Distance Learning Shows Catholic School Students What ‘Friends Are For’

By Emily Drooby

For students in the Brooklyn Diocese, their new classroom is their dining room table.

Students and teachers are now in their third week of distance-learning because of the COVID-19 crisis.

“It’s getting easier every day,” explained Kristen D’Alimonte, a teacher at Saint Kevin Catholic Academy. “The kids are getting better at logging into different websites, and I’m getting better with trying to put my ideas down on the websites and everything like that. It’s hard though because teachers, we’re meant to be with the kids.”

They’ve been learning online since March 17, about a week before New York city public schools began remote learning during the pandemic. Now, they’re scheduled to continue online through April 20.

Students and educators in the diocese are off for spring break, Holy Thursday and Good Friday

While there were some kinks to iron out, this new way of learning seems to be working. But one thing is missing: friends.

“When they’re isolated, I think it’s just so lonely for them,” explained Kristen. “They’re so used to coming into school every day, and some of these kids in my class have been together since pre-K and maybe even nursery, so they’re basically like family.”

St. Kevin Catholic Academy student Francesca came up with a fix.

“Inspired by a video of celebrities singing the song “Imagine,” the third grader created her own video with her classmates singing the song “That’s What Friends Are For.”

“People are sad so it could make them feel better and not alone anymore, and it makes me feel like my friends are always there for me,” said Francesca.

They posted it online as a reminder that through the good times and the bad times, they’ll be on each other’s side.

“A lot of people see it and they remember their friends, because they don’t get to see them,” explained Joey, a fellow student at the school.

“It’s a little thing that we can do to make people happy, and it goes a long way,” said Lisa, Francesca’s mom. “It makes me feel wonderful that we can be part of someone’s joy.”

Through a difficult situation, these Catholic academy students keep shining and smiling.

Why a Nurse From Denver Came to NYC to Fight COVID-19

Currents News Staff

Dozens of doctors and nurses around the country are boarding planes and answering a cry for help in New York City.

While many are getting out of town, these medical professionals are choosing to put themselves in danger.

These brave women and men are just a few of the 76,000 healthcare workers who have come to New York to help fight the coronavirus crisis.

One of those workers is Janelle Orbon, a critical care nurse who will be spending the next seven weeks helping a New York City hospital.

She joins Currents News via phone to share what it’s like to work at a hospital during this critical time and the needs medical professionals and patients face.

Episode 52 – “Dan England and the Noonday Devil”

Fr. Robert Lauder has a deep connection to the arts including film, stage and literature. THE CATHOLIC NOVEL is a lecture series that will focus on some of his favorite novels where Catholicism is treated favorably. This 52nd episode, and series finale features Myles Connolly’s DAN ENGLAND AND THE NOONDAY DEVIL!

Rabbi Addresses Concerns Over Virus Spread in Orthodox Communities

Currents News Staff

There’s controversy in New York City over religion and the coronavirus pandemic. People want to be together for prayer during times of crisis. But in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, they can’t.

Churches in the Diocese of Brooklyn and across the world are shut down to prevent the spread of the disease.

Many synagogues and other places of worship have done the same.

In Jerusalem, the ultra-Orthodox are ignoring the government restrictions to stop the spread and are still holding weddings and funerals with large crowds.

Meanwhile, in New York, City Hall is issuing a warning. Mayor Bill de Blasio is telling residents they can’t get together in-person for worship, and he’s threatening to permanently close any churches or synagogues that don’t follow that order.

What the mayor wants to accomplish is understandable, but is the warning troubling? Joining Currents News to discuss these restrictions is Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of the National Jewish Center Learning and Leadership.

Immigrant Community Faces Health, Job Insecurity During Coronavirus Crisis

By Emily Drooby

Analilia makes ends meet working as a cleaner in New York City, but the COVID-19 crisis has threatened her job.

“So, I can’t pay my rent, my electricity, my phone. I can’t buy food. And it’s not just me. I think that all the workers who are living day to day, with a salary, they can’t do it. They can’t buy their food, pay their bills, their rent,” said Analilia, whose last name has been omitted for safety purposes.

Analilia is an immigrant originally from Mexico. She is a member of Worker’s Justice Project. Like a union, the group uses advocacy, organization and education to make sure immigrants have good working conditions. Their people have been hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis.

“What’s happening is that all the employers are scared, like they can have the virus,” explained Anel, who is also a member.

The virus has crippled the American job market and caused millions of people to file for unemployment benefits.

Many of the people who belong to Worker’s Justice Project can’t do that. In fact, because they’re undocumented many don’t quality for paid sick leave, unemployment insurance, or even the governments bailout.

Without access to these programs, they’re left to fend for themselves during this difficult time. They’re afraid of not being able to pay their bills and of getting sick.

“There aren’t benefits, there’s nothing to support us,” said Yesenia, who has been working as a community organizer for Worker’s Justice Project. “There isn’t a way to pay the rent, we have kids, we need to eat, we need medical attention.”

Deportation is also another fear, one so serious it has even kept some sick Worker’s Justice Project members away from the hospitals.

ICE has announced they’ll delay some removal operations because of health concerns but will continue to conduct others, especially if the person is deemed to be a public safety risk. The limits are very vague.

Worker’s Justice Project is trying to help those who are struggling. Some of their members have been making and selling masks, in an effort to both provide cheaper masks and to make some extra money during this difficult time.

The organization has also set up a donation page. It can be accessed through their website. So far they have raised $4,000 of their $50,000 goal. The money will support 300 families during this difficult time.

Cuomo: Take ‘Positive Lesson’ From Pandemic Precautions

Currents News Staff

“We’re never going to be the same again,” said Cuomo. “We’re not going to forget what happened here.”

And we shouldn’t. Churches and schools are closed, with millions ordered to stay at home. Now playgrounds across the city and state are shut down.

Governor Andrew Cuomo says we need to learn from this pandemic.

“Let’s make sure we’re taking the positive lesson and not the negative lesson.”

Things like making the economy more resilient, having governments work together better, being better at tele-medicine and tele-education, and making medical supplies in this country. The lack of ventilators and the lack of a national plan has been frustrating for Governor Cuomo.

“You cannot buy ventilators. Remarkably, in a real cruel twist of fate, China is the main manufacturer for all these things,” he said. “It all comes back to China.”

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump says the federal government will hold off on sending out almost 10,000 ventilators in preparation for the peak of the outbreak.

“We have to hold them back, because the surge is coming and it’s coming pretty strong. And we want to be able to immediately move it into place,” said Trump.

The president says the next two weeks will be rough and that the country should prepare for 100,000 deaths from the coronavirus. But Dr. Anthony Fauci says “stay-at-home” measures could help mitigate the disease.

“It’s inconvenient from a societal standpoint, from an economic standpoint, to go through this, but this is going to be the answer to our problems,” explained Fauci.

Cuomo says, in the end, this will be a transformative experience.

“The fear that we have, the anxiety that we have, that’s not just going to go away. When do we get back to normal?” he asked. “I don’t think we get back to normal. I think we get back, or we get to a new normal.”

Currents News full broadcast for Wed, 4/1/20

On the newscast: The Tri-State area has now lost more than 2,000 lives to Covid-19, leaving many wondering “How much worse could this get?”; Still, volunteers are rushing into New York’s hospitals. We talk to one nurse who’s just begun a daunting mission; And don’t forget day laborers: some are out of work, and others have no medical coverage against the virus; Plus, a U.S. aircraft carrier at sea is now infected… and a Brooklyn chaplain is on board.

Watch weeknights at 7:00 pm EST on NET-TV in the New York City area on Spectrum, Optimum, and Fios. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive notifications about new content.

New York, Nation Brace for Growing Healthcare Needs

Currents News Staff

Some relief has arrived in New York City in the form of the U.S. naval hospital ship Comfort.

Onboard, 1,000 beds and more than 1,100 medical personnel are ready to treat patients who are not fighting the coronavirus. The vessel is the latest temporary hospital to deal with overcrowding in the city’s medical centers.

“I want you to understand the sheer magnitude of the plan,” said New York City’s mayor, Bill de Blasio. “We have to triple our hospital bed capacity in New York City by May.

“I am asking healthcare professionals across the country: If you don’t have a healthcare crisis in your community, please come help us in New York now,” added Governor Andrew Cuomo. “We need relief, and we will return the favor.”

The Wall Street Journal reports that one city hospital is asking doctors to think “more critically” about which patients get ventilators. Inside of New York’s North Shore University Hospital intensive care unit, nurse practitioner Elyse Isopo showed the harsh reality.

“It’s as bad as I’ve ever seen anything before,” she said. “These are patients that are the sickest I’ve ever seen.”

This comes as officials brace for the days ahead in emerging hotspots across the country, like in New Orleans, Detroit and Miami.

Three out of four Americans are under stay at home orders as of March 31 — that’s more than 250 million people.

President Donald Trump says it’s unlikely he’ll enact them nationwide.

“We have talked about it,” he said. “It was something that was very unwieldy and very tough to enforce, and something we didn’t want to do.

Currents News full broadcast for Tues, 3/31/20

On the newscast: The coronavirus pandemic hits a new high in New York. And the death toll nationwide is greater than on 9/11; We’ll take you inside Brookdale Hospital in Brooklyn for a first-hand look at the damage being done; The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation is stepping up in a big way to ease the pain for poor and vulnerable New Yorkers; And love in the age of coronavirus. Nothing can keep one couple apart.

Watch weeknights at 7:00 pm EST on NET-TV in the New York City area on Spectrum, Optimum, and Fios. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive notifications about new content.

How Hospital Chaplains Are Bringing the Faith to Workers, Patients and Families

Currents News Staff

These are trying times for medical workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus crisis. It is unlike any we’ve experienced before in our lives.

There to help medical personnel through are the chaplains – priests who confront this pandemic to make sure the healthcare heroes are spiritually supported.

They’re still looking to bring God and the faith to people who are exhausted by caring for the sick.

This ministry also extends to families of patients, who can’t visit their loved ones for safety reasons.

One of those chaplains, Father Radu Titonea, from Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Forest Hills, Queens, joins Currents News to share what the day-to-day activities are like at this time.