Author: geonyayyad
‘Marital Bond Cannot Be Broken’ by Bishop DiMarzio
May 11, 2016 – Excerpted from Put Out Into The Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
This is the last in a series of articles summarizing the teaching of our Holy Father, Pope Francis, on The Joy of Love.
This installment summarizes Chapter Eight which is perhaps the most difficult chapter to understand.
First of all, its title, Accompanying, Discerning and Integrating Weakness, guides us in understanding the chapter. Our Holy Father says, “the Church must accompany with attention and care the weakest of her children, who show signs of a wounded and troubled love, by restoring in them hope and confidence…”
One of the greatest things the Church can do, as our Holy Father said, is to give truth and hope to people. The truth is that there is no possibility for breaking the marital bond. It is inviolate and that ideal must always be upheld and never be trivialized because marriage is a sacrament and replicates the union of Christ and His Church which never can be broken.
Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.
UPDATE: Sacred Heart of Jesus Statue
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 5, 2016
Update: (2:30pm) The base and right hand sustained damage.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus statue stolen from outside Saints Peter and Paul Rectory was returned this morning. Just hours after thieves took it off its plinth over the weekend, a Brooklyn man found it in a trash can outside his home near South 3rd St between Berry and Bedford Avenues in Williamsburg. The man took the statue and gave it to his mother, who kept it in her apartment. After seeing local news reports indicating the statue had been stolen, the family realized it belonged to Saints Peter and Paul Parish, where they sometimes attend church services. They contacted the rectory and returned the statue this morning. The base of the statue as well as the statue’s right hand have been damaged. D’Ambrosio Ecclesiastical Art Studios, Inc has volunteered to restore the statue as well as donate a bigger, heavier version. The larger statue will go outside the rectory in the stolen statue’s place, while the recovered statue will go inside the Parish’s new church which is expected to be complete in 2019. The stolen statue was donated by a couple in New Jersey, an heirloom they say was in their family for about 100 years. It was donated in 2012 to replace a similar statue–also stolen from outside church property. Police are still looking for the 3 thieves who were caught on video taking the sacred statue.
Update: The Sacred Heart of Jesus statue stolen from outside the Saints Peter and Paul Rectory, located at 71 South 3rd St, 11249 in Williamsburg, has been found. A man spotted the statue in a trash can outside his Brooklyn apartment and gave it to his mother. After seeing media reports, the family realized where the statue belonged and contacted the rectory to return it. The statue is being restored at D’Ambrosio Ecclesiastical Art Studios, Inc. Phone number: (914) 666-6906. Saints Peter and Paul Parish’s Mother Superior and the rectory secretary will be available for interviews at the rectory at 1pm.
Press Advisory:
A statue of Jesus was stolen on Saturday night from Saints Peter and Paul Church in Williamsburg, located at 82 S 2nd St, Brooklyn NY 11249. Surveillance video shows a group of suspects taking the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue from outside the church. The same type of statue was stolen from Saints Peter and Paul Church in 2012. A replacement statue, which was donated by a couple from New Jersey, was taken on Saturday. The church is asking anyone who may recognize the people in the video to come forward. The Mother Superior assigned to this parish will be available for media interviews at 2:30pm at the Church. Please email Carolyn Erstad directly for better quality video and for more information.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Carolyn Erstad
718-517-3112
cerstad@desalesmedia.org
Sacred Heart of Jesus Photos
Update: Stolen Church Statue Recovered
Update 5/11/16: Click here for new video of group suspected of stealing Williamsburg church statue. This video was released by the NYPD along with the following advisory:
The New York City Police Department is asking the public’s assistance identifying the individuals depicted in the attached surveillance video in regards to a grand larceny that occurred within the confines of the 90 Precinct. Details are as follows: It was reported to police that on Saturday, April 30, 2016, at 0207 hours, the suspects removed the statue of the “SACRED HEART” of Jesus Christ from the Saint Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church located at 71 South 3 Street.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 5, 2016
Update: The Sacred Heart of Jesus statue stolen from outside Saints Peter and Paul Rectory was returned this morning. Just hours after thieves took it off its plinth over the weekend, a Brooklyn man found it in a trash can outside his home near South 3rd St between Berry and Bedford Avenues in Williamsburg. The man took the statue and gave it to his mother, who kept it in her apartment. After seeing local news reports indicating the statue had been stolen, the family realized it belonged to Saints Peter and Paul Parish, where they sometimes attend church services. They contacted the rectory and returned the statue this morning. The base of the statue as well as the statue’s right hand have been damaged. D’Ambrosio Ecclesiastical Art Studios, Inc has volunteered to restore the statue as well as donate a bigger, heavier version. The larger statue will go outside the rectory in the stolen statue’s place, while the recovered statue will go inside the Parish’s new church which is expected to be complete in 2019. The stolen statue was donated by a couple in New Jersey, an heirloom they say was in their family for about 100 years. It was donated in 2012 to replace a similar statue–also stolen from outside church property. Police are still looking for the 3 thieves who were caught on video taking the sacred statue.
Update: The Sacred Heart of Jesus statue stolen from outside the Saints Peter and Paul Rectory, located at 71 South 3rd St, 11249 in Williamsburg, has been found. A man spotted the statue in a trash can outside his Brooklyn apartment and gave it to his mother. After seeing media reports, the family realized where the statue belonged and contacted the rectory to return it. The statue is being restored at D’Ambrosio Ecclesiastical Art Studios, Inc. Phone number: (914) 666-6906. Saints Peter and Paul Parish’s Mother Superior and the rectory secretary will be available for interviews at the rectory at 1pm. Read more
‘Church Is A Family of Families’ by Bishop DiMarzio
May 4, 2016 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:
In this third in a series of articles, I continue my review of the Apostolic Exhortation, The Joy of Love.
In two chapters, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, offers some pastoral perspectives and ideas toward the better education of children. He begins by reminding us of… “the Gospel of the family as a joy that ‘fills hearts and lives,’ because in Christ we have been ‘set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness.’”
These are words that he borrowed from himself in another Apostolic Exhortation entitled “The Joy of the Gospel.” The Holy Father sees all things through Christ, as it is Christ who is the source of our joy. It is Christ who can give joy to a family. It is the role of the parish to give pastoral care to families. In fact, the parish is a family of families who come together for the worship of the Lord. Each family, no matter what its situation, has something to offer to the Church and the parish. Our Holy Father brings out the point that many seminarians and religious come from troubled families and sometimes lack emotional stability. Yet, they still follow the path to a vocation to the priesthood or to religious life.
Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.
‘Pope Offers Practical Ways To Love’ by Bishop DiMarzio
April 27, 2016 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
This week, I will continue my analysis of the Apostolic Exhortation, “The Joy of Love.”
The Pope opens the fourth chapter with the beautiful “Ode to Love” by St. Paul in First Corinthians. This passage is almost universally chosen by brides and grooms to be one of the readings at their weddings.
It is a primer for married life, and, if taken seriously, can sustain couples in all types of difficulties. When I preside at a marriage, I usually tell the couple that they should read this passage together at least once a week. And I give them my guarantee that the difficulties of their marriage can be resolved while they experience greater joy in their love for one another when they follow that advice.
What did St. Paul say? “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (13 Cor 4:7)
Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.
‘The Joy of Love Is In The Family’ By Bishop DiMarzio
April 20, 2016 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
This week, I begin a series of four articles in which I hope to give you a sampling of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of our Holy Father, Pope Francis, entitled, “Amoris Laetitia,” “The Joy of Love.”
After each Synod, it is the custom of the Roman Pontiffs to offer their insights into the work of the Synod, which represents a collaboration of many bishops elected by Episcopal Conferences all over the world. The last two Synods have been on the issue of the family.
Our Holy Father, in offering this large document of 276 pages, gives us a passionate and heartfelt exhortation on the meaning of family life in the world today. In this series, I will paraphrase and try to give some indication of what Pope Francis has said to us, so that you will have the desire to read the document (www.vatican.va).
Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.
‘The Healing From Abuse Continues’ by Bishop DiMarzio
April 13, 2016 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
Last year, the diocese offered its first Mass of Hope and Healing requested by survivors of sexual abuse. There was a very positive reaction on behalf of survivors, lay faithful, and clergy. Many stated how they experienced it as a grace-filled evening. This year, the second Mass of Hope and Healing will take place on Thursday, April 21, at 7 p.m., at Our Lady Queens of Martyrs Church in Forest Hills.
Also last year, a group of survivors came together for the first time, working with our Victim Assistance Coordinator, Ms. Jasmine Salazar, who is a licensed social worker, to explore and give voice on what survivors felt is needed for healing. This also provided an opportunity for these survivors to meet each other, and share in their experience. The group has since become the Diocesan Survivors Advisory Committee, and has become a guiding voice in our outreach to those impacted by sexual abuse committed by clergy and others.
Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.
‘How to Encourage Religious Vocations’ by Bishop DiMarzio
April 6, 2016 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
The phrase, “Pray to the Lord of the Harvest so that He may send out laborers into His harvest,” is not the suggestion of a priest, bishop or even a pope. Rather, it is the command of the Lord Jesus, Himself, that if we are to have sufficient laborers in the vineyard of the Kingdom of God, we need to pray.
The 53rd World Day of Prayer for Vocations called this year by our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has a theme, “The Church, Mother of Vocations.” The Holy Father begins his message by quoting his own motto, Miserando atque eligendo – by having mercy and by choosing – which describes the call of St. Matthew by Jesus.
He called Matthew from a life of defrauding others to be an apostle. In our own day, it seems that we are calling young people from lives that are incompatible with the Gospel at times, to be ministers of the Gospel. They, themselves, know that this is a problem and feel that somehow it disqualifies them from following the Lord’s call, even though they feel the call. This is one of the major obstacles to vocations that we must overcome in developing a pastoral approach to vocation recruitment for the priesthood and religious life.
Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.