Author: geonyayyad

Join the March for Marriage in Washington on June 19

Posted on

March for Marriage 2014The Diocese of Brooklyn is sponsoring a bus trip to Washington, D.C., for anyone interested in joining the second annual March for Marriage on Thursday, June 19.

Those who support the traditional definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman will have a chance to make their voices heard at this march. Last year more than 10,000 people attended the rally. A promotional video released by the National Organization for Marriage is below.

The bus will stop at Resurrection-Ascension parish (61-11 85th Street, Rego Park) at 6:30AM and St. Patrick parish (9511 Fourth Avenue, Bay Ridge) at 7:30AM. The cost is $20, and passengers should bring lunch. To register, go to bqonlineformation.org or contact Christine Georgi at 718-965-7300 ext. 5416 or cgeorgi@diobrook.org. The deadline to register is June 13.

“The Gifts of the Spirit” by Bishop DiMarzio

Posted on

2014-07-21 DimarzioJune 4, 2014 – Excerpted from “Put Out Into the Deep”, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost and we recognize that the coming of the Holy Spirit did not just happen to the Church 2,000 years ago, but it is a present event, especially as we receive the Holy Spirit in all the sacraments. Because it is the Holy Spirit that makes our encounter with Jesus possible.

Our Holy Father Pope Francis has a series of catecheses on the gifts of the Holy Spirit beginning in April. It is not yet complete, but he has already covered five of the gifts of the Holy Spirit which I wish also to summarize for you. In my preaching for the Sacrament of Confirmation, I have developed a Confirmation Lectionary based on nine sets of readings which deal with a specific theme. One of them deals with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and I will supply the gifts not covered by the Holy Father.

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

‘Grilling With God’ Series Returns in June

Posted on

Grilling With God 2014The fourth annual Grilling With God series kicks off June 4 and will once again feature weekly cookouts with guest speakers and a discussion of issues that are important to young adult Catholics.

The events will all be held at the Leonard Center at Holy Child Jesus parish, located at 86-13 112th St. in Richmond Hill, Queens. Each evening will feature a holy hour at 6 and a cookout at 7, with the speakers beginning at 7:30. Here’s this year’s lineup:

June 4  “Prayer: Why Bother,” featuring Dr. Phil Franco, principal of St. Margaret School in Middle Village

June 11  “Nothing to Lose: A Talk on Discernment,” featuring Fr. James Rodriguez, associate vocation director for the Diocese of Brooklyn

June 18  “Busy Yet Spiritual,” featuring Mr. Chris Bethge, seminarian at St. Joseph’s in Yonkers

June 25  “Living a Life of Purpose,” featuring Deacon Chris Heanue, Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Astoria

Highlights From Archbishop Celli’s Keynote Speech at World Communications Day

Posted on
Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli received the St. Francis DeSales Distinguished Communicator Award from Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, left, and Monsignor Kieran Harrington before giving his keynote address on Thursday.
Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli received the St. Francis DeSales Distinguished Communicator Award from Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, left, and Monsignor Kieran Harrington before giving his keynote address on Thursday.

Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, the president of the Pontifical Council on Social Communications and one of the originators of the Pope’s Twitter feed, was the keynote speaker at the Diocese of Brooklyn’s World Communications Day Conference on Thursday.

After receiving the St. Francis DeSales Distinguished Communicator Award, Archbishop Celli talked about social media, technology and the importance of embracing digital communication.

Photos of the event are here.

Some highlights from Archbishop Celli’s speech and a video interview with the Archbishop are below:

It’s absolutely necessary that the Church establish a presence in the digital world.

We are always fishing in the aquarium…The majority of fish are outside the aquarium. 

The Church is a community of communities. Its use of social media should reflect that.

The high rate of retweeting of the Pope’s tweets means that the Church is reaching an ever-wider community.

People no longer pay attention–if they ever did–simply because a church leader is speaking.

We don’t want a network of wires, but a network of people. 

Unless we engage digital media, we will wind up talking to ourselves.

Vatican’s Archbishop Celli Delivers Keynote on Faith and Social Media

Posted on

Archbishop Celli World Communications DayArchbishop Claudio Maria Celli, the originator of the Pope’s Twitter account, came all the way from the Vatican to speak at the Diocese of Brooklyn’s media conference on World Communications Day.

The archbishop spoke on Thursday at the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott about the intersection of social media and faith in today’s world. He called for embracing modern means of communication, and for engaging believers and nonbelievers alike with straightforward language via social media.

For more on his speech, which was streamed live on netny.tv, see #WCD2014 on Twitter.

Diocese Celebrates World Communications Day

Posted on

On Thursday, May 22nd, the Diocese of Brooklyn will host its 23rd Annual World Communications Day Media Conference at the Marriott Hotel at Brooklyn Bridge. This year’s theme chosen by the Holy Father, Pope Francis, is “Communication at the Service of an Authentic Culture of Encounter.”

Initiated in 1992, the conference’s purpose is to bring together, connect and create comradeship among print and digital journalists and executives from both secular and religious fields.

This year the Diocese will honor His Excellency, the Most Reverend Claudio Maria Celli, President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, with our St. Francis DeSales Distinguished Communicator Award. He will also be the principal speaker for the occasion. Read more »

Historic Re-Dedication Ceremony at Holy Name of Jesus Will Feature the Unveiling of a Fully Restored Altar Designed by James Renwick Jr.

Posted on

Brooklyn, NY, May 15, 2014 – On Sunday May 18th at 3:00 PM, Holy Name of Jesus Roman Catholic Church, serving the Windsor Terrace community for the past 135 years, will be re-dedicated in a special Mass with His Excellency the Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Ph.D., D.D., presiding. At the center of the ceremony will be the unveiling of the renovated church featuring the unique combination of humble architectural charm with bold neo-Romanesque features, Corinthian columns, and historic altarpieces transferred and restored from the former St. Vincent de Paul Church of Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

The showcasing of the restored church is both of historical and spiritual importance. The historical importance is that the altarpieces were designed by James Renwick, Jr., the renowned 19th century architect who also designed the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Midtown, Manhattan. James Renwick, Jr.’s altarpieces are remarkable examples of detailed Gothic sculpture that were constructed concurrently with the founding and building of Holy Name of Jesus Church in the 1800s. The spiritual importance is that this re-dedication marks two years of project planning and implementation supported by the parish community under the leadership of Rev. James K. Cunningham, Pastor of Holy Name of Jesus. This re-dedication ceremony will formally kick-off a yearlong series of events focusing on celebrating the call of the new evangelization in Brooklyn, themed “Celebrating Our Vision.”

# # #

If you would like more information about this event, please contact Nick Sisto at (718) 768-3071, (917) 859-5156, or email at holynamebklyn@gmail.com.

 

Bishop DiMarzio Invokes Past and Future in Homily at St. Joseph’s Dedication

Posted on

St. Josephs Cathedral BrooklynMay 16, 2014 – Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio touched on the past, present and future of the Church in a wide-ranging homily at the dedication of the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph’s on May 13.

He told the story of the 100-year-old cathedral, which had fallen into disrepair before being meticulously restored over the past six years. He spoke about St. Joseph’s special place in the Catholic Church, as “the protector not only of Jesus and Mary but also of Christ’s mystical body, the Church.” Finally, he spoke about the future of the Diocese of Brooklyn and this new cathedral’s place in that future.

“And so, today, we come to re-dedicate this magnificent structure to Joseph as now the Co-Cathedral of Brooklyn and Queens,” Bishop DiMarzio said, “to seek his protection for our Diocese and to enable it also to reveal the mystery of the Church to the world.”

He went on to say that the newly restored St. Joseph’s, located in Prospect Heights,  “will be a central gathering place for our Diocese in Brooklyn and Queens.”

“My prayer is that the Lord will find this a fitting temple to give Him worship, and that all find it a place to encounter our Lord,” he said. “My hope is that this place be a symbol that the Church is not closing. Rather, the Church is growing and alive!”

The complete transcript of his homily is here.