A School Closing Feels Like Losing a Loved One
Dear Editor: Today will be a day that will be extremely hard to forget. If you are not a teacher, the only way I can describe how I feel is to look at how I dealt with the loss of a loved one (“Six Schools in B’klyn Diocese Are Closing,” July 18).
Twenty schools in the Archdiocese of New York will close their doors and six schools here in the Diocese of Brooklyn will do likewise. What hurts me even more is that this is the second and last time that a school I worked in has closed its doors for good.
I sincerely pray for all of those who benefited from the fine education these schools and academies provided. I pray for the teachers and others who gave their time, energy and love to their students and the families who supported them.
Finally, I pray for all the students — past and present — as they continue their paths in life. Even though the school as you knew it is physically gone, it will still be with you for the rest of your life.
Maurice Bernier
Springfield Gardens
Congratulations to Msgr. Philip J. Reilly
Dear Editor: We are writing to congratulate Rev. Msgr. Philip J. Reilly on the 60th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood (“Celebrating Jubilees in Priesthood” pullout, June 20).
Msgr. Reilly has had an extraordinary impact on the Diocese of Brooklyn and indeed on the entire world since his ordination in 1960. His efforts for recognizing the sanctity of life of every human being whose life is begun at conception, beginning in 1967 when he saw the first stirrings of what St. John Paul II later called “the culture of death,” have proved both prophetic and practical.
As outlined in the book, “Pro-Life Champion: Msgr. Philip Reilly and the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants” by Frederick W. Marks, Msgr. Reilly almost singlehandedly changed the tone and direction of the pro-life movement by his witness to prayer and non-violence beginning with the founding of the Helpers in 1989.
The Helpers started in Brooklyn and Msgr. has brought the message and techniques of the Helpers to over 40 countries worldwide. There are literally thousands of people alive today who would not otherwise be if not for the work of Msgr. Reilly.
He has fostered many vocations to the priesthood and the religious life and has brought together many couples who have shared a passion for the defense of life and discovered their vocation to the married life, including us.
Congratulations Msgr. Reilly and Ad Multos Anos!
Susan and Kevin Moore
Maspeth
Defend — Not Defund — the Police Department
Dear Editor: In the call to defund the NYPD by one billion dollars, extra caution should be exercised. Our police morale is at a new low at this time because of the actions of a few bad apples who should have been harshly reprimanded and in the end, fired!
What happened to George Floyd was horrific and every citizen agrees that major changes must be enforced now. But the perception that all cops are racist is a blatant lie!
Not everyone can be a police officer. It is a tough job and you must be mentally equipped to deal with some really aggressive behavior. They are our bastion of hope against the enemies of law and order.
They risk their lives every day to protect the life and property of our citizens.
The mayor and the City Council should tread lightly on this issue and look instead to the waste and fraud that has existed in the city government for years. We call on all New Yorkers to take a stand and speak out before our city becomes a jungle because of their complacency. Remember the 1990s?
And to our mayor and all politicians, this is a non-partisan issue. Do your job, save our city and defend — not defund — our police.
Thomas and Constance Dowd
Oakland Gardens, NY
President Trump Is an Outspoken American
Dear Editor: I read with agreement and vital interest your column “The End of Freedom?” (Editor’s Space, June 20) regarding the recent resignation of the editor of the editorial page of The New York Times. Your column covered a larger topic; I would like to comment upon one thread so to speak — the Times’ one-sided coverage of President Trump.
President Trump, neither a politician before his first successful run for president nor an attorney, is an outspoken American, albeit the president of the country as well. His background or lack of in certain areas is refreshing for this average American. Some of his tweets are tactless but he is entitled to his opinions — which are irritating to others.
After Senator Cotton’s OpEd piece was not published in print due to pressure from the newspaper’s staff, one can easily see why there is this constant criticism of our president.
A difference of opinion is not open for discussion nor is candid reporting tolerated in this newspaper, now and at significant times in the past.
This is another indication of the leftist bias in American journalism and also a significant portion of its practitioners at present.
Joseph A. Cullima
Richmond Hill