Archives

Former Vatican Chef Serves Divine Dishes at Soho Restaurant

By Katie Vasquez and Bill Miller

SOHO — Chef Salvo Lo Castro made a career preparing exquisite meals for popes and other Vatican officials, and now hopes to bring the same culinary skills and Sicilian hospitality to all who take a seat in his new restaurant.

CASASALVO has been open for a couple of months at 195 Spring St., in the SoHo neighborhood of Lower Manhattan. It is the latest project in this Sicilian chef’s expansion into New York City, which began four years ago with the opening of four similarly named coffee shops.

The shops serve just-brewed coffees and freshly baked pastries. Each has a built-in Italian market that sells old-country items like bags of gourmet coffee beans to take home.

Chef Salvo Lo Castro has cooked for popes going back to St. John Paul II, but he always wanted to operate restaurants in New York City. Now he does with his CASASALVO restaurant on Spring Street and four similarly named coffee shops elsewhere in Manhattan. (Photos: Bill Miller and Katie Vasquez)

Meanwhile, Lo Castro said, the new restaurant offers a small menu of Italian pasta and meat dishes each night, with influences from Mediterranean spots like Tunisia, Spain, Greece, and Turkey. Everything is made fresh with meats, vegetables, fish, and other ingredients appropriately sourced daily, he said. The chef wants each location to be true to the name. “Casa Salvo” translates to “Salvo’s House.”

“It is my home,” Lo Castro said of the restaurant. “Every night I open the door of my home for my guests.” And each guest is as important as the pope, Lo Castro said. He moves among the tables, greeting each one. “For me, every guest is a king, or queen, or president,” he said.

RELATED: Priests Recall Their Past Lives as a Naval Corpsman, Chef & Actuary

Lo Castro’s workers are also held in high esteem, and he shares a meal with them early each evening at a large table in the dining area before the guests arrive. This chef is from the Sicilian city of Linguaglossa, on the north side of Mount Etna, where snow skiers enjoy views of the balmy Mediterranean Sea below, he said.

Lo Castro’s culinary career began in local restaurants in Sicily before entering culinary school. After graduation, he worked in the kitchens of fancy nearby resorts and popular eateries of Milan, Florence, France, and Brazil, before moving into the Vatican kitchens during the 2000 Jubilee. His first cooking lessons, however, came from his mother and grandmother while helping them prepare for the postMass family lunch each Sunday.

But, much to the youngster’s dismay, preparations took up a big chunk of his Saturdays, especially while making their famous meatball recipe. “It was a traditional recipe from Sicily with beef. No pork,” Lo Castro said. “I looked at my mom and my grandma, and I said, ‘It’s Saturday. Why are you preparing the food today for tomorrow?’ ”

His mother explained that for food to “taste incredible,” it must be cooked slowly. And she offered one more reminder: The secret to the meatballs is not the beef, but the sauce.

“And now,” Lo Castro added, “I repurpose this classical recipe in my restaurant. It is a very big success.”

RELATED: Palestinian Chef Expresses Catholic Identity Through Cooking

The meatballs, as well as other dishes, are pope-approved, Lo Castro said. He said it was a privilege and an honor to cook for them. He is especially fond of Pope Benedict XVI, with whom he spent the most time. That said, he noted with a chuckle that his favorite pope is whoever currently has the job. He has not met Pope Leo XIV, but he is eager to do so.

Lo Castro could’ve stayed in Italy, but he explained that New York City has been his desired location since he was a kid watching movies set in the “capital of the world.”

Although his arrival coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, he worked steadily at improving his English skills while getting the coffee shops up and running. Even now, in the restaurant’s infancy, he’s not shy about using a smartphone translation app.

Lo Castro confirmed that starting a business in a pricy and competitive restaurant market during a pandemic required guidance from God, and he prays for it daily. He struggled to explain why in English, so out came the phones with the apps.

The translation: “In life,” he said, “it’s not just professionalism and money that matter. If you don’t have God protecting you, watching over you from above, you have nothing.”

Affordable Apartments Proposed at Former Sisters of St. Joseph Catholic Academy Site

By Katie Vasquez

There is a lot of excitement about a new project at the Sisters of Saint Joseph campus in Brentwood, Long Island: 176 units of supportive affordable housing are being built at the former Academy of St. Joseph site. It will be called “St Joseph’s Village.”

“[It] had been a boarding school for decades and eventually became a day school about 15 years ago, sadly, we had to close the building,” Sister Tesa Fitzgerald, the president of the Sisters of Saint Joseph at Brentwood, told Currents News.

The religious sisters were looking at ways for the building to be of use to the greater community, and got in touch with the organization Concern Housing. 

“I got very excited,” executive director of Concern Housing, Ralph Fasano, told Currents News. “We will bring them back to their original glory and maybe even a little bit better.”

The Long Island non-profit will take ownership of the buildings, which were deemed a historic site, so that the facade will stay the same. 

“That was a selling point to our sisters, of course, because some people said, ‘Oh, you’re going to knock it down.’ No way will we be knocking this gorgeous building down,” said Sister Fitzgerald. 

Half of the units will be affordable for those have a hard time paying rent. 

“One bedroom apartments now go for about $2,600 a month, and we can rent apartments for about $1,200,” said Fasano. 

Residents will also have supportive services.

“Some people need help with their medications. Some people need help with caring for themselves, food,” Fasano added.

Fasano and Sister Fitzgerald both have the same goals, to serve the needy. 

“There was a real compatibility of our missions. and, and I thought about, you know, what we can do to make this place wonderful,” said Fasano. 

“Our mission is really love of God and love of the neighbor without distinction. And it means to pay attention to the needs of the time, to pay attention to the people in our neighborhood and beyond,” explained Sister Fitzgerald. 

The estimated cost is $150 million, 90% of which will be government -funded. 

Before construction can begin, they have to close on financing, which they hope to do by June 2026. 

If you would like to donate, you can visit Concern Housing and click the “how to help” tab at the top of the homepage.

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday 10/2/2025  

The Sisters of St. Joseph are partnering with a Long Island non-profit to turn a school they once operated into affordable apartments for struggling New Yorkers.

Governor Kathy Hochul has yet to decide whether an assisted suicide bill becomes law, but recent comments from her on the topic have New York Catholics hopeful that the politician could choose life.

The Feast of St. Francis of Assisi is officially a national holiday in Italy, and pets around the world will soon be getting blessed as part of a centuries-old tradition relating to the animal loving saint.

First Responders Honored at Guardian Mass in St. Patrick’s Cathedral

By Currents News

New York City’s first responders were celebrated at a special Guardian Mass held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan on Oct. 2, coinciding with the Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels. 

Cardinal Timothy Dolan led the service, offering blessings to the packed congregation of NYPD, FDNY, Secret Service, and State Police members.

In his homily, Cardinal Dolan expressed deep gratitude for the first responders’ dedication to keeping communities safe, emphasizing that they are always welcome in the Church. 

Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan, who concelebrated the Mass and has family ties to the NYPD, highlighted the unifying power of the prayers for these protectors.

“It’s meaningful on a personal level because of my own family involvement in law enforcement,” Bishop Brennan said. “My dad, my brothers, and even the next generation in different forms are getting involved. It’s also very important because of my esteem for those who watch over our city and particularly our local communities.”

Lieutenant Steven Jerome of the New York City Police Department shared the significance of the event for his faith and profession. “My Catholic faith is very important, but I think it’s something good for all of us as first responders,” he told Currents News. “Police responding to emergencies, the things that officers see, having a way to reflect, having an hour just to celebrate Mass with His Eminence.”

Assistant Chief Brian Gorman of the New York City Fire Department also expressed appreciation. “It was very impressive to be part of it,” he said. “We appreciate it. We really do. We enjoy the blessings and the prayers. And it’s nice to be recognized by the Church.”

Held every two years, the Guardian Mass also honors those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty, recognizing their courage and service.

La Salle Academy Students Return to Historic Building

By Katie Vasquez

Class is back in session for La Salle Academy students in the East Village. 

While they are in a new location this year, it’s not unfamiliar territory. 

“I don’t like to say being back. I say we’ve moved forward,” said campus minister Brother Richard Galvin, FSC, ” I believe it was 1956, that we moved from Canal street to Second street. So it has a wonderful place in the history of La Salle Academy and really in the history of New York City.”

The all-boys Catholic school moved from E 6th street to E 2nd street over the summer. 

The previous building was shared with another school but now these five floors are exclusively for La Salle, providing a better learning experience for senior Joseph Mantilla. 

“It’s like we have more access to resources and like, it’s much bigger. so, like, everyone can engage, and we don’t have to be, like, all crammed into, like, three floors as it was in the old building,” said Mantilla. 

The lease at their old location was ending and the freshman class grew by 60 percent from 43 to 69 which led to a demand for more space.  

Phoenix Nanka-Bruce believes it’s been a good change from public school.

“Pretty different change. It’s different to me. But it’s a good change for me and I like it,” said Nanka-Bruce. 

Overall the total number of students has increased by 25%, now at 216 from 173. 

One of the new scholars is senior Francisco Martinez. 

It was important for him to continue his Catholic education after his last school closed.

“It sure was, as we all need the works of joy in ourselves,” said Martinez. 

And now the principal says these young men have a chance to form core memories here. 

“This home means a lot to many generations of La Salle and men that this was special. This is where they did their formative years, where they learned and grew in their faith,” said principal, Nicole Freeman.

Swim Safety Lesson Makes a Splash With St. Joan of Arc Students in Queens

By Currents News and Paula Katinas

JACKSON HEIGHTS — When she was five years old, Shawn Slevin nearly drowned.  

“It so traumatized me. I refused to go near the water for four years,” Slevin recalled. But when she was 9, her church, St. Sebastian in Woodside, started a girls’ swim team. She joined and became a competitive swimmer. 

Today, many years later, Slevin swims for recreation. Moreover, she enjoys sharing her knowledge of the water with others. Slevin is the founder and executive director of Swim Strong Foundation, an organization founded in 2007 with a mission to teach people how to swim and safely enjoy the water. 

That’s what brought her to St. Joan of Arc Catholic School in Jackson Heights on Sept. 30, where she presented a program, “Know Before You Go,” focused on swim safety.  

Slevin’s audience consisted of students from third to eighth grade, many of whom raised their hands when she asked who among them liked to go swimming. 

Her tips included: 

  • Always swim near a lifeguard 
  • Never swim alone 
  • Do not swim after dark 
  • Be aware of flags on beaches and their meanings: Green (calm conditions), Yellow (moderate surf and currents), and Red (dangerous ocean conditions) 
  • If caught in a riptide, do not panic. Do not swim against the current. Swim parallel to the shore to escape the current and then swim back to the shore at an angle. 

According to Swim Strong Foundation, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in children under the age of five in the U.S., and the second leading cause of accidental death in children under age 14. 

“This is lifesaving work because water surrounds us and we do not understand the benefits, which are wonderful, but also the dangers,” Slevin explained.  We need to know that balance.”  

Eighth grader Maleyah Millare, who enjoys swimming with her parents and friends, said she came away with something new after listening to Slevin.  

“I learned that water can be a simple but dangerous thing in the world. You don’t know what it does. It’s there, and it can hurt you or your loved ones,” Maleyah said.  

RELATED: With Suitcase Yet Unpacked in Queens, New Pastor Father Christopher Heanue Raises $208,000 for St. Joan of Arc School Scholarships

Father Christopher Heanue, pastor of St. Joan of Arc Church, said the swim safety lesson was important because it highlighted the strength of Catholic education.  

“I just want to keep highlighting the beauty of Catholic education — that it’s not just academics, but it’s the whole the whole body, the spiritual needs, the physical needs, the academic and intellectual needs,” he said. 

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 9/30/2025  

La Salle Academy students have returned to the historic East Village building that once housed the Manhattan Catholic school, thanks to a surge in enrollment.

A commission created by President Donald Trump is examining a range of topics relating to religious freedom in U.S. schools, from the right to prayer to safety in places of worship.

During this Holy Year the Vatican is inviting pilgrims, tourists, and people of all faiths to come and share their thoughts on spirituality as part of a new initiative focused on listening to others.