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

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

The Constitution of the United States is a remarkable document penned by our Founding Fathers that has kept our Union together since its foundation, and gives a spirit of equality to all citizens of the United States of America. With two recent decisions of our Supreme Court, however, we wonder how the Constitution has been used to justify two complex, yet similar, actions. Both decisions are grounded in misunderstanding of human freedom. Individual conscience has been put to the test.

The first decision of the Supreme Court last week is regarding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as ObamaCare, that permits participants to receive federal subsidies even if their states have not set up exchanges, meaning state-sponsored insurance programs. The issue is not really about subsidies, but more importantly about state’s rights in relationships to the federal government.

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

June 17, 2015 – Excerpted From Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

Father’s Day is a secular holiday that draws our attention to the role of paternity in our own lives and in our society. It is said to have originated in 1908 in Fairmont, W.Va. Grace Golden Clayton is believed to have been inspired to celebrate fathers after a deadly mine explosion in nearby Monongah killed 360 men, many of them fathers and recent immigrants to the United States from Italy.

Another driving force behind the establishment of Father’s Day in this country was Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd of Creston, Wash. Her father, a Civil War veteran, was forced to raise six children by himself on a rural farm in Eastern Washington State. It was only after Mrs. Dodd became an adult that she realized the strength and selflessness her father had shown in raising children on his own.

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

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

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

On June 14, 1777, the Stars and Stripes were adopted as our Nation’s flag. This national symbol was the subject of Francis Scott Key’s hymn during the War of 1812 that would later become our national anthem.

On this Flag Day, perhaps we might consider how best to celebrate the freedoms that the flag represents. America is in some sense an exceptional Nation, for what joins us all is not a common blood, but rather a willingness to leave our homelands so that we might live free of the tyranny of political oppression or poverty.

It is the sense of adventure, as well as the unwavering commitment to freedom, that binds Africans, Asians, Europeans and Latin Americans to one another. It just takes a walk in Flushing Meadows Park or Prospect Park to notice the many faces of people, who, in some cases, are enemies in other parts of the world but live peacefully as neighbors here in New York.

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

May 27,  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 approach the end of May, we are blessed with ordinations to both the Transitional Diaconate, as well as the Permanent Diaconate. We will ordain four Transitional Deacons now this spring and four on Nov. 7, for Ordination to the Priesthood in 2016. At the same time, I was privileged to ordain 19 permanent deacons on Saturday, May 23, at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph.

In the last several weeks, I had the opportunity to personally interview the candidates for the Permanent Diaconate and their wives. These individual meetings were both a heartwarming and engaging experience for me to ascertain the motivations of our candidates, as well as to witness their enthusiasm for service to our Church. The Permanent Deacons who are married form a team with their wives, not just in the sacrament of marriage, but also in the sacrament of Holy Orders in which they participate.

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

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.

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.