October 31, 2013 – Excerpted from “Put Out Into the Deep,” Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

“Hurricane Sandy has scarred the lives of many families in our Diocese. Even after a year, some of our families have yet to move back into their own homes. Others families are permanently displaced. The trauma that was inflicted was financial, physical and psychological. We were all impacted, but to some, the super storm was devastating.

…In the days and weeks after Sandy, I visited the Rockaway Peninsula. The mountains of debris, the houses washed away, the stranded cars and sand made me wonder if we could ever recover.

As Bishop of Brooklyn, I am especially grateful to our priests whose leadership was critical to the local communities most impacted. Though many of them had lost their own homes, they soldiered on, attending to the needs of others.

The generosity of the people of our Diocese was most impressive. Through our diocesan collection, we raised over $1.1 million in aid that was distributed to parishes and those in need. From Canarsie to Far Rockaway, Gerritsen Beach to Howard Beach, despite devastation to those directly impacted, parishioners opened their wallets and leant a helping hand to their neighbors.

We were all primarily concerned with the needs of our children. Ensuring that they had the resources to help restore normalcy was of paramount importance. I am grateful to our Futures in Education Foundation that provided $1.5 million in scholarship aid to families that were impacted.

Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.