A new generation of Catholics is stepping outside the church's tainted shadow and creating a modern community that, they say, better reflects the world today.

This new generation of believers worship outside the confines of an antiquated and draconian institution that is out to protect itself, they say. This has been a daily practice for many long before a Pennsylvania grand jury report exposed decades of sexual abuse by hundreds of clergy members throughout the state.

“We’ve always had an antagonistic or non-relationship with the bishops,” Michael Rocks, president of Dignity Philadelphia, said. “We don’t trust them to police themselves.”

Founded in 1973, Dignity is a community of LGBT Catholics who worship in the basement of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Center City. Their services are frequently led by Kathleen Gibbons Schuck, a woman who was ordained as a priest in 2015.

Schuck is one of more than 200 Roman Catholic Women Priests around the world. Their unique sisterhood dates back to 2002 when a group of radical male bishops took it upon themselves to ordain seven women on the Danube River. While the Vatican does not recognize these ministers, Schuck and her sisters remained undeterred.

“We live below the radar,” she said. “It’s all about community. I believe at the deepest level that’s what Jesus calls us all to.”

Despite their rejection of the traditional Catholic Church, both Rocks and Schuck consider themselves faithful. Rocks is a gay man, and Schuck is married to a man and has a college-aged daughter.

Both church leaders are drawn to Catholicism’s sense of community.

“I have found that at times of real trauma, grief, the support of a community has made a difference and helped me get through challenging situations,” Schuck said.

But her 21-year-old daughter remains cautious, if not cynical, regarding the church her mother embraces. When the grand jury report came out last week, Schuck’s daughter told her that the news merely exposed “a scam for what it really is.”

Schuck’s daughter is not alone in her mistrust of organized religion. More than 30 percent of millennials consider themselves to be religiously unaffiliated, according to a 2014 study by the Pew Research Center. Even older Americans are increasingly calling themselves atheist or agnostic - almost a quarter of the U.S. population now considers itself unaffiliated compared to just 16 percent in 2007.

“Whereas it is life-giving and energizing for me, it is not for [my daughter],” Schuck said.

The Pennsylvania grand jury report forced many Catholics to confront painful realities about the church, but it has not necessarily shaken their faith.

Pope Francis issued a letter to believers around the world Monday condemning the crime of priestly sexual abuse and demanding accountability. He begged forgiveness for the pain suffered by victims and said lay Catholics must be involved in any effort to root out abuse and cover-up.

His words resonated throughout the world, even drawing the praise of Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who spearheaded the grand jury investigation.

The pope’s words also helped to galvanize a new generation of Catholics who want to see the church modernize.

“I have known and have met priests that are genuinely good,” a 23-year-old La Salle University student told NBC10. “You can’t judge one person by what another person has done.”

The Philadelphia native asked that her name not be used because her family is active within the local church community. She admits that of her friends, she is the only one who openly practices Catholicism. The others “have fallen off,” she said. They are too busy with school and work to attend mass, and they don’t necessarily understand supporting an organization accused of so much wrongdoing.

“I was taught church is the people, not the building,” she said.

Trader Joe’s will soon be opening at the Plaza at Buckland Hills.  

The Plaza at Buckland Hills is going through a multi-million-dollar expansion, remodel and upgrade, according to a statement sent on behalf of Washington Prime Group, the parent company of the Manchester shopping center.

The Trader Joe’s grocery store is expected to open at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 6 at 1510 Pleasant Valley Road. This will be the second store the Greater Hartford area. The other is in West Hartford.

Bonchon Chicken, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Noodles & Company and Sports Clips have opened at the Plaza at Buckland Hills.

A couple and their dogs were stung over and over again by yellow jackets with walking on trails in Colchester, according to police, and authorities said the area is now believed to be safe from the wasps. 

Colchester police said on Facebook that a woman contacted them and said she and her husband were walking on the trails in Ruby Cohen Woodlands, on McDonald Road, with their five dogs when yellow jackets attacked them Monday. 

The man and woman were each stung around 40 times and their dogs were also stung several times and needed attention from a veterinarian, according to police.

During the attack, the couple dropped all the leashes, as well as glasses and other personal belongings on the trail, police said. 

Police said the nest has been taken care and the personal belongings have been recovered.

The town of Vernon will be holding a public hearing tonight about crumbling concrete foundations as officials work to get an accurate report on the scope of the crisis in the state. 

Crumbling foundations are a problem that NBC Connecticut Investigates exposed three years ago and hundreds of homes in Connecticut are in danger of collapsing because of the state of the foundations.  

The hearing, which begins at 7:35 p.m. is the first step in finding out how many homeowners are affected so that Vernon, Ellington and Stafford can apply for a block grant through the federal government. The grant would be through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

Experts have said the crumbling concrete is caused by a naturally occurring mineral, but many insurance companies don't cover repairs, which could cost about $200,000 per home. 

The state of Connecticut is pledging about $ 200 million over the next 10 years, but it might not be enough, so state and local leaders want federal assistance.

A Detroit mother is calling for parents to talk to their kids about dangerous challenges being shared on social media after her 12-year-old daughter was hospitalized with severe burns after mimicking the so-called "fire challenge." 

Brandi Owens' daughter Timiyah Landers was engulfed by flames on Aug. 17 after imitating the fire challenge, where a person sets part of their body ablaze before dousing out the flames. She is expected to be hospitalized for months while undergoing several surgeries, she wrote on a GoFundMe page. 

In an interview with The Washington Post, Owens said she had gone to take a nap while her daughter was playing with two friends then was startled by a popping sound. She next saw Landers, covered in flames, running down a hallway yelling "help me!" Her fiancee helped rush Landers to the bathtub where they were able to put out the fire before rushing Landers to the hospital.

The other girls later said that Landers had poured rubbing alcohol on her arms and one of her friends lit the fire, not expecting the challenge to go awry, Owens told the Post. 

In her GoFundMe page, Owens linked what happened to her daughter to videos of the fire challenge found on YouTube. 

"Children often do not realize that life is a precious gift and that they cannot copy things that they see on the internet," she wrote, saying that the experience has "shaken our family to the core." 

Landers is not the first person to be hospitalized over the fire challenge, where reports of injuries have made headlines periodically in recent years. 

The dare appears to have grown out of a YouTube video in 2012 before gaining popularity there and on now-shuttered social media platform Vine in 2013 and 2014, according to KnowYourMeme.com. Other versions of the challenge involve moving a flame close to one's body.

"There's a misconception that they're going to be able to light themselves on fire, get a cool video and then quickly put the flames with shower water," said burn specialist Stephanie Campbell of Dallas' Parkland Memorial Hospital back in 2016 in the wake of a new case. "But it's absolutely not true." 

As of Tuesday, a search of "Fire Challenge" on YouTube mostly showed reports from years ago about people getting hurt.  

YouTube did not answer questions about how many such videos are still availble on its platform but said it removes "flagged videos." 

"YouTube’s Community Guidelines prohibit content that's intended to encourage dangerous activities that have an inherent risk of physical harm or death," a spokesperson said in a statement. "We remove flagged videos that violate our policies." 

There is no video of the Detroit incident on YouTube.

The original video of the phenomenon listed by KnowYourMeme was removed frin YouTube Tuesday morning after NBC contacted YouTube.

YouTube is not alone among social media companies in having hosted videos of dares over the years, like the Tide Pod Challenge, Condom Challenge and Cinnamon Challenge. 

NBC has reached out to Facebook and Snap for comment on what steps they take to curtail such videos. 

A Roman Catholic university in Scranton, Pennsylvania, said it is standing with victims of child sexual abuse by removing the names of three bishops from campus buildings and rescinding their honorary degrees.

The move is part of the growing fallout from a grand jury report that said a succession of church leaders helped cover up abuse by some 300 Catholic priests in Pennsylvania who victimized more than 1,000 children, and possibly many more, since the 1940s.

The names of bishops Jerome D. Hannan, J. Carroll McCormick and James C. Timlin will be scrubbed from the university "with sympathy and in solidarity with victims of sexual abuse," a letter sent to students, employees and alumni stated. 

"As documented in the report, these Bishops covered up the crimes and misdeeds of men who were under their jurisdiction and placed children in harm’s way," the letter said.

Buildings will be renamed to highlight positive role models within the Catholic Church, according to the letter. New honorees include an Australian nun who publicly exposed the sexual abuse of children by a priest and the late Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, who will be canonized by Pope Francis in October. He was killed in 1980 while saying mass in his native country.

Earlier this week, a Roman Catholic high school in Pennsylvania named for Cardinal Donald Wuerl was vandalized with paint. North Catholic High School is part of the Pittsburgh Diocese, where Wuerl was bishop from 1988 to 2006. Wuerl is now archbishop of Washington and accused to helping protect several priests accused of sexually abusing children.

Meanwhile, the Harrisburg diocese previously announced it was also holding past church leadership accountable for the sexual abuse of children by priests, and stripping from church properties the names of bishops going back 70 years.

A luxury jet carrying rapper Post Malone landed safely Tuesday afternoon, hours after blowing two tires during takeoff at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport.

The Gulfstream IV carrying 16 passengers touched down safely at Stewart International Airport just before 4 p.m., nearly five hours after takeoff.

Authorities did not confirm the identities of those on board, but Syracuse-born Post Malone tweeted that he had landed. with a message for his fans, and for his haters. "Thank you for your prayers. Can't believe how many people wished death on me on this website. F*** you. But not today," he said.

Videos posted to social media Tuesday morning by multiple members of Post Malone's team, including his manager, his bodyguard and his DJ, showed the rapper boarding a plane at Teterboro Airport. Post Malone was seen reclining on a bed on the jet as it began to taxi on the runway. 

After the plane landed, Malone's manager posted an Instagram Story on the runway at Stewart with the caption "THANK YOU LORD."

No injuries were immediately reported aboard the aircraft, which was departing for London Luton Airport in Luton, England. Post Malone's next tour stop is in England.

Emergency crews readied to receive the plane at Teterboro after the pilot circled for a time, burning fuel, but it was then diverted to an airport in Massachusetts. Then it was said to be making an emergency landing somewhere in Connecticut before it was diverted back to New York -- to Stewart Airport.

Post Malone performed at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York City Monday night with Aerosmith and won Song of the Year at the ceremony for his hit "Rockstar."  

The rapper shot to fame with his 2015 single "White Iverson,” and has gone on to smash streaming records and win multiple awards for his music. Born in Syracuse, New York, the 23-year-old made history when his second album 'beerbongs & bentleys' broke the first week streaming record on Spotify globally.

He has worked with rappers such as 50 Cent and Kanye West and performed at Kylie Jenner’s 18th birthday party. His first single from the album, “Rockstar,” peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and held the spot for eight consecutive weeks. It also won Top Rap Song at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards.

U.S. Marshals arrested a homicide suspect wanted in South Carolina at a motel in Stratford on Tuesday morning.

Andrew Maxswane Evins, 23, is suspected in the August 12 shooting death of Jervaughn McKins in Eutawville, South Carolina, according to federal officials.

After the shooting, investigators gathered information that Evins had fled to Connecticut.

Marshals found him at the Rodeway Inn in Stratford around 9:30 a.m.

Evins was taken to the Bridgeport Police Department where he is facing fugitive of justice charges, according to federal officials.

He will be held there pending extradition to South Carolina.

Police have issued a Silver Alert for a missing 88-year-old Stamford man. 

Erilus Etienne was reported missing today. 

He is 5-feet-eight and weighs 112 pounds. He was last seen wearing a suit, a button-down shirt, a tie, dress pants, a black fedora hat and black Converse sneakers.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call Stamford Police at 203-977-4921.

Vandalism at town parks in Plainville and Bristol have parents and town officials upset and cleaning up. 

In Plainville, the Paderewski Park splash pad was vandalized on Aug. 15. Plainville Town Manager Robert Lee said it appeared that someone had smashed the button on the ground that turns the water on and off. 

“It looked like somebody was pounding on the actuator button and broke it, which was flush mounted on the ground,” said Lee. 

The Paderewski splash pad is back open but park officials have to manually turn the water on at 10 a.m. and off at 2:30 p.m. until they get a new piece of equipment to fully repair the splash pad. 

Over the weekend flower pots were also destroyed at Norton Park, Lee said. 

There are security cameras at Norton Park but the incident was not caught on camera and town officials are considering adding cameras to Paderewski Park in the future. 

Plainville parents said the vandalism is upsetting to hear.

“That's disappointing to hear because a lot of kids come here. It's a free activity and a lot of residents like to access free things versus having to pay for pool access. … But, it's disappointing that someone would do that,” Kim Rodriguez said as her children enjoyed the splash pad at Paderewski Park.

In Bristol, Bristol Parks and Recreation said there was more vandalism on Monday. The damage occurred at the Stocks Playground splash pad and closed the splash pad for the rest of the season.

The Rockwell Park and Page Park splash pads will still be open through Labor Day.

Town officials said it is not clear if the various incidents are connected and Lee thinks it is more likely to be a localized issue. 

Whatever the case, parents hope it stops.

“The person who vandalized, I hope they realize that it affects a lot of other people and they don't do it again,” said Rodriguez.

A man suspected of murder in New London in December 2017 has been arrested and charged by Connecticut authorities after being found in Massachusetts.

Jamir Johnson, 19, was wanted in connection with the shooting death of Quvonte Gray‎ on Dec. 9, 2017.

Police in Halifax, Massachusetts arrested Johnson in July on burglary charges. On Tuesday he was returned to Connecticut and charged with murder, possession of a pistol without a permit and unlawful discharge of a firearm for the New London case.

Johnson is being held on a $1.5 million bond.

The ranking Democrats on the House and Senate Intelligence Committees say the conviction of Paul Manafort and the guilty plea by Michael Cohen make it clear that President Donald Trump is wrong when he says special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe is a "witch hunt."

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said Tuesday that any attempt by Trump to pardon Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, or interfere in the Russia investigation would be a "gross abuse of power and require immediate action by Congress."

Rep. Adam Schiff of California says Manafort's conviction on eight financial crime charges and former Trump lawyer Cohen's guilty plea to campaign-finance violations and other charges proves the Trump campaign embraced individuals with a history of dishonest business dealings as well as concerning ties to overseas interests.

Schiff tweeted: "Mueller’s investigation is far from a witch hunt, as Trump falsely repeats as a mantra." 

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D., Mass., made sure to tie Manafort to President Donald Trump when she tweeted shortly after the verdict was announced.

"it's shocking that @realDonaldTrump's campaign mgr has been convicted of criminal tax fraud," she tweeted. 

Two men have been charged in connection with the investigation into more than 100 suspected K2 overdoses in the New Haven area last week.

The suspects, 53-year-old John Parker and 37-year-old Felix Melendez, were taken into custody on unrelated charges last week during the investigation into the string of overdoses in the city. Police said both men were identified by victims and witnesses as linked to the sale or distribution of the drugs.

Both Parker and Melendez were charged with possession of controlled substances and the sale of hallucinogens with the intent to sell/distribute.

Both men have been previously arrested for selling drugs on the Green, police said.

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A third man, 47-year-old Quentin Staggers, was arrested by federal authorities in connection with the case, according to a spokesperson for the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut. The affidavit is currently sealed.

Emergency responders in New Haven responded to a string of suspected K2 overdoses starting last Tuesday and continuing through Thursday. Police said a total of 47 people were transported to the hospital, some multiple times due to multiple overdoses. In total, there were 108 transports.

Many of the people became ill while they were on the New Haven Green, which is located near Yale University. There were no fatalities, but authorities warned that the drug can be fatal and for people to stay away from it.

The K2 involved in this case was contaminated with another synthetic drug called fubinaca,

One form of fubinaca is an "ultrapotent" synthetic cannabinoid known to be 50 to 85 times more powerful than K2 and "poses a public health concern," according to a 2017 article in the New England Journal of Medicine that found the drug was involved in a 2016 outbreak in Brooklyn, New York, that resulted in dozens of hospitalizations and left the area looking like a "zombieland."

Last year, the Drug Enforcement Administration temporarily classified fubinaca as a Schedule I drug, the same category as heroin, a move the federal agency said was “necessary to avoid an imminent hazard to the public safety.”

Officials said fubinaca was found in nearly all the K2 samples New Haven police recovered. The DEA helped the city discover what was in the co-called bad batch.

“Thanks to the DEA for doing the testing and thanks to victims who were courageous enough to come forward and make identification we’ve been able to tie both of them definitively to the distribution and sale of the K2 that was happening on the Green,” said New Haven Police Chief Anthony Campbell.

The overdose emergency was followed by a visit from Jim Carroll, the nominee for federal drug czar and current Deputy Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, who discussed the response and ways to combat the ongoing addiction and substance abuse epidemic in the country with state and local officials.

Edible Arrangements is moving its corporate headquarters from Wallingford, Connecticut to the Atlanta, Georgia area by the end of the year, according to a news release.

A statement released Tuesday afternoon says the company known for arrangements made of fresh fruit will maintain a small office in Wallingford, with approximately 20 people. The company now has about 130 workers in Wallingford.

Edible Arrangements opened an Atlanta office in March as a second headquarters and said it was to take advantage of the “more centralized location, access to major transportation hubs and other resources for many of the services that were previously handled out of Wallingford.”

A representative for the company said a small number of people who work at the Wallingford site will relocate and the company will search for applicants from the Atlanta area.

Some Edible Arrangements will receive severance and relocation packages.

“We are excited to make Atlanta the brand's home base as we build a best in class Support Center for our franchise owners," CEO Mike Rotondo said in a statement. “Edible’s Wallingford, CT office is an important part of the brand’s history and heritage, and we will always have a presence in the community. At the same time, the global marketplace is changing at a rapid pace and Atlanta is an attractive location to base much of the team needed to support the company's next phase of growth.”

Christopher Rodriguez won’t soon forget his 11th birthday at Goodwin Park in Hartford.

It was just before 5 p.m. on Aug. 7 when a decaying red maple tree slated for removal by the city of Hartford came crashing down on him. 

The fifth-grader starts school in one week and Christopher knows he has a long road to recovery after three surgeries. He was released from Connecticut Children’s Medical Center on Monday.

“One screw and stitches and the bone sticked our right here," Christopher said. “A couple broken ribs.”

With a smile on his face, Christopher points out his painful injuries.

“Before we cut the cake me and my cousin decided to play basketball and out of nowhere we heard the tree branch,” Christopher told NBC Connecticut.

They sprinted away, but Christopher couldn’t get out of the tree’s path fast enough.

William Rodriguez, who is not related to Christopher, was also at the park that day and ran to the boy’s side.

“I heard the crackle behind me and I see the tree fall and the little kid running,” William said.

“When he lifted me up, I was like did this really happen? Then when he put me on the grass I was like ‘is this a dream,’ and they said no this isn’t a dream,” Christopher explained.

“He was saying he was really hot. Kept him calm and alert, he was about to pass out,” William said.

The tree that came down on Christopher had been tagged for removal by the city. At the time of the accident, Mayor Luke Bronin said that tree and more than 100 others across the city were already slated for removal and the one that hit Christopher “was not identified as an emergency threat.”

After the accident, contracted crews went to work removing other tagged trees. The city once had a full-time forestry crew, which was laid off which was laid off by the city’s previous administration. Now, the work is done with contractors on an as-needed basis. 

Christopher’s mother Carmen Rodriguez said the city did too little, too late.

“I’m angry he didn’t do nothing wrong. He was playing basketball,” Carmen said. “I think the city should have been responsible for that, because they know it was ready to be removed and they didn’t.”

A spokesman for the mayor said they’re hoping for the boy’s full recovery but cannot comment further due to impending litigation.

The New Haven Board of Education has approved the layoffs of 24 employees, a number less than originally anticipated as the district continues to manage a budget shortage.

The school district was looking at a $19 million budget shortfall in March. By closing three schools, making staff reductions and other difficult decisions, New Haven Public Schools that deficit has been reduced by more than $10 million as officials continue to look at other ways to manage the money.

Board President Darnell Goldson confirmed that 24 layoffs were approved at a meeting Tuesday. The 24 layoffs include teachers and school counselors, but the number is significantly lower than originally predicted. When the district originally began discussing cuts, there was talk of cutting 135 positions.

The district has reassigned some personnel in an effort to best utilize the staff and reduce the number of cuts. Some also chose to resign.

Nearly 22,0000 students go back to New Haven Public Schools on Aug. 30.

A child was taken to the hospital after being struck by a car Tuesday night.

Bridgeport police confirmed the child was hit near the intersection of Maplewood Avenue near Park Avenue.

The child’s condition was not immediately clear.

No other information was immediately available.

The Downtown Wooster Square community members sat down to talk about solutions Tuesday after more than 100 drug overdoses in just a few days at the New Haven Green.

The consensus among people at the meeting was that last week’s overdoses were something of a reckoning moment for the situation on the Green. Community members told NBC Connecticut they want to work together and with city leaders while showing compassion for those who have nowhere else to go.

“There’s a clear hunger for a community forum. A public community forum for people to talk to us,” said Caroline Smith, the chair of the Downtown Wooster Square Community Management Team.

Leaders are looking for a way to help the community’s most vulnerable – the people who overdosed on K2 last week and still battle addiction today.

“The problems that we experienced last week are not new,” said Elsie Chapman.

Chapman, a longtime resident and community leader said the city needs more resources.

“Everybody knows that New Haven is the place where so often people are brought because New Haven has such a big heart and provides so many services,” Chapman said.

The Green has long been a gathering point for those struggling with substance abuse in New Haven, as well as those from surrounding cities and towns, because of the convergence of mass transit, the location of social services offices and the methadone treatment facilities. The mayor’s representative at the meeting said last week’s events reenergized the city’s commitment to providing services to those in need, where they are.

“This is clearly a sobering moment when you have this many overdoses and this many people affected….It’s going to continue to be a place where people do need some services and we want to make sure those are quick and as direct to serve their needs as possible,” said Michael Harris, special assistant to Mayor Toni Harp.

The city hopes to provide services like street psychiatrists, medical professionals and recovery coaches on the Green.

Business owners at the meeting said in addition to treatment, people who choose to come to the Green need alternatives that perhaps the greater community could come together to create.

“Do we have any incentives to hire people that are in active recovery? It’s hard for folks who have a record or are getting out of prison and they’re in treatment to get a job. That gets in the way of a lot of things,” said Adam Christoferson of Musical Intervention. “There’s so much more opportunity for people if they’re given a space to thrive in. “

Leaders of the meeting said this is just the beginning of meetings for ongoing work they want to improve on the Green to help those who gather there.

The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that people can use some expired EpiPens for a few months longer, to help cover spot shortages that have put some parents into a panic at the beginning of a new school year, NBC News reported.

Some batches of the devices, which inject lifesaving medication to stop severe allergic reactions, can be used for four months beyond their expiration, the FDA said. The affected devices hold the 0.3-milligram dose. The FDA said it reviewed data from Mylan, which sells EpiPen, showing that the product is still effective beyond the expiration date.

"We are doing everything we can to help mitigate shortages of these products, especially ahead of the back-to-school season," the FDA’s Dr. Janet Woodcock said in a statement.

Democrats have drafted a wide-ranging contingency plan should special counsel Robert Mueller be fired, or President Donald Trump take other steps to quash the Russia investigation, NBC News reported. Such moves could include firing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, or pardoning key witnesses. 

Of top concern in the first 24 hours of such a move would be preventing Mueller’s documents from being destroyed and his team disbanded, according to interviews with nearly a dozen lawmakers, congressional aides, Democratic operatives and attorneys involved in the planning.

Rallies would be hastily scheduled across the country, and so far, the Democratic group MoveOn.org has organized 933 such rallies; everything from the location to sponsors has been picked out. 

Additionally, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer would consult with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, while Democrats would demand a floor vote on a bill retroactively protecting Mueller and protecting his materials. In both the Senate and House, Democrats would contact a list of sympathetic Republicans who have signaled privately that they’d be willing to act should Trump pull the trigger.