Connecticut
New Hartford archbishop pledges bringing back Catholic schools to Connecticut capital
NEW YORK – In his first formal address to the faithful as leader of the Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut, Archbishop Christopher Coyne announced a lofty goal of not only bringing Catholic schools back to the state’s capital city, but making them tuition free.
“It is a glaring omission that for quite some time the promise and opportunity of a Catholic education has not been available for the young people in the city of Hartford,” Coyne said at his introductory presser on May 1. “I believe we have a responsibility to change that.”
“My dream is to bring Catholic schools back into Hartford in our poorest neighborhoods in both the early grades and high school level and have them be tuition free,” Coyne said. “Is this dream attainable, especially as tuition free? I don’t know, but I want to try.”
Coyne added that he plans to engage and work with every stakeholder, whether public or private, faith-based or not, who is willing to help make the dream a reality.
The City of Hartford hasn’t had a Catholic school since the 2015-2016 school year, at the end of which the last remaining school, St. Augustine School closed its doors to merge with another school in West Hartford due to dwindling enrollment and expensive repairs.
Coyne prefaced his comments by saying that the archdiocese’s Catholic schools – of which there are 36 serving more than 9,000 students – are “one of the boasts of our local church.” He also saluted all the teachers and administrators, students, parents, and pastors associated with schools who make them “a source of provide and a choice worth making.”
Coyne was appointed the sixth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford on May 1. He was appointed coadjutor archbishop of Hartford last June, after spending about nine years as bishop of the Diocese of Burlington. In Hartford, Coyne replaces now-Archbishop Emeritus Leonard Blair, who led the archdiocese for about a decade.
The Archdiocese of Hartford comprises 2,288 square miles in Connecticut and has a total population of 1,949,519 of which 543,341 are Catholic. In his presser, however, Coyne acknowledged that the archdiocese lost a third of its parishioners since the COVID-19 pandemic, and that parish closings remain a possibility.
Beyond Coyne’s desire to open schools in Hartford, much of his presser focused on his vision for the future of the archdiocese – a vision that centered on the need for greater co-responsibility between clergy and laity at both the diocesan and parish level.
In fact, after the standard “thank you” to those that came before him and to members of the church hierarchy for the opportunity, one of Coyne’s first announcements was that in the coming weeks he will appoint a new lay chief operating officer who will have significant responsibilities in the archdiocese, including some that have historically been held by a priest or bishop.
“Both at the diocesan and parish levels the administration of the archdiocese has to rely more and more on the imagination, goodness, integrity, and talents of our men and women in the pews,” Coyne said. “I desire to work with my fellow Christians.”
Coyne went on not not just to emphasize the importance of co-responsibility in the archdiocese, but specifically highlighted the importance of the women of the archdiocese, and the importance of the archdiocese following the synodal model of listening put forth by Pope Franics.
Coyne paid tribute to the female religious of the archdiocese, as well as all of the mothers, wives, sisters, aunts, cousins, neighbors and beyond who “show us that Jesus lives and moves among us today,” also highlighting how much their work means to the life of the church.
“And in that spirit I promise that you will have a full place and voice in the ministry and life of the archdiocese, and that’s not because the archbishop says so, but because Christ in his church already teaches that of all of us,” Coyne said of women in the archdiocese. “Lay and ordained, men and women alike, have an equal share in the mission of our baptismal call.”
Coyne also had a message for those who have left the church, acknowledging the justification many had had for leaving, and inviting them to one day return. He said that the church has given “no shortage of causes” to lead people away from the faith, including parish closings, the abuse scandal “and associated betrayals by leaders who should have known and done better, and pastoral approaches that have at times done more to judge people than to serve them.”
“I want you to know that I understand your frustration, your anger, and your sadness,” Coyne said. “You deserved better. You deserve better. And I’m committed to restoring the trust our people and our community should have in our church.”
“Please know that if at any time you would like to join our family of faith again our door is always open and I promise to do whatever I can to hear you, to reach out to you, and to be a shepherd and a brother who’s worthy of your confidence,” Coyne added.
Since Coyne was appointed coadjutor of the archdiocese last June he said he has met individually with almost all of the active priests of the archdiocese, and a number of retired priests. He said he has visited and celebrated Mass at a number of parishes in the archdiocese, as well as 27 of 36 archdiocesan schools. He said he has gone to a number of banquets, sat down at numerous tables and shared numerous glasses of wine with parishioners.
All of this, Coyne said, will continue.
“I pledge myself to the people of the Archdiocese of Hartford that I will continue to do this,” Coyne said. “I’m not a lonely shepherd who walks in the midst of the flock, but one who walks in the midst of the flock.”
Follow John Lavenburg on X: @johnlavenburg
Connecticut
Sierra Club Connecticut, State Representatives Host Black Lungs Matter: Juneteenth Press Event – CleanTechnica
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Hartford Advocates and Community Members Gathered to Remember, Honor Path to Freedom
HARTFORD, Ct. — Today, Sierra Club Connecticut and State Representatives Minnie Gonzalez, Maryam Khan, and Jilian Gilchrist hosted Black Lungs Matter, a Juneteenth Press Conference, at the Connecticut Legislative Office Building.
The event highlighted the disproportionate impact of air pollution on Black residents in Connecticut and the broken promises that have contributed to this impact. Speakers included state representatives, public health and civil rights experts, plus local voices from Sierra Club Connecticut and the Connecticut Coalition for Economic and Environmental Justice.
The groups are concerned that Governor Lamont is no longer moving ahead with eliminating all carbon emissions from state building heating and cooling systems, as he pledged in Executive Order 21-3. The Trump Administration has also cancelled at least $50 million in federal grants for environmental justice projects across New England, a substantial portion of which was slated to come to Connecticut environmental justice organizations.
Environmental injustice refers to the fact that environmental hazards, such as air and water pollution, and the health harms that they cause, are disproportionately experienced by people of color and low income people. Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race, income, ethnicity, tribal affiliation or disability, in the environmental decision making which affects them.
“Just like the enslaved people in Texas were some of the last to gain their freedom, the asthmatic children of Hartford are likely to be the last to breathe clean air,” said Dr. Mark Mitchell, founder of the Connecticut Environmental Justice Leadership Collaborative. “The Governor should keep his clean air promise to Hartford, and help fight back against the environmental injustice of the Trump Administration.”
“As a Puerto Rican woman, I stand in solidarity with Black communities fighting for the right to breathe clean air and live healthy lives,” said Rep. Minnie Gonzalez, who represents the residents that are most exposed to the pollution from Capitol Area Systems.
“As a representative of Hartford, I am deeply committed to ensuring that every child in our city breathes clean air,” said Rep. Maryam Khan. “On this Juneteenth, we recognize the painful legacy of environmental injustice that has disproportionately harmed Black communities. Today, I stand with the Sierra Club in demanding action to tackle air pollution in Hartford. No child’s future should be stolen by the air they breathe.”
“Connecticut has made commitments to Environmental Justice,” said Sharon Lewis, an Environmental Justice Advocate. “Juneteenth reminds us that commitments matter only when they reach the people they were intended to serve.”
“We cannot allow the environmental justice goals and objectives in this city to be ignored,” said Attorney Cynthia Jennings. “Any investment of our tax dollars must be used to improve the health and safety of residents in every Hartford community.”
“Let’s remind the Governor that Black Americans deserve to breathe clean air in Hartford,” said Sierra Club Connecticut Organizer Alycia Jenkins. “Once justice is won for Black Americans, justice will be won for all.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.
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NEW CANAAN, Conn. — An elderly driver was rescued from his vehicle after he accidentally crashed into a swimming pool in on Tuesday.
It happened just after 10:30 a.m. at the Steve Benko Pool at Waveny Park in New Canaan, Connecticut.
The Tesla plowed through a fence and set of trees before plunging into the water. Police say he was trying to park at the time.
The community pool was closed when it happened, so no one was swimming or in the path of the vehicle.
Lifeguards and first responders entered the pool to help the driver out of the vehicle.
Lifeguard Mike D’Urso, 18, described what happened.
“Me and my coworker were setting up the umbrellas when we heard a loud crash and we turned around and there was a car right in the middle of the pool,” D’Urso said.
D’Urso said the man was conscious and alert, but the vehicle began to take on water.
“The car began to sink a couple minutes in, and my concern was that the water would rise above his head and wouldn’t be able to breathe,” D’Urso said.
D’Urso and EMS workers pulled the victim out through the passenger side window. The driver said he wasn’t injured, but he was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
The pool will have to be drained, cleaned and refilled. Officials hope to have it reopened by the weekend.
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One person is dead after a double shooting in Hartford, police said.
ShotSpotter notified police of shots fired around 7 p.m. on Magnolia Street.
When officers got to the scene, they found a woman unresponsive in the driver’s seat of a vehicle.
Police identified the victim as 46-year-old Diana Tirado of New Britain. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
There was another woman in her 30s with a gunshot wound on the sidewalk. She was taken to the hospital, where she is listed in stable condition. Her identity has not been released.
Police have not identified a suspect at this time.
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