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Cardinal Dolan Blesses Families Moving Into New Low-Income Apartments In The Bronx For Holy Thursday

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Cardinal Timothy Dolan blessed New Yorkers moving into a new low-income housing building in the Bronx on Thursday.

The visit marked Holy Thursday, part of Christian Holy Week leading up to Easter Sunday, CBS2's Natalie Duddridge reported.

"Seek to make this new home, before all else, a dwelling place of love," said Cardinal Dolan.

He toured the new apartment building on Bryant Avenue in the West Farms neighborhood that is providing housing to more than 300 families.

"We actually have a number of residents that are here that have transitioned from shelters to permanent housing, and the archdiocese is one of the developers of this building," said Dianne Johnson of Catholic Charities.

"This is helping out people who actually live in a shelter, people who live in low-income housing," said a Bronx resident.

The event marked Holy Thursday, a religious day before Easter. Christians believe it commemorates The Last Supper and Jesus Christ washing the feet of his disciples, signifying humility and service.

"He washed the foot, telling us that we have to be kind and love each other," said Margarita Santos from the Bronx.

In that spirit of giving, Catholic Charities is also hosting a food distribution event. Nutritious meals are being given to 250 people to share with their families over the Easter weekend.

"Food has gone up. A lot of people can't afford some of the food," said Manuel Rodriguez from the Bronx.

Catholic Charities has handed out a record 8 million meals since the pandemic started. Over the years, the group has also built 3,000 units of low-income housing.

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