Diocesan News

The Joy of Encountering Christ – The Family’s Hope Springboard Plan 2015-2018

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To All Pastors, Administrators, Pastoral Associates, Catechetical Leaders, and Catechists:

Last week I sent Bishop DiMarzio’s letter announcing the Evangelization and Renewal Springboard 2015-2018 entitled The Joy of Encountering Christ–The Family’s Hope.

I hope that you will use this information to assist your planning efforts for 2015-2018 and share this information with those that might find it helpful.  Please join us in making every attempt to increase evangelization and renewal efforts.  While you are not expected to complete everything discussed in this plan, please attempt to either use what we suggest or find something helpful to the evangelization and renewal efforts in your parish, family, or individual situation.  I am certain that you are already accomplishing much of what is being suggested.

I also attached a copy of Bishop DiMarzio’s announcement letter that was previously posted. More information will continue to be sent to you in the new year.

If I or any member of the staff can be of assistance, please do not hesitate to call or email us.

May the Christ Child lead us in this important work.

Merry Christmas and a blessed and healthy new year!

Theodore J. Musco
Executive Director, School of Evangelization
Director, Office of Faith Formation
Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn
310 Prospect Park West
Brooklyn, New York 11215
718.965.7300, Ext. 5417
tmusco@diobrook.org
www.bqfaithformation.org

Statement on Fire At Our Lady Of Sorrows

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Tragedy struck the heart of the Diocese of Brooklyn this past weekend as Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Corona suffered a devastating fire. The Diocese of Brooklyn is fully committed to helping this church rebuild so that it may continue serving its faithful community as it has been doing since 1872. All of our shrines, churches, and cathedrals are sacred and special in their own individual ways. What makes Our Lady of Sorrows stand out is that it is a parish of immigrants in the Diocese of Immigrants, with 12,000-13,000 overall parishioners in attendance each weekend.

This vibrant parish has played host to several immigration-related events these past two years, including: a September 2013 Mass with Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn; a March 2014 press conference for Catholic Migration Services with U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, Congresswoman Grace Meng, Assemblyman Francisco P. Moya, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras, and Councilman Carlos Menchaca; and a November 2014 bills signing with Mayor Bill de Blasio of Intro. 486-A and Intro. 487-A, to protect undocumented immigrants.

As we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, let us pray for our fellow parishioners in Corona during this time of rebuilding.

Statement of Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio On the Murder of Two NYPD Officers

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The Catholic Community in Brooklyn and Queens joins me in praying for the repose of souls of Police Officer Wenjian Liu and Police Officer Rafael Ramos. We offer our sincere condolences to the families of our fallen Police Officers and pray earnestly for their consolation. Each day, 35,000 of our fellow citizens put on blue uniforms and patrol the streets of our city to keep us safe. Each deserves our prayers and gratitude. These finest of men and women will undoubtedly continue to patrol and keep us safe by the strength of their service.

As we face monstrous evil, it sometimes seems as though the light has been extinguished for our world. As people of faith, we believe that it is precisely into this unexplainable situation that God comes to make His home. Emmanuel, “God is with us,” and so we are convinced that a “light shines in the darkness and the darkness shall not overcome it.” Saint Michael the Archangel, patron of our Police Officers, pray for us.

“God Enters Into Creation” by Bishop DiMarzio

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December 17, 2014 – Excerpted from “Put Out Into the Deep,” Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

Christmas in many ways is one of the most nostalgic periods of time. We have many treasured memories, especially surrounding the celebration of Christmas. Perhaps as we come closer to this Christmas, we can recall these memories.

For me, it was the annual ritual of buying the Christmas tree and decorating it, but most importantly placing the Christmas crèche, or presepio, beneath the tree. I learned from my grandmother that the presepio truly is, in the Italian tradition, a manifestation of Christ to the world. And so the images that were placed in the crèche would represent every possible human and animal form.

And so whatever figurines were in the house … animals, snowmen, Santa Claus, etc., they were all placed in the crèche because it was the point when Christ, the newborn, God-Man, manifested Himself to all of creation. This memory has remained with me all my life. In fact, in the vestibule of our Chancery building, there is a very large Neapolitan presepio that was presented to me by the Italian Trade Commission several years ago. It represents the same type of universal manifestation of Christ in a setting in an Italian village where everyone is going about their normal life … fishing, farming, blacksmithing, cooking … whatever their daily activity is. In the center is Christ, Who enters human history, not completely changing it, but becoming part of it.

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

ENDOW Facilitator Training

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To All Pastors, Administrators, and Catechetical Leaders:

We are blessed to begin ENDOW Study Groups for Women in the Diocese of Brooklyn. ENDOW (Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women) is an international Catholic study group that engages the intellect and hearts of women and girls to help them understand their God-given dignity and respond to our culture’s desperate need for an authentic feminine presence in every aspect of life and society. These groups will serve as excellent opportunities for evangelization and renewal and will be highlighted in our upcoming Diocesan Springboard Plan 2015-2018 for Evangelization and Renewal entitled The Joy of Encountering Christ–The Family’s Hope.

Please send at least one person from your parish who will lead your parish/deanery group to the facilitator training session that will be held on Saturday, February 21, 2015 from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm at the Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston.

Please see the attached flyer for important registration information. Space is limited, so please register early. The registration fee is $25.00 per person attending the training and includes all training materials.

For more information, contact Ted Musco at (718) 965-7300 ext. 2417

 

“Building a More Just City” by Bishop DiMarzio

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December 10, 2014 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet.

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

Democracies offer citizens the right of assembly, regress, and the ability to protest issues that are not favorable to its citizens. Recently, we have seen examples of both peaceful and not so peaceful protests. In Hong Kong, far from us, we have seen in the last month, protests, especially among students, trying to get the attention of the communist leaders in Beijing to allow open and democratic elections in Hong Kong. Even the retired Cardinal in Hong Kong, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, is involved in these peaceful demonstrations. Recently, he and other adult leaders of this protest movement have turned themselves into the government in order to avoid any repression or bloodshed, mindful of the terrible memory of Tiananmen Square when the communist forces killed many demonstrators over two decades ago.

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

Opera OggiNY Announce Production of Hansel and Gretel With Special Holiday Pricing

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Opera Oggi New York will offer a performance of this fairy tale masterpiece with exceptional artists whose mission it is to connect with new audiences of all ages. As soon as the overture of this perennial Christmas favorite begins, it is clear Humperdinck’s music is some of the most well-known and most accessible in all of opera. Hansel and Gretel tells the story of what is most likely the most famous of all fairy tales, and carries with it messages of love, growth and children rising above adversity. This opera is surely one of the best by which to introduce new comers to this incredible art form and further it is one wherein families can both enjoy and create bonds of shared experiences that last a lifetime.

The performance of the opera take place on Thursday, December 11 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph at 7 PM. And as a thank you to their wonderful audiences, they are offering discounted prices as a holiday gift. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children under 16. You can pay at the door or through PayPal at operaogginy.info.

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“Take Advantage of the Time” by Bishop DiMarzio

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December 3, 2014 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet.

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

We have begun Advent which is basically a time of waiting. Time is really important to us. We live in time – the time of our birth to our death. The time of Advent in a certain sense telescopes our life from its beginning to end. It gives us the opportunity to look back and look forward. To wait, in time, for the birth of Jesus, the Son of God Who is the author of all time.

At this time, an important question is, how do we view time in our lives? Time is not something we really like to waste. We like to make the most of our time in this life, and every day we should use the time God gives us for good purpose. As we think about how we use time, however, we recognize that sometimes we let it slip through our fingers. We do not take advantage of every day and make the best use of it. It does not mean we have to be workaholics, never stopping to take a rest or use leisure properly, but it is an opportunity to analyze the time we have, for time does not belong to us alone.

Time belongs to God. He has given us the time in our lives to find its meaning. As Christians, we find the meaning of time in Jesus Christ whose birth we prepare to celebrate during Advent. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end of time.

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