Diocesan News

June Workshops: Forming Evangelization Teams

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Father Frank DeSiano, CSP, President of the Paulist Evangelization Ministries will provide multiple two-hour workshops to assist parish leaders form new Parish Evangelization Teams and learn about Basic Evangelization Steps (including forming small parish groups).

Pastors/Administrators are asked to attend one of the two-hour workshops along with parish staff and volunteers. These workshops will assist us as we prepare to implement the parish elements of our Diocesan Evangelization and Renewal Springboard Plan. Registration is required for planning purposes. Presentations will be in English with Spanish PowerPoint slides and discussion.

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‘The Unique Role of the Mother’ by Bishop DiMarzio

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May 6, 2015 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

“Love is Our Mission, the Family fully alive” is the title of the preparatory document for Catechesis for the World Meeting of Families, to be held this September in Philadelphia.

The section on the “Family Creating the Future” might be important for us to consider as we prepare to celebrate Mother’s Day.

“Marriage is meant to be fertile and to welcome new life. Children shape the future, just as they themselves are shaped in their families. Without children, there can be no future. Children reared with love and guidance are the foundation for a loving future. Wounded children portend a wounded future. Families are the bedrock of all larger communities. Families are domestic churches, places where parents help children discover that God loves them and has a plan for each child’s life.”

Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.

Brooklyn Diocese to Announce Launch of Capital Campaign

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GOF_LogoOn Sunday, May 3rd, the Diocese of Brooklyn, together with the Catholic Foundation for Brooklyn and Queens, will officially announce the launch of Generations of Faith, a comprehensive fundraising initiative to meet the spiritual and material needs of the diocese.

Continuing the unprecedented generosity of the 1996 Alive in Hope campaign, this 2015-2016 effort aims to raise a minimum of $80 million. The campaign will be conducted in the 186 parishes of Brooklyn and Queens, inviting the more than 1.5 million Catholics in the diocese to participate.

Generations of Faith, named after the numerous generations of Catholics raised and living in the many tightknit neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens, will focus on three main goals: to strengthen the parishes of Brooklyn and Queens (50%), serve and care for senior priests (37.5%), and foster the formation of the Catholic faith for future generations (12.5%). Read more »

‘Strengthening the Future of the Diocese’ by Bishop DiMarzio

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April 29, 2015 – Excerpted from “Put Out Into the Deep,” Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

Today, we find ourselves at a transitional point in the history of the Church of Brooklyn and Queens. As we celebrate the great work of the many generations that preceded us, our parishes and Diocese must also look to the future with plans to strengthen our faith.

For more than 150 years, the Diocese of Brooklyn has embraced and celebrated our communities, and our families. Under the guidance of remarkable priests, generations of Catholics have been raised and lived in the many tight-knit neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens, and come together as one family of faith at our vibrant parishes.

We are now more than 1.5 million Catholics, young and old, celebrating Mass in 33 different languages. Families of immigrants have transformed our Diocese, and while some have arrived more recently than others, we represent dozens of nationalities from all over the world. Our Diocese is a microcosm of the worldwide Church. We have been richly blessed.

Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.

Brooklyn Diocese Hosts Media Conference; Prepares For Pope Francis Arrival To U.S.

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Our 2017 World Communications Day Catholic Media Conference is May 17 at the BRIC Arts Media House in Brooklyn. Learn More and Sign Up

On Wednesday, May 13th, the Diocese of Brooklyn will host its 24th Annual World Communications Day Catholic Media Conference at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, 333 Adams Street, Downtown Brooklyn. In preparation for Pope Francis’ first pastoral visit to the United States in September, the conference will focus on how to cover the Holy Father and provide insights on what to expect from his visit.

During the event, the diocese will honor Austen Ivereigh with the St. Francis DeSales Distinguished Communicator Award. He will also be the principal speaker for the occasion.

Austen Ivereigh, Ph.D., is a British writer, journalist, and commentator, and author of the internationally acclaimed biography The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope, published in the English-speaking world last Fall. He is also the co-founder and director of the international media project Catholic Voices, a project to train ordinary people to make the case for the Church on contentious issues in the media. His work also includes the books Faithful Citizens: a Practical Guide to Catholic Social Teaching and Community Organising, Catholic Voices: Putting the Case for the Church in the Era of 24-Hour News, and How to Defend the Faith Without Raising Your Voice. Read more »

Brooklyn Eagle Covers Mass of Hope and Healing

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brooklyn-eagle-logoThe Brooklyn Daily Eagle covered the Mass of Hope and Healing on Wednesday, April 15th at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James:

“ (…) Members of the survivors group shared a different perspective on justice and healing than did the protesters stationed outside the cathedral. The survivors group said that both can happen concurrently.

Moreover, Bishop DiMarzio and members of the group told the Eagle on April 15 that they have been meeting for more than a year as a support group and to organize the healing mass and that they developed the idea together. Read more »

Grilling With God 2015

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Please join us for our 5th Annual Grilling With God series, beginning June 4th. Each Grilling With God includes a night of prayer, food, discussion, and fellowship for Young Adults (ages 21-39). Click here for a flyer with all our speaker information.

We will begin on June 4 with a Holy Hour at 6pm at the Holy Child Jesus Chapel (86-13 112th Street Richmond Hill, New York) followed by an out door BBQ and talk. There is a suggested donation of $5. There is a parking lot and it is located near the J train.

Please feel free to contact Paul Morisi at (718) 965-7300 if you have any questions or concerns. Read more »

Pilgrimages to Italy and the Philippines

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The Diocese of Brooklyn has organized two pilgrimages to two very exciting locales! The first one will take you to Sordevolo, Italy to witness the world-famous Passion Play, as well as visits to the cities of Rome, Assisi, Venice, Padua, and the Piedmont region of Italy. Bishop Raymond Chappetto and Msgr. Steven Aguggia will chaplain the trip. For more information on this amazing opportunity, click here.

The second pilgrimage will be to the 51st International Eucharistic Conference in Cebu, Philippines from January 22 to February 1, 2016. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and Cardinal Timothy Dolan and will both be making the trip! For more information or to register for this once-in-a-lifetime trip, click here.

We hope to see you on one (or both!) of these pilgrimages!

“Our Popular Pope” by Bishop DiMarzio

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April 15, 2015 – Excerpted from “Put Out Into the Deep,” Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

As we prepare for the Papal Visit to the United States, and in particular to New York, during the next several months, it might be well to focus on the Pope whom we will welcome. As can easily be seen from surveys and articles, and most recently in the Wall Street Journal of Saturday, April 4th, we see the Holy Father portrayed as “wildly popular.” One survey even compared the annual popularity of St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict and Pope Francis and it seems that Pope Francis has garnered a most favorable status, even greater than St. John Paul II. Popularity, however, is not what makes a papacy, but it certainly helps.

A recent unauthorized biography of Pope Francis gives some insight into his character and the quite different approach that he has taken to the papacy. His first several speeches clearly indicated his priorities. Remember, the Holy Father said, “I want a poor Church for the poor.” His message on mercy clearly indicates his priority that is appealing. But what is behind the love for the poor of Pope Francis? Certainly, his experience in Argentina where he became Padre Jorge in the barrios of Buenos Aires and for his constant attention to the immigrants who were in that city, because the barrios were populated more by immigrants from Paraguay and Bolivia than Argentineans themselves. He reached out in his personal way to those who were the poorest and most marginalized in his home diocese.

Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.

Survivors of Sexual Abuse by Members of Clergy Partner With the Diocese of Brooklyn To Sponsor a Mass of Hope and Healing

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Survivors of sexual abuse by members of the clergy have partnered with the Diocese of Brooklyn to sponsor a Mass of Hope and Healing on Wednesday, April 15th at 7 p.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James, 250 Cathedral Place, Downtown Brooklyn.

The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, will be the main celebrant and homilist.

“There has been much darkness in the past regarding this issue, but it must come out into the light,” said Bishop DiMarzio. “We must own up to past mistakes and seek to heal those who have been abused, and I must take this opportunity to publicly thank those who have come forward to help us shed light into the darkness of this most serious issue. These survivors have shown us that there is hope for healing and have helped us to identify the pastoral resources which our Diocese makes available to assist them on their journey.”

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