Month: June 2020

A First For First Communion

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AnneMarie Greene, Director of Faith Formation at St. Francis DeSales Parish in Belle Harbor, was determined. After months of learning and preparation for the parish children, their First Holy Communion ceremony was sadly and unexpectedly canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Over the next few weeks, Greene took note of the parish pastors Father Sweeney and Father Cunningham’s online daily and Sunday masses, and then reached out to the parish academy’s principal, Chris Scharbach, for his technology expertise and know-how.

This inquiry quickly led to what became St. Francis DeSales’ first virtual Holy Communion ceremony, held on May 2, 2020via Principal Scharbach’s Zoom account. Once Greene confirmed she had in-person support and the access to the technology for a virtual event, she immediately went to work on creating the program for this event, a responsibility she welcomed with open arms as this is her passion and forte: to create any program or material around religious education and the faith formation journey.

This Holy Communion ceremony was a wonderful prayer service which included scripture and live music from the parish choir. Along with the 92 Communion celebrants, Principal Scharbach, Father Sweeney, Father Cunningham, Father Gelfant from Blessed Trinity Parish in Breezy Point, catechists and parish academy teachers were also in the Zoom session, sharing in this important milestone for the children and, as Greene mentioned, “looking on in prayer and service to God”. Afterwards, the children – some proudly dressed in their First Communion white attire – swung by the parish rectory to pick up a gift from the parish.

Their gifted crosses and prayer cards in hand, and along with the beautiful prayer service – this is exactly what the catechists and children needed to honor this special day in the Catholic faith.

BROOKLYN AND QUEENS CATHOLIC SCHOOL GRADUATIONS HIGHLIGHT STORIES OF HOPE AND SUCCESS NET-TV Graduation Special To Celebrate Strong Foundation of Faith and Academics

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 11, 2020

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Adriana Rodriguez
718-517-3143
arodriguez@desalesmedia.org

John Quaglione 
718-517-3112
jquaglione@desalesmedia.org 

BROOKLYN AND QUEENS CATHOLIC SCHOOL GRADUATIONS HIGHLIGHT STORIES OF HOPE AND SUCCESS

NET-TV Graduation Special To Celebrate Strong Foundation of Faith and Academics

 

The Diocese of Brooklyn and the Superintendent of Catholic Schools are announcing that tomorrow, Friday, June 12, 2020, Catholic elementary academies and schools throughout Brooklyn and Queens will mark the achievements of the Class of 2020 in a variety of ways, different from years past, as a result of the Coronavirus.

The Diocesan cable channel, NET-TV, is in a special way honoring the Class of 2020 with graduation tribute programming. The graduation series will highlight students of the 50 participating schools beginning tonight, Thursday, June 11, at 8:30 PM, continuing Friday, June 12 at 8:30 PM, and concluding on Monday, June 15 at 8:30 PM.  Tune in to NET-TV on Channel 97 (Spectrum), Channel 30 (Optimum), and Channel 48 on (Fios by Verizon) or on YouTube at NETTVCATHOLIC. For a complete schedule, including encore presentations, visit www.netny.tv.

The Diocese is further highlighting stories of inspiration and success of the members of the Class of 2020 from five of its schools.

St. Frances De Sales Catholic Academy (Belle Harbor, Queens)

Thirteen years ago, 11-month old Maggie Kelly was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. With much prayer, faith, amazing doctors, and support, Maggie, who doctors said would not survive chemotherapy, is now graduating 8th grade from St. Francis de Sales.

St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy was their family’s safe place.  They knew when they sent their oldest child who was three at the time that she would be loved and cared for while the family was busy taking care of Maggie. It was then time to enroll Maggie, and the family was recently quoted saying “We thank you for all of your patience, help and mostly the love you have shown Maggie over her years at St. Francis. With tears of joy, we will be forever grateful to all of you! Miracles do happen!”

St. Peter Catholic Academy (Bensonhurst, Brooklyn)

This year’s valedictorian, Samantha Chan, is the daughter of a healthcare worker. Samantha found her faith in the 4th grade at Saint Peter’s when Mrs. Alfeo, her teacher at the time and now principal, was teaching a religion lesson. At the end of the lesson, Samantha asked to become Catholic. Mrs. Alfeo is Samantha’s Godmother and Confirmation sponsor.

Due to the fear of the Coronavirus, Samantha and her younger sister were not allowed outside throughout the pandemic. The first time outside for Samantha was when Mrs. Alfeo and teachers delivered a graduation sign to Samantha.

Divine Mercy Catholic Academy (Ozone Park, Queens)

8th Grader Brandon Wilk’s incredible academic efforts have made Brandon one of the students offered the most scholarship money ever to a student ever at the school. Brandon earned scholarships totaling $158,000 awarded from four Catholic high schools including Xavier, Cathedral Prep, Archbishop Molloy, and Regis High School, which he will attend in September on a full scholarship.

St. Sebastian Catholic Academy (Woodside, Queens)

This year’s 8th-grade valedictorian, Carolina Corcuera, is at the top of her class and follows a family legacy of school graduates. Her mother and aunts attended and graduated from St. Sebastian. Carolina has two younger siblings currently enrolled in the school, and her Mom is a board member of the Home Academy Association.

St. Bernadette Catholic Academy (Dyker Heights, Brooklyn)

The graduating Class of 2020 has two final graduates of two families who each chose St. Bernadette’s as the elementary school for their five daughters.  The graduation tomorrow, for both the Trantino Family and the Peralta Family, will bring an end to a 20 year run at St Bernadette’s.

For more information and to arrange interviews with these students, please contact John Quaglione at jquaglione@desalesmedia.org.

A promotional graphic of the NET-TV special graduation special schedule is attached.

 

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St. Pancras: Parish Life During the Pandemic

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By Juan Perez, Director of Faith Formation, St. Pancras Church

As the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic increased in great numbers, the State of New York set restrictions for the health and safety of the public. It became apparent that this was going to affect our Parish life. Reverend Francis J. Hughes, Pastor of St. Pancras Roman Catholic Church, and I, as Director of Faith Formation, needed to come up with a plan for completing the rest of the year’s program. The schools were closed, the church was closed, and our program was suspended until further notice.

For us, faith formation is a very important piece in the life of the Church. After meeting with Father Hughes, we spoke about many ideas. As a result, we came to the conclusion that we needed to have the catechists, the parents, and the students involved as much as we could. Our idea was to create PDF remote lessons for the students, and this is how we did it. First, we contacted the 11 catechists, who teach 1st through 8th grades, and explained our ideas. Then, we sent an email to the parents, explaining the procedure for the rest of the school year.

  • Each catechist was asked to send me an assessment for each chapter, for a total of eight weeks.
  • Next, I converted the lessons into fill-in PDF forms.
  • The PDF forms were sent to each catechist with the names of the students and respective emails.
  • Every week, the catechists sent the remote lessons to the parents with the directions and due dates.
  • It was suggested that the parents work with their children to read chapters and complete the lessons. Upon completion, the parents were asked to send the completed lessons to their catechist.
  • After the catechists received the completed lessons from the parents, they recorded the students as present on the attendance sheet.
  • Every week, I kept in contact with the catechists and my pastor to review how the process was going.

At the conclusion of the school year, we promoted all of those students who were involved in the program. Father Hughes and I met to review the procedures we followed during the pandemic.  We agreed that our plan of having the catechists, the parents, and the children involved with the remote lessons was very successful, and we were pleased with the outcome. In addition, Father and I spoke about registration for the next school year.  Father suggested that we should try implementing online registrations and payments, which are already in motion.

After receiving my Master’s Degree in Systematic Theology in 2015, I wanted to do more for the Church and explore new ways to evangelize by taking advantage of the new technology. As a result, I have been using Facebook Live to preach the Gospel of the Lord in a different way. Thanks to this, about 40,000 people follow my Bible teachings and reflections on my Facebook page, Comunidad Catolica Fuego de Dios, translated in English, Catholic Community of God’s Fire.

In response to the request of many Latinos within the Diocese of Brooklyn and surrounding communities, my online teaching sessions increased enormously. When the coronavirus pandemic broke out, I had to reinvent myself by transforming my bedroom into a mini-stream studio in order to be able to teach online through Zoom and Facebook rooms. To make the lessons more interesting, I incorporated Power Point presentations and prayers. The sessions also include live music with ministers from God’s Fire International Music Ministry, who connected with me through Zoom and Facebook Live. The viewers are given the opportunity to interact and make prayer requests. As a result, each presentation has between 8,000 and 20,000 viewers with very positive feedback.

The online presentations have opened other doors for me. Members of the Latino communities expressed an interest in having me prepare and offer retreats all over the United States, and including some other countries. These retreats are offered to young people, men, women, and families. This experience has changed my life because I see the pain, the suffering, and the desire to have a real and sincere relationship with God.

For years, I have written and produced music and videos for our Catholic community, based in the teachings and the Doctrine of the Church, which have had a very positive impact in the communities I have served. I am also in the process of releasing my new album, We Are Israel, and my upcoming book, Rise Up with Power.

Check me up on Facebook, on Instagram: @juancofgod, and YouTube – Camilo Perez.

Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens to Host Pop-Up Food Distribution in Queens for Neighbors in Need Impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 11, 2020

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Adriana Rodriguez
718-517-3143
arodriguez@desalesmedia.org

John Quaglione 
718-517-3112
jquaglione@desalesmedia.org

Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens to Host Pop-Up Food Distribution in Queens for Neighbors in Need Impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic

WHAT: Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens will distribute 3,600 bags of food at a Pop-Up Food Distribution in Cambria Heights at Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church located at 115-50 221st Street in the Cambria Heights section of Queens, tomorrow, Friday, June 12, 2020, from 9:30 a.m. until supplies last.

Since March 24th, Catholic Charities has:

  • Provided over 316,000 meals at emergency Pop-Up Food Distributions in Brooklyn and Queens. 
  • Provided over 250,000 meals at our food pantries.
  • Witnessed an increase in demand for food at our existing food pantries which has tripled in over 7 weeks.

On Friday, June 12th, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens will:

  • Distribute a total of nearly 13,200 meals;
  • Hand out 3,600 bags of food;
  • Provide individuals with dry staple goods, produce, fresh chicken, apples, tortillas, juice and a recipe;
  • Provide information on access to supportive services via our call center and behavioral health services via telehealth; a coping with stress flyer; and outreach material encouraging participants to self-respond to the 2020 Census.

According to the New York City Department of Health, as of June 10, Queens has seen 62,589 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 5,175 reported deaths. Brooklyn and Queens account for nearly 60 percent of all COVID-19 cases in the New York metropolitan area.

As New York City is now in phase one of reopening, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens will continue to serve communities severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially our neighbors in need who have lost their jobs, wages, and did not qualify for federal stimulus packages.

The Emergency Pop-Up Food Distribution is organized and funded by Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens as a direct response to our neighbors in need. To help, donate to Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens at www.ccbq.org.

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Brooklyn and Queens Catholic Youth Day 2020, A YouTube Affair

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On the eve of Pentecost Sunday, May 30, 2020, Brooklyn and Queens had its very first virtual Catholic Youth Day (BQCYD) celebration. Spearheaded by the Secretary of Evangelization & Catechesis Theodore Musco, lead event coordinator Lucia Morales and the BQCYD committee, the event as always consisted of inspirational talks, the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, praise and worship and fellowship with and amongst youth from multiple parishes in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

The excitement, passion and positive energy was palpable as youth ministers welcomed the online participants and host-emcee the Symbol moved the celebration forward with keynote speaker introductions, warm shout-outs to youth as they joined the online session, personal anecdotes from his own faith journey and good beats in between. There were also peaceful moments of prayer and reflection as Father James Kuroly led the online attendees through the Adoration and Father Henry Torres spoke of how the Holy Spirit is ever-present in everyday lives and that, if one opens his/her heart to the Holy Spirit, one’s gift will be revealed. Last but most certainly not least, youth from across the diocese submitted fun videos as part of a TikTok challenge.

Overall, there were good vibes shared all around. As of June 11, 2020, the YouTube video has garnered 2,900 views. BQCYD was indeed an online success and a testament to a strong and ever-faithful youth and young adult ministry in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Mons. DiMarzio da una homilía enfocada en el racismo en nuestra cultura y en nuestra Iglesia El obispo destaca la labor de la Comisión diocesana de Racismo y Justicia Social

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PARA PUBLICACIÓN INMEDIATA: 7 de junio de 2020

 

CONTACTOS DE MEDIOS:

Adriana Rodriguez

718-517-3143

arodriguez@desalesmedia.org

 

John Quaglione

718-517-3112

jquaglione@desalesmedia.org

 

Mons. DiMarzio da una homilía enfocada en el racismo en nuestra cultura y en nuestra Iglesia

El obispo destaca la labor de la Comisión diocesana de Racismo y Justicia Social

 

Monseñor Nicholas DiMarzio, obispo de Brooklyn, dedicó su homilía de este Domingo de la Trinidad en la misa en inglés de las 11 de la mañana, en la Concatedral de San José, transmitida en vivo por el canal NET-TV, al mal del racismo y a qué deben hacer la sociedad y la Iglesia para lograr el cambio.

“En nuestra situación actual, cuando vemos tantas protestas por la terrible muerte de George Floyd, reconocemos la angustia que proviene de un conocimiento más profunda de las desigualdades en nuestra propia sociedad y la carga que deben soportar las personas de color”, expresó el obispo DiMarzio.

En sus intervenciones, el obispo denunció la violencia y el saqueo de aquellos que pretenden crear anarquía en nuestra sociedad y destruir el mensaje legítimo de los manifestantes. Como Iglesia y como familia de fe, Mons. DiMarzio dice que debemos defender y ayudar a nuestros hermanos y hermanas.

“Solo cuando encontremos el amor de Dios y llevemos ese amor a los demás, las cosas cambiarán”. También citó el discurso de Martin Luther King, cuando dijo: “El tiempo está inundado con los escombros de comunidades fracturadas que se han rendido al odio y la violencia. Por la salvación de nuestra nación y la salvación de la humanidad, debemos seguir otro camino. Esto no significa que abandonemos nuestros justos esfuerzos; pero no renunciaremos, en el proceso, a nuestro privilegio y obligación de amar. Esta es la única forma de crear comunidades en el amor”.

La Diócesis de Brooklyn suscribe plenamente los conversatorios sobre el racismo que se están llevando a cabo en estos momentos. Solo dialogando de este tema complicado puede comenzar a entenderse lo que todavía le está sucediendo a las personas de color en Brooklyn y Queens, que constituyen la mitad de nuestra Diócesis.

Hace más de dos años, la Diócesis formalizó estos conversatorios. En 2017, después de las manifestaciones de supremacía blanca en Charlottesville, Virginia, el obispo DiMarzio estableció la Comisión de Racismo y Justicia Social para investigar el racismo dentro de la Iglesia. La Comisión celebró audiencias y recibió más de 500 mensajes que han ayudado a comprender estos problemas.

Como resultado de lo aprendido, la Comisión ha organizado reuniones con sacerdotes de la Diócesis para ayudarlos a entender cómo predicar sobre el racismo. También se han realizado encuentros con maestros de escuelas católicas centradas en enseñar lecciones con el fin de evitar que crezcan las semillas del racismo. “El racismo es un comportamiento aprendido. Las personas no nacen racistas. El racismo se aprende de diferentes maneras, incluso aunque no se haya enseñado expresamente. Se va incorporando por actitudes, sentimientos y palabras. Necesitamos trabajar en nuestras escuelas católicas, donde tenemos cierta influencia para asegurarnos de que nuestros jóvenes de hoy no adopten las actitudes racistas del pasado”, declaró Mons. DiMarzio.

El obispo reconoció que la Diócesis tiene que hacer más para ver de qué manera puede lidiar con los sentimientos y la realidad de que el racismo también está presente en la Iglesia. “Lo que debemos entender es que debe ocurrir un cambio social en el mal del racismo”.

 

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Video de la misa de hoy en la Concatedral de San José:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sje9zGZU0qo&feature=youtu.be

Cortesía: DeSales Media Group / NET-TV

 

10:53 – Comienza la homilía de Mons. Nicholas DiMarzio

14:11 – “En nuestra situación actual, cuando vemos tantas protestas por la terrible muerte de George Floyd, reconocemos la angustia que proviene de un conocimiento más profunda de las desigualdades en nuestra propia sociedad y la carga que deben soportar las personas de color”.

15:35 – “Lo que debemos entender es que debe ocurrir un cambio social en el mal del racismo”.

14:47 – Martin Luther King Jr, en su maravillosa interpretación de la no violencia, dijo una vez que “El tiempo está inundado con los escombros de comunidades fracturadas que se han rendido al odio y la violencia. Por la salvación de nuestra nación y la salvación de la humanidad, debemos seguir otro camino. Esto no significa que abandonemos nuestros justos esfuerzos; pero no renunciaremos, en el proceso, a nuestro privilegio y obligación de amar. Esta es la única forma de crear comunidades en el amor”.

17:06 – “El racismo es un comportamiento aprendido. Las personas no nacen racistas. El racismo se aprende de diferentes maneras, incluso aunque no se haya enseñado expresamente. Se va incorporando por actitudes, sentimientos y palabras. Necesitamos trabajar en nuestras escuelas católicas, donde tenemos cierta influencia para asegurarnos de que nuestros jóvenes de hoy no adopten las actitudes racistas del pasado”.

19:29 – “Solo cuando encontremos el amor de Dios y llevemos ese amor a los demás, las cosas cambiarán”.

 

 

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio delivers homily focused on Racism in our culture and Church The Bishop highlights the work of the Diocesan Commission on Racism and Social Justice

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 7, 2020

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Adriana Rodriguez
718-517-3143
arodriguez@desalesmedia.org

John Quaglione 
718-517-3112
jquaglione@desalesmedia.org

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio delivers homily focused on Racism in our culture and Church

The Bishop highlights the work of the Diocesan Commission on Racism and Social Justice

The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, delivered his homily on this Trinity Sunday at the 11 a.m. English Mass at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, broadcast live on NET-TV, on the evil of racism and what society and the Church must do to bring about change.

“In our situation today as we see many protesting the horrible death of George Floyd, we recognize the anguish that comes from a deeper understanding of the inequalities in our own society and the burden that people of color must bear,” said Bishop DiMarzio.

In his remarks, the Bishop decried the violence and looting by people who purposely look to create anarchy in our society and destroy the rightful message of the protestors. As a Church and a family of faith, Bishop DiMarzio says we must stand and assist our brothers and sisters.

“Only when we find the love of God and bring that love to others will things change.” He also looked to the words of Martin Luther King, who said, “this time is cluttered with the wreckage of communities that have surrendered to hatred and violence. For the salvation of our nation and the salvation of mankind, we must follow another way. This does not mean that we abandon our righteous efforts, but we shall not in the process relinquish our privilege and obligation to love. This is the only way to create beloved communities.”

The Diocese of Brooklyn fully endorses the conversations currently taking place about racism. Only by talking about this difficult topic can there begin to be an understanding of what is still happening to people of color in Brooklyn and Queens, who make up half of our Diocese.

More than two years ago, the Diocese formalized these conversations. In 2017, after the Charlottesville, Virginia white supremacist demonstrations, Bishop DiMarzio established the Commission on Racism and Social Justice to look into racism within the Church. The Commission held hearings and received over 500 messages which have helped to understand the issues.

As a result of what it learned, the Commission held meetings with priests of the Diocese to help them understand how to preach about racism. There were also meetings with Catholic school teachers focused on teaching lessons aimed at preventing the seeds of racism from growing. “Racism is a learned behavior.  People are not born as racists.  Racism is learned in different ways, even if it is not taught specifically.  It is picked up by attitudes, feelings, and words.  We need to work in our Catholic schools where we have some influence to make sure that our young people today do not pick up the racist attitudes of the past,” said Bishop DiMarzio.

The Bishop acknowledged the Diocese has to do more to see how it can deal with the feelings and the reality that racism exists in the Church. “What we must understand is that societal change on the evil of racism must happen.”

 

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Video of today’s Mass at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sje9zGZU0qo&feature=youtu.be

Courtesy: DeSales Media Group/NET-TV

10:53 – Homily by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio begins

14:11 “In our situation today as we see many protesting the horrible death of George Floyd, we recognize the anguish that comes from a deeper understanding of the inequalities in our own society and the burden that people of color must bear”

15:35 “What we must understand is that societal change on the evil of racism must happen”

14:47 Martin Luther King Jr in his wonderful understanding of non-violence once said that “this time is cluttered with the wreckage of communities that have surrendered to hatred and violence. For the salvation of our nation and the salvation of mankind, we must follow another way. This does not mean that we abandon our righteous efforts, but we shall not in the process relinquish our privilege and obligation to love. This is the only way to create beloved communities”

17:06 “Racism is a learned behavior.  People are not born as racists.  Racism is learned in different ways, even if it is not taught specifically.  It is picked up by attitudes, feelings, and words.  We need to work in our Catholic schools where we have some influence to make sure that our young people today do not pick up the racist attitudes of the past”

19:29 “Only when we find the love of God and bring that love to others will things change”

 

Commission of Religious Leaders Statement – May 31, 2020

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His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Chair

Rev. A. R. Bernard, Sr., President

Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, Vice President

 

May 31, 2020

 

CORL Statement on the Death of George Floyd

 

The Book of Ecclesiastes teaches us, “There is a time to be silent and a time to speak out.”  We of different faiths cannot remain silent after we watched the shattering video of a police officer keeping his knee on the neck of George Floyd who was crying out “I can’t breathe.”  Such inhumane treatment of another human being requires a collective response from all people of conscience.  The pursuit of justice is a fundamental tenet of our respective religious traditions, and thus we stand together to declare that all life is sacred, and all people are equal before the law in a democratic society.

We respect those who want to honor George Floyd’s memory with peaceful protest against the horror, evil, and sin that is racism.  We also support the members of Floyd’s family who said, in part, “We cannot endanger each other as we respond to the necessary urge to raise our voices in unison and in outrage.  Looting and violence distract from the strength of our collective voice.”

We often speak of “thoughts and prayers.”  We will offer our many prayers of healing, but we need not only serious thoughts but also firm action as we work together with all members of our community to find that critical cure for human hatred.

 

 

 Members

Imam Talib ‘Abdur-Rashid                        Rev. Gregory Chisholm                   Rabbi Michael Miller

Bishop Victor Brown                                    Rev. Herbert Daughtry                    Bishop John O’Hara

Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl               Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio                Rev. Al Sharpton

Elder David Buckner                                    Rev. Que English                              Msgr. Kevin Sullivan

Imam Dr. Tahir Kukiqi