The Most Reverend Robert J. Brennan, Bishop of Brooklyn, has announced the selection of Robert Boyce, a retired 35-year veteran of the New York City Police Department, who most recently served as Chief of Detectives, as the new Chair of the Diocesan Review Board. Boyce held numerous positions within the NYPD throughout his career and has experience in a magnitude of criminal investigations, including sex and cyber crimes. His appointment became effective last month.

“I am grateful Chief Boyce has answered this call to serve in such a critical position which aligns with his life’s work of seeing justice served.  I have every confidence in his ability to manage the investigations based on complaints or lawsuits brought against Diocesan personnel.  The Diocesan Review Board will be well served by the leadership and integrity of Chief Robert Boyce,” said Bishop Robert Brennan.

Boyce replaces Joseph Esposito, a 45-year veteran of the NYPD, who served as Chair of the Diocesan Review Board since 2013. Esposito also previously served as the Commissioner of the New York City Office of Emergency Management from 2014 through 2018 and was recently named the Deputy Commissioner of Enforcement for the NYC Department of Buildings.

“I am grateful for the voluntary service and dedication of Chief Esposito to the Diocese of Brooklyn. For nearly a decade, Joe was a consummate professional who strived to achieve the true mission of the Diocesan Review Board. As we turn the page on the leadership of this Board, Joe Esposito’s impact will continue to play a role in its operation,” continued Bishop Brennan. 

The DRB is comprised of lay independent professionals: former law enforcement officers, lawyers with experience in family law and child abuse, and mental health professionals. The work of the board, mandated by the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, is primarily responsible for:

• Advising the Bishop in his assessment of allegations of sexual abuse of minors and his determination of the accused clergy member’s suitability for ministry

• Reviewing diocesan policies for dealing with sexual abuse of minors

• Offering advice on all aspects of these cases, whether retrospectively or prospectively, upon request

Bishop Brennan has also announced the appointment of Joseph Fox to the Diocesan Review Board. Fox served over 37 years with the NYPD, 21 as a Chief. He retired after serving six years as Chief of Transit, leading a team of 2,600 men and women who patrolled the New York City subway system. Chief Fox holds a Bachelor of Science in Security Management from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and is a graduate of the Police Management Institute at Columbia University. He is currently a practicing life coach and trains executive leaders.

Gena Diacomanolis, who earned her Juris Doctorate from Seton Hall University’s School of Law, has also been named to the Diocesan Review Board. Since 2006 she has been involved in investigations of criminal child abuse cases and the assistance of victims of family violence. She previously served on the Advisory Council of the New York State Office of Victim Services as well as a Board Member of the New York State Children’s Alliance.

Father James Rodriguez, Pastor of St. Rose of Lima in the Rockaways, has also been appointed to the Diocesan Review Board as the clergy representative. He holds a Master of Science in Education in Mental Health Counseling from St. John’s University. Fr. Rodriguez replaces Monsignor John Maloney, who retired earlier this year.

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Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York, Bishop Robert J. Brennan of Brooklyn, and Bishop John O. Barres of Rockville Centre today announced the launching of new programs at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, to enhance seminary training beginning next fall as part of their implementation of a new model of priestly formation in the United States.

That model, released earlier this year in the sixth edition of the Program for Priestly Formation, aligns with the 2016 document of the Holy See, Ratio Fundamentalis Institutiones Sacerdotalis, where priestly formation seeks to form “missionary disciples who are ‘in love’ with the Master…” To this end, candidates for the priesthood will journey through four stages accompanied by a community of formators: Propaedeutic, Discipleship, Configuration, and Vocational Synthesis.

“Demands on the priesthood today require a deep friendship with Jesus and a team of mentors willing to journey with the priests of tomorrow, particularly during these years of formation,” said Cardinal Dolan.

St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers (Dunwoodie) will be the new site for the recently created Propaedeutic Year for intensive human and spiritual formation as well as for the study of graduate-level philosophy. The Propaedeutic Stage will seek to give priesthood candidates a firm foundation in prayer, discernment, and personal growth. The Dunwoodie campus will provide a dedicated space in a reflective atmosphere and allow for the engagement of an experienced faculty.

For what is now called the Discipleship Stage, seminarians pursuing their Master’s in Catholic philosophy will be moving from the Immaculate Conception Center of the Diocese of Brooklyn in Douglaston to the Yonkers campus. Undergraduate seminarians will study philosophy and complete this stage of formation at one of the pre-existing programs out of state.

The Configuration Stage, with the study of theology, will continue at Dunwoodie. The Vocational Synthesis Stage will take place upon the completion of the study of theology and ordination to the Diaconate. During this stage, a transitional deacon will serve in a parish in his respective diocese under the direction of a mentor priest. 

Since 2011, the three Diocesan Bishops have worked together in the formation of priests, deacons, and lay leaders for service in the church. This collaboration, known as the St. Charles Borromeo Partnership, has allowed for sharing personnel and governance at each level of priestly formation and theological education.

 “Our priority in the implementation of the new Program for Priestly Formation is to assure a high quality of formation for candidates for the priesthood in the twenty-first century,” said Bishop Robert Brennan.

“This new paradigm of priestly formation centered at St. Joseph’s Seminary will help cultivate shepherds who will embrace the creative approaches needed today to bring people to the Heart of Christ,” said Bishop John Barres of the Diocese of Rockville Centre.

The Cathedral Seminary House of Formation at the Douglaston facility will no longer host seminarians but the Center will continue to offer graduate-level theology courses for candidates for the Permanent Diaconate and lay faithful at the Douglaston campus and serve other offices and programs for the Diocese of Brooklyn, including the Bishop Mugavero Residence for senior priests.

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