NET TV to Provide Live Coverage of First Beatification in United States

Beatification_massSaturday, October 4th, New Evangelization Television (NET TV) will broadcast live the Beatification of the Venerable Miriam Teresa Demjanovic from the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Newark.

“This is the first beatification to take place in the United States, ever,” said Archbishop John J. Myers of Newark. “In recent years, there has been an effort by the Vatican to bring these important liturgies to the actual countries where the saints are from,” he explained.

Venerable Sister Miriam Teresa Demjanovic was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, in 1901. She lived her religious life in the Garden State where she attended public schools, graduated from the College of Saint Elizabeth and entered the community of Sisters of Charity, both in in Convent Station, Morristown, NJ. She died in 1927 when she was only 26 years of age.

The liturgy will follow an official format provided by Rome, the same one performed in St. Peter Square in the Vatican City, and will be presided over by Angelo Cardinal Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints from Rome. The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, will concelebrate.

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Catholic Radio Arrives in New York City

Desales-RRThanks to support from DeSales Media Group, Relevant Radio is now available in the greater New York City area via the acquisition of WNSW 1430 AM. Relevant Radio is the nation’s largest independent Catholic radio broadcasting network, and will reach an additional 16 million people through 1430 AM, which joins 35 other stations in the network for a total audience reach of 48.6 million people.

“In the tri-state area, almost 45 percent of the people are Catholics. We have potential for a lot of listeners. I am sure they will find a place of learning and understanding in Relevant Radio,” said the Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, when giving his blessing to the radio station.

“We are thrilled to be in the nation’s number one media market,” said Father Francis J. Hoffman, Executive Director of the 14 year-old network which is based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. “Our mission has always been to help people bridge the gap between faith and everyday life, and we look forward to expanding our message to a new audience.”

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Opera Singers Interpret Ongoing Middle East Conflict at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph

MIA PHOTO 1On Friday, September 26th, the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, 856 Pacific St. in Prospect Heights, will be home to a new opera series by the vibrant indie company Opera Oggi New York.

Made in America is a set of one-act operas with storyline, text and music by Thomas Lawrence Toscano, founder of the singer-run company. The opera mini-series will bring some of New York City’s most exciting young opera singers to produce what has been described as a truly captivating performance.

The Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph invited the independent company to perform Made in America, Episode 1: The Interview. “It is a great initiative. We wanted to help this great group of talented musicians raise awareness on the current crisis of the Middle East. As a welcoming Church, we support all types of artistic expressions that share our same concerns,” said Monsignor Kieran Harrington, Vicar for Communications of the Diocese of Brooklyn and Rector of the Co-Cathedral.

The opera performance will tell the story of two women: Anat, a Jewish woman living in West Jerusalem, and Alzubra, a Muslim woman converted from a Presbyterian Maryland upbringing now living in East Jerusalem. After meeting, they realize they share a dual tragedy, one with life bonding similarities. As their friendship grows, they discover that they both have lost two young children each to the violence around them. In their grief they decide to create an organization called Mu-Je-Lif, Muslim and Jewish Women for Life. Concerned, but, not overly so, the U.S. Dept. of Defense sends a journalist, a Public Affairs Officer on leave in the Holy Land, to hear their story. What follows, The Interview, transforms all three of them as it unfolds to its deeply powerful conclusion.

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NET TV Announces New Fall Season Lineup

Today, NET TV unveiled its fall lineup that launches with the premiere of an all-new season of Breaking Bread on September 10th. Highlights include the second season of Portraits of Faith, featuring the Sandy Ground Project, a group of firefighters and police officers who built parks and playgrounds in memory of the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre; the premiere of the new program Classic with Dan Roebuck, featuring 36 episodes and a variety of guests; returning favorites include Ask the Doctor, Dios Nunca Duerme, In the Arena, and Too Blessed to be Stressed.

This season Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, a professionally trained chef-turned-priest, returns as host of Breaking Bread. Along with new co-hosts, he cooks up food for the soul in local restaurants across some of the most culturally rich and diverse neighborhoods in New York City. Featured kitchens are Benchmark, Park Slope; Brooklyn Farmacy, Cobble Hill; Damascus Bread Factory, Downtown Brooklyn; Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, Coney Island; HahmJi Bach, Flushing; L’albero dei Gelati, Park Slope; Mama Rao’s, Dyker Heights; Uncle Louie G Ice Factory, Staten Island; Yiasou, Sheepshead Bay; and Zum Stammtisch, Glendale. Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.

Fall also marks the return of the popular series Portraits of Faith on September 25th, hosted by Terry Donnellan. The season premiere explores the story of the “Sandy Ground Project: Where Angels Play” and the construction of 26 playgrounds in the tri-state area. Bill Lavin, founder of “Where Angels Play” foundation, and president of the New Jersey Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association, led the effort to honor and provide lasting and living memorials to the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

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Brooklyn Parish Holds Interfaith Service for Peace and Reconciliation

On Saturday, September 6th, the parish of St. Martin de Porres will hold an Interfaith Service for Peace and Reconciliation following the tragic events of the last several weeks in Staten Island and Missouri. The initiative, lead by Monsignor Paul Jervis, aims to bring the Holy Father’s message for Peace and Reconciliation to our local communities. It will take place at 3 p.m. at St. Peter Claver Church, 29 Claver Place, in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

The service comes during the Feast of Saint Peter Claver, who dedicated his life to work in defending the rights of the African people and sought for the abolition of the slave trade.

“We have to stand up against violence and yet at the same time be for the brotherhood and the solidarity of all people. We have to be proactive for interracial love and understanding. That was what Saint Peter Claver was all about,” said Father Jervis, pastor of St. Martin de Porres.

The Interfaith Service is an open invitation for people of all religions and races to denounce violence. “It is a call for peace and brotherhood,” he said.

Founded in 1922, St. Peter Claver Church was the first African American Roman Catholic Church in the Diocese of Brooklyn. It was established by Monsignor Bernard Quinn, a champion of racial equality, at a time when discrimination against Africans was ubiquitous in America.

NET TV to Provide Live Coverage of Pope Francis’ Visit to South Korea

netnyOn Thursday August 14th, New Evangelization Television (NET) will provide live coverage of the apostolic journey of the Holy Father to South Korea, where he will celebrate the Sixth Asian Youth Day, beatify 124 Korean martyrs, and deliver a message of peace and reconciliation in the war-divided peninsula.

The live coverage begins with a special pre-event presentation at 8:30 p.m, hosted by the editor of The Tablet, Ed Wilkinson. This will be followed by a Papal Mass to celebrate the Solemnity of the Feast of the Assumption at 9:00 p.m. from the World Cup Stadium in Daejeon.

On Friday August 15th, the encounter with the Asian Youth will air live at 4:15 a.m from the Solmoe Shrine. That evening, at 8:30 p.m., tune in for the Mass and Beatification of Paul Yun Ji-chung and his 123 martyr companions, who were killed for their faith in the 19th Century. The Papal Mass and Beatification will air live from the Gwanghwamun Gate in Seoul.

On Sunday August 17th, Pope Francis will commemorate the Sixth Asian Youth Day starting with a Mass at 3:15 a.m. A celebration of Holy Mass for Peace and Reconciliation will take place at the Cathedral Church of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception, also known as the Myeong-Dong Cathedral, in Seoul. The Mass will air live at 8:15 p.m.

All the events are listed in Eastern Standard Time; early morning live events will re-air later that day.

Pope Francis’ visit is the first pontifical trip to East Asia in nearly two decades. He will meet with one of the fastest-growing Churches in the world: the number of Catholics in South Korea has doubled since 1990 to 5.4 million, just over 10% of the total population, with about 100,000 baptisms this year.

NET TV is a cable network featuring news and information with a Catholic point of view, and is available in the New York area on Cablevision, channel 30, and on Time Warner Cable, channel 97, and nationally on Verizon Fios on Demand. Viewers can also tune in to watch the papal trip live on NET TV’s website www.netny.tv. For complete programming, including dates and times, please visit www.netny.tv.

STATEMENT OF BISHOP PAUL SANCHEZ ON HOMELESS IN NEW YORK CITY

In view of the needs of the homeless in our city, we must recognize those less fortunate in our midst and encourage community leaders to engage in a process that will provide more affordable housing with proper supports for families.

Currently, there are 54,000 individuals living daily in 250 shelters across the five boroughs. Nearly half – 23,000 – are children. Of the total, one-third of those individuals work full-time, but lack sufficient income for housing independence.

The city is providing, by law, emergency homeless shelters for these individuals as a temporary solution to an immediate crisis. This crisis gives us an opportunity to recognize a problem in our midst and to encourage the city to engage in a process that will provide more affordable housing with proper support for families. It is also an opportunity to advocate for additional government initiatives that prevent homelessness through rent subsidies.

As Catholics who embrace the virtue of compassion, I invite you to pray for these homeless individuals and families and for those who work to create affordable housing units. The city is suggesting that we write our community boards and our local newspapers asking for compassion for those who have been displaced.

To locate your local community board, go to nyc.gov/cau

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio Calls for Peaceful Resolution in Israel

In light of the disturbing military action between Israel and Hamas forces, we advocate for restraint on all sides of this grave conflict. Recognizing Israel’s right to self-defense, we call for moderation for the sake of innocent lives. We pray that all participants in this major conflict reach the best possible solution through honest dialogue rather than the use of arms. Knowing the sad events of the deaths of the three Israeli youths and the death of the Palestinian youth, we ask for an end to the fighting, which is only bringing about more killing. We pray that all respect the God given gift of human life for all in the midst of this conflict.

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio Ordains 13 Men to the Priesthood

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Bishop DiMarzio Ordains 13 New Priests for Brooklyn

On Saturday, June 28, the Diocese of Brooklyn celebrated the ordination of thirteen new priests. The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, blessed the new shepherds of the Church at the newly renovated and consecrated Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights before more than 1,500 attendees and 200 vested priests.

“In the Diocese of Brooklyn, we are so blessed that 13 men will be called for service to the people of God. Some may think that 13 is an unlucky number. For me, however, 13 is a baker’s dozen, a true abundance of harvest that the Lord has promised to those who pray for laborers to enter the harvest.” said Bishop DiMarzio.

The new priests that will serve Brooklyn and Queens include eight born in the United States and five foreign-born. They are: Jeremy Canna, Vincenzo Cardilicchia, Marcin Chilczuk, Jason Espinal, Felix Herrera, Cezariusz Jastrzebski, Evans Julce, Juan Luxama, Gregory McIlhenney, Peter Penton, Robert Pierre-Louis, Anthony Rosado and Carlos Velásquez.

After the Ordination ceremony, the priests were given their pastoral assignments. They will serve the multi-cultural communities of the Diocese of Brooklyn, known as “the Diocese of Immigrants.”

Catholic Press Association Honors ‘The Tablet’ and ‘Nuestra Voz’

On Friday, June 20, the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada honored writers and editors of Catholic media during its annual Catholic Media Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Tablet, the weekly newspaper of the Diocese of Brooklyn, was recognized in three categories:

  • Columnist Father Jean-Pierre Ruiz, priest of the Diocese and professor of Theology at St. John’s University, obtained second place in the Best Regular Column category for his “Sunday’s Scriptures.”
  • Carrie White, longtime classified advertising manager, took second place for Individual Excellence in advertising and marketing.
  • Antonina Zielinska received an Honorable Mention for the 50th Anniversary of March on Washington Best Coverage, for her report “Sarah Keys Evans: Civil Rights Era Soldier Fought for Her Rights.”

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