This Sunday’s reading from the Letter to the Hebrew refers in reverent tones to “God the judge of all” and to “the spirits of the just made perfect.” Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York has joined other city leaders in calling on minority youth on Staten Island to exercise better judgment and put an end to a string of violent assaults this summer that has mostly targeted Hispanic youth.

In a Spanish-language sermon during Mass last Sunday at St. Mary’s of the Assumption Church in the borough’s Port Richmond neighborhood, Dolan said he was saddened by a spate of suspected anti-Hispanic muggings and other attacks that had left some Latin American immigrants fearing for their safety.

The small neighborhood is home to the majority of the borough’s Mexican immigrants, who have been the targets of most of the dozen attacks since April, authorities say. The attacks have underscored long-simmering tensions between Hispanic immigrants and African Americans.

“Our God is sad, our church is sad, and we are sad. But we should never lose hope,” Dolan told worshippers. “We will reclaim our streets. God lives in these streets. Fear, violence, and hate do not live here.”

Dolan said his message to parishioners was that God wanted people to come together. “God is our father,” he said. “He wants us all to be his children. He wants to gather us together in the unity of his kingdom.”

Just as the reading from Sirach counsels “my child” in what is proper and wholesome conduct, Dolan, speaking after the service, said the church needed to influence young people to develop in positive directions. “We need to bring young people even closer so that they’re not tempted to get into these dangerous, destructive habits,” he said.

Parishioners said they found Dolan’s words soothing. “He gave me a lot of hope,” said Jaime Bolanos, 20, who emigrated from Mexico 12 years ago. “Many people think we are alone. We are not.”

Source: Articles by Mark Morales for New York Daily News and the Associated Press