April 20, 2016 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

This week, I begin a series of four articles in which I hope to give you a sampling of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of our Holy Father, Pope Francis, entitled, “Amoris Laetitia,” “The Joy of Love.”

After each Synod, it is the custom of the Roman Pontiffs to offer their insights into the work of the Synod, which represents a collaboration of many bishops elected by Episcopal Conferences all over the world. The last two Synods have been on the issue of the family.

Our Holy Father, in offering this large document of 276 pages, gives us a passionate and heartfelt exhortation on the meaning of family life in the world today. In this series, I will paraphrase and try to give some indication of what Pope Francis has said to us, so that you will have the desire to read the document (www.vatican.va).

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

April 6, 2016 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

The phrase, “Pray to the Lord of the Harvest so that He may send out laborers into His harvest,” is not the suggestion of a priest, bishop or even a pope. Rather, it is the command of the Lord Jesus, Himself, that if we are to have sufficient laborers in the vineyard of the Kingdom of God, we need to pray.

The 53rd World Day of Prayer for Vocations called this year by our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has a theme, “The Church, Mother of Vocations.” The Holy Father begins his message by quoting his own motto, Miserando atque eligendo – by having mercy and by choosing – which describes the call of St. Matthew by Jesus.

He called Matthew from a life of defrauding others to be an apostle. In our own day, it seems that we are calling young people from lives that are incompatible with the Gospel at times, to be ministers of the Gospel. They, themselves, know that this is a problem and feel that somehow it disqualifies them from following the Lord’s call, even though they feel the call. This is one of the major obstacles to vocations that we must overcome in developing a pastoral approach to vocation recruitment for the priesthood and religious life.

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

March 30, 2016 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

This is the full text of Bishop DiMarzio’s homily from the Chrism Mass celebrated at St. Joseph’s Co-Cathedral, Prospect Heights, on Tuesday, March 22.

As we com­e to the Chrism Mass this Holy Week during the Year of Mercy, we recognize that living the Paschal Mystery gives us an opportunity to set our sights on our future Christian lives; that after this Lent, during this Holy Year, our conversion process will have taken a step forward.

Tonight, I wish to speak about our sacramental spirituality as bishops, priests, deacons and laity. When priests are questioned in surveys about their spirituality and asked what is their greatest support or incentive to lead a holy life, they always say, the laity are those who inspire me. Then some say, my fellow priests. It always seems to follow that order. Hardly anyone mentions bishops. I hope I am not an obstacle to your priestly spirituality, or for deacons and the laity, and, hopefully, tonight, sharing some thoughts together, we might make progress in becoming more like the Father – the Father of Mercy as Jesus told us, “To be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect.”

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

February 24, 2016 – 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 everyone served throughout our Diocese in Brooklyn and Queens, we begin the 2016 Annual Catholic Appeal, “Share The Joy of the Gospel,” by thanking those who so generously responded to last year’s Catholic Appeal. If not for the commitment of our parishioners to this annual initiative, the basic services and ministries offered by the Diocese would not be possible.

This weekend, we begin the 2016 Annual Catholic Appeal in parishes that participated last year in our Generations of Faith capital campaign. The Generations of Faith capital campaign is helping to strengthen our parishes by not only providing security for our senior priests, but also investing in the Church’s future through our diocesan youth ministry initiative. The Annual Catholic Appeal continues to support the vital diocesan ministries that serve all of Brooklyn and Queens on a day-to-day basis. The theme of the 2016 Annual Catholic Appeal continues to be inspired by Pope Francis’ Encyclical “The Joy of the Gospel” which reminds us of the happiness we receive when we bring the Good News to others.

Pope Francis writes, “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and the lives of those who encounter Jesus. Those who accept His offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, bitter emptiness and loneliness. With Christ, joy is constantly born anew.”

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

February 17, 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 celebrated the World Day of the Sick. This remembrance of the sick coincides with the February 11th Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. In his message for this day, “Entrusting Oneself to the Merciful Jesus like Mary: ‘Do whatever He tells you’ (Jn 2:5),” our Holy Father, Pope Francis, uses the Gospel scene of the Wedding at Cana to remind us of the intercessory power of Mary. It was Mary at Cana who recognized that the wine was running short. She appealed to her Son, Jesus, to do something for the newly married couple, who would be in distress. After retreating from Jesus, Mary simply told the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.” Pope Francis tells us that if we can learn to obey these words of Mary, Jesus will change the water of our lives into precious wine.

Sometimes the reality of sickness and the suffering that it brings is hard for us to accept. Perhaps it is most difficult to understand when a child becomes ill. Parents often feel helpless when they see their child in pain. Many pray that they might suffer in their son or daughter’s place. Later in life, it is chronic illness that often plagues the elderly. This chronic illness can lead to depression or despair.

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

January 20, 2016 – Excerpted from Put Out Into The Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

January has been designated as Poverty Awareness Month by many organizations. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops joins with the Catholic Campaign for Human Development in calling attention to the issue of poverty, especially in our own country.

We are following the example of our Holy Father, Pope Francis, who in his encyclical, The Joy of the Gospel, Evangelii Gaudium, clearly stated what he said at the beginning of his pontificate, “I want a Church which is poor for the poor.”

This seemingly radical statement has many implications. If the Church is to serve the poor, then the Church itself must certainly act as the poor do, meaning that it must be dependent on the providence of God and not rely on its own resources. The poor necessarily are dependent on others for the basic necessities of life. There is no special charism that the poor have to be able to bear the burden of their poverty.

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