The start of the 2020-2021 academic year last month began positively as schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn reopened on time, with proper health and safety measures enforced.
Author: Erin DeGregorio
Halloween’s Not Canceled at Immaculate Conception in Astoria
With Halloween festivities changing due to the pandemic, the Home Academy Association (HAA) at Immaculate Conception Catholic Academy (Astoria) made sure their students could still have a semi-normal experience. So, they came up with the idea to hold an outdoor “Trunk-or-Treat” event that involved dressing up in masks and costumes, plus trick-or-treating at tables in Immaculate Conception’s church parking lot.
11-Year-Old Finds Strength Through Acts of Kindness While Going Through Cancer Remission
Rocco Pisani celebrated his 11th birthday on Oct. 7 at Cohen Children’s Medical Center while receiving intense chemotherapy treatments. He was diagnosed with leukemia in May and has been going into the hospital every 10 days for three-day stays.
Outdoor Opera About Voting Rights’ Activist Fannie Lou Hamer Workshopped in Brooklyn
On Oct. 10, three scenes from the new opera “This Little Light of Mine” were privately workshopped and filmed outdoors on the historic oil tanker Mary A. Whalen. The work, commissioned by the Santa Fe Opera, is part of the Opera for All Voices program and portrays key events in the life of voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, who rose to national prominence at the 1964 Democratic National Convention.
A Day With St. Ephrem’s Pre-K 4 Class: ‘The Hardest We’ve Ever Worked’
With a month of school officially done, there’s a sense of routine and structure when you walk into St. Ephrem Catholic Academy. Students line up outside on the designated stickers, get their temperatures checked through thermal imaging, and go up the stairs and down the hallways in one-way fashions.
New Mother Cabrini Statue to Be Unveiled in Lower Manhattan on Columbus Day
The New York State-funded Mother Cabrini statue, commemorated in St. Frances Xavier’s honor, will be unveiled in Battery Park on Oct. 12.
Catholic HS Admissions Test Goes Remote
The Test for Admission into Catholic High Schools (TACHS) will be administered online as the coronavirus pandemic continues to unfold.
Catholic School Parents Voice Frustration During Schoolyard Protest, Following Gov. Cuomo’s Announcement
On Oct. 5, Gov. Cuomo announced all New York City schools within nine hotspot ZIP codes will physically close and pivot to remote learning on Oct. 6. This came after New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a proposal on Oct. 4 to shut down schools and non-essential businesses within the areas with high positivity rates.
Museums Slowly Come Back to Life, Make Changes Amidst Pandemic
New York City museums and other cultural institutions began operating once again on Aug. 24, under New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Phase 4 reopening plan. Since then, many museums have curtailed occupancy to a 25-percent capacity, issued timed-entry reservations online with staggered, in-person entry times, controlled foot traffic flow, and limited days and hours of operation.
Bishop DiMarzio Celebrates Feast Day of St. Jerome at St. Jerome’s Parish
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio celebrated the feast day of St. Jerome with St. Jerome’s clergy and congregants on Sept. 30. The nighttime Mass — celebrated in Creole, Spanish, and English — was the church’s 26th memorial Mass to its patron saint.