March 8, 2017 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

On behalf of the people who are served throughout our Diocese in Brooklyn and Queens, we begin the 2017 Annual Catholic Appeal, “Live in Faith – Give in Love,” by thanking those who generously responded to the 2016 Annual Catholic Appeal and the Generations of Faith capital campaign.

While the Generations of Faith capital campaign is helping to strengthen our parishes, provide for our senior priests and secure the future of the Church through our diocesan youth ministry initiative, the Annual Catholic Appeal continues to support the vital diocesan ministries that serve the people of Brooklyn and Queens on a day-to-day basis. If it were not for the commitment of parishioners throughout the Diocese to the Annual Catholic Appeal each year, the responsibility to provide the basic services and ministries of the Diocese of Brooklyn would be impossible.

The 2017 Annual Catholic Appeal, “Live in Faith – Give in Love,” reminds us that the work of the Church is shared by all believers in response to the gifts of faith and love. By supporting the works of the Diocese and the mission of the Church through a commitment to the Annual Catholic Appeal, you will inspire others in your parish and our diocese to join us as we answer God’s call to love and to serve our neighbors. Those who are without shelter, malnourished, those without access to Catholic education, men discerning the priesthood and those who are ill and dying – all depend upon our generosity.

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

March 1, 2017 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, since Lent has now begun, I call attention to the Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for Lent 2017 entitled “The Word is a gift. Other persons are a gift.”

The Word of God is a gift to us. In the Sacred Scripture, Jesus the Word Incarnate gives us the direction for Lent in works of fasting, prayer and almsgiving. To illustrate his point that “other persons” are also a gift, the Holy Father chooses to reflect on the parable of Lazarus. From the very beginning, we understand that Lazarus is a person whose name literally means, “God helps.” In fact, it is not a name; it just means a special person. The person in need was Lazarus who stood at the door of the house of a rich man begging for scraps, which came from his table. The rich man, totally unaware of the presence of Lazarus, ignored him for he was not a person to the rich man.

Our Holy Father tells us the essence of the parable, which shows that the rich man’s greed made him vain, when he says, “The lowest rung of this moral degradation is pride. The rich man dresses like a king and acts like a god, forgetting that he is merely mortal.”

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

January 18, 2017 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

Each year on January 22, the Catholic Church in the United States, along with many others, recognizes the anniversary of the flawed Supreme Court decision entitled Roe v Wade. The decision was flawed because it was made on the basis of false information. Two women brought the lawsuit, and later recanted their claims. One said that she was never pregnant, and the other said her pregnancy was not a result of rape as we were previously told. On the basis of false facts, we have seen the massive abortion of over 50 million unborn children since 1973. There was one other flawed Supreme Court decision that fortunately was overturned which was the support of slavery in the United States in the Dred Scott decision.

But why do we commemorate tragic events? Well, it becomes a reminder to us that these events, especially the legalization of abortion in the United States, are injustices that must be overturned. This may not happen all at once. However, any attempt to limit the number of abortions is a step in the right direction. Notwithstanding the present political climate, which might lend some hope to future curtailment of abortion, it is our responsibility as Catholic Christians to work for the elimination of this stain on our national conscience.

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

January 11, 2017 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet.

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

For over 35 years, the first week after the Epiphany, has been designated as National Migration Week. This year it occurred from Jan. 8 to 14. The Church in the United States, recognizing that it has become again an immigrant Church, must understand a new culture that has grown in the Church. This year’s theme, “Creating a Culture of Encounter,” comes from the first Pentecost homily of our Holy Father, Pope Francis, where he emphasizes the importance of encounter in the Christian faith. He says, “For me, this word is very important. Encounter with others. Why? Because faith is an encounter with Jesus and we must do what Jesus does: encounter others.”

The Lord, Jesus, had one pastoral method: encounter and making friends with people. He seemed to have that ability to encounter others and engage them almost immediately in life-changing situations. Jesus called the Apostles from their work and they followed Him; Peter and Andrew and Matthew. He met the Samaritan Woman at the well and engaged in deep conversation with her. He encountered the two disciples on the way to Emmaus and they too had life-changing experiences. Our call to a greater culture of encounter with immigrants follows the mandate of Jesus in the scene of the Last Judgment when He tells us, “Whoever welcomes a stranger, welcomes me.”

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

January 4, 2017 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the beginning of World Day of Peace begun by Pope Paul VI. The Holy Father initiated this day of prayer based on the message of St. John XXIII and his Encyclical, “Pacem in Terris” (“Peace on Earth”). It was the wish of John XXIII that peace would be the prayer at the beginning of each New Year. He said, “Peace is the only true direction of human progress.”

The 20th century gave us two world wars and the threat of nuclear disaster. In our present century, the wars in the Middle East and Africa, as well as terrorism in Europe and in the United States all have truly been a legacy of unpeacefulness.

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

November 16, 2016 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

Last week, we went to the polls to elect a new President, as well as legislators and judges. This past week, the winning candidates began the process of transition from campaigning to governing.

President Obama and Secretary Clinton were gracious in their calls for us all to come together as a nation. As President Obama reminded us, “We are all on one team.”

The peaceful transition of power is one of the defining characteristics of our Nation. Yet, since the election, the protests and riots that have erupted not only in our own city, but also in other parts of the country, are deeply troubling.

The fears of some in our community must be acknowledged. Undocumented immigrants and the children of undocumented immigrants fear that they will be deported. The Trump slogan “Make America Great Again” has been adapted by some to become “Make America White Again.” Consequently, many in the African-American community fear a rollback of the many advances made in recent years. Meanwhile, many of the anti-Trump protesters are proponents of anarchy, some even of violence and boldly waving socialist flags in the streets of our cities.

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

November 9, 2016 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet.

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

First, I thank you for your presence today as I celebrate 20 years of Episcopal ministry. As I reflect back on these past 20 years, it was certainly a surprise to be asked to accept the episcopacy. When the nuncio of that time, now Cardinal Agostino Cacciavillan, called me and began speaking in Italian and said, “Chiedere niente e rifiutare niente,” which I later realized were the words of Saint Frances deSales, “Ask for nothing and refuse nothing.” Truly, the then-Archbishop Cacciavillan meant that he wanted me to answer yes. Well, I did answer yes, not knowing what lay before me.

Our second reading today was the reading I used in 1970 at my first Mass as a priest. Jesus was a high priest taken from among men. In fact, I had my sister, Donna, who was in high school at that time, make a banner where those words were displayed, “A Man Among Men.”

A priest is taken from among men to serve as their representative before God. Truly, the episcopacy accents this work of a priest. One always remains a priest. The work of the episcopacy is always the work of the priesthood. Sometimes the isolation of the episcopacy can be a burden in itself. The separation from family, friends and priest friends is sometimes difficult, especially if one is serving in a diocese other than one’s home diocese.

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

November 2, 2016 – Excerpted from Put Out Into The Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

Of all the political campaigns that I have witnessed, this certainly has been one that has most frustrated the American people.

Both major party candidates are so unpopular, it is unprecedented. A recent ABC/Washington Post poll shows 60 percent of likely voters see Hillary Clinton unfavorably while 58 see Donald Trump unfavorably. In September, the Washington Post reported that 60 percent of voters did not consider either candidate honest or trustworthy.

But unless they wish to cast a vote for the Independent or Green Party candidate, many voters are faced with choosing between two candidates they do not wholeheartedly support.

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

October 26, 2016 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

The last two weeks we have been exploring our Catholic faith and the matter of political responsibility. We have established already that the purpose of individuals coming together and forming a government is to serve a common good. Last week we spoke of “religious freedom” as a lynchpin of any society. This week we will take up the question of social justice.

We ask ourselves where the candidates stand on how we as a people may best “make accessible to each what is needed to lead a truly human life: food, clothing, health, work, education and culture, suitable information, the right to establish a family, and so on.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1908)

Previously, we established that the dignity and sanctity of human life is the foundation for all other rights. Support of partial-birth abortion, which can only be described as near infanticide, is in the minds of many disqualifying for the office of President of the United States. Moreover, the Democratic Party Platform now calls for taxpayer funding of abortion. Taken together, these pose an almost insurmountable hurdle for any Catholic voter that takes his or her faith seriously.

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

October 19, 2016 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

In many parts of the world Christians are suffering intense religious persecution. Last year, over 7,000 Christians were martyred for the faith leaving some to wonder whether we are witnessing a new genocide. Chaldean Christians in Iraq and Syria face the brunt of the violence. However, they are not alone. Those that live in places like Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Libya are also at risk. Many more Christians are facing political and economic discrimination in places like China and India.

The political climate in the United States is chaotic and dispiriting. The Presidential nominees of both major political parties seem scandal-plagued and corrupt. America deserves better but perhaps these two contenders for our nation’s highest political office are simply a reflection of the citizenry. The character of a political candidate does matter. Unfortunately, the character of both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump has come under question which continues to obscure important policy discussions.

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