STATEMENT ON CHRIST THE KING CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL AND MIDDLE VILLAGE PREPARATORY CHARTER SCHOOL

Dear Parents and Students,

I am writing to clear up some misinformation that was disseminated by the administrations of Christ The King Catholic High School and Middle Village Preparatory Charter School. Letters sent home to students and parents indicated that the Diocese of Brooklyn is ordering the closure of Middle Village Prep. This is a misrepresentation of the truth and we at the diocese feel it is our obligation to clarify the facts.

The Diocese of Brooklyn believes in education, both parochial and public. Multiple charter schools currently utilize or share space in Catholic high school and parish buildings throughout the Diocese with the full support of the Church. We wish to see all of these schools, including Middle Village Prep, continue to thrive. But the power to keep Middle Village Prep open lies with Christ the King High School.

In recent years Christ the King has refused to re-affirm and honor its long-standing covenant with the Diocese of Brooklyn—a covenant that is honored by all other Catholic regional high schools in the Diocese. This covenant requires that these high schools operate in consultation with the Diocese when conducting enterprises unrelated to their function as Catholic schools.

After years of unsuccessful efforts to work in cooperation with Christ the King High School, the Diocese of Brooklyn was left with no other recourse but to file a lawsuit. In March of 2017, and after several years of litigation, the Supreme Court ruled that use of the premises for the operation of a charter school is a breach of Christ the King’s agreement with the Diocese. The court ordered Christ the King to discontinue the use of the premises for a charter school without the permission of the Diocese, effective at the end of the current academic year.

The diocese has made it clear to Christ the King that it will permit use of the property for a charter school, hence allowing Middle Village Prep to remain open. The diocese’s sole requirement is that Christ the King adhere to the same conditions accepted by all other Catholic regional high schools and parishes in the diocese.

It is the Diocese of Brooklyn’s fervent hope and prayer that Christ the King will forever continue to serve the young men and women of the Diocese and that the property will continue to serve the most worthy cause of education.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Bishop James Massa
Diocese of Brooklyn

Bishop James Massa’s Address to Parents and Students

Dear Parents and Students,

I am writing to clear up some misinformation that was disseminated by the administrations of Christ The King Catholic High School and Middle Village Preparatory Charter School. Letters sent home to students and parents indicated that the Diocese of Brooklyn is ordering the closure of Middle Village Prep. This is a misrepresentation of the truth and we at the diocese feel it is our obligation to clarify the facts.

The Diocese of Brooklyn believes in education, both parochial and public. Multiple charter schools currently utilize or share space in Catholic high school and parish buildings throughout the Diocese with the full support of the Church. We wish to see all of these schools, including Middle Village Prep, continue to thrive. But the power to keep Middle Village Prep open lies with Christ the King High School.

In recent years Christ the King has refused to re-affirm and honor its long-standing covenant with the Diocese of Brooklyn—a covenant that is honored by all other Catholic regional high schools in the Diocese. This covenant requires that these high schools operate in consultation with the Diocese when conducting enterprises unrelated to their function as Catholic schools.

After years of unsuccessful efforts to work in cooperation with Christ the King High School, the Diocese of Brooklyn was left with no other recourse but to file a lawsuit. In March of 2017, and after several years of litigation, the Supreme Court ruled that use of the premises for the operation of a charter school is a breach of Christ the King’s agreement with the Diocese. The court ordered Christ the King to discontinue the use of the premises for a charter school without the permission of the Diocese, effective at the end of the current academic year.

The diocese has made it clear to Christ the King that it will permit use of the property for a charter school, hence allowing Middle Village Prep to remain open. The diocese’s sole requirement is that Christ the King adhere to the same conditions accepted by all other Catholic regional high schools and parishes in the diocese.

It is the Diocese of Brooklyn’s fervent hope and prayer that Christ the King will forever continue to serve the young men and women of the Diocese and that the property will continue to serve the most worthy cause of education.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

 

 

Bishop James Massa

Diocese of Brooklyn

Newark Archbishop Joseph William Cardinal Tobin to Address Federal Immigration Policy at Brooklyn’s World Communications Day Conference

“A person unbound by Christian charity would say that you really have to believe in inflicting cruelty on innocent people to choose to support the policies [on immigration] we’ve seen in recent months while possessing the power to change the law.” – Joseph William Cardinal Tobin, Archbishop of Newark

On Wednesday, May 17, beginning at 9:30 a.m., the Diocese of Brooklyn will hold its 26th Annual World Communications Day Catholic Media Conference. The conference will be held at BRIC House, 647 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11217. Read more »

Passing of Bishop Thomas Daily: Viewing and Funeral

Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio regrets to inform the faithful of the Diocese of Brooklyn of the death of Most Reverend Thomas Vose Daily, Bishop Emeritus of Brooklyn. Bishop Daily was born on September 23, 1927, ordained a priest on January 10, 1952, ordained a bishop on February 11, 1975, appointed as Bishop of Palm Beach from 1984 through 1990, and served as Bishop of Brooklyn from 1990 through 2003. Bishop Daily died on May 15, 2017 at the Bishop Mugavero Residence at Immaculate Conception Center.

The arrangements are as follows:

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Viewing: 2:00 PM – 9:00PM
Immaculate Conception Center Main Chapel 7200 Douglaston Parkway
Douglaston, New York 11362
Tel: 718-299-8001 Ext. 2100
Evening Prayer: 5:30 PM

Immaculate Conception Center Main Chapel 7200 Douglaston Parkway
Douglaston, New York 11362
Tel: 718-299-8001 Ext. 2100

Vigil Service: 7:30 PM
Immaculate Conception Center Main Chapel 7200 Douglaston Parkway
Douglaston, New York 11362
Tel: 718-299-8001 Ext. 2100

Thursday, May 18, 2017 

Viewing: 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Cathedral Basilica of Saint James 250 Cathedral Place
Brooklyn, New York 11201
(718) 852-4002

Vigil Mass: 7:30 PM Cathedral Basilica of Saint James 250 Cathedral Place
Brooklyn, New York 11201
(718) 852-4002

Friday, May 19, 2017 

Viewing: 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Immaculate Conception Center Main Chapel 7200 Douglaston Parkway
Douglaston, New York 11362
Tel: 718-299-8001 Ext. 2100 Funeral: 11:00 AM

Immaculate Conception Center
Main Chapel 7200 Douglaston Parkway
Douglaston, New York 11362
Tel: 718-299-8001 Ext. 2100

Burial:
Bishops’ Crypt
Douglaston, New York

Condolences may be sent to his nephew, Reverend Vincent Daily, at Saint Gregory Rectory, 2223 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester, MA 02124. Please pray for the repose of his soul and for the consolation of his family and friends. May he rest in the peace of Christ, the Risen Lord.

Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio
Bishop of Brooklyn

Bishop Thomas V. Daily Dies at 89

“Bishop Daily was a man who personified the Second Vatican Council’s call for a preferential option for the poor. He ministered to indigenous people amidst poverty in Peru, women in crisis pregnancies, as well as new and often poor immigrants living in Brooklyn. He never acted out of malice or to further his own self-interest. At heart he was a missionary. I suspect he wished he could have remained in the missions his entire life.”  -Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn


MOST REVEREND THOMAS V. DAILY, BISHOP EMERITUS OF BROOKLYN, HAS DIED AT 89 YEARS OLD 

The Most Reverend Thomas Vose Daily, Bishop Emeritus of Brooklyn died overnight at the Immaculate Conception Center’s Bishop Mugavero Residence in Douglaston, Queens. Bishop Daily, served as Bishop of Brooklyn from 1990 until his retirement in 2003.

Bishop Daily was installed as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, in 1990 and served during a time of racial tension and financial hardship. In his later years, Bishop Daily suffered declining health. Read more »

DECREE PERTAINING TO ST. ROSALIA

I, the undersigned Bishop of Brooklyn, decree that the Church of Saint Rosalia, located at 6301 14th Avenue in the Borough of Brooklyn, which is within the territory of the Parish of the Basilica of Regina Pacis is hereby RELEGATED TO THE PROFANE BUT NOT SORDID USE according to the provisions of Can. 1222 § 2.

After a careful consideration of the pastoral and financial needs, a determination was reached that the cost of maintaining Saint Rosalia as an additional worship site was prohibitive to both Parish of the Basilica of Regina Pacis as well as to the Diocese of Brooklyn, especially in light of the significant financial hardship being experienced by both entities.

Click here for the Decree pertaining to St. Rosalia