FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 12, 2021

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BROOKLYN AND QUEENS CATHOLIC SCHOOLS ANNOUNCE BACK TO SCHOOL COVID-19 SAFETY PROTOCOLS

The Office of the Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Brooklyn, which includes 69 elementary schools in Brooklyn and Queens, today has announced the COVID-19 safety protocols that will be in place when school opens on Wednesday, September 8, 2021.

In the absence of a mandate, the New York State Department of Health recommends school districts adopt universal indoor masking for all based on guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Therefore, Catholic Academies and Parish Schools in Brooklyn and Queens will require all students, faculty, and staff members to wear masks beginning on the first day of school.

In addition, school officials will continue to encourage vaccinations, social distancing, hand washing and hand hygiene, while maintaining the rigorous daily cleaning and sanitizing of facilities as well as enhanced ventilation. Parents will be reminded to keep their child home from school if they are sick, and their child will be required to receive medical clearance from a healthcare provider that they can safely return to in-person instruction.

The Catholic Academies and Parish Schools will also continue to follow city and state guidelines regarding contact tracing, quarantine and isolation protocols.

“As the numbers of Coronavirus cases continue to spike in children, and the overall numbers of hospitalizations in New York City are on the rise, this is the most responsible approach to take when we begin the new school year. I know the return to these safety measures is not the situation parents, teachers or students were hoping to be the case in the 2021-2022 school year, but we cannot ignore the trends,” said Superintendent Dr. Thomas Chadzutko.

“Let us do our part from day one to prevent further increase of cases. If we are successful, as this academic year moves along, we will revisit these guidelines and adjust them accordingly. As much as we want a return to normalcy in our classrooms, we want our students, faculty, and staff to be safe,” continued Dr. Chadzutko.

“Looking at the trajectory of past pandemics, it seems that a virus such as this one does linger for some time even with the vaccination. I have received my vaccination and continue to encourage others to do so as well. It is our hope that the COVID-19 vaccines will help bring an end to this terrible virus that has controlled our lives for much of the past year and a half,” said The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn.

Catholic schools in Brooklyn and Queens, in adherence to strict guidelines, opened on time for the 2020-2021 school year, and were able to offer five day a week instruction. Enrollment increased in nearly 40% of the schools last year in grades K-8. To learn more about Catholic Schools in Brooklyn and Queens, visit catholicschoolsbq.org.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 20, 2021

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BISHOP DIMARZIO TO HONOR GOOD SAMARITAN FOR ACT OF BRAVERY IN SUBWAY THAT LIKELY SAVED A WOMAN’S LIFE

The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, this morning presented a medal on behalf of the Diocese of Brooklyn to honor local Catholic resident Sean Conaboy for his recent selfless act of courage in defense of a woman on a subway platform.

Mr. Conaboy was waiting for the train at the Union Square station on the evening of Wednesday, May 19, 2021, when a woman standing near him was repeatedly being stabbed on the platform. Conaboy immediately sprang into action, tackling the knife-wielding assailant and preventing the attack on the woman from continuing.

“It was an honor to be with Sean this morning and recognize him for his selfless sacrifice on behalf of his fellow New Yorker. Sean was the Good Samaritan here when he stopped the attack and put his faith into action. The medal presented to him with the inscription that reads in part the ‘Word was made flesh,’ is telling of how we reach God through the humanity given to us by God. Sean has done that by the rescue of this person,” said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio.

Mr. Conaboy is a parishioner of St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church in Sunset Park. Bishop DiMarzio was joined by the Most Reverend Kevin Sweeney, Bishop of the Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, who previously served as Pastor of St. Michael’s.

“Sean saw someone in need and he responded. Sean’s Catholic upbringing nurtured him and made him ready for that moment, with the help of the Holy Spirit and with the protection of St. Michael, he stepped into that battle and saved someone who was being attacked. As a native New Yorker, it is great to see New Yorkers being who New Yorkers are; we respond when others are in need,” said Bishop Kevin Sweeney.

 “I am moved beyond words and say thank you to both Bishop DiMarzio and Bishop Sweeney. As honored as I am to be here, there is a victim in all of this, and it is not me. Kelli will have to find a way forward in her life, to heal emotionally and physically, and it is my sincere hope that she does. I think she deserves all of our prayers from this day forward,” said Sean Conaboy.

The photos attached are courtesy of the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Photo #1- Bishops Nicholas DiMarzio and Kevin Sweeney present recognition to subway hero and Good Samaritan Sean Conaboy at a press conference held at the Diocese of Brooklyn Chancery.

Photo #2 – Bishops Nicholas DiMarzio and Kevin Sweeney join Sean Conaboy’s proud family for a photo upon his receiving of the recognition.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 15, 2021

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***MEDIA ADVISORY***

MASS AND PROCESSION TO HONOR OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL

The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, will celebrate a bilingual Mass in English and Italian, in observance of the Feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel tomorrow, Friday, July 16, 2021, at 3:00 p.m., at OLMC Catholic Church located at 275 N. 8^th Street in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn (corner of Havemeyer Street and N. 8^th Street).

Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, the Pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church in Brooklyn, will lead a procession of the statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel throughout the neighborhood beginning at 4:00 p.m.

Members of the media are invited to attend and are asked to confirm their attendance via e-mail to jquaglione@desalesmedia.org.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 8, 2021

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BISHOP DIMARZIO AND AUXILIARY BISHOP EMERITUS SANSARICQ ISSUE JOINT STATEMENT ON THE SITUATION IN HAITI

The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, and Guy Sansaricq, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus, today have released the following statement regarding the situation in Haiti:

“Today we unite in prayer with our brothers and sisters in Haiti. The assassination of President Jovenel Moïse has sent shockwaves throughout the world and threatens to further escalate the turmoil that has plagued Haiti for some time now. 

We join with the many Haitian American Catholics who call our Diocese in Brooklyn and Queens home in praying that calm and peace will win out during this distressing time. We know the uncertainty of what may happen in their ancestral homeland is weighing heavy on their hearts and minds. We ask the Lord to bring them comfort during this difficult time.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 29, 2021

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BISHOP DIMARZIO DEDICATES A NEW CHURCH AND ARTS CENTER FOR THE DIOCESE OF THE BROOKLYN IN WILLIAMSBURG

The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, officially dedicated the new Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church, and consecrated the altar, at a Mass earlier this evening. The new church, with a 550-seat capacity, is located at the corner of S. 3^rd Street and Berry Street in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.

Bishop DiMarzio chose to dedicate this new church on the Solemnity of Ss. Peter and Paul, celebrated annually on June 29, throughout the Catholic Church. Immediately following the Mass, Bishop DiMarzio blessed the new parish center building, which includes The Emmaus Center, the new arts center of the Diocese of Brooklyn.  The newly renovated 600-seat theater is housed in the Historic Williamsburg Opera house which was built in 1897.

“We have witnessed a ceremony that few get to see in a lifetime because there are not that many new churches, certainly not here in Brooklyn and Queens, but this completely new renovation making a new church here on the ground level, giving us so many classrooms and a public center is truly unique,” said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio in his homily.

“This new church, this new center, this new beginning, this new evangelization is something that gives us inspiration.  I am happy that I have been here as Bishop now to see this day.  It is a long time in coming but I pray that together today we take heart.  We become new disciples of the new evangelization effort.  We reach out to others who need us.  Those who are already Catholics; those other Christians; those who know not the faith and need to encounter Jesus Christ,” continued Bishop DiMarzio.

“Today is a very important day for Ss. Peter and Paul Epiphany Parish and the Diocese of Brooklyn. With the inauguration of this new church and center, this parish, which has existed since before the Civil War, will begin a new chapter of outreach and evangelization to the people of Williamsburg, as well as to the people of Brooklyn and Queens,” said Monsignor Anthony Hernandez, the former administrator of the parish who initiated the project.

The last time a new church was opened in the Diocese of Brooklyn was in 2008 at Our Lady of Snows in the Floral Park section of Queens.  The last church renovated and re-dedicated was the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph located in the Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn in 2014.

Video can be found at: vimeo.com/569190843.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 17, 2021

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UNIQUE LEARNING AT QUEENS CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:

EYEBALL DISSECTION

The students at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Academy, located in the South Ozone Park section of Queens, recently took part in a hands-on lesson to learn the importance of eye health, when they dissected the eyeball of a cow. Students used materials such as medical scissors and a magnifying glass in the lesson named “Orbis,” named for the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital, which has traveled the world since 1982.

“As a part of a two-day lesson revolving around the importance of eye health and access to medical care for the eye, students were given an opportunity during the hands-on portion to observe an actual eye. Using a cow eye as a model, students completed a dissection that allowed them to observe actual optical nerves that provide information to the brain about what is being seen and even delve deep to find the lens of the eye,” said Satti Marchan, Principal of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Academy in Queens.

“Watching students in 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grades involved in such a rigorous instructional expedition, like the dissection of an eyeball blew me away.  Being a secondary school specialist, dissections of this nature usually take place in Advanced Placement HS Science courses. What a rich and scholarly learning experience these children are having through the Flying Classroom program!” said Michael LaForgia, District Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Brooklyn.

The lesson is part of The Flying Classroom STEM supplemental curriculum recently incorporated in schools within the Diocese of Brooklyn. Captain Irving, the first Black person to pilot a plane around the world solo, and at the time the youngest, is the founder of The Flying Classroom program.

Photos attached courtesy of the Diocese of Brooklyn.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 10, 2021

MEDIA CONTACTS:

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BISHOP DIMARZIO TO DEDICATE THE BROOKLYN DIOCESE’S MOTHER CABRINI STATUE TOMORROW NIGHT

Brooklyn – The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, will celebrate Mass in honor of the Feast of the Sacred Heart tomorrow, Friday, June 11, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. at Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen Roman Catholic Church, located at 125 Summit Street, in the Carroll Gardens section of Brooklyn.

Following the Mass, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio will officially unveil and bless the Diocese of Brooklyn’s very own statue dedicated to Mother Cabrini, which will be permanently displayed in a shrine outside the Church on Summit Street.

$40,000 was donated to the Diocese of Brooklyn specifically to pay for the statue and the shrine. A miniature sculpture of the original church is included as part of the Mother Cabrini statue. The brick base on which the statue will stand, contains the cornerstone of the original church.

The original Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen Roman Catholic Church is now the site of Mother Cabrini Park. Members of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, founded by Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, will be in attendance.

The plaque will read in part “A Woman Who Helped Build New York City.”

Members of the media are invited to attend and are asked to confirm their attendance via e-mail to John Quaglione at jquaglione@desalesmedia.org.BISHOP DIMARZIO TO DEDICATE STATUE TO MOTHER CABRINI, A WOMAN WHO HELPED BUILD NEW YORK

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 9, 2021

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BISHOP NICHOLAS DIMARZIO ORDAINS FOUR MEN AS PRIESTS

TO SERVE THE DIOCESE OF BROOKLYN

            The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, this past Saturday, June 5, 2021, ordained four men as priests during a Mass of Ordination held at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, located at 856 Pacific Street in the Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn.

            The four new priests to serve the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens, and their assignments are as follows:

*Father Robinson Olivares born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Harlem in the 1980s, he credits God with keeping his family safe and on the right path. He began his career in Information Technology as a technical support engineer, but shortly thereafter, felt a void in his life. Mr. Olivares became involved at his local church, as he felt God calling him to the priesthood. He completed his seminarian studies in Massachusetts at the Pope St. John Paul XXIII National Seminary. Father Olivares has been assigned to the parish of St. Matthias in the Ridgewood section of Queens.

*Father Joseph Hung Sy Tran born in Vietnam, began to serve as an altar boy at the age of 10 and two years later, at 12 years old, he told his parents he wanted to be a priest. Mr. Tran, who has three uncles who are priests, began his studies in Vietnam. Upon arriving in the United States three years ago, he continued to study at the Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Connecticut, and at the Notre Dame Graduate School of Theology in New Orleans. He is an avid sports fan who enjoys playing soccer, tennis, volleyball, and ping pong. Father Tran has been assigned to the parish of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in the Astoria section of Queens.

*Father Elvin Torres born in the Dominican Republic, holds a degree in philosophy from the Pontifical University Catholic Mother and Teacher in the Dominican Republic. He also earned a degree in education. At the age of eight, while regularly attending Mass with his family, he felt something special, a feeling of joy and peace, which he would later realize was God calling him to the priesthood. Mr. Torres was involved in his parish as a teenager. He originally entered the seminary in the Dominican Republic but left, to become a public school teacher where he taught Human and Religious Formation. He later moved to the U.S. and entered the Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Massachusetts. Mr. Torres enjoys playing baseball. Father Torres has been assigned to the parish of St. Sebastian in the Woodside section of Queens.

*Father Chin Nguyen born in Vietnam, remembers the exact moment in the seventh grade he decided to become a priest.  At a young age, he attended Mass every day, and became an altar server in the sixth grade. Mr. Nguyen arrived in the United States in 2010, enrolled at St. John’s University where he studied philosophy, and then entered St. Joseph’s Seminary and College in Yonkers. Father Nguyen has been assigned to the parish of St. Luke in the Whitestone section of Queens,

The photos attached are courtesy of the Diocese of Brooklyn.

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Photo #1 – Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio joins the newly ordained priests (left to right) Father Chin Nguyen, Father Hung Sy Tran, Father Elvin Torres Santo, and Father Robinson Olivares, along with Auxiliary Bishops of the Diocese of Brooklyn (left to right) including Bishop Raymond Chappetto, Bishop Neil Tiedemann, Bishop James Massa, Bishop Paul Sanchez, and Bishop Witold Mroziewski.

Photo #2– As part of the ordination Mass, as a symbol of Holy Orders, the four ordinands prostrated themselves on the altar floor during the Litany of the Saints.

Photo #3– From left to right: Father Tran, Father Olivares, Father Nguyen, and Father Torres face the congregation immediately following their ordination as priests on June 5, 2021, at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 7, 2021

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 4, 2021

MEDIA CONTACTS:

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BISHOP NICHOLAS DIMARZIO TO ORDAIN FOUR MEN AS PRIESTS

TO SERVE THE DIOCESE OF BROOKLYN

The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, will ordain four men as priests during a Mass of Ordination, on Saturday, June 5, 2021, at 11:00 a.m., at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, located at 856 Pacific Street in the Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn.

The four ordinands include:

*Rev. Mr. Robinson Olivares born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Harlem in the 1980’s, he credits God with keeping his family safe and on the right path. He began his career in Information Technology as a technical support engineer, but shortly thereafter, felt a void in his life. Mr. Olivares became involved at his local church, as he felt God calling him to the priesthood. He completed his seminarian studies in Massachusetts at the Pope St. John Paul XXIII National Seminary.

*Rev. Mr. Joseph Hung Sy Tran born in Vietnam, began to serve as an altar boy at the age of 10 and two years later, at 12 years old, he told his parents he wanted to be a priest. Mr. Tran, who has three uncles who are priests, began his studies in Vietnam. Upon arriving to the United States three years ago, he continued to study at the Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Connecticut, and at the Notre Dame Graduate School of Theology in New Orleans. He is an avid sports fan who enjoys playing soccer, tennis, volleyball, and ping pong.

*Rev. Mr. Elvin Torres born in the Dominican Republic, holds a degree in philosophy from the Pontifical University Catholic Mother and Teacher in the Dominican Republic. He also earned a degree in education. At the age of eight while regularly attending Mass with his family, he felt something special, a feeling of joy and peace, which he would later realize was God calling him to the priesthood. Mr. Torres was involved in his parish as a teenager. He originally entered the seminary in the Dominican Republic but left, to become a public school teacher where he taught Human and Religious Formation. He later moved to the U.S. and entered the Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Massachusetts. Mr. Torres enjoys playing baseball.

*Rev. Mr. Chin Nguyen born in Vietnam, remembers the exact moment in the seventh grade he decided to become a priest.  At a young age, he attended Mass every day, and became an altar server in the sixth grade. Mr. Nguyen arrived in the United States in 2010, enrolled at St. John’s University where he studied philosophy, and then entered St. Joseph’s Seminary and College in Yonkers.

The Diocese of Brooklyn Ordination Mass will air live on NET-TV, the cable channel of the diocese. NET-TV, which can be seen on Spectrum channel 97; Optimum channel 30; and on FIOS by Verizon on channel 548.

The photos of the four men to be ordained tomorrow are attached and are courtesy of DeSales Media/The Tablet. Members of the media are encouraged to attend the Mass. To RSVP, please email John Quaglione at jquaglione@desalesmedia.org.

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