FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 30, 2020

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Adriana Rodriguez
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***PHOTO RELEASE***

BISHOP JAMES MASSA JOINS ST. MARK’S CATHOLIC ACADEMY IN CELEBRATING CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK

            The Diocese of Brooklyn is highlighting an event marking Catholic Schools Week held at St. Mark’s Catholic Academy which began with a Mass celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop James Massa, the Diocesan Vicar for Education.

 

The Mass was followed by the “Great Read,” a 15-year tradition at St. Mark’s, which featured a number of guest readers, including Bishop Massa who read Everyday Angels by Mark Kimball Moulton.

 

Catholic Schools Week, started in 1974, is a national celebration dedicated to highlighting the success of Catholic education throughout the United States. This year, the theme of Catholic Schools Week is: “Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed.”

 

St. Mark’s Catholic Academy is located in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn.

 

PHOTO ATTACHED – Bishop Massa speaking with St. Mark’s Catholic Academy students in the classroom during his visit.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 29, 2020

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Adriana Rodriguez
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John Quaglione 
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SPECIAL ASSEMBLY TO CELEBRATE  CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK IN QUEENS

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 16, 2020

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Adriana Rodriguez
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John Quaglione 
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Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio Urges Support for Victims of Earthquakes in Puerto Rico

 

The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, is announcing his request for a special voluntary collection this weekend, January 18 and 19, at parishes throughout the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens for victims of the recent earthquakes in Puerto Rico.

 

“We have all seen the painful images of the devastation caused by the multiple earthquakes in Puerto Rico. Our hearts and prayers go out to all those affected by this terrible natural disaster. We also must remember that Puerto Rico continues to recover from the devastating effects caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017, which affected the infrastructure, health services, education, energy and telecommunications networks on the island,” said The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn.

 

“I ask the Lord to extend His blessings upon our brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico during this difficult time. I also thank the faithful people of Brooklyn and Queens for their continued compassion,” concluded Bishop DiMarzio.

 

The money collected will be sent by the Diocese of Brooklyn for distribution and direct assistance to the Archdiocese of San Juan in Puerto Rico. If someone wishes to write a check for the collection, it should be made payable to the Compostela Fund. For those who wish to mail a donation, it can be sent to: Compostela Fund c/o Diocesan Finance Office, 310 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, NY 11215. Please write Puerto Rico in the check’s memo section.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 15, 2020

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Adriana Rodriguez
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“CURRENTS NEWS”, BROADCAST ON NEW YORK’S CATHOLIC STATION, TO LAUNCH SERIES EXPOSING THE EVIL OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING

 

Currents News, which airs weeknights on New York’s Catholic station NET TV, will launch a special series on human trafficking tomorrow, Thursday, January 16, titled “Human Trafficking Exposed” during the news program. The five-part series will examine the silent epidemic unfolding in every corner of the United States and across the globe, which Pope Francis has dubbed modern-day slavery.

 

The series includes in-depth reporting from the streets of New York, a major epicenter for human trafficking predators. The series will include exclusive interviews with mothers, daughters, and some of society’s most vulnerable victims exploited and abused for profit. Law enforcement experts, Catholic and other religious organizations, and survivors will reveal shocking truths and how they are combatting the crisis.

 

The schedule for the “Human Trafficking Exposed” series is as follows:

 

January 16: Part 1 – The Scope of the Crisis

January 23: Part 2 – Survivors Speak

January 30: Part 3 – The Online Threat

February 6: Part 4 – A Global Crisis

February 13: Part 5 – Getting Your Voice Back

 

Currents News airs weeknights at 7 pm EST on NET-TV in the New York City area on Spectrum (Channel 97), Optimum (Channel 30), and FIOS (Channel 48). Viewers can also tune in online at www.currentsny.tv. Currents News is produced by the DeSales Media Group.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 14, 2020

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Adriana Rodriguez
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BROOKLYN CATHOLIC CHURCH ALTAR DESECRATED DURING MASS

 

Brooklyn – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn is releasing the video of a heinous act of religious intolerance which occurred this past weekend, on Sunday, January 12, 2020, during the 9:30 a.m. Mass at St. Anthony of Padua, located at 862 Manhattan Avenue in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn.

 

The attached video shows a man walking onto the church altar as Father Jossy Vattothu is celebrating the Mass. The perpetrator poured juice on the altar, desecrating the altar and interrupting the Mass. He also tossed some juice at the priest, staining his garments. The NYPD’s 94th Precinct responded quickly and the suspect, who was detained by church attendees, was arrested.

 

“During my years as a priest, nothing like this has ever happened. At first, as he approached the altar, I thought he had something to tell me. It is a miracle that the bread and wine were not damaged, and I was able to continue the Mass, consecrating the bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus Christ,” said Father Jossy Vattothu.

 

“It’s really egregious that somebody would do that at the most sacred part of the Catholic Mass, which is the consecration. I think right now, people are scared given the current environment of anti-Semitic and anti-Catholic incidents. People are afraid to go to their house of worship,” said Monsignor Anthony Hernandez, Chancellor of the Diocese of Brooklyn.

 

“I pray for this person and do not know what was going through his mind. I am grateful for the parishioners who were so caring and consoled me after Mass.  I would urge Catholics who attend mass to sit closer to the altar so that we as a faith community can be more together and make the priest feel more comfortable,” continued Father Vattothu.

 

Father Jossy Vattothu recently celebrated his 10th year as a priest. He is a priest of the religious order of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate assigned to the Diocese of Brooklyn.

 

The video can be found at https://vimeo.com/384574133/4df786a9d7

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 15, 2019

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Adriana Rodriguez
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John Quaglione 
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CHURCHES OPEN FOR CONFESSION ON RECONCILIATION MONDAY

The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, in partnership with Timothy Cardinal Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York, is reminding all New York Catholics that tomorrow, December 16th, the Monday before Christmas, is Reconciliation Monday.

This year locally, the theme of Reconciliation Monday is “Prepare Your Heart for Christmas.”From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., parishes throughout the diocese and archdiocese will be open for walk-in confessions. The goal of Reconciliation Monday is to encourage Catholics to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation in preparation for Christmas.

Reconciliation Monday also allows the faithful to confess their sins in anonymity. “One of the advantages is that you do not have to go to your own parish, as you can go to another Church and be unknown if there is some embarrassment in knowing the priest who will hear your confession. This is the time when the priest is merely an instrument of God’s grace and that the real absolver is Jesus Christ, Himself,” said Bishop DiMarzio.

To find a parish near you in Brooklyn or Queens, go to dioceseofbrooklyn.org/parishes/locator

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 12, 2019

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Adriana Rodriguez
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THOUSANDS OF CATHOLICS ATTEND MASS IN HONOR OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

          The Diocese of Brooklyn officially marked the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe this afternoon at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, located at 856 Pacific Street, in the Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn, followed by the traditional torch walk to 39 Catholic Churches throughout Brooklyn and Queens.

At noon, the Mass was celebrated in Spanish by the Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, and concelebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Octavio Cisneros and more than 20 priests. Following Mass, Bishop DiMarzio blessed and lit 39 torches of the faithful.

More than 2,000 participants attended Mass and took part in pilgrimages to participating parishes throughout Brooklyn and Queens. The group of Catholics in attendance was representative of the Mexican-Catholic population of Brooklyn and Queens. There are more than 175,000 Mexicans living in the Diocese of Brooklyn. This event was organized by Reverend Jorge Ortiz-Garay, Director of the Mexican Apostolate.

Photos attached.

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 5, 2019

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Adriana Rodriguez
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John Quaglione 
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***VIDEO/STILLS UPDATE***
https://vimeo.com/377687158
Please courtesy: DeSales Media Group

 

17,000 RED LIGHTS TO SHINE ON GRAND ARMY PLAZA CHRISTMAS TREE TO BRING AWARENESS TO THE PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS

 

The DeSales Media Group, along with the Diocese of Brooklyn and Aid to the Church in Need, will officially light the 2019 Diocesan Christmas tree at a ceremony tomorrow, Thursday, December 5, 2019, at 5 p.m., in front of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch located at 20 Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn.

The ceremony will include spiritual reflection and song, a candle lighting vigil and moment of silence, and a special performance by the St. Saviour’s High School Gospel Choir.

Emmy-Award Winning TV News Journalist Kelly Wright will serve as the event’s Master of Ceremonies. Ben Harney, 1982 Tony-Award winner for his performance as Curtis Taylor, Jr. in Dream Girls, will recite Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Christmas Bells poem.

The 32-foot Christmas tree has been decorated in approximately 17,000 red lights and 2,500 red bows to honor the memory of Christians who have been victimized for their beliefs.

According to Open Doors USA, in the top 50 World Watch List countries alone, 245 million Christians experience high levels of persecution for their choice to follow Christ. That is 1 in 9 Christians who are suffering for their beliefs.

The tree will remain lit throughout the Christmas season, bringing awareness to the plight of persecuted Christians throughout the world.

Members of the media are welcome to attend.