Brandon Rodriguez gives his dad, Izzy, a kiss. The first-grader donated money to a priest in Brooklyn who was given a parking ticket while administering sacraments to an elderly woman.
Posted on 11/04/2006 4:03:10 PM PST by NYer
Florida first-grader Brandon Rodriguez is convinced God wants us to be kind. A dinner table conversation prompted him to travel great lengths to accomplish the task.
Brandon's dad, Izzy Rodriguez, a native New Yorker, scans the New York Daily News online for information from his hometown. Back in August, when he read about a priest in Brooklyn who was given a parking ticket while administering sacraments to an elderly woman who was dying of the flu at a hospital, Rodriguez was annoyed.
"Can you believe it?" he told his wife over dinner at their St. Cloud home. "They fined the priest $115 while he's administering last rites."
Six-year-old Brandon listened. "Ugh, that is horrible," he said. "Boy, God is going to be mad at that police officer."
Brandon slid off his chair and headed toward his room, Rodriguez told the Florida Catholic late last month. "Wait," said Brandon's mother, Karen Rodriguez. "Come back here and finish your meal!"
Izzy Rodriguez reached across the table. "Wait a minute," he said.
They heard clinking sounds. Rodriguez knew it was coins dropping from the Maxwell House Coffee can in Brandon's room.
He winked at his wife. "I know what he's doing," Rodriguez said.
Brandon emerged, clutching the bottom of his T-shirt, which was loaded with pennies, nickels, quarters and dimes.
"Dad, can you count this?" he asked.
Rodriguez and his son sorted the coins. Rodriguez calculated the amount, which totaled $3.42, but instead of verbalizing the sum, Rodriguez said, "Wow, Brandon. You've got enough money to do whatever your heart desires!"
Brandon grabbed his Veggie Tales suitcase. "I need to go and help the Father in New York," he said.
The next day, Rodriguez came home from work to find Brandon waiting for him, arms crossed and tapping his toes. The 6-year-old persisted. "When are we going to New York to help the Father?" he asked.
By that weekend, Rodriguez and his wife contacted the Daily News, the priest and the airlines, and made arrangements to fly to New York Aug. 25 to connect with Father Cletus Forson of St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Parish in Brooklyn.
Father Forson confirmed by telephone recently that he met with the family, but said he and St. Andrew pastor, Msgr. Guy Massie, wanted to put the ticket incident behind them. According to the Daily News and Associated Press accounts, Father Forson parked in an ambulance zone around 9:30 a.m., July 26, outside Maimonides Medical Center and posted a "Clergy on Call" permit on his car because no other parking was available. Father Forson's appeal of the ticket was rejected by the city in late July and again in late September.
Others who read the news accounts responded with cards, letters and $1,500, which Msgr. Massie said would be given to charity. But Brandon's gesture was so special, it generated a follow-up story in the Daily News.
Brandon, who attends St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School in St. Cloud, will always remember the trip.
"I felt really happy to give him the money (to pay for the ticket)," he said. "That's what God wants. He wants everybody to be nice to each other."
so take it! :)
Thank you for this story. I really, really needed a feel good story!
Cool story!
(Although Izzy needs to tell his son about this outfit called Western Union. A tad cheaper than hand delivery). :-)
If I were a parent I would not leave my kids with anyone.
The lad looks a whole lot like Elian Gonzales in the days before Janet Reno "rescued" him...
I had not seen one of those "clergy" dashboard signs for decades, until just a few months ago. I was intriqued because it was obviously not a priest's car. It was a purple import, plastered with feminist, earth-worship, pro-abortion, and lesbian stickers. A woman finally came out to get in the car, about 250 pounds, butch-dyke appearance (ultra-short hair, tatoo, etc). Apparently she is a "minister" at the nearby self-proclaimed church of Gaia.
This is a true story.
P.S., Cagey, I love your tag line! LOL.
You are absolutely right!... and I appreciate you read my profile... I express my feelings very clearly on the church.
The Catholic Church has a lot of apologizing to do before they get back the respect of many, including myself.
Instead of keeping silence and pretending "nothing has really happened here," you - the good ones - would help the Catholic Church more if you were vocal in you disapproval.
Yes, absolutely... we all lost, including the Catholic Church.
God bless this child even more.
For penance, you should say 10 Our Fathers, meditating and paying particular attention to and meditating on "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."
Then look for a story about a Priest who admits to or is convicted of a heinous crime and don't go looking for every story about anything Catholic to crap on because that's precisely what you did on this thread.
You also say in your profile that you're over fifty. Try acting the part.
LOL!
I can believe it. She's probably known by something like the "Most Reverend Ma Barker".
Naahh... that doesn't cut it anymore :)... I used to believe it but I know better now. When people in important postitions - anywhere, in any institution - but especially on the ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH...transgress as they did.. this is actually A CRIME! hello? (negligence to the highest degree, for one), they don't deserve that kind of forgiveness... that is for you and I... regular sinners.
As I told my sister the other day, stop holding on to that $hit, it doesn't help anything and it makes you stink.
When you hold on to anger it just hurts you. I'd bet your anger hasn't caused one pervert an uneasy night.
:) Translate that for me because I don't get it? Age somehow has something to do with ______________________________________? [puzzled]
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