FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 16, 2024

STATEMENT FROM THE DIOCESE OF BROOKLYN IN RESPONSE TO THE INVESTIGATION BY THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

After an extensive investigation, with the full cooperation of diocesan leaders past and present, the Diocese of Brooklyn has entered into an agreement with the office of New York State Attorney General Letitia James that will improve on its two-decade child protection effort since the passage of the 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People (Dallas Charter) by the U.S. Bishops. As noted by the attorney general, “the Diocese and its leaders, including Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and Bishop Robert J. Brennan, have fully cooperated with the Investigation and, both prior to and after its commencement, have voluntarily undertaken a number of important changes to the Diocese’s policies and procedures to help address the concerns that led to the Investigation and to prevent their recurrence.”

The attorney general also noted in the agreement, “the Diocese’s efforts from 2003 to the present to strengthen its policies and procedures were significant and improved the Diocese’s response to sexual abuse … the Diocese’s demonstrated initiative prior to the commencement of the Investigation to assess and improve its institutional response was an important factor in reaching this voluntary resolution.”

The diocese’s cooperation, according to the agreement, “went beyond responding to the subpoena,” being the first diocese in the state to initiate meetings and voluntarily produce documents and information to the office of the attorney general (OAG) in an attempt to have the policies for the handling of sexual abuse allegations looked at closely to ensure the best practices are in place for handling such allegations. As part of this agreement, the Diocese proposed the appointment of an independent third party to monitor its compliance with all policies and procedures, among other things.

Once the Dallas Charter was passed in June 2002, the Diocese of Brooklyn, like many dioceses around the country, was inundated with primarily decades-old sexual abuse allegations. As seen in the graph below, the number of allegations skyrocketed in 2002. Between 2002 and 2005, 121 allegations of sexual abuse were reported to the diocese.

All allegations that came to the diocese were immediately sent to the appropriate district attorney. The Diocese also worked with the NYPD Special Victims Unit on many of the cases. Facing the emergence of these claims, in 2003, soon after his installation, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio set up an independent reporting line, one of the first in the country, so that an outside person would be involved in taking the information and reporting to law enforcement. Bishop DiMarzio also established the Diocesan Review Board (DRB). The DRB, mostly comprised of former law enforcement officers, lawyers with experience in family law and child abuse, and mental health professionals, manages child sexual abuse allegations and investigations and makes personnel recommendations to the bishop based on their findings.

The diocese worked diligently – often with decades-old information – to remove from ministry any clergy who had credible allegations. That commitment never wavered. The attorney general noted, “in most cases, the Diocese timely referred the Abuse Allegations to the DRB and hired an independent investigator to investigate the charges.  The investigations carried out for the DRB were usually thorough and entailed interviews of numerous witnesses by qualified investigators who prepared detailed written reports of their findings.”

Over time, the diocese recognized the need to improve communications internally and to the faithful. In fact, between 2003-2021, during Bishop DiMarzio’s tenure, public statements were released about the outcome of (DRB) investigations that led to the removal of 27 priests from ministry. During that time, an additional 41 communications, including alerts, were issued regarding the sex abuse crisis.

Since November 2021, when Bishop Robert Brennan was installed as the eighth bishop of Brooklyn, two priests have been removed from ministry, following the recommendation of the (DRB).  Additionally, under Bishop Brennan’s leadership, former Manhattan Child Abuse Squad NYPD Detective, Elizabeth Harris was appointed, on September 30, 2022, to monitor priests removed from ministry. https://dioceseofbrooklyn.org/press-releases/brooklyn-diocese-announces-former-nypd-detective-appointed-to-key-roles-in-the-office-of-child-protection

“This agreement concludes a difficult period in the life of the church. While the Church should have been a sanctuary, I am deeply sorry that it was a place of trauma for the victims of clergy sexual abuse. I pray God’s healing power will sustain them. Today, we move forward with the strongest policies in place for the protection of children and adults,” said Bishop Robert Brennan, who was installed as the 8th Bishop of Brooklyn on November 30, 2021.

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Other notable communications to the public and the faithful include:

• In a first-of-its-kind release in 2017, the diocese released a list of priests who were laicized due to credible sexual abuse allegations. https://dioceseofbrooklyn.org/news/official-statement-of-the-diocese-of-brooklyn/
• In the fall of 2018, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and diocesan officials held four listening sessions with the faithful in Brooklyn and Queens, where parishioners were able to ask any questions about the clergy sex abuse crisis. Click the link for videos of the listening sessions.
• In 2019, the diocese released its list of credibly accused priests.
  https://dioceseofbrooklyn.org/press-releases/diocese-of-brooklyn-releases-names-of-clergy-credibly-accused-of-sexual-abuse/

ASSURANCE OF DISCONTINUANCE AGREEMENT

BISHOP BRENNAN AT EASTER VIGIL IN BROOKLYN: “CHRIST IS RISEN”

Bishop Robert Brennan, Bishop of Brooklyn, marked the celebration of Easter, the holiest day on the Christian calendar, with an Easter Vigil Mass Saturday evening, March 30, 2024, at The Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.

Easter celebrates Jesus Christ’s resurrection from death, as he was crucified for the sins of the world. The Easter Vigil begins in the dark outside the Church. That is where the Paschal candle is lit and that light is shared with all of the worshippers inside the church. The dramatic lighting of the church symbolizes the Risen Lord.

“We see the reality of sin and death all around us in the world. This morning, I was at a funeral for the police officer who was shot and killed in Queens, an act of terrible, terrible violence. And yet we don’t sing Alleluia tonight because we’re making believe that all is well in the world. We are singing Alleluia tonight because all is not well in the world. But Christ has conquered it, because we know that all is not well in our own lives, and that we need His help. And he gives us that help, and that we can believe, with all our hearts, that yes indeed in the waters of baptism we plunge with him into his death and in the living of ordinary life, we experience sorrow and pain and even our own failings and sins. But too, we rise up with him to live forever. We were made for his glory,” said Bishop Brennan in his homily. 

At the Mass, Bishop Brennan baptized four people, who are among more than 400 new Catholics baptized at Easter Vigil Masses throughout the diocese.

Later today, Sunday, March 31, 2024, Bishop Brennan will celebrate Easter Sunday Mass at 11:00 A.M. at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James located at 250 Cathedral Place in downtown Brooklyn.

Easter Sunday Mass can be seen live on NET TV, the Diocesan cable channel, available on Spectrum channel 97, Optimum channel 30, and Verizon Fios channel 548, or online at netny.tv

Members of the media are invited to attend.

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Easter Vigil Video: vimeo.com/929220021 – Courtesy: DeSales Media

Easter Vigil Mass: www.youtube.com/watch – Courtesy: DeSales Media

Bishop Brennan quote above can be found at 1:01:27-1:02:33

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 28, 2024

BISHOP ROBERT BRENNAN CELEBRATES MASS IN HONOR OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH

            Bishop Robert Brennan, Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn which includes Queens, led a Black History Month Mass of Thanksgiving on Sunday, February 25, 2024, at Immaculate Conception Parish in the Jamaica section of Queens.

The theme of the Mass was “Spiritual Unity Through Cultural Diversity,” but Father Robert Seay, OFM, Pastor Emeritus of Our Lady of Charity in Brooklyn and homilist for the Mass, talked about the difficulties faced by Black Catholics today.

“The frustration that has happened, to especially black people when you listen, is that we are not at the table, that we, the decisions are made, and we are being eaten up by maintenance rather than mission. That’s what I hear. And I hear so many people saying I can’t take it any longer. So, the faith is shattered by a lot right now, but we also can come and celebrate the good times and look towards the future that we will be included in the church,” preached Father Seay.

“That’s exactly what Pope Francis is asking with the Synod – that we listen deeply to one another. And so, it is important for me, as we do some of our planning, to hear the voices of all people, of all races and perspectives in everything we do in the Diocese. One of the lessons I have learned is that we may or may not be able to identify with others, but we need to listen and hear people’s troubles and concerns. And that’s what the Black History Month Mass was about. It’s not just that we listen to one another when there’s something wrong, but that we’re listening to one another in the course of our day to day lives,” said Bishop Brennan.

During his tenure at the Weeksville, Brooklyn Church, Father Seay became known for his work to promote peace, and his leadership led to his membership on the Mayor’s Pastoral Council. He has dedicated his life’s work to educating the youth and improving race relations. Bishop Brennan says Father Seay’s words are important to hear now more than ever.

“The celebration on Sunday was of Black History Month. We remember the history, but we also are writing the history of now. That was a big theme at the National Black Catholic Congress, that we’re writing the history that people will look back on in the future. Coming here to Brooklyn, and Queens, I see great participation and I value the perspectives, the experiences, the hopes and the dreams of all of our people,” continued Bishop Brennan.

This year, the Vicariate Office of Black Catholic Concerns added some new features to the annual Mass. Each black ethnic apostolate was asked to participate, and the national flag of each represented country was flown during the opening procession.

Bishop Brennan is the chairman-elect of the Committee on Cultural Diversity for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Sunday’s Mass was organized by the Vicariate Office of Black Catholic Concerns for the Diocese of Brooklyn. The rousing music at the Mass was led by the Sr. Thea Bowman Choir under the direction of Darcel Whitten-Wilamowski.

Diocese of Brooklyn Black History Month Mass

Courtesy: NET TV/DeSales Media https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgB6Tcfg9ts

Photos 1-3 / Courtesy: DeSales Media

Photos 4-9 / Courtesy: Michael Davis & Jonathan Sims

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 25, 2024

MEDIA CONTACTS:

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

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

BISHOP BRENNAN CELEBRATES THE 100^TH ANNIVERSARY OF ST. GABRIEL CHURCH

Bishop Robert Brennan, Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn which includes Queens, celebrated the Spanish Mass earlier today to mark the 100^th Anniversary of St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother Roman Catholic Church located in the East Elmhurst section of Queens.

“St. Gabriel’s has a history of bringing people together to encounter Jesus. In this Church, over the years, many things have changed on the inside and outside. But one thing doesn’t change – we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. We inherited a lot over these 100 years, and now it is our turn to make this faith community even stronger,” said Bishop Robert Brennan.

The first Mass of St. Gabriel’s was celebrated on July 7, 1923, in Stotzky’s Belvedere Park and the cornerstone of the church was laid on June 29, 1924. St. Gabriel Church opened in the location where it stands today on January 1, 1925. The first Spanish Mass was held in the Lower Church in 1971.

The Mass was followed by a reception in the parish hall.

The Feast Day of St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows is celebrated by the Church annually on February 27. Father Nicholas Apollonio is the Pastor.

Video footage: https://vimeo.com/916528516

The video and photos attached are courtesy of John Quaglione/DeSales Media.

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