FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 17, 2020

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Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens Provides Food for 1,000 Families

At Second Pop-Up Food Distribution in Corona, Queens

 

Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens hosted its second Pop-Up food distribution in Corona, Queens, a community severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pop-up food distribution was held today from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Catholic Charities Therese Cervini Early Childhood Development Center located at 35-33 104th Street, Corona, NY 11368.

 

The success of last week’s grab-and-go style event is proof the community is in dire need of essentials. Catholic Charities provided 1,000 families and individuals bags of food that will feed a family of three for three days. Catholic Charities also provided access to additional assistance, information, and resources, including outreach material encouraging an already undercounted neighborhood to participate and self-respond to the 2020 Census. 60 percent of the COVID-19 cases in New York City are in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens.

 

Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens has been responding to the hardworking families in this primarily immigrant neighborhood by providing pop-up food pantries, access to supportive services via our call center and behavioral health services via telehealth.

 

In the past week, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens has seen a 50 percent increase in the need for hot meals to be delivered to isolated seniors. On average, the agency distributes 5,000 meals, but as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak, Catholic Charities is delivering 8,000 meals weekly. Food pantry distributions have also increased. On average, the agency distributes 83,000 meals per month within our food pantry network. Last week Catholic Charities saw a 20 percent increase across our 20 parish-based food pantries.

 

The Pop-Up Food Distribution is organized and funded by Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens as a direct response to our neighbors in need in both boroughs. To donate to Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens go to www.ccbq.org.

 

 

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Video and still pictures of today’s pop-up event:

Courtesy: Catholic Charities Brooklyn & Queens

https://vimeo.com/409001593

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 15, 2020

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Diocese of Brooklyn Priest Reverend Kevin Sweeney Appointed

Bishop of Paterson, New Jersey by Pope Francis

 

Brooklyn, N.Y. (April 15, 2020) Pope Francis today announced he has named Reverend Kevin Sweeney, Pastor of St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Sunset Park, the 8^th Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey. Bishop-elect Sweeney will succeed retiring Bishop Arthur Serratelli, whose resignation was accepted today by the Holy Father. Bishop-elect Sweeney, who is 50 years old, is expected to begin his ministry in the Diocese of Paterson later this year.

“I congratulate Bishop-elect Kevin Sweeney for his appointment by the Holy Father to serve Catholics in the Paterson Diocese,” said the Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn. “I could not think of a better choice. Bishop-elect Sweeney has served the Diocese of Brooklyn for 22 years and is an outstanding example of a parish priest. I know he is a man of prayer and is a zealous advocate of vocations to the priesthood.”

Bishop-elect Sweeney, a native of Queens, New York, was born on January 10, 1970, to the late James and Agnes (nee Blewitt) Sweeney. He has a sister, Marie Shanahan, a brother-in-law Kevin, a brother, Brendan, a sister-in-law Tara, and five nieces and nephews. Bishop-elect Sweeney grew up in St. Luke’s parish in Whitestone.

He attended Cathedral Prep from 1984-1988 and was a star on the high school seminary’s baseball team, excelling as an infielder, outfielder, and pitcher. While his dream of playing professional baseball never materialized, he was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2013.

After high school graduation, Bishop-elect Sweeney entered the Cathedral Seminary House of Formation in Douglaston and studied at St. John’s University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy in 1992. He then entered the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington and was awarded a Master of Divinity in Theology. During his time at the Seminary in Huntington, Bishop-elect Sweeney spent a Pastoral Year at St. Agatha’s in Brooklyn.

On June 28, 1997, Bishop-elect Sweeney was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn by the late Bishop Thomas Daily. Bishop-elect Sweeney’s first assignment as Parochial Vicar was to the parish of St. Nicholas of Tolentine in Jamaica from 1997-2003. He was then assigned to Our Lady of Sorrows in Corona from 2003-2004.

In 2004, Bishop DiMarzio named Bishop-elect Sweeney the Vocations Director for the Diocese of Brooklyn, a position he held until 2010. During this time, he also served as the first Director of the (St.) Pope John Paul II House of Discernment.

In January 2010, Bishop-elect Sweeney was appointed to his current assignment, as the Pastor of St. Michael’s Parish in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Bishop-elect Sweeney is fluent in Spanish, having studied the language extensively in programs in the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica.

“This is a proud day for the Diocese of Brooklyn that the Holy Father would have chosen one of our priests to be a Bishop in our tri-state area,” said DiMarzio.

 Bishop-elect Sweeney will be available for a remote zoom press conference at 10:30 a.m. Only those whose name is clearly stated in their zoom id and the news outlet they are affiliated with will be admitted.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/97704042772?pwd=cXUzeUsvbyt6dlZLVGNzUXVKZFQzUT09 <https://www.google.com/url?q=https://zoom.us/j/97704042772?pwd%3DcXUzeUsvbyt6dlZLVGNzUXVKZFQzUT09&sa=D&ust=1587345758723000&usg=AOvVaw0MFJ4bAh0EuoZZi-aIF0tB>

 

Meeting ID: 977 0404 2772

Password: 051605

 

Photos attached.

Announcement Video of Bishop Serratelli and Bishop-Elect Sweeney: https://vimeo.com/407833935

 

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Official photo with collar – Courtesy DeSales Media Group

Fr. Kevin Sweeney at Ordination – Courtesy The Tablet

Fr. Kevin Sweeney – Yankee jacket – Courtesy The Tablet

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 14, 2020

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Pope Francis sends his condolences to Bishop DiMarzio and the Diocese of Brooklyn

 

Today the Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, learned of condolences from Pope Francis over the death of two priests serving the Diocese of Brooklyn due to coronavirus.

Timothy Cardinal Dolan, New York’s Archbishop, was speaking to Pope Francis earlier today, and during that conversation, the Holy Father asked the Cardinal to express his condolences to Bishop DiMarzio, the families of the two priests, and the people of the Diocese of Brooklyn over the loss of their two beloved priests.

Pope Francis was referring to Father Jorge Ortiz-Garay, who died on March 27, 2020, and Father Gioacchino Basile, who died on April 4, 2020.

“On behalf of the Diocese of Brooklyn, I am humbled to have received prayers and condolences from our Holy Father, Pope Francis, on the deaths of two of our priests who have been lost to coronavirus. As we continue to mourn the loss of Father Ortiz-Garay and Father Basile, it is comforting to know Pope Francis joins with us in solidarity. We are one church, and together the people of God will get through these most difficult times,” said Bishop DiMarzio.

Photo attached.

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Attached is a photo of Pope Francis greeting Bishop Nicholas A. DiMarzio of Brooklyn, N.Y., during a meeting with bishops from the state of New York in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican Nov. 15, 2019. The bishops were making their “ad limina” visits to the Vatican to report on the status of their dioceses to the pope and Vatican officials

Courtesy: CNS photo/Vatican Media

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 13, 2020

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QUEENS PASTOR BLESSES NYPD OFFICERS ON EASTER SUNDAY MORNING

Father Josephjude Gannon, Pastor of St. Gerard Majella located in the Hollis section of Queens, joined members of the 103^rd Precinct to offer a special blessing on Easter Sunday morning.

Father Gannon was invited to speak and bless the rank and file, as well as the precinct stationhouse, at the first roll call which took place at 6:30 a.m. yesterday, Sunday, April 12, 2020.

Before blessing the officers with Holy Water, Father Josephjude Gannon spoke to the men and women of the 103^rd Precinct saying, “The community loves you and is very thankful for you. You got to be careful for yourselves and your families and for the people you encounter. Every single day is an opportunity to live the Resurrection, every single day is an opportunity to praise God, and every single day is a day be the people that God wants us to be.”

The 103^rd Precinct is located at 168-02 91^st Avenue in the Jamaica section of Queens and serves a western portion of Queens, including the neighborhoods of Hollis Park Gardens, Hollis, Lakewood, and Jamaica, as well as the Jamaica Business District.

Photo attached, courtesy of Father Gannon.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 11, 2020

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SOCIAL DISTANCING WON’T STOP CATHOLIC SCHOOL FROM AN EASTER EGG HUNT

 

The Diocese of Brooklyn today is releasing photos from a socially distant Easter egg hunt, organized by the parents and teachers at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy, located in the Bayside section of Queens.

This week, Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy invited students and families to decorate paper Easter eggs and display them on their home front door or window. They have been encouraging students and families, who are taking walks in the neighborhood, to keep track of how many eggs they find.

The school community has been using the hashtag #OLBSPROUD to post the pictures of the Easter eggs that have been found.

Easter egg hunt photos, courtesy of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy, are attached.

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 11, 2020

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Bishop DiMarzio Says First Responders Putting their Lives on the Line

Represent the Resurrection Experience this Easter

 

The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, released the following Easter video message for the members of the faithful of Brooklyn and Queens.

 

Bishop DiMarzio talks about the Resurrection and how today, as we are living through COVID-19, we are experiencing the Resurrection all around us. We are experiencing the hope and love which we see in the Resurrection today in the work of our first responders on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

“What are those Resurrection experiences? Well, there are those who have gotten better from the COVID virus. Unfortunately, there are those who have died, and they too have a Resurrection experience, one that we do not see, as the ones who were getting better; we saw their Resurrection. And finally, we see the Resurrection experiences in the good work of those who are the first responders, those who are our ambulance workers, our fire department, our police, our doctors, our nurses, all of whom are putting their lives on the line to help those who are in danger of death. This is all a Resurrection experience,” said DiMarzio.

The Bishop acknowledged this virtual Easter is not what we would have liked, but that we need to make the best of it because hope is what and how we believe the Resurrection of Jesus Christ we are about to celebrate.

“I want to thank all of the first responders in a special way. You are giving us hope. We need that hope, that hope that comes from the Resurrected Lord but also that we see in the good of people around us.”

The link of the full video can be found on the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Vimeo page at

https://vimeo.com/406687361.

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 10, 2020

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ST. SEBASTIAN CHURCH CHOIR VIRTUALLY SINGS OF JESUS’ WALK TO CRUCIFIXION

 

The Diocese of Brooklyn, on this Good Friday, is releasing a video of the choir at St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church, located in the Woodside section of Queens, virtually singing “Via Dolorosa,” which translates from Latin to English as “Sorrowful Way.”

The Via Dolorosa is believed to be the path that Jesus walked through Jerusalem to His Crucifixion on Calvary. The choir’s virtual performance has added to this year’s celebration of Holy Week for the parishioners of St. Sebastian.

“We are separated in our location but we are together in God’s spirit,” said Bryan Kwon, Music Director at St. Sebastian.

 

The link to the video can be found here: https://vimeo.com/406300786

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 9, 2020

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QUEENS CATHOLIC FOOTBALL TEAM PLAYS VIRTUAL GAME OF CATCH

 

The Diocese of Brooklyn today is releasing a video of the members of the 7th-grade football team at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy, located in the Bayside section of Queens, “catching up” digitally.

The video, set to the Sam Brown and Jay-Z song “On to the Next One,” shows members of the team virtually throwing the football to each other.  In the video, one student is shown using hand sanitizer before virtually passing off the football to his teammate. The next player who catches the football sprays the ball with disinfectant before keeping the game of catch going.

The Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy football players created this unique way to play a game of virtual catch during the absence of sports due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The link to the video can be found here: https://vimeo.com/405995456

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 9, 2020

MEDIA CONTACTS:

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Feet of First Responders Symbolically Washed at Holy Thursday Mass

NYPD, FDNY, Doctor, and Nurse Among Those Represented

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Holy Thursday Mass commemorates the institution of the Holy Eucharist and usually includes the Washing of the Feet of 12 people from among a parish community, imitating Jesus’ washing the feet of the 12 Apostles at the Last Supper.

At tonight’s Mass of the Lord’s Supper, which took place at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in the Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn, an NYPD police captain, an FDNY paramedic, a doctor, a nurse, a social worker, a parent, and the parish’s sacristan were asked to participate at the Mass in a symbolic Washing of the Feet.

“When I think of the priesthood and the models of the priesthood tonight, I think of these people who sit before you. Because they are really the priests in our midst, they make a sacrifice and that sacrifice is themselves and they do that for you and for me and that is what the Gospel mandates,” said Reverend Monsignor Kieran E. Harrington, Vicar for Communications for the Diocese of Brooklyn and Rector of the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph.

Monsignor Harrington was the main celebrant at tonight’s Mass. Father Israel Perez and Father Pascal Louis concelebrated the Mass.

 

Video of tonight’s Mass of the Lord’s Supper can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=15&v=JuMXUkLsCC0&feature=emb_logo

Courtesy: DeSales Media Group/NET-TV

17:51 – Homily by Monsignor Harrington talking about the New Yorkers present for Symbolic Washing of the Feet

20:07 Kieran Harrington, Msgr. Harrington’s father

20:36 Police Captain Dominguez, NYPD 77 pct.

21:19 Cody Gottach, FDNY EMS Batt 59

22:45 Austen, Doctor

23:30 Lilia Figueroa, Nurse

24:12 James Moses, Social worker

26:54 Miguel Perez, Parish Sacristan

 

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