FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 9, 2022

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Brooklyn Bishop Announces Diocesan Appointments, including Vicar General

The Most Reverend Robert Brennan, Bishop of Brooklyn, has announced his selections for several key positions within the administration of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn including: Vicar General, Moderator of the Curia, and Vicar for Canonical Affairs.

Bishop Brennan has named Monsignor Joseph R. Grimaldi as the new Vicar General of the Diocese of Brooklyn, replacing retired Auxiliary Bishop Raymond Chappetto.

“Monsignor Joseph Grimaldi has been a part of the Diocese of Brooklyn his entire life, from his days as a Catholic school student to his pastoral leadership. His knowledge of the people and the parishes of the Diocese, as well as Church law, make him the ideal person to serve as the next Vicar General. I look forward to working closely with Monsignor Grimaldi to build a stronger Catholic community of faith throughout Brooklyn and Queens,” said Bishop Robert Brennan.

Monsignor Grimaldi was born in the Diocese of Brooklyn in Astoria, Queens, was a parishioner of Immaculate Conception parish, and attended St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School. He is a graduate of Monsignor McClancy High School and St. John’s University. He entered the Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington in 1978 and was ordained into the priesthood by Bishop Francis Mugavero in 1983 at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James.

Monsignor Grimaldi has served in several Brooklyn parishes. He has been Pastor of St. Bernard’s in Mill Basin since 2017.  He previously served as pastor at St. Mark’s Church in Sheepshead Bay and as parochial vicar at St. John the Evangelist in Sunset Park and St. Ephrem in Dyker Heights.

Then-Father Grimaldi received a J.C.L. (Juris Canonici Licentiata – Canon Law degree) from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. in 1992.  Upon returning to the Diocese of Brooklyn, Father Grimaldi served as an Adjunct Judicial Vicar for the Diocesan Tribunal from 1992-2000.

In 2012 he was named “Chaplain of His Holiness” (Monsignor) by Pope Benedict XVI. Monsignor Grimaldi served as the Territorial Episcopal Vicar for Brooklyn from 2012-2020.

“I am humbled and honored by my appointment as Vicar General of the Diocese by Bishop Brennan. His kind and compassionate leadership has, in just a few short months, given a new sense of hope to so many in our Diocese, especially as we attempt to re-establish the bonds of mutual love and support so fractured by the Coronavirus pandemic. The generous service of so many in our Diocese (laity, religious and clergy), working together in building up The Body of Christ has always been the hallmark of this great diocese; one I have been privileged to serve as a priest for 38 years,” said Monsignor Joseph R. Grimaldi.

Bishop Robert Brennan has also made the following appointments to Diocesan Administration.

Very Reverend Patrick J. Keating, Esq., has been appointed Moderator of the Curia. Father Keating also serves as the Econome, Vicar for Financial Administration, and General Counsel for the Diocese of Brooklyn. In addition, Father Keating is the Deputy CEO of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens. Father Keating was ordained on June 4, 2005. He earned his Master of Public Administration from Baruch College in 2013 and Juris Doctor degree from Brooklyn Law School in 2017. Father Keating was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2017.

Reverend Monsignor Steven Aguggia, J.C.L., has been appointed Vicar for Canonical Affairs. He also serves the Diocese as Chancellor since January 31, 2020, and as Pastor of St. Pancras Church in Glendale since September 15, 2020. Monsignor Aguggia received a J.C.L. (Juris Canonici Licentiata – Canon Law degree) from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in 2000. He was Judicial Vicar of the Diocese of Brooklyn from 2009-2020. Monsignor Aguggia was ordained on May 22, 1993.

Reverend Monsignor Anthony M. Hernandez, J.C.L., previously served as Moderator of the Curia (2018-2022) and Vicar for Canonical Affairs (2008-2022) and was also Chancellor from 2009 to 2020. He will remain as Pastor of Transfiguration Church in Williamsburg. “I am very grateful to Monsignor Hernandez for his service during difficult times and circumstances. I appreciate the work he has done in service to Diocesan administration for more than a decade. He will now be able to devote all his energies to his pastoral work,” said Bishop Brennan.

Maryellen Quinn has been appointed Director for the Office of Protection of Children and Young People and Temporary Victim Assistance Coordinator. She has been Safe Environment Coordinator for 12 of the 13 years she has worked for the Diocese and in that role, has worked to ensure safe environments exist for all. Quinn has been in charge of monitoring compliance of all sexual abuse awareness training for children and adults, ensuring that criminal background checks are being performed, and that all Code of Conduct is adhered to. She also maintains the records for the yearly Audits of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Youth to ensure the Diocese passes the Audit every year.

“Maryellen has effectively served with the Safe Environment program for many years and is a valuable member of the team on the frontlines that responds in times of crisis. Maryellen’s ministry also includes her important work with the victim-survivors of clergy sexual abuse. I appreciate she was willing to take extra responsibilities in this most important mission of protecting children and the vulnerable and tending to the needs of victim-survivors,” said Bishop Brennan.

Quinn replaces Jasmine Salazar, LMSW, who has resigned as Director of the Office for Protection of Children & Young People, Victim Assistance Coordinator and Vice Chancellor.

During her time as Victim Assistance Coordinator, Salazar provided outreach and support for victims and their families, created the Victim’s Advisory Board to make recommendations to the Bishop on behalf of victims, stream-lined the reporting process, formed a relationship with the NYPD Special Victims Unit to make sure that victims receive a proper response, and together with the Victim’s advisory board, organized the Masses of Hope and Healing.

“The Diocese of Brooklyn is a model around the country for its work with survivors of clergy sexual abuse. I credit Jasmine Salazar with all that and am grateful for her 13 years of service to the Diocese. Her departure is a real loss for us, but I know that some of the processes she put in place will live on,” said Bishop Brennan.

The above-mentioned appointments take effect immediately.

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Monsignor Joseph R. Grimaldi

Very Reverend Patrick J. Keating

Reverend Monsignor Steven Aguggia

Maryellen Quinn

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 27, 2022

MEDIA CONTACTS:

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Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan Joins the Ukrainian Community in Prayer    

            The Most Reverend Robert Brennan, Bishop of Brooklyn, and Most Reverend Witold Mroziewski, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, joined the Ukrainian community at a special Mass Saturday evening to pray for the people suffering in their homeland. The Mass celebrated in the Ukrainian language was held at Guardian Angel Roman Catholic Church, 2978 Ocean Parkway in the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn.       

“I am sorry that we are gathered here with fear, worry, and concern for those who are at home, especially for your own family members. Bishop Witold and I wanted to be here tonight in a very special way because we are doing tonight what we, as Catholics, do in times of tribulation. We gather to pray; we pray, we pour out our hearts to God, we ask for His protection over the country of Ukraine, over all the people and especially over all your family members, we pray,” Bishop Brennan told the faithful.

He added, “May God bless you for your faith, your hope, and your love. My heart breaks with your heart, but we are filled with that same sense of hope, and that hope comes to us because of Jesus Christ, who faced evil right in the eyes and rose over sin and death. May God bless you tonight, may God bless all your families in the days to come.”           

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VIDEO – Courtesy DeSales Media: https://vimeo.com/682403995

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 24, 2022

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***MEDIA ADVISORY***
CATHOLIC CHURCH AND ACADEMY TO CELEBRATE
BLACK HISTORY MONTH SUNDAY

            The parish of St. Michael-St. Malachy located in the East New York section of Brooklyn, with Salve Regina Catholic Academy, will host a special Mass and celebration to mark the conclusion of Black History Month this Sunday, February 27, 2022, beginning at 9 a.m.

            The entrance procession of the Mass will feature the image of Blessed Pierre Toussaint, which will be displayed in the front of the Church, along with the images of three saints;  Sister Thea Bowman, St. Josephine Bakhita, and Charles Lwanga.  Every Sunday during Black History Month, the parish highlighted a different extraordinary Black Catholic. The images will be later permanently installed in the Church.

            Following the Mass, beginning at 10:15 a.m., students from the parish will join Salve Regina Catholic Academy students in the school gym for a special presentation of dance, poetry, art, fashion and music.  The celebration will also include cultural food from Nigeria, Haiti, Jamaica, and other countries.

            St. Michael-St. Malachy is located at 225 Jerome Street in Brooklyn. Salve Regina Catholic Academy is located at 237 Jerome Street in Brooklyn.

            Father Brendan Buckley is the Pastor of St. Michael-St. Malachy. Michelle Donato is the Principal of Salve Regina Catholic Academy. Brandon Morel, the parish Youth Minister, is the coordinator of Sunday’s event.  The event flyer is attached.

            Members of the media are invited to attend and should respond to this email to confirm their attendance.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 24, 2022

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Adriana Rodriguez
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John Quaglione 
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Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan Prays for Peace in Ukraine

Bishop Robert Brennan prayed for Peace in Ukraine at this morning’s 8am Mass at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn:

“We join with our Holy Father, we join with people all around the world, as much of us woke to the shocking news, not necessarily surprising, but the shocking news of the invasion of Ukraine. We pray indeed for the people of Ukraine; we pray for people from our own Diocese here in Brooklyn from the Ukrainian community. We join with them in prayers for the nation of Ukraine, but we also pray for the larger Peace of the world. We turn to the Lord in our moment of need. We ask the Lord to watch over and protect those who are in harm’s way, and also, we pray that it does not escalate.

Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has asked that we turn our attention on Ash Wednesday, March 2^, 2022, a day of prayer and fasting, that we make it a day of prayer and fasting particularly for those in Ukraine and for Peace in our world. Certainly, we join him in that effort, but even now, we just intensify our prayers because quite honestly, that’s who we are; we turn to the Lord, and we show that dependence as a light in the world, as a salt of the earth.”

You can watch to this morning’s Mass courtesy of NET TV: https://youtu.be/n7Nwos2AFL4

Bishop Brennan’s first statement is at 9:14; the second statement is at 30:45.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 20, 2022

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Adriana Rodriguez
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BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION AND MASS FEATURED
WILTON CARDINAL GREGORY, THE FIRST BLACK CARDINAL IN AMERICA

The Most Reverend Robert J. Brennan, Bishop of Brooklyn and the Most Reverend John O. Barres, Bishop of Rockville Centre, welcomed His Eminence, Wilton Cardinal Gregory, Archbishop of Washington, D.C., to a Black History Month Celebration and Mass of Thanksgiving earlier today, at the Immaculate Conception Monastery Church located at 86-45 Edgerton Boulevard in the Jamaica Estates section of Queens.

Wilton Cardinal Gregory is the first African-American bishop to be elevated to the College of Cardinals within the Catholic Church. Cardinal Gregory was the principal celebrant and homilist at the Mass. Bishop Brennan, Bishop Barres and Auxiliary Bishops and priests of both the Dioceses of Brooklyn and Rockville Centre, concelebrated the Mass.

“Black History Month is an opportunity for our entire country to recognize the blessings that People of Color have offered and continue to impart to these United States. We are a gift to this country,” Cardinal Gregory preached during his homily.

“Today we celebrate in prayer the contributions of Black People to our homeland. However, this is also a moment for all Americans from every culture and race to appreciate the gifts that Black People have offered to our nation.” Cardinal Gregory continued, “It is also a time for nation-building and for strengthening the bonds that tie us together as one people. Americans everywhere should rejoice this African-American Heritage Month in a legacy of unity that promises a better tomorrow for everyone who claims this land as their home. It is an occasion for us not only to thank God for the gifts of people of color but to thank God for the possibility that we have become one people, Amen.”

Black History Month cultural festivities, sponsored by The Brooklyn Vicariate for Black Catholic Concerns and The Office of Multicultural Diversity for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, took place before the Mass of Thanksgiving.

Wilton Cardinal Gregory was appointed by Pope Francis as the seventh Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington on April 4, 2019, and was installed on May 21, 2019. Cardinal Gregory is the Chancellor of The Catholic University of America, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and previously has served as the Chairman of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops.

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VIDEO – Courtesy DeSales Media

https://vimeo.com/679840549

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 17, 2022

MEDIA CONTACTS:

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John Quaglione 
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***MEDIA ADVISORY***

BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION AND MASS TO FEATURE
WILTON CARDINAL GREGORY, THE FIRST BLACK CARDINAL IN AMERICA

The Most Reverend Robert J. Brennan, Bishop of Brooklyn and the Most Reverend John O. Barres, Bishop of Rockville Centre, will welcome His Eminence Wilton Cardinal Gregory, Archbishop of Washington, D.C., to a Black History Month Celebration and Mass of Thanksgiving on Sunday, February 20, 2022 beginning at 4:00 p.m. at The Immaculate Conception Monastery Church, located at 86-45 Edgerton Boulevard in the Jamaica Estates section of Queens.

Black History Month cultural festivities, sponsored by The Brooklyn Vicariate for Black Catholic Concerns and The Office of Multicultural Diversity for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, will begin at 4:00 p.m. The Mass of Thanksgiving will begin at 4:30 p.m.

Wilton Cardinal Gregory is the first African-American bishop to be elevated to the College of Cardinals within the Catholic Church. Cardinal Gregory will be the principal celebrant and homilist at the Mass. Bishop Brennan, Bishop Barres and Auxiliary Bishops and priests of both the Dioceses of Brooklyn and Rockville Centre, will concelebrate the Mass.

Wilton Cardinal Gregory was appointed by Pope Francis as the seventh Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington on April 4, 2019 and was installed on May 21, 2019. Cardinal Gregory is the Chancellor of The Catholic University of America, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and previously has served as the Chairman of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops.

He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago on May 9, 1973 and was ordained an Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago in 1983. On February 10, 1994, he was installed as the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Belleville, Illinois, and on January 17, 2005, he was installed as the sixth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

Members of the media are invited to attend and are asked to reply to this e-mail to confirm their attendance.  The Mass will be live-streamed via the Brooklyn Diocesan cable network NET-TV and online at netny.tv

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 16, 2022

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Adriana Rodriguez
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John Quaglione 
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DIOCESE OF BROOKLYN’S MONSIGNOR JAMIE GIGANTIELLO NAMED
CHAPLAIN OF THE NEW YORK CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT

The Diocese of Brooklyn is proud to announce Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, Pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel – Annunciation Parish in Williamsburg, has been named a Chaplain for the New York City Fire Department. Deputy Fire Chief Gigantiello was sworn in Monday at FDNY headquarters.

“I am very honored and humbled to be part of one of the greatest fire departments in the country. The fires I will put out will not be the fires that destroy buildings and take lives, they will be the fires of suffering and loss,” said Msgr. Gigantiello. “Right now, we may be a divided city but when it comes to tragedy we are so united, we come together as a city and we come together as a church because we all believe in one God and we let them know they are not alone.”

FDNY Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro presided over the swearing-in ceremony on Monday.

“They are with us on our good days and on our most dark days, they are with the families to tell them that God will remain with them and I could not picture the department existing without chaplains,” Nigro told Currents News, the Diocese of Brooklyn’s nightly news program.

https://netny.tv/episodes/currents/monsignor-jamie-gigantiello-sworn-in-as-fdny-chaplain/

Monsignor Gigantiello was ordained in 1995. He has served as parochial vicar at St. Patrick’s Parish, Bay Ridge, and Mary Queen of Heaven Parish in Old Mill Basin, where he installed as pastor in 2002 and served until 2013. He then served as Pastor of St. Bernard in the Mill Basin/Bergen Beach section of Brooklyn until 2017, when he was appointed at Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Prior to studying for the priesthood, Monsignor Gigantiello received a Business Degree from Baruch College and graduated from The Culinary Institute of America. For ten years, he worked in New York City’s hotel industry in various managerial positions before entering Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington.

Monsignor Gigantiello is the Director of the Office of Parish Giving and Vicar for Development for the Diocese of Brooklyn. He has served on a variety of civic and not-for-profit boards, including the Board of Directors of MERCY FIRST. Following the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11th, the New York City Police Department made him an Honorary Chaplain in recognition of his work at Ground Zero.

Monsignor Gigantiello ministers as Chaplain to the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission and the NYC Transit & Corrections Officers. He also serves as Spiritual Moderator for the Equestrian Order of the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre and Chaplain to local chapters of the Knights of Columbus, the Columbiettes and Lions Club.

Monsignor Gigantiello joins seven other chaplains serving the FDNY.

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Photo 1: Msgr. Gigantiello being sworn in with his sister, Toniann Martello, holding the Bible.

Photo 2: FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro, Toniann Martello, Msgr. Gigantiello, Anthony Gigantiello (Msgr. Gigantiello’s brother)