From Xaverian H.S.

A film made by Dylan Issing and Raimi Fasula-Moore features Xaverian H.S., Bay Ridge, sophomore, Luke Schreiner.  Entitled “Sandy,” the short film interviews Luke about the devastation of Hurricane Sandy on his community, Breezy Point.

The film is being featured in the Our City, My Story segment of the Tribeca Film Festival, which highlights the outstanding student-made work from around the city.

The film will be shown on Thursday, April 25, 2013 at 5 p.m. at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center at BMCC (199 Chambers Street).  The screening is free, and all are welcome to register.

Alumni from the University of Notre Dame teamed up with Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens to renovate St. Rose of Lima Church, Rockaway Beach, which had been damaged by Hurricane Sandy. Over a dozen volunteers aided in the clean-up of the parish’s basement and painted the walls and ceilings with a fresh coat of paint. Debris and trash in the yard were discarded, and dead trees were cut down to eliminate chances of injury, as the parish’s yard is shared with an elementary school. Volunteers also gained a better understanding of the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy and the current recovery efforts during a tour of Breezy Point. Since November, 2012, over 1,250 volunteers have provided more than 35,000 hours of service to assist in the Catholic Charities Hurricane Sandy Relief Effort. Supplies were donated by The Home Depot. Above, the volunteers are shown with Father Wladyslaw Kubrak, parochial vicar at St. Rose.

Photo courtesy Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens

by Kimberley Kearn

Catholic Migration Services and Catholic Charities presented information about community services at a forum in Far Rockway.

Robert Siebel, CEO, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens, is flanked by Msgr. Kevin Sullivan, CEO, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, and Laura Cassell, CEO, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Rockville Centre, at a meeting in Albany at which they accepted Hurricane Sandy relief funds from the New York State Catholic Conference.

Upstate Catholics and non-Catholics alike came together to support those downstate affected by superstorm Sandy. Through special collections, fundraisers, school events and generous individual contributions, the total amount raised by the Catholic Church and its ministries in the five upstate dioceses was $1,364,822.

A large symbolic check representing that total was presented to Catholic Charities representatives in the three downstate dioceses hardest hit by Sandy. The Archdiocese of New York, the Diocese of Brooklyn and the Diocese of Rockville Centre also collected another $5.5 million to aid the victims of Sandy within their own communities.

The response came 13 months after upstate was severely hit by Hurricane Irene, and downstate dioceses came to their aid.

Sister Patricia Chelius, C.S.J., principal of St. Francis de Sales School, Belle Harbor, greets first-grade students, from left, Tara Rios, Timothy Hayes, Claire Mehta, Jonathan Lazo and Shannon McCabe, on Jan. 22, the day the school reopened after three months of renovations following damage from Hurricane Sandy. (Photo by Jim Mancari)

by Jim Mancari

On Oct. 29, 2012, a deluge of water surged through the halls of St. Francis de Sales School, Belle Harbor. Hurricane Sandy had left a devastating imprint on the school community and forced the building to close temporarily.

But on Jan. 22, there was a different kind of deluge roaming through St. Francis – a deluge of students and their families eager to return to their home school building.

St. Francis de Sales School was the last Catholic school building in the diocese to officially reopen after suffering the effects of Sandy. Though it was a snowy, blistery day in January, the reopening felt like the first day of school, with the students filing in dressed in their uniforms and the parents chatting in the lobby.

Sister Patricia Chelius, C.S.J., principal, could not contain her smile as she stood in the lobby, hugging and greeting the children as they walked through the front doors – a practice she does on most days. The teachers and staff wore yellow T-shirts with the phrase “Stronger than Sandy.”

“We’re just happy to be back,” Sister Patricia said. “I cannot speak more highly of my teachers. They were wonderful.”

Joining Sister Patricia in the lobby was Msgr. John Brown, pastor. He gave the kids “high-fives” and spoke of the heroic efforts of Sister Patricia and the teachers in keeping the school together.

“The kids are very excited to be back, and we’re really happy to have them back,” Msgr. Brown said. “Children give life to a place, and the neighborhood was lacking that life because most of the children weren’t staying here.”

After the storm, the main floor of the school building suffered water damage, but the bulk of the destruction came in the basement to the boiler and electrical system. A new gymnasium floor was still drying as the students returned, and there are still steps to be taken in the renovation process.

“Right now, we’re just happy that we got our school back, and we’ll work out the kinks as we go along,” Msgr. Brown said.

During the rebuilding phase, the students attended class first at Good Shepherd School, Marine Park, but spent the majority of the three-month period at SS. Simon and Jude School, Gravesend, which was vacant.

Sister Patricia said the diocese and the parish welcomed them with open arms to SS. Simon and Jude and that the accommodations were “marvelous.”

“They (the diocese) really made it very homey for us, but it wasn’t home,” she said. “This (St. Francis) is home to us.”

Though the disaster wreaked havoc on the area, it also united the community around the rebuilding process and getting back into a routine.

“The key words are ‘build community,’” said Dr. Thomas Chadzutko, superintendent of schools. “It’s all about the children being in a place that they are comfortable with and being with people that they trust and love and vice versa.”

Mike Keller, the father of kindergarten student Mikey Keller, said the adjustment period was difficult in the beginning since his son had to wake up an hour earlier to get to school. Many St. Francis students boarded coach buses at the Belle Harbor Yacht Club which then brought them to Gravesend.

“It’s more convenient now for the kids, and I think everybody gets back to normalcy,” Keller said. “It’s been a long trip.”

“It’s been 80-plus days,” said Julanne Keller, Mikey’s mother. “These kids were ready and excited to come back.”

About 75 percent of the student body returned, but others were forced to permanently relocate since their families’ houses were destroyed in the storm. Still, it was business as usual for those who were there.

“Coming back here is what they’re (the students) dying for,” said Kelly Duffy, the St. Francis de Sales home school board president. “They’re back with their friends in their classes with their teachers. This is our new normal.”

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of the school, but the events will be pushed back a year to allow for a proper celebration. However, the faculty and parents alike were most concerned with getting the children back in their normal learning environment in the wake of the natural disaster.

“The school’s been around for 100 years,” Msgr. Brown said. “And it will be around for 100 more.”

By Ed Wilkinson

It was a year of contrasts. You might say there was the good, the bad and the ugly.

Locally, we rejoiced in May when we learned that Pope Benedict XVI had named two priests of our diocese as auxiliary bishops. The ordinations of Bishops Raymond Chappetto and Paul Sanchez took place on July 11 at Our Lady of Angels Church in Bay Ridge amidst much celebration.

Much of the year was consumed by the presidential election in which President Barack Obama overcame the stiff challenge of Mitt Romney. At times, it seemed as if the campaigns would never end. When the president was re-elected, there was happiness and despair, depending on your political preference.

Our spirits were crushed in late November when Superstorm (or Hurricane) Sandy blasted our shoreline. In the Rockaways, Coney Island, Red Hook, among many others, neighborhoods were thrashed by a violent storm, the likes of which we’ve never before experienced. We continue to dig out and attempt to rebuild as the calendar year comes to a grinding halt.

And this month, the bottom fell out of our national psyche when we heard about a mass shooting of pre-teen children in an idyllic Connecticut town that could very well serve as the snowy backdrop for a Christmas card.

2012 has been a roller-coaster ride with highs and lows that rattled our spirits.

In our special pullout section this week, we have tried to present a wrap-up of the year in photos. It’s always a challenge to choose the events that characterize a particular period of time. But this year’s highlights seemed obvious by their power and force.

We lost several prominent Catholics over the past 12 months. Brooklyn-born Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, who served here as an auxiliary bishop and then went on to shepherd the Diocese of Pittsburgh and Archdiocese of Philadelphia, died after a long illness. In his latter years, his reputation was tarnished by alleged links to scandal in Philadelphia. We prefer to remember him for his trailblazing and tireless work on behalf of immigrants to our country. As founder of Brooklyn’s Diocesan Migration Office 40 years ago, he never forgot his own immigrant roots and crusaded for improving the rights of all in America.

Nellie Gray, the courageous founder of the March for Life, which pays tribute to the unborn every Jan. 22, also passed to her reward. This year’s March, which has been moved to Jan. 25 because of Inauguration Day, will be a fitting tribute to this great lady.

Locally, when Msgr. James King died on Aug. 1, some might not have remembered his name. He was 91 and retired for many years since serving the diocese so well as chancellor and vicar general.

Last week, a final tribute was paid to Catholic lay leader Dr. Frank Macchiarola when his funeral Mass was celebrated by Bishop DiMarzio at St. James Cathedral. In addition to being honored by Pope Benedict XVI as Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory, Dr. Mac, as the students at St. Francis College called him, formerly served the city and state in myriad ways, including being chancellor of the City Board of Education. A fervent member of the Church, he represented us well in the public forum.

What 2013 has in wait for us is anyone’s guess. We can only hold our breath in anticipation. Let’s hope the road is less rocky, and the new year is filled with the peace and calm which we all desire.

Nearly 250 miles separate St. Thomas More Cathedral in Arlington, Va., and St. Thomas More Church in Breezy Point, but they’re united by faith.
Parish school children from Virginia personally delivered their prayers, wishes for recovery and a donation to help with that recovery to the children of Breezy Point on Friday, Nov. 30. The two groups met at St. Francis de Sales School, which has temporarily relocated to the former SS. Simon and Jude School, Gravesend.

Tara Quaadman, far right, and representatives from St. Thomas More Cathedral School, Arlington, Va., gave a $1,622 donation to Msgr. Michael Curran, pastor, and Father Sean Suckiel, parochial vicar, of St. Thomas More Church, Breezy Point, in the presence of Breezy Point children who attend St. Francis de Sales School. (Photo © Marie Elena Giossi)

Numerous children from St. Thomas More attend St. Francis de Sales, and they had the opportunity to meet the Virginia students along with Msgr. Michael Curran, pastor of Blessed Trinity parish, which includes St. Thomas More Church, and Father Sean Suckiel, parochial vicar.
Representing the Virginia school were Tara Quaadman, development director; her fourth-grade daughter, Alex; and the Fuller family: seventh grader Katie, fifth grader Megan and their mom, Cindy.
Media coverage of Hurricane Sandy’s destruction caused the school community to want to help those who had been affected. A dress-down-day fundraiser netted $811, which the school’s parent-teacher organization matched for a total of $1,622.
In choosing where the funds would go, Tara Quaadman discovered that one of the hardest hit areas happens to have a church with the same name as her parish.“This is our sister parish, so we had to do something to help,” she said.
Msgr. Curran gratefully accepted the donation, which he will direct toward the children and young adults of his parish.
“It’s a beautiful sign of the communion of faith, the communion of the church that people over 100 miles away would feel a bond with us,” he said. “But it’s even deeper than that. It’s that sense of union and communion that Catholic schools share.”
Coincidentally, there is another bond between the two parishes —Msgr. Curran attended graduate school with Father Robert J. Rippy, rector of St. Thomas More Cathedral.
“I feel so sorry for those who lost their homes,” shared Alex Quaadman. But she felt “great” knowing that her dollar donation, added to the donations of classmates, teachers and parents, could make a difference.  Students who couldn’t travel from Virginia sent a piece of themselves in the form of a yellow banner with the words, “STM prays for you,” and their nearly 400 names, which was presented along with the donation.
St. Francis eighth grader Erin Kennedy, whose Breezy Point home was flooded in the super storm, had the chance to meet the Arlington visitors. “I think this shows how much people care and are there for us,” she said.
Tara Quaadman hopes this will be the beginning of a relationship between the two St. Thomas More churches.
“Our faith holds us together,” Msgr. Curran told the children. Addressing the Virginia students, he said, “You are always at home at St. Thomas More in Breezy Point.”

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

This past week, the pastors of the parishes most affected by Hurricane Sandy came together. FEMA and other government agencies, as well as diocesan offices, devoted much of the afternoon to a detailed briefing. Yet, it seemed to me that the most important aspect of coming together was the lunch we enjoyed and sharing in our common priestly fraternity.

As I looked around the table, I could not help but notice that these priests were under similar, if not more intense pressures, as the people they serve. Some continue to live in rectories with no electricity or heat, while others were forced to seek shelter elsewhere. Some of those impacted are elderly, others young. Some are healthy, others seriously ill. The shock at the extent of devastation cannot be underestimated.

I am proud of these men, some of whom braved the storm to be with their people and others who have been with their people night and day in these weeks during the recovery. They are icons of Christ who poured Himself out for all of us.

An image that is seared into my mind is visiting a young mother and father who were burying their two small children lost in the hurricane. Gazing upon their two small bodies in one coffin at their wake stirred up emotions hard to describe. Celebrating the funeral Mass for one of our beloved school teachers who died in the midst of the storm, and seeking to make sense of such suffering for her family and for us all, required a great deal of prayer and reflection.

For many of us who are New Yorkers, we cannot help but think back to Sept. 11 and the profound scar it left upon our city. I cannot help but think this is especially the case for the people of Belle Harbor. In a special way, I am grateful to Msgr. John Brown, pastor of St. Francis de Sales, for his leadership. His parish has become the epicenter for major recovery efforts in the Rockaways. That is no small challenge, especially when so many of his own parishioners, very understandably, are desperate to have life get back to some sense of normalcy.

The parallels with the lasting impact of Hurricane Katrina upon New Orleans and the Gulf region were inevitable. One thing is clear to me, the cost of human life can never be calculated. We were extraordinarily fortunate that there were not many more deaths.

Recently, we in the Diocese of Brooklyn took up a collection to alleviate the suffering of those who were impacted in our diocese. Thus far, we have collected just about $600,000. Perhaps a measure of just how this has affected our Diocese, we in Brooklyn alone were able to raise over $1.4 million for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Still, for well over 300,000 families whose homes were damaged and over 265,000 businesses that were impacted, the storm was nothing less then catastrophic. We as a Church need to help our neighbors here in Brooklyn and Queens rebuild their lives. We must help bridge the gap in resources, to the extent we are able, for those many middle-class families who are already stretched so thin. These are the people who, week after week, have supported our parishes and schools. The diocese will give a block grant of $25,000 to our affected parishes for distribution to parishioners as an initial step of trying to get immediate resources to those families most in need.

Catholic Charities is trying to put together a $1 million fund to give direct assistance to those in need. Our diocese, as well as other dioceses throughout the country, will assist with this fund. But much more is needed.

At the same time, we cannot forget the profound impact of this hurricane upon the undocumented, many of whom are ineligible for FEMA funding. Father Fulgencio Gutierrez, pastor of St. Mary Star of the Sea in Far Rockaway, passionately made the case for the undocumented to our elected officials present at the meeting we had.

We must do more for the people who are suffering throughout our diocese. We must not leave anyone behind or alone. I am calling upon our pastors to preach about the real human cost of this hurricane on so many of our families. As in years past, the second collection at Christmas is for Catholic Charities. It is my hope is that we will be able to raise considerable resources to assist our own in need. All monies donated over the base collection from the past year ($362,900) will be distributed to those with hardships related to Hurricane Sandy here in Brooklyn and Queens.

So many of our families are not simply in need of $250 or $500, they are in need of thousands of dollars to help rebuild their lives. We must do better. Every little bit helps. Let us each do our part to make sure no one in Brooklyn and Queens is left behind.

As we put out into the deep during this Advent season, let us remember that charity has its roots in the Latin word caritas, meaning love. It seems reasonable that a measure of our love is our charity toward those in need. As is often said, charity begins at home. Following Sept. 11, 2001, many of us wore sweatshirts and hats with the phrase “Never Forget.” Hopefully, the people throughout our diocese who were scarred 11 years ago and are suffering so greatly today will not be forgotten.

by Marie Elena Giossi

Floodwaters have receded and electricity has been restored, but the post-Sandy rebuilding efforts have just begun for residents in Canarsie.

Having been designated as a Zone B evacuation area with only a moderate flood risk, Canarsie residents weren’t expecting the seven- and eight-foot high floodwaters that Sandy brought ashore late last month. Many residents sustained costly damages and lost irreplaceable items in the basements and first floors of their homes.

As a sign of solidarity, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio visited the parish family and celebrated the 12:45 p.m. Mass on Sunday, Nov. 25. Following Mass, the bishop met with several parishioners in the rectory and listened to how they were affected by the storm.

Bishop DiMarzio says hello to Marvyn Chin, of Holy Family parish, Canarsie, on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The Chin family was hard hit by Hurricane Sandy

He was originally slated to visit the parish on the weekend following Hurricane Sandy but rescheduled so that he could celebrate Mass with harder hit residents in Breezy Point.

As parishioners were dispersing following the 11:15 a.m. Mass, the bishop arrived and had the chance to meet Philbert Sicard, president of Midocean Air, LLC, who donated three furnaces and a boiler to the neediest parish families.

A parishioner for 21 years, Sicard called the church after the hurricane to find out how the parish property and individual parishioners fared. Fearing that some businesses may take advantage of the situation, he donated his services to some families and offered more than fair rates to others.

“I’ve already installed at least 20 boilers and furnaces in Canarsie,” he said.

When he visited the Seaview Ave. home of an octogenarian couple whose basement and belongings were ruined, he said he had tears in his eyes. He put his other projects on hold to help them first.

But there were no tears on Sunday morning as families streamed into church, where they joyfully sang, prayed and shared the Eucharist.

Concelebrating the liturgy were Father John Amann, pastor; Fathers Edward R. P. Kane and Jean Augustin Francois, parochial vicars; and Father Caleb Buchanan, representing the Vicariate of Black Catholic Concerns, and neighboring parish of St. Laurence, East New York, where he serves as administrator.

In his homily, Bishop DiMarzio shared the story of a bipolar king whose mood swings prompted him to seek a magic charm to achieve a balanced state. A sage man had a solution for the king’s wavering emotions – a ring with the inscription: This too shall pass.

Just as the inscription on the ring reminded the king, the bishop reminded the congregation that the suffering and distress caused by Hurricane Sandy around the diocese, including Canarsie, will eventually pass.

“We have to set our sights to the future, not look to the past,” he said. “There’s so much more to God’s Kingdom than the present moment.”

Before the final blessing, Father Amann shared how proud he was of the parish family, of the many instances of “people helping people.”

FEMA representatives Katie Grasty and Willie Nunn.

At the invitation of Father Amann during a town hall meeting at the parish in early November, FEMA set up a Disaster Recovery Center in the school auditorium. Since Nov. 8, the center has been open daily, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

According to Grasty, FEMA has processed 43,144 individual assistance applications in Brooklyn as of Nov. 24. Brooklynites have been awarded $139,140,554 in individual assistance grants thus far.

At the FEMA Center based at Holy Family School, a total of 1,159 applications were processed from Nov. 8 through Nov. 22. FEMA will stay on-site to address the community’s needs for the foreseeable future.

Also on hand are representatives from the American Red Cross, the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) and the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

“We’re here to help,” Nunn told the congregation. “This isn’t going to be done overnight but as the bishop said, ‘This too shall pass.’”

Following Mass, the bishop took time to speak with the Chin family, one of countless parish families affected by the storm.

Flooding destroyed the appliances, furniture, walls and carpeting in the family’s basement apartment, where Mervyn and Betty Chin, resided. Until a complete renovation can be completed, the couple has temporarily moved upstairs to live with their son, Cedric, studio director for NET, the diocesan cable television station, and daughter-in-law Johanna. 

“The bishop’s presence here today is important to the parish,” Cedric shared after Mass. “It shows his concern for the people.

“Like the bishop said, ‘This too shall pass,’ but it’s also bringing us together,” he added, looking around at his fellow parishioners. “FEMA is here. People were together for Thanksgiving. People are coming together.”

by Ed Wilkinson

Bishop DiMarzio greets parishioners at St. Rose of Lima parish, Rockaway Beach, on Thanksgiving Day morning.

Rockaway Beach residents battered by Hurricane Sandy came to St. Rose of Lima Church on Thanksgiving Day for one reason: to give thanks for the blessings they have.

Recognizing the trials of the previous two weeks, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio made his fourth trip to the Rockaway peninsula since the devastating storm to celebrate the 9 a.m. Thanksgiving Day Mass in the beachfront church that still did not have electricity or heat.

“We come here today to count our blessings in spite of the current tragedy,” said Bishop DiMarzio.

“There have been many negative thoughts about all the things that have happened. The fact that you have come here this morning means you want to give thanks to God. The unexpected changes to life here on the peninsula will pass away.”

Bishop DiMarzio explained that thanks can be given for the minimal loss of life, the fact that the church is still usable, that a recovery is taking place and for the volunteers who have come to help.

“We pray that the Lord will show us the ways out of this dark hour to the light that He offers,” concluded the bishop.

The bishop read from the missal with the aid of a flashlight held by his master of ceremonies, Deacon Jaime Varela. Lectors were assisted by a single floodlight lit by a makeshift generator. Members of the congregation kept warm by wearing their coats throughout the liturgy as a dampness permeated throughout the church.

But nothing dulled the responses and the prayers as parishioners were enjoying the presence of their music director, Grace Matubis, for the first time since the rains came. A resident of Jamaica Estates, she had been unable to get to the church. She played on a piano since the organ required electricity.

“My heart aches when I see the boardwalk and the rooftop of the church,” said Matubis. “It’s very emotional for me to come and not be able to play the organ. But, thank God, we are alive!”

Before the final dismissal, Msgr. James Spengler, pastor, led the congregation a capello in a song of thanksgiving. In thanking the bishop for his presence and concern, Msgr. Spengler said, “He’s here so often, he’s like one of us. He’ll be one of the first to walk on the new boardwalk when it is finished.”

Parishioners thanked Bishop DiMarzio for being there as he greeted them on the sidewalk outside church after Mass.

“It’s good to see the leaders of the church around, making people feel at peace,” said Heather Killian, a parishioner who teaches at St. Francis Catholic Academy, Flatbush. “They give the people the faith they need to get through this time.”

Her uncle, Bob Killian, added, “I’m glad the bishop came. We needed someone to bring us together.

“Everyone should know that St. Rose is coming back,” said Maria Bobe, who works as an aide at the parish school which had reopened earlier in the week. “We’re grateful and thankful. I’ve never seen so many kids feel so good to be back at school. It was devastating here. But everyone was there for one another.”

As she left the church, one woman said this holiday would be like none other. No turkey dinner was planned. “We’re heading to Brooklyn to find a Chinese restaurant,” she said.

Parishioners pray during Thanksgiving Day Mass at St. Rose of Lima Church, Rockaway Beach.