways, Deacon Dragan still plays, now for the others serving with him at Most Precious Blood Church in Astoria, Queens.

As a priest, Deacon Dragan says he’s hoping to draw young people into the Church by giving them a purpose, just like he had in his church band.

“To help young people today to stay in the Church, you have to give them work to feel useful, like we need them,” he said.

As Deacon Dragan takes his final steps toward a religious life, is he excited? No.

“It’s not that I am not excited, I am just in perfect peace with what I am doing now,” Deacon Dragan said.

Now, God is the song in his heart.

Currents News full broadcast for Thurs, 6/04/20 (Catholic news)

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

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

The Bishop of Brooklyn Nicholas DiMarzio is strongly refuting a second allegation of abuse dating back almost half a century. There are some details about the same lawyer behind both accusations that we want you to know.

Thousands attend a memorial for George Floyd in Brooklyn’s Cadman Plaza.

Freedom at long last for a U.S. Navy veteran. His nightmare of captivity in Iran is over.

Children in the DIocese of Brooklyn are still studying for their Sacraments. Covid-19 can’t stop religious education.

Today is the Feast of Christ the Priest. A special moment to pray for priests.

George Floyd’s Brother Speaks on Family’s Close Connection With God During Brooklyn Memorial

By Emily Drooby

On June 4, a crowd of New Yorkers screamed, “I can’t breathe” — George Floyd’s last words.

Thousands filled Cadman Plaza Park in downtown Brooklyn for a memorial which remembered Floyd, who died in Minneapolis last week. Four police officers are facing charges in connection with his killing.

George Floyd’s brother, Terrence, joined Mayor Bill de Blasio, NY Attorney General Letitia James, and many others at the memorial. Terrence was briefly silenced by his emotion as he addressed the crowd.

“But I want to thank God, because at the end of the day my brother’s gone, but the Floyd name still lives on.”

Terrence praised protesters but condemned those who have contributed to the widespread destruction.

“I’m proud of the protests but I’m not proud of the destruction, my brother wasn’t about that. The Floyds are a God-fearing family.”

People from all over New York City gathered to honor Floyd’s memory, including Anthony Williamson, who was leading chants.

“It’s all about justice, we all should be treated fairly, we should never be judged by the color of our skin,” said Anthony.

Some of the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn were also there to show their support.

“We’re with them, they’re in our classrooms, they’re in our centers, so the Church needs to be here, we need to be here,” said Brother Damien Novello.

They were filled with inspiration by the words of Pope Francis, who recently condemned racism and prayed for Floyd.

“When we say we are pro-life this is one of those areas that we have to be about,” explained Brother Joseph Bach. “We often forget that so I am very grateful because that is a prolific voice, and it’s one that we needed to hear.”

The memorial ended with a march across the Brooklyn Bridge. Other memorials and memorial services are scheduled this week in states across the country.

Bishop DiMarzio Strongly Denies Second Abuse Claim From 1970s, Contemplates Filing Defamation Lawsuit

By Christopher White, National Correspondent

MANHATTAN — Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio is strongly denying a second allegation by attorney Mitchell Garabedian that he abused a minor during his early ministry as a priest and says he is considering filing a defamation lawsuit against Garabedian, whom he says continues to pursue false allegations against him.

“There is absolutely no truth to this allegation. I deny this outrageous and libelous claim,” he said in a statement in response to an Associated Press article on June 4.

The article claims that Samier Tadros, now 46 years old, was “repeatedly sexually abused” by Bishop DiMarzio at Holy Rosary Church in Jersey City, beginning when Tadros was about six years old.

“This is clearly another attempt to destroy my name and discredit what I have accomplished in my service to God and His people, including my efforts to fight the scourge of sexual abuse,” said Bishop DiMarzio’s statement. “I have retained counsel and am contemplating filing a lawsuit against those responsible for these accusations, which have no basis in fact. I am ready, willing, and able to go to trial to defend myself.”

Garabedian said he received a letter from Tadros on March 9, detailing his accusations against Bishop DiMarzio after Tadros heard of the previous claim brought forth by Garabedian.

The initial allegation against Bishop DiMarzio was first reported on Nov. 13 by the Associated Press.

In the report, Garabedian alleged that Bishop DiMarzio repeatedly abused an altar boy, now 57-year-old Mark Matzek, at St. Nicholas Parish in Jersey City, N.J., in the 1970s, and in a letter to the Archdiocese of Newark, N.J., he said he intended to file a lawsuit in December, when New Jersey’s look-back window for cases that had passed the statute of limitations opened. The alleged victim also claims he was abused by a second priest, the late Father Albert Mark.

The first allegation against Bishop DiMarzio came last fall at the time when Bishop DiMarzio had been selected by Pope Francis to conduct an apostolic visitation to the Diocese of Buffalo, N.Y., to investigate allegations that Bishop Richard Malone mishandled sexual abuse cases.

Following a monthlong fact-finding mission, Bishop DiMarzio submitted a written report of his findings to the Vatican, resulting in Bishop Malone’s resignation on Dec. 4.

Seven months later, however, Garabedian has yet to bring a lawsuit against Bishop DiMarzio, preventing him the opportunity to formally defend himself against the allegations.

“Both allegations against my client are more than 40 years old, and the accusers are each seeking 20-million dollars from the Newark Archdiocese,” said attorney Joseph Hayden who is representing Bishop DiMarzio.

“We have been investigating these claims and we have uncovered conclusive evidence of Bishop DiMarzio’s innocence. We look forward to challenging these allegations in court or in any other proceeding,” he said.

In addition to the civil allegations against Bishop DiMarzio, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, in his capacity as the metropolitan Archbishop of New York, which oversees the other dioceses within the province, is conducting a canonical investigation into Bishop DiMarzio, as is protocol under the new Vatican procedures for bishop accountability, known as Vos Estis Lux Mundi.

Cardinal Dolan has said outside investigators will be responsible for reviewing the allegations. In turn, the Archdiocese of New York has retained New York attorney John O’Donnell and the law firm of Herbert Smith Freehills to conduct the investigation. As The Tablet has previously reported, the firm has hired former FBI director Louis Freeh to conduct the third-party investigation.

While Garabedian has criticized Cardinal Dolan’s decision not to force Bishop DiMarzio to step aside during the investigation, the Vos Estis norms do not require it.

Garabedian is presently facing potential defamation charges in another case in Pennsylvania following a ruling last month from a U.S. District judge that the attorney never intended to bring charges against a teacher his client accused of sexual abuse. That teacher maintains his innocence and despite multiple threats, Garabedian has yet to file suit after making public claims that he intended to do so, which the teacher claims have brought irreparable harm to his reputation.

In addition, this past April, the Archdiocese of Boston reinstated Father Peter Gori, the pastor of St. Augustine’s Church in Andover, Mass., after Garabedian withdrew a lawsuit against him that claimed he sexually abused a minor 30 years ago after an independent review found the allegation to be unsubstantiated.

Garabedian has claimed that he has postponed plans to bring formal suit against Bishop DiMarzio due to a request from the Archdiocese of New York for Matzek to cooperate with their independent investigation. He maintains that both Matzek and Tadros and his family are willing to cooperate with investigators.

Hayden, however, warns that Bishop DiMarzio will not be pressured into a settlement.

“These 40-year-old allegations in pursuit of two 20-million-dollar legal claims are simply untrue and Bishop DiMarzio will never agree to a settlement of these claims,” he said.

Religious Instruction During Pandemic Keeps Youth of Brooklyn Diocese Growing in Faith

By Jessica Easthope

In the rush to get school moved online, many parents became their children’s teachers. It’s a job Stella and Fabian Uwaechie take very seriously.

“Teaching is kind of my thing, but this time around it’s different because it’s my own kids,” said Stella Uwaechie, a mother of four children.

For the last few months the Uwaechies have been balancing jobs, their children’s schoolwork and CCD, religious education for children.

“I feel like it’s my job, it’s our job as parents to introduce our kids to the church and make sure they are brought up in the right way so it’s very rewarding,” said Stella.

Audrey, nine, Tiffany, seven and Bryan, four say their mom and dad are good teachers, but they miss their CCD community.

“It has been a really good experience for me, I got to meet a lot of new people and have fun and I got to learn a lot more about my Earth, how it was created and my savior,” said Audrey.

Stella and Fabian are prioritizing faith formation at home but relying on guidance from the diocese.

“In some cases the students had their books at home and the catechist could convey to the parents what needed to be done, some parishes were able to provide religious education online but they were few and far between,” said Theodore Musco, the Secretary of Evangelization and Catechesis for the Brooklyn Diocese.

He says he’s blown away by how much parents have stepped up and enthusiastically worked toward developing their children’s spirituality.

“Parents, although sometimes overwhelmed by the children’s regular schoolwork and having them home all the time, made the continuation of religious education possible and do what they could to help their children grow in faith,” Musco said.

For the Uwaechies, their faith goes beyond attending Sunday mass at Christ the King in Jamaica, Queens: they incorporate it into everyday life.

“During the week we do Bible stories and use them as bedtime stories,” Stella said.

When it would have been easy to let religious education slide, with a little collaboration and a lot of love, the Uwaechies made their faith stronger.

How to Spot ‘Fake News’ on Social Media

Currents News Staff

Protests over the death of George Floyd have taken over the country, with hashtags like “Black Lives Matter” trending across Twitter and Instagram.

Protesters have taken to social media to post about the demonstrations and share their videos and pictures, but some of it includes misinformation which is retweeted or shared by others.

How can journalists sort through that information and find the truth?

There are some people in the Black Lives Matter movement who have been negative towards media coverage of the protests, saying too much of the narrative has been focused on the looting, and that journalists aren’t reporting on the police violence in the streets or the peaceful protests.

A few journalists have been arrested during these protests, even after identifying themselves to police.

Police say a lot of people impersonate journalists, so what should correspondents be doing when it comes to dealing with police on the ground?

President Trump loves to use Twitter, and now he’s in a battle with social media after the site flagged some of his posts as potentially misleading or glorifying violence. His executive order would no longer shield these websites from lawsuits.

Joining Currents News to talk about ways to report these events, as well as how to navigate the social media landscape during this time, is the director of the journalism program at Saint John’s University, Mike Rizzo.

88-Year-Old Brooklyn Man Graduates From St. John’s University

By Jessica Easthope

The graduating class of 2020 hasn’t had the best luck. After four years of hard work, the coronavirus pandemic forced colleges and universities to hold their ceremonies online. Most graduates would be disappointed or angry, but not Pat Branley.

“It doesn’t bother me in the least bit, I’m way way past that,” he told Currents News. “At my age , sitting alone, graduating from college, there are a lot of people sitting alone in a funeral parlor, so I have no complaints.”

60 years after dropping out of St. John’s University, 88-year-old Pat returned this year. In need of just two classes to finish his undergraduate degree, Pat re-enrolled at the Staten Island campus and on May 31 he was finally able to say “I did it.”

“The void has been filled, I always felt that incompletion,” Pat explained.

As a high school graduate, Pat joined the Navy, and after serving our country for four years and figuring out what he wanted to do for another two, he started at the old St. John’s in Brooklyn, but life got in the way.

“I had been a firefighter for about a year and a half and I was going to school then and it was getting so busy and I couldn’t do both,” he recalled.

Pat was quickly rising in the ranks as a lieutenant in the FDNY, and once he started a family with his wife of 48 years, Betty, he decided to leave school. But, his mind was never far from St. John’s.

“I made the withdrawal physically, but I never made it in my heart or intellectually,” Pat said.

His graduation turned out to be the furthest what he had envisioned when he left school all those years ago.

“I sat down in a recliner in the living room by myself because no one could come because of the virus, and I watched the virtual graduation on my iPad,” Pat said of his virtual ceremony.

After reflecting on his college journey, Pat recalled something he told his four children, now three lawyers and a teacher.

“Don’t go to college to prepare for a job, go so that you can enjoy your time off,” Pat said.

So now as graduates compete for first jobs and start their futures, Pat will be enjoying his summer off.

Currents News full broadcast for Wed, 6/03/20 (Catholic news)

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

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

The cry of protesters has now reached the Vatican with Pope Francis saying his name – George Floyd.

Guardian Angels’ Chief Curtis Sliwa was wounded in a clash with looters in New York. He joins us tonight.

A rupture over using troops to put down the unrest – the Secretary of Defense opposes the President.

And social media and covering the Floyd protests. How big is the danger of fake news?

http://netny.tv

NYC Officials Say With Earlier Curfew Came Less Looting and Violence

By Emily Drooby

Despite an 8 p.m. curfew, there was unrest on the streets of New York City on June 2.

There was a tense scene between protesters and police near 25th Street and 6th Avenue. Near that area cameras caught looters hitting a pizza shop and a liquor store.

Further downtown, near Astor Place, a Starbucks and FedEx store were vandalized. Video shot the next day shows windows of both stores smashed in.

Still, officials said Tuesday night was better than the previous few nights, crediting the earlier curfew.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said, “The protesters were mainly peaceful, the police officers had the resources and capacity to do their jobs, and the results last night were much, much different than the night before.”

However, there was a tense standoff at the Manhattan Bridge as protesters tried to pass over it from Brooklyn into Manhattan, despite the curfew being in effect. Police stopped the march. Mayor Bill de Blasio called it the right thing to do.

“We understand your feelings, we understand your desire to keep moving, but there is a curfew and we don’t want to arrest everyone, we want to let people go home peacefully and the way to do that is to go back across the bridge, and that’s what happened,” he said.

While officials say there was less violence and looting on Tuesday, top NYPD brass say it’s still something they’re actively fighting.

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea tweeted out a video of what he says are bricks placed strategically around NYC. They were found in Brooklyn and Queens. He said they were likely stashed away by looters.

The vast majority of Floyd protest have been peaceful, and officials have made a point to place protesters and looters in two different categories.

Wednesday night will mark day two of the earlier curfew, which also bans car traffic below 96th street. Police will be out in full force. The Mayor says it will last through Sunday night.