FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 7, 2013

RETIRED AUXILIARY BISHOP JOSEPH SULLIVAN OF BROOKLYN DIES AT 83

Retired Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, the Most Reverend Joseph M. Sullivan, died June 7, 2013, after a May 30th car accident on the Long Island Expressway in Syosset, New York. Bishop Sullivan was critically injured in the three-car collision and was immediately airlifted to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, New York. He died from injuries sustained from the impact.
“We mourn the passing of Bishop Joseph Sullivan,” said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio. “During his tenure, Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens became a nationally recognized provider of social services. Even in retirement, Bishop Joe continued to serve on many boards for Catholic hospitals and health institutions. He epitomized the best of our Church’s teaching and the fundamental option for the poor. He was an outstanding priest.”
Bishop Sullivan was born on March 23, 1930, one of 11 children of the late Thomas and Margaret Sullivan. Bishop Sullivan attended St. Ephrem’s elementary school and St. Michael’s Diocesan High School, both in Brooklyn, and Manhattan College.
In 1950, he began studies for the priesthood at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington, L.I., and was ordained June 2, 1956, by Archbishop Thomas E. Molloy in St. James Cathedral in Brooklyn.
After a three-year period as a newly-ordained priest at Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Queens Village, he was assigned to study social work, and in l961 he earned a master’s degree from the Fordham University School of Social Work. In that same year, he was appointed assistant director of Catholic Charities’ childcare division and four years later was named the director. Bishop Sullivan also earned a master’s in public administration from New York University.
In 1968, when Bishop Francis J. Mugavero became the Diocesan Bishop, he chose then–Father Sullivan to succeed him as the executive director of Catholic Charities and appointed him Secretary to the Ordinary for Charities. He was elected executive vice-president of the board of trustees of Catholic Charities in l979.
In the following year, on Oct. 7, 1980, he was one of three Brooklyn priests named Auxiliary Bishops by then Pope John Paul II. The others were late Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua and
Bishop Rene A. Valero. Bishop–elect Sullivan was also given the title of Titular Bishop of Suliana.
As an auxiliary bishop, Bishop Sullivan held the titles of Vicar for Human Services and Regional Bishop for the 62 parishes of the Brooklyn West Vicariate.
Other pastoral work in which Bishop Sullivan helped serve were health care issues and needs, where he played an instrumental role in the formation of St. Vincent’s Catholic Medical Centers, which joined the hospitals and related facilities of the Diocese with similar institutions conducted by the New York Sisters of Charity. Bishop Sullivan has served on numerous Church and civic boards concerned with health and human services on the national, State and local levels. These have included the chairmanship of the Catholic Medical Center of Brooklyn and Queens and membership on the board of Catholic Charities USA.
Also included in his activities outside the Diocese has been his service as chairman of the Social Development and World Peace Department of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of Catholic Medical Mission Board for ten years, two of them as Chairman. As a Board leader, he was able to extend his commitment to meet the challenge of HIV/AIDS to countries where CMMB had programs to meet the challenge of HIV/AIDS, and visited the programs in action in Kenya.
In the late 1990s, he chaired an ad hoc committee that produced a pastoral letter on charity — “In All Things Charity: A Pastoral Challenge for the New Millennium” — approved by the U.S. bishops in November 1999. He said the message was intended “to reclaim the meaning of charity,” which he said had become a pejorative term in modern society.
Bishop Sullivan is survived by his sisters Betty, Dolly and Fran, and brothers John, Pete and Ralph; he has over 100 nieces, nephews, and grandnieces and grandnephews. He was predeceased by his brothers Gerard, Richard, Thomas and William.
Funeral arrangements are pending and will be released as they become available.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Stefanie Gutierrez
718-517-3112
sgutierrez@desalesmedia.org

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 6th, 2013.

It was with great effort that the Diocese of Brooklyn undertook in September 2008 a strategic planning initiative entitled Preserving the Vision, which sought to strengthen the mission of our Catholic elementary schools. Strengthening and enhancing our Catholic education is important in our community especially in the efforts of the new evangelization. The academy structure is a two-tier governance model, which instills a Catholic identity and which develops multiple partnerships that would enhance the academic and spiritual dimensions as well as strengthen the financial viability of the academy itself. Read more »

Please see link below  of the statement of the Bishops of New York State.

 

2013-06-04 bishops statement letterhead

 

Please see link below pertaining to the Bishop’s abortion statement in Spanish

Bishop’s abortion statement in Spanish

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 23, 2013

Auxiliary Bishop Frank Caggiano Will Ordain 17 Men to the Diaconate
Auxiliary Bishop Frank Caggiano, Vicar General of the Diocese of Brooklyn, will ordain 17 men to the diaconate for the Diocese of Brooklyn at a Mass at Our Lady of Angels, 7320 4th Avenue, Brooklyn, on Saturday, May 25, at 11 a.m.
They recently completed theological studies in preparation for ordination and will serve the Church at parishes in Brooklyn and Queens.
“I am profoundly grateful to the 17 men who will be ordained on Saturday,” said the Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn. “Their generosity and that of their wives and children is a wonderful expression of the vitality and new life present in our diocese. I wish I had the opportunity to be there with you, but I was called to Rome to meetings.”
The deacons come from various backgrounds. Most are from Brooklyn and Queens, but almost a dozen are foreign-born, reflecting the diversity of the “Diocese of Immigrants.” Their countries include Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Puerto Rico.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 17, 2013

New York, NY – Apparently Converse’s “Chuck Taylor” sneakers are a favorite choice of footwear of both the Pope and Jesus Christ. And why shouldn’t they be? They are comfortable, colorful, and according to Seth Meyers in his SNL Weekend Update, are why more Catholics are returning to church.
Ok, maybe Seth’s comments are a little aggrandized. But the reference is appropriately suggestive of a major problem in the Church today: that most Catholics see the church as archaic and not relevant, nor valuable, to their everyday lives.
Catholics yearn for a Church they can relate to. That is what Seth Meyers was jokingly referencing, and that is what the Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn’s new “All Faces, Everyday Understanding” marketing campaign is trying to achieve.
Launched on April 1, 2013, this campaign is geared towards reaching a younger, more diverse demographic by showing the cooler and more welcoming side of the Catholic Church. And one of the main creative pieces is “The Original Hipster.”
Who would of guessed that the Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and SNL had similar senses of humor. Whatever the case, imitation is the best form of flattery and the Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn is thrilled that SNL can help spread its message.
“If you have faith there is never a need to take yourself too seriously; life is so much easier when you have a sense of humor. Sure we are poking fun at ourselves, but also making clear that in Catholic Churches in Brooklyn & Queens everyone is welcome.”
– Monsignor Kieran Harrington
Keep an eye out for the “All Faces, Everyday Understanding” campaign in Brooklyn and Queens. The ads are creative, funny, and suggestive of the renewed and relatable atmosphere you can find at one of the more than 230 Churches in Brooklyn and Queens.


All Faces.  Everyday Understanding Landing Page: https://dioceseofbrooklyn.com/allfaces

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 16, 2013

Faced with declining enrollment and increased operating costs, SS. Joseph & Dominic Catholic Academy will close in June.

Statistics indicate that enrollment has declined from 247 students in September 2011 to 165 students in September 2012. The uncollected tuition as of March 31, 2013, is $148,527. Paid re-registration as of April 8, 2013, is 35 students. The school was established in 2005, following the merger of six schools of the neighboring parishes that were formerly served by the Sisters of St. Dominic and the Sisters of St. Joseph.

“We are saddened that the academy is closing after many efforts to save it, including marketing approaches to increase enrollment and outreach to the local community,” said Sister Kieran Nduagbo, DDL, principal.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 12, 2013

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio will celebrate the annual Catholic Migration Mass on Sunday, April 14th at 3 p.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James, Jay Street and Cathedral Place, in Downtown Brooklyn. Senator Charles Schumer is expected to attend, alongside city, state and federal legislators.
“America is a nation of immigrants and nowhere is this more true than here in the great Diocese of Brooklyn, under the leadership of immigration advocate second-to none, Bishop DiMarzio,” said Senator Schumer. “I am hard at work with my bi-partisan allies putting the finishing touches on a comprehensive immigration reform bill that will bring 11 million people out of the shadows and onto the path to citizenship. With your help, and your prayers, I hope that we will succeed in passing this vital legislation.”
Catholics from 28 ethnic groups will gather; many will be dressed in the traditional garb of their homelands. The opening procession, historically a colorful line of costumes and banners proclaiming international backgrounds, will begin at the opening of the Mass.
Father Patrick J. Keating, CEO of Catholic Migration Services, will speak on immigration reform. “We live in a great nation, we live in a great city,” he said. “Where would we be without immigrants? Let us support immigration reform that will keep families together, let us support immigration reform that will respect and honor the legacy of the immigrants that have come before us.”
Mass is celebrated regularly in 32 different languages in the 194 parishes of Brooklyn and Queens.
Catholic Migration Services has helped over 100,000 immigrants and their families since its creation in 1971. Included within its vast scope of services is the Immigrant Tenant Advocacy Program (ITAP) which improves the living conditions of low-income immigrant tenants by fighting for dignified and affordable housing, as well as the Immigrant Workers’ Rights Program, which represents workers in disputes over wage and hour violations, unsafe working conditions, and other workplace abuses commonly suffered by immigrants in New York City. For more information on Catholic Migration Services, visit www.catholicmigration.org.