Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio

Futures in Education Raises Record Amount Benefitting Impoverished Students of Brooklyn and Queens

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On Tuesday, October 14th, Futures in Education, the scholarship fund of the Diocese of Brooklyn, hosted its annual Scholarship Fund Dinner at the Grand Ballroom of The Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Manhattan, raising a record of over $2.2 million in scholarships for the deserving students of low-income families of Brooklyn and Queens to attend Catholic elementary schools and academies.

The dinner, the biggest event of the year for the non-profit organization, welcomed more than a thousand guests.

“Your generosity has a goal, and the goal is to help our children in Brooklyn and Queens. I thank you personally from the bottom of my heart for this wonderful show of support for our mission,” said the Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn.

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“Family Life Entails Great Responsibility” by Bishop DiMarzio

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October 15, 2014 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMario’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

As we continue our reflection on family life, coinciding with the Synod of the Family, the definition of family is probably most important for us to understand. Pope Francis recently said, “There is no future without children.”

In his Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio, St. John Paul II said, “When they become parents, spouses receive from God the gift of a new responsibility. Their parental love is called to become for the children the visible sign of the very love of God, ‘from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.’”

Spouses becoming parents presents new challenges for married life. The shared responsibility for child rearing today is much different than it was in the past. Thank God that our culture has changed so that both mothers and fathers take responsibility for the care and rearing of their children.

I have two nieces and one nephew who are married, and between them there are nine children. Both of my nieces have a set of twins, one boy and one girl each. So I have been able to observe the development of these children having baptized my own five nieces and nephews and now these nine great-nieces and nephews.

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

“Family Is Where Society Begins” By Bishop DiMarzio

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October 8, 2014 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMario’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

The Synod on the Family that has begun in Rome gives me an opportunity to write to you regarding the long tradition of the Church for upholding the family as the basic unit of society and also as the domestic Church. Most importantly, the Church sees the family as the foundation for a civilization of love. These are the words used by Pope Paul VI, soon to be beatified at the end of the Synod on the Family.

St. John Paul II, in his encyclical “Familiaris Consortio” (Tasks of the Family), described the family as a community of persons similar to the Trinity itself. These persons serve each other and support one another and participate in the development of society and the mission of the Church. Families are important in themselves. However, families are most important to society and to the Church.

There is no better example than the Holy Family of Nazareth as a model for Christian families. This has always been the message of the Church regarding family life; look to Nazareth and to the family that nurtured the Son of God, and we will know how to live in our own families.

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

 

“A Saint from New Jersey” by Bishop DiMarzio

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October 1, 2014 – Excerpted from Put Out Into The Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

“A Saint in New Jersey?” is the title of one article written on Sister Miriam Teresa Demjanovich, S.C., who will be beatified on Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, N.J. Sister Miriam was a member of the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth, Convent Station, N.J. Born as a Byzantine Ruthenian in Bayonne, N.J., she joined the Sisters of Charity in 1925 after a brief career in business. The brilliant young sister became the Mistress of Novices for her community, which was practically unheard of in those days. Sister Miriam died at only 26 years of age from untreated appendicitis.

I feel particularly close to Sister Miriam Teresa because as a young student through my eight years of grammar school taught by the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth, we prayed almost daily for her canonization. The step of beatification is the last step before canonization. Little did I know that in my own lifetime, I would see this come to fruition.

The progress of Sister Miriam from venerable to blessed is taking place because of a miracle attributed through her intercession. A young boy who was declared legally blind due to juvenile bi-lateral macular degeneration regained his sight through prayer to and the intercession of Sister Miriam Teresa.

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

Catholic Migration Services Honors Immigrants in Fund Dinner

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The Catholic Migration Services will be holding two fundraising dinners. The Shining Stars Award Dinners will be held at Gargiulo’s Restaurant in Brooklyn on October 3rd and October 10th and will benefit and celebrate the immigrant parishioners that contribute daily in our Brooklyn and Queens communities.

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Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio will preside over the events of the evening which begin with cocktails at 6:30 PM followed by the dinner and awards at 7:30.

Catholic Migration Services provides comprehensive pastoral, educational, advocacy and legal services to advance equality and social justice in the changing and diverse population of our Diocese.

You can download and print a flyer with further information and sponsorship opportunities here.

“Radio Evangelization on the Air” by Bishop DiMarzio

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September 24, 2014 – Excerpted from Put Out Into The Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

The message of Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, to evangelize has been strong and consistent: “Go forth.” In a time when so many Catholics have drifted away from the Church, we have to live by Pope Francis’ word to spread the Joy of the Gospel. I am pleased to announce our efforts as a Diocese to help in this task.

Through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Joseph and St. Francis de Sales, the patron saint of the DeSales Media Group, we have been able to help one of the largest Catholic radio stations in the U.S. to reach our community. Relevant Radio succeeded in acquiring WNSW 1430 AM. Because of this acquisition, Catholic programming is now available to the whole greater New York City metropolitan area.

The 14-year-old network follows the mission to assist the Church in the New Evangelization, helping people bridge the gap between faith and everyday life. With its live interactive programs – 24 hours a day, seven days a week – and with 70 hours of original programming by award-winning hosts each week, Relevant Radio seeks to inspire and transmit a message of hope while promoting the teachings of our Church. Previously aired shows are also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on www.relevantradio.com. We can listen to the radio in the car, while we are at work or at home.

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

Catholic Radio Arrives in New York City

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Desales-RRThanks to support from DeSales Media Group, Relevant Radio is now available in the greater New York City area via the acquisition of WNSW 1430 AM. Relevant Radio is the nation’s largest independent Catholic radio broadcasting network, and will reach an additional 16 million people through 1430 AM, which joins 35 other stations in the network for a total audience reach of 48.6 million people.

“In the tri-state area, almost 45 percent of the people are Catholics. We have potential for a lot of listeners. I am sure they will find a place of learning and understanding in Relevant Radio,” said the Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, when giving his blessing to the radio station.

“We are thrilled to be in the nation’s number one media market,” said Father Francis J. Hoffman, Executive Director of the 14 year-old network which is based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. “Our mission has always been to help people bridge the gap between faith and everyday life, and we look forward to expanding our message to a new audience.”

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“Renewed Calls For Peace” by Bishop DiMarzio

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September 17, 2014 – Excerpted from Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

Last week, we commemorated the anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September, now in its 13th year. With each passing year, our memory of this event seems not to fade, as it is indelibly imprinted on our souls. Truly, this was a traumatic event for the world and our Nation but most especially for the people of New York.

During the celebration of the Eucharist on Sept. 11, which I celebrated in the Chapel at the Chancery Office, I spoke to our employees about the theology of memory in our Catholic faith. There are things that we cannot forget, that we must remember. With regard to Sept. 11, we remember the circumstances of that horrible day. We also remember the victims of that day at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pa. – those known to us and those unknown. Why we remember is because in some way we make them present to us; we bring it to our memory so that we can reflect on the events of the past and pray for those whom we keep in our memories.

I also mentioned the moving passage in the “Confessions of St. Augustine” when he described the death of his mother, St. Monica. Augustine begins by saying, “Today, the day is now approaching when my mother, Monica, would leave this life … one day, during the course of her illness, she became unconscious and for awhile she was unaware of her surroundings … my brother and I rushed to her side, but she regained consciousness quickly and looked at us and, as we stood there, she asked in a troubled voice, ‘Where was I?’ We were overwhelmed with grief. She then said to both of us, ‘Bury my body wherever you will, let not care of it cause you any concern. One thing I ask of you is that you remember me at the Altar of the Lord, wherever you may be.’”

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

“Catholic School’s Remain Strong” by Bishop DiMarzio

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September 10, 2014 – Excerpted from Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

Recently in an address at the Vatican to students and teachers, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, shared that “schools are a precious means for making a contribution to the progress of the Church and of society as a whole.”

Within the Diocese of Brooklyn, we are blessed with 84 Catholic elementary schools/academies, three religious congregational or private Catholic institutions and 18 Catholic high schools. This week, I welcome all of you to a new academic year and wish to share, in particular, an update on elementary education here in Brooklyn and Queens.

Christ is at the heart of Catholic education, and the Holy Spirit always gives life to the heart. And, the heart of Catholic education within Brooklyn and Queens can be seen as the Preserving the Vision strategic planning process for Catholic education within the Diocese. Preserving the Vision sets forth priorities for Catholic education including strengthened Catholic identity and academic excellence, increased enrollment, enhanced instruction, stabilized infrastructure of school buildings and strengthened leadership and collaboration.

Additionally, Preserving the Vision highlights the commitment of academies and schools to the New Evangelization “in order to meet the challenges which today’s society and changing cultures are posing to the faith.”

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

“Solidarity in the Workplace” by Bishop DiMarzio

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September 3, 2014 – Excerpted from “Put Out Into the Deep”, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

Each year, prior to Labor Day, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, of which Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami is the Chair and I am a member, issues a statement that comments on the present situation of labor in our Nation. Catholic social teaching is rich in a tradition of understanding the proper place of work in the human family.

Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has added to this long tradition by stating that work “Is fundamental to the dignity of a person…. [it] ‘anoints’ us with dignity, fills us with dignity, makes us similar to God … gives one the ability to maintain oneself, one’s family, (and) to contribute to the growth of one’s own nation.”

Although the worst of the recession seems to be behind us here in the U.S., there are many countries where the work situation seems only to get worse. In our own society, unemployment is too high, especially among African-American males, Hispanics and other minority groups. Catholic social teaching tells us that work is the key to the social question, the social question being, “How can the common good can be achieved in any society?”

Without every member of a society contributing to the common good by their own labor, societies find themselves in terrible circumstances where wage inequality and opportunity inequality discourage human growth and development.

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