Diocesan News

“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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‘Preach The Story of Salvation’ By Bishop DiMarzio

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April 8, 2015 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

This is the complete text of Bishop DiMarzio’s homily at the Chrism Mass, March 31, at St. Joseph’s Co-Cathedral, Prospect Heights:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

Tonight, in this Mass of Chrism, we bless the oils used for the administration of the sacraments and recommit ourselves to priestly and diaconal service, which means the service of the Word and the sacraments for the benefit of all of God’s people.

The Gospel tonight of Jesus’s first sermon in the synagogue of Nazareth, ends with the words, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” as at every Eucharist when the word leads us to the sacrament of the living Word, Jesus Christ, who is anointed with the Spirit.

Tonight, I wish to speak to you priests, deacons and religious and lay faithful as preachers and hearers about the sermon or homily.

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

Young Adult Retreat

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To all our young friends out there, we hope you can join us for a Young Adult Retreat in June! This Day of Reflection is open to anyone ages 18-39 and will feature a day of talks, Mass, reflections and fellowship!

The retreat will take place on June 13, beginning at 9 AM and concluding at 4 PM at Queen of All Saints Church in Brooklyn. The day will be led by Megan Fraino, Campus Minister from St. John’s University and Mass will be celebrated by Fr. James Kuroly, the Chaplain for Adolescent and Young Adult Faith Formation in the Brooklyn Diocese. Admission is $5 per person and includes a light breakfast and lunch. Click here for our informational flyer or contact Paul Morisi at pmorisi@diobrook.org

You can register any time at www.bqonlineformation.org. 

‘Finding Jesus is a Matter of Faith’ by Bishop DiMarzio

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April 1, 2015 – Excerpted From Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

Several Sundays ago, the Gospel portrayed for us the Greeks who went to Phillip and asked the question, “We want to see Jesus.” This question has been repeated millions of time during the two millennium since the death and Resurrection of Jesus. People want to meet Jesus. They want to meet Him in the flesh, but also, more importantly, they want to meet Him spiritually.

Recently, in an unlikely place, CNN aired an original series entitled, “Finding Jesus: Fact, Faith and Forgery.” It is interesting that the series is based on a book co-authored by Michael McKinley and David Gibson, who is a longtime friend of mine as well as a member of our Diocese. The series contained something for everyone; the faithful, the skeptic, the archeologist, the historian. It became clear that the finding of Jesus is not something of the past, but more something of the present.

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

‘The Scourge of Pornography’ by Bishop DiMarzio

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March 25, 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 begin Holy Week, with the celebration of Palm Sunday, sometimes called Passion Sunday, we recognize that a modern-day passion event is unfolding in our society. The release of the movie version of the book “Fifty Shades of Grey” has brought to our national attention a problem that has been brewing for over a generation, which is the justification and mainstreaming of pornography.

Christian anthropology understands that human nature and our sexual nature must be treated with consummate care, otherwise it can lead to our downfall. In the garden of paradise, Adam and Eve’s recognition that they are naked is a consequence of the loss of original innocence due to sin which was not intended by God but because of our first parents’ pride and disobedience.

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

Statement of Cardinal Dolan and Catholic Bishops on Education Tax Credit

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Screen Shot 2015-03-25 at 11.54.40 AMOne year ago, with the promise of Education Tax Credits on the horizon, thousands of tuition-paying families were left out in the cold – excluded from a state budget that provides the nation’s highest level of spending per pupil in public schools. Governor Cuomo knows how genuinely disappointed we were.

This year, the Governor has included Education Tax Credits in his proposed state budget. And so we have renewed hope. But in politics, it is not enough to propose; the measure still must survive the negotiation process with the Legislature in order to be enacted, and we are strongly urging the Governor to be unwavering in demanding the tax credit be included in the final budget.

We have reason to be hopeful. In addition to the Governor’s important actions, we have seen continually increasing support for Education Tax Credits since last year. The state Senate has again passed the measure with strong bipartisan support, and strong bipartisan support exists in the state Assembly. Nearly 150 community, business, education, faith, and labor organizations support the measure, having seen the benefit such tax credits bring to improving educational opportunity in other states.

While tax law can be complicated, the bottom line is quite simple. The Education Tax Credit will help all children by encouraging increased charitable donations to generate more private scholarships for tuition-paying families and additional resources to our public schools. It’s a win-win for all families, regardless of where their children attend school.

Despite the strong support of families and parishes firmly committed to the value of Catholic education, more than 200 Catholic schools have closed in the last 15 years throughout New York State, simply due to increasing costs. This has been devastating, both to the children who missed an opportunity for a quality education, and for taxpayers.

Governor Cuomo is right to have called the Education Tax Credit a “matter of justice.” And with matters of justice, there can be no delay. Please join us in praying that our leaders include it in the enacted state budget this month.

Diocese of Brooklyn Launches Campaign Encouraging Catholics To Return To Confession

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In partnership with the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Rockville Centre, the Diocese of Brooklyn is launching a campaign to promote the Sacrament of Reconciliation during one of the most important seasons for the Catholic Church: Lent. Reconciliation Monday, which this year falls on March 30th, has become an annual event, where every parish in the greater New York City area will be open for confessions.

The advertising initiative targets the diverse population of the greater New York City area and encourages people to return to confession. The series of ads include a young man praying at the steps of a subway stop, and a close-up of a woman with praying hands, and reads “We’re All in Need of Forgiveness” and invites people to confess at any church in the three Catholic dioceses, on March 30th, from 3 p.m. through 9 p.m.

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Survivors of Sexual Abuse by Members of the 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.”

Read more »

‘Praying With Survivors of Sexual Abuse’ By Bishop DiMarzio

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March 18, 2015 – Excerpted from “Put Out Into the Deep,” Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

Over the course of my ten years as Bishop of Brooklyn, I have been meeting with survivors of sexual abuse by members of the clergy. Each encounter is heart wrenching for me, as their bishop, to listen to their stories and to apologize in the name of the Church, and to offer my own personal support for their journey towards healing. On April 15, our Diocese will take another step in the healing process, when a Mass of Hope and Healing is offered at 7 p.m at the Cathedral-Basilica of St. James in Downtown Brooklyn.

This type of Mass has been celebrated in other dioceses, and the survivors, themselves, have asked that we do the same. Our Diocese of Brooklyn is committed to the spiritual and emotional well-being of victims who become survivors, and what an important way to begin with this focus group of survivors who have shared with us what would be meaningful to them.

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