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Mid Hudson Times, Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Hundreds attend Cardinal’s Mass
I n B rief
Newburgh lays off firefighters
as federal grant expires
Matt Frey
Cardinal Timothy Dolan celebrated Mass on Saturday, July 28, closing out the weeklong Camp Veritas at Mount Saint Mary
College.
About 1,000 visitors packed the Kaplan Recreation
Center at Mount Saint Mary College for a Mass celebrated
by Cardinal Timothy Dolan on Saturday, July 28.
Before the Mass, Cardinal Dolan met Dr. Jason N. Adsit,
Mount Saint Mary College’s new president. In addition,
Fr. Gregoire Fluet, college chaplain and director of
Campus Ministry, was a concelebrant of the Mass.
The Mass marked the finale of Camp Veritas, a “play
and pray” summer camp held this July at the college.
About 500 seventh through 12th grade students from the
tristate area and beyond enjoyed activities like soccer,
volleyball, basketball, dance, swimming, and more. The
campers also attended daily Mass in the Mount’s Chapel
of the Most Holy Rosary. This was the Mount’s sixth year
hosting the popular camp.
Veritas is Latin for “truth,” as in the Mount’s motto:
Doce Me Veritatem, or “Teach me the Truth.”
“It’s an honor and a joy for me as your pastor, as your
shepherd, as your archbishop, to be with you for this
joyful closing Mass for your wonderful week of Camp
Veritas,” said Cardinal Dolan. “It’s a privilege for me to
join you in praising God for the…guidance and blessing
that have come to you this magnificent week.”
Cardinal Dolan encouraged the young campers to take
what they had learned at Camp Veritas and spread their
positivity and faith.
“We’re called to be good, life-giving, sustaining,” he
said. “We must be the wheat among the weeds.”
Saturday’s Mass was not the first time Cardinal Dolan
has visited the Mount. Earlier this year, the Cardinal
celebrated Mass in the Mount’s Chapel of the Most
Holy Rosary as part of the Restore Conference for
college youth. Also, in September 2014, the Cardinal
blessed Mount Saint Mary College’s newly-transformed
Dominican Center.
The federal grant that funded 12 Newburgh City
firefighters has expired, resulting in layoffs.
The department is now down to 59 firefighters
from a previous level of 68, following the layoffs.
They had been funded from a federal Staffing for
Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER)
grant. The city council previously voted to retain
three positions of the 12 funded in the budget.
Earlier this year, the city applied for another
SAFER grant in an effort to keep the firefighters
on, but with the city having already received two
prior SAFER grants, prospects for a third appeared
unlikely.
“My office played its part and helped secure five
years of federal support and two SAFER grants
for the Newburgh Fire Department - because
Newburgh’s Bravest deserve nothing but the best,”
said Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney. “The folks
at City Hall have had more than enough time to come
up with some solutions to prevent these layoffs. And
without these firefighters, response times will slow
and our community will be left to pay the price. We
can’t let that happen. Getting more firefighters on
the job has been a priority of mine since day one and
I will keep fighting until our heroes get the support
they need – together we will get this done.”
Newburgh-Beacon Ferry to run
for ‘The Wall that Heals’
at the waterfront
The Newburgh-Beacon Ferry, which operates
during morning and late afternoon commuter
times on weekdays, will operate on Saturday and
Sunday, August 4 and 5 for “The Wall that Heals”
event taking place on the Newburgh City People’s
Waterfront Park.
There will be no charge to ride the ferry that
weekend.
“The Wall that Heals” is a replica and mobile
education center of the Vietnam War Memorial in
Washington DC. The visit to Newburgh with the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s “The Wall that
Heals” is the only official stop in New York State this
year.
The weekend ferry will operate from 10 a.m. to
6 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on
Sunday.
In addition, several parking lots are also available
for the weekend events: Ward Brothers Park (2
Renwick Street), Ann Street Parking Lot, Water
Street Parking Lots, SUNY Orange Parking
Garage,(73 First Street), The Maple Building Parking
garage (entrance off Colden Street) and the UNICO
Parking Lot at the Waterfront.