VIDEO UPDATE: BISHOP DIMARZIO DEDICATES A NEW CHURCH AND ARTS CENTER FOR THE DIOCESE OF THE BROOKLYN IN WILLIAMSBURG

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 29, 2021

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Adriana Rodriguez
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arodriguez@desalesmedia.org

John Quaglione 
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jquaglione@desalesmedia.org

 

BISHOP DIMARZIO DEDICATES A NEW CHURCH AND ARTS CENTER FOR THE DIOCESE OF THE BROOKLYN IN WILLIAMSBURG

The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, officially dedicated the new Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church, and consecrated the altar, at a Mass earlier this evening. The new church, with a 550-seat capacity, is located at the corner of S. 3rd Street and Berry Street in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.

Bishop DiMarzio chose to dedicate this new church on the Solemnity of Ss. Peter and Paul, celebrated annually on June 29, throughout the Catholic Church. Immediately following the Mass, Bishop DiMarzio blessed the new parish center building, which includes The Emmaus Center, the new arts center of the Diocese of Brooklyn.  The newly renovated 600-seat theater is housed in the Historic Williamsburg Opera house which was built in 1897.

“We have witnessed a ceremony that few get to see in a lifetime because there are not that many new churches, certainly not here in Brooklyn and Queens, but this completely new renovation making a new church here on the ground level, giving us so many classrooms and a public center is truly unique,” said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio in his homily.

“This new church, this new center, this new beginning, this new evangelization is something that gives us inspiration.  I am happy that I have been here as Bishop now to see this day.  It is a long time in coming but I pray that together today we take heart.  We become new disciples of the new evangelization effort.  We reach out to others who need us.  Those who are already Catholics; those other Christians; those who know not the faith and need to encounter Jesus Christ,” continued Bishop DiMarzio.

“Today is a very important day for Ss. Peter and Paul Epiphany Parish and the Diocese of Brooklyn. With the inauguration of this new church and center, this parish, which has existed since before the Civil War, will begin a new chapter of outreach and evangelization to the people of Williamsburg, as well as to the people of Brooklyn and Queens,” said Monsignor Anthony Hernandez, the former administrator of the parish who initiated the project.

The last time a new church was opened in the Diocese of Brooklyn was in 2008 at Our Lady of Snows in the Floral Park section of Queens.  The last church renovated and re-dedicated was the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph located in the Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn in 2014.

Video can be found at: vimeo.com/569190843.

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UNIQUE LEARNING AT QUEENS CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: EYEBALL DISSECTION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 17, 2021

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Adriana Rodriguez
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John Quaglione 
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UNIQUE LEARNING AT QUEENS CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:

EYEBALL DISSECTION

The students at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Academy, located in the South Ozone Park section of Queens, recently took part in a hands-on lesson to learn the importance of eye health, when they dissected the eyeball of a cow. Students used materials such as medical scissors and a magnifying glass in the lesson named “Orbis,” named for the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital, which has traveled the world since 1982.

“As a part of a two-day lesson revolving around the importance of eye health and access to medical care for the eye, students were given an opportunity during the hands-on portion to observe an actual eye. Using a cow eye as a model, students completed a dissection that allowed them to observe actual optical nerves that provide information to the brain about what is being seen and even delve deep to find the lens of the eye,” said Satti Marchan, Principal of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Academy in Queens.

“Watching students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades involved in such a rigorous instructional expedition, like the dissection of an eyeball blew me away.  Being a secondary school specialist, dissections of this nature usually take place in Advanced Placement HS Science courses. What a rich and scholarly learning experience these children are having through the Flying Classroom program!” said Michael LaForgia, District Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Brooklyn.

The lesson is part of The Flying Classroom STEM supplemental curriculum recently incorporated in schools within the Diocese of Brooklyn. Captain Irving, the first Black person to pilot a plane around the world solo, and at the time the youngest, is the founder of The Flying Classroom program.

Photos attached courtesy of the Diocese of Brooklyn.

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BISHOP DIMARZIO TO DEDICATE STATUE TO MOTHER CABRINI, A WOMAN WHO HELPED BUILD NEW YORK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 10, 2021

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Adriana Rodriguez
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John Quaglione 
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jquaglione@desalesmedia.org

BISHOP DIMARZIO TO DEDICATE THE BROOKLYN DIOCESE’S MOTHER CABRINI STATUE TOMORROW NIGHT

Brooklyn – The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, will celebrate Mass in honor of the Feast of the Sacred Heart tomorrow, Friday, June 11, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. at Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen Roman Catholic Church, located at 125 Summit Street, in the Carroll Gardens section of Brooklyn.

Following the Mass, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio will officially unveil and bless the Diocese of Brooklyn’s very own statue dedicated to Mother Cabrini, which will be permanently displayed in a shrine outside the Church on Summit Street.

$40,000 was donated to the Diocese of Brooklyn specifically to pay for the statue and the shrine. A miniature sculpture of the original church is included as part of the Mother Cabrini statue. The brick base on which the statue will stand, contains the cornerstone of the original church.

The original Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen Roman Catholic Church is now the site of Mother Cabrini Park. Members of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, founded by Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, will be in attendance.

The plaque will read in part “A Woman Who Helped Build New York City.”

Members of the media are invited to attend and are asked to confirm their attendance via e-mail to John Quaglione at jquaglione@desalesmedia.org.BISHOP DIMARZIO TO DEDICATE STATUE TO MOTHER CABRINI, A WOMAN WHO HELPED BUILD NEW YORK

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FOUR NEW PRIESTS ORDAINED BY BISHOP DIMARZIO TO SERVE THE DIOCESE OF BROOKLYN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 9, 2021

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Adriana Rodriguez
646-241-9805
arodriguez@desalesmedia.org

John Quaglione 
718-576-9180
jquaglione@desalesmedia.org

BISHOP NICHOLAS DIMARZIO ORDAINS FOUR MEN AS PRIESTS

TO SERVE THE DIOCESE OF BROOKLYN

            The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, this past Saturday, June 5, 2021, ordained four men as priests during a Mass of Ordination held at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, located at 856 Pacific Street in the Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn.

            The four new priests to serve the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens, and their assignments are as follows:

*Father Robinson Olivares born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Harlem in the 1980s, he credits God with keeping his family safe and on the right path. He began his career in Information Technology as a technical support engineer, but shortly thereafter, felt a void in his life. Mr. Olivares became involved at his local church, as he felt God calling him to the priesthood. He completed his seminarian studies in Massachusetts at the Pope St. John Paul XXIII National Seminary. Father Olivares has been assigned to the parish of St. Matthias in the Ridgewood section of Queens.

*Father Joseph Hung Sy Tran born in Vietnam, began to serve as an altar boy at the age of 10 and two years later, at 12 years old, he told his parents he wanted to be a priest. Mr. Tran, who has three uncles who are priests, began his studies in Vietnam. Upon arriving in the United States three years ago, he continued to study at the Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Connecticut, and at the Notre Dame Graduate School of Theology in New Orleans. He is an avid sports fan who enjoys playing soccer, tennis, volleyball, and ping pong. Father Tran has been assigned to the parish of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in the Astoria section of Queens.

*Father Elvin Torres born in the Dominican Republic, holds a degree in philosophy from the Pontifical University Catholic Mother and Teacher in the Dominican Republic. He also earned a degree in education. At the age of eight, while regularly attending Mass with his family, he felt something special, a feeling of joy and peace, which he would later realize was God calling him to the priesthood. Mr. Torres was involved in his parish as a teenager. He originally entered the seminary in the Dominican Republic but left, to become a public school teacher where he taught Human and Religious Formation. He later moved to the U.S. and entered the Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Massachusetts. Mr. Torres enjoys playing baseball. Father Torres has been assigned to the parish of St. Sebastian in the Woodside section of Queens.

*Father Chin Nguyen born in Vietnam, remembers the exact moment in the seventh grade he decided to become a priest.  At a young age, he attended Mass every day, and became an altar server in the sixth grade. Mr. Nguyen arrived in the United States in 2010, enrolled at St. John’s University where he studied philosophy, and then entered St. Joseph’s Seminary and College in Yonkers. Father Nguyen has been assigned to the parish of St. Luke in the Whitestone section of Queens,

The photos attached are courtesy of the Diocese of Brooklyn.

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Photo #1 – Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio joins the newly ordained priests (left to right) Father Chin Nguyen, Father Hung Sy Tran, Father Elvin Torres Santo, and Father Robinson Olivares, along with Auxiliary Bishops of the Diocese of Brooklyn (left to right) including Bishop Raymond Chappetto, Bishop Neil Tiedemann, Bishop James Massa, Bishop Paul Sanchez, and Bishop Witold Mroziewski.

Photo #2– As part of the ordination Mass, as a symbol of Holy Orders, the four ordinands prostrated themselves on the altar floor during the Litany of the Saints.

Photo #3– From left to right: Father Tran, Father Olivares, Father Nguyen, and Father Torres face the congregation immediately following their ordination as priests on June 5, 2021, at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph.

CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY ACADEMY AND HIGH SCHOOL TO LAUNCH FINE ARTS PARTNERSHIP

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 7, 2021

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Adriana Rodriguez
646-241-9805
arodriguez@desalesmedia.org

John Quaglione 
718-576-9180
jquaglione@desalesmedia.org

CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY ACADEMY AND HIGH SCHOOL TO LAUNCH FINE ARTS PARTNERSHIP

The Diocese of Brooklyn is excited to announce a fine arts partnership to launch in the 2021-2022 school year between Immaculate Conception Catholic Academy and Saint John’s Preparatory School, to offer arts, music, science, and language programs. The grammar school and the high school are both located in the Astoria section of Queens.

The partnership with St. John’s Preparatory High School will enhance the curriculum and opportunities for the students of Immaculate Conception Catholic Academy, with the addition of a performing arts program, Italian language learning through music, theatre, cooking, a robotics program, photography and film lessons, and a dance club.

“St. John’s Prep is very excited to partner with Immaculate Conception Catholic Academy in Astoria. Our mission is to continue to provide students K-12 a wonderful learning environment; fostering creativity, building confidence, and strengthening critical thinking skills is the key to college readiness and lifelong learning,” said Maria Johnson, Principal of Saint John’s Preparatory School.

“Our Academy’s partnership with St. John’s Prep will provide our students the opportunity to experience many of the activities of their particular interest, thus broadening their personal growth and advancing our mission statement to educate the “whole child.” This valued partnership will strengthen the Academy’s position in the strong public education sector in our community as well as foster growth in our Academy’s enrollment,” said Brother Joseph Rocco, Principal of Immaculate Conception.

Saint John’s Preparatory opened in 1907. Immaculate Conception has been educating students since 1924. It made the transition from school to academy in the Fall of 2017. Immaculate Conception Catholic Academy is offering tours and more information about this new initiative. Prospective parents interested in learning more about this program can contact (718) 728-1969.

 

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BISHOP NICHOLAS DIMARZIO TO ORDAIN FOUR MEN AS PRIESTS TO SERVE THE DIOCESE OF BROOKLYN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 4, 2021

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Adriana Rodriguez
646-241-9805
arodriguez@desalesmedia.org

John Quaglione 
718-576-9180
jquaglione@desalesmedia.org

BISHOP NICHOLAS DIMARZIO TO ORDAIN FOUR MEN AS PRIESTS

TO SERVE THE DIOCESE OF BROOKLYN

The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, will ordain four men as priests during a Mass of Ordination, on Saturday, June 5, 2021, at 11:00 a.m., at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, located at 856 Pacific Street in the Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn.

The four ordinands include:

*Rev. Mr. Robinson Olivares born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Harlem in the 1980’s, he credits God with keeping his family safe and on the right path. He began his career in Information Technology as a technical support engineer, but shortly thereafter, felt a void in his life. Mr. Olivares became involved at his local church, as he felt God calling him to the priesthood. He completed his seminarian studies in Massachusetts at the Pope St. John Paul XXIII National Seminary.

*Rev. Mr. Joseph Hung Sy Tran born in Vietnam, began to serve as an altar boy at the age of 10 and two years later, at 12 years old, he told his parents he wanted to be a priest. Mr. Tran, who has three uncles who are priests, began his studies in Vietnam. Upon arriving to the United States three years ago, he continued to study at the Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Connecticut, and at the Notre Dame Graduate School of Theology in New Orleans. He is an avid sports fan who enjoys playing soccer, tennis, volleyball, and ping pong.

*Rev. Mr. Elvin Torres born in the Dominican Republic, holds a degree in philosophy from the Pontifical University Catholic Mother and Teacher in the Dominican Republic. He also earned a degree in education. At the age of eight while regularly attending Mass with his family, he felt something special, a feeling of joy and peace, which he would later realize was God calling him to the priesthood. Mr. Torres was involved in his parish as a teenager. He originally entered the seminary in the Dominican Republic but left, to become a public school teacher where he taught Human and Religious Formation. He later moved to the U.S. and entered the Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Massachusetts. Mr. Torres enjoys playing baseball.

*Rev. Mr. Chin Nguyen born in Vietnam, remembers the exact moment in the seventh grade he decided to become a priest.  At a young age, he attended Mass every day, and became an altar server in the sixth grade. Mr. Nguyen arrived in the United States in 2010, enrolled at St. John’s University where he studied philosophy, and then entered St. Joseph’s Seminary and College in Yonkers.

The Diocese of Brooklyn Ordination Mass will air live on NET-TV, the cable channel of the diocese. NET-TV, which can be seen on Spectrum channel 97; Optimum channel 30; and on FIOS by Verizon on channel 548.

The photos of the four men to be ordained tomorrow are attached and are courtesy of DeSales Media/The Tablet. Members of the media are encouraged to attend the Mass. To RSVP, please email John Quaglione at jquaglione@desalesmedia.org.

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Diocese of Brooklyn announces new Vicar for Clergy & Chairman of the Board of DeSales Media

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 3, 2021

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Adriana Rodriguez
646-241-9805
arodriguez@desalesmedia.org

John Quaglione 
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jquaglione@desalesmedia.org

MONSIGNOR SEAN G. OGLE NAMED

VICAR FOR CLERGY AND CONSECRATED LIFE AND

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DESALES MEDIA GROUP

            The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, is pleased to announce the appointment of the Reverend Monsignor Sean G. Ogle to serve as Vicar for Clergy and Consecrated Life, effective June 30, 2021. Monsignor Ogle has also been appointed the next Chairman of the Board of DeSales Media Group, the media, communications, and technology arm of the Diocese.

“I do not think there is anyone more qualified than Monsignor Ogle to be the next Vicar for Clergy and Consecrated Life and Chairman of the Board at DeSales Media. He is an excellent communicator and that will serve him well in both roles,” said Bishop DiMarzio.

Monsignor Sean G. Ogle, a native New Yorker, and son of Irish immigrants, has been the Pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Astoria, Queens, since 2008. His tenure will end on June 30, 2021. In his role as Vicar for Clergy and Consecrated Life, Monsignor Ogle will serve to support the priests and religious in their life and ministry of service to Catholics in Brooklyn and Queens. He will succeed Auxiliary Bishop Raymond Chappetto, who has been the Vicar for Clergy and Consecrated Life since 2009.

“I am exceptionally honored the Bishop has chosen me to succeed Bishop Chappetto, who has done a marvelous job. As priests, we are called to give pastoral care to the people of God, but to do that specifically for priests and deacons is a calling within a calling. I love my fellow priests and deacons and whatever I can do to help them be better shepherds is an honor and privilege,” said Monsignor Ogle.

Ordained to the priesthood in 1977 for the Diocese of Brooklyn, Monsignor Ogle has served as Parochial Vicar at St. Matthias in Ridgewood, St. Margaret Mary in Astoria, and St. Sebastian in Woodside, and as Pastor at St. Mary Star of the Sea in Far Rockaway. Throughout his 44-year priesthood, he has also been a faculty member at Cathedral Preparatory Seminary and has served in various diocesan apostolates, committees, and boards. Monsignor Ogle graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Cathedral College, a Master of Divinity from Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington, and a Master of Arts in English from New York University.

Monsignor Ogle’s new role at DeSales Media began May 15, 2021, the date that Reverend Monsignor Kieran E. Harrington began his new appointment as National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies.

“I am honored to be asked to continue the ministry of DeSales Media. I deeply believe the whole work of salvation was an act of communication by God to humanity, that he was not giving up on us, despite original sin and actual sin.  And so, it is all about communication, the whole revelation of the Old Testament, the prophets and everything, and then culminating in Jesus Christ, who then gives us the Church to communicate to us the grace of the sacraments. It is all about receiving a message that God is there for us and that he would give us what we need to come back to Him,” said Monsignor Ogle.

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QUEENS CATHOLIC SCHOOL STUDENT PLACES THIRD IN NATIONAL PATRIOTIC ESSAY CONTEST

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 1, 2021

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Adriana Rodriguez
646-241-9805
arodriguez@desalesmedia.org

John Quaglione 
718-576-9180
jquaglione@desalesmedia.org

QUEENS STUDENT PLACES THIRD IN NATIONAL PATRIOTIC ESSAY CONTEST

            The Diocese of Brooklyn today announced that Olivia Mills, an eighth-grade student at Immaculate Conception Catholic Academy, located in the Astoria section of Queens, has won third place nationally in the 2021 Catholic War Veterans Patriotic Essay Contest.

The topic of this year’s essay contest was “What does the Pledge of Allegiance mean to you?” The national winners were selected from entries submitted to local chapters of the Catholic War Veterans by students of grades 6-8.  The judging was based on the essay’s overall patriotic impact as well as skillful writing technique.

“Immaculate Conception Catholic Academy is honored by Olivia’s accomplishment, but we are most proud by how Olivia expressed in her essay her true love and appreciation for our Country,” said Brother Joseph Rocco, Principal.

Olivia Mills was awarded a bronze medal and monetary prize from the Catholic War Veterans, and a Special Citation presented to the school in honor of her achievement.

Photo #1- Olivia Mills of Immaculate Conception Catholic Academy proudly displaying her Catholic War Veterans honors.

Photo #2 – Olivia Mills joined by Immaculate Conception Catholic Academy Principal, Brother Joseph Rocco, and David Crum, the National Commander of the Catholic War Veterans of the USA.

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