Bishop Dimarzio

Bishop DiMarzio Visits Buffalo

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 10, 2019

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Adriana Rodriguez
718-517-3143
arodriguez@desalesmedia.org

John Quaglione 
718-517-3112
jquaglione@desalesmedia.org

Bishop DiMarzio Visits Buffalo

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn visited Buffalo earlier this week as part of the Apostolic Visitation announced recently.  He met with and interviewed more than 30 individuals and has plans to return for additional meetings later this month.

The Bishop takes his role as Visitator seriously and is determined to continue the fact-finding mission he has been directed to carry out by the Holy See.  Both lay faithful and clergy, members of the Diocesan staff, and others have been invited to be a part of this process so that Bishop DiMarzio can gather information from several perspectives as part of this fact-finding mission of the Buffalo Diocese.

Bishop DiMarzio has pledged to do his best to learn the facts and gain a thorough understanding of the situation in Buffalo.  Upon completion of the visitation, Bishop DiMarzio will submit a report to the Congregation for Bishops at the Vatican.

No additional information will be shared beyond this statement at this time.

 

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DIOCESE OF BROOKLYN RESPONDS TO SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE SKIT ATTACKING CATHOLIC CHURCH  

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 11, 2019

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Adriana Rodriguez
718-517-3143
arodriguez@desalesmedia.org

John Quaglione 
718-517-3112
jquaglione@desalesmedia.org

 

DIOCESE OF BROOKLYN RESPONDS TO SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
SKIT ATTACKING CATHOLIC CHURCH

The Diocese of Brooklyn is demanding an immediate public apology from “Saturday Night Live” and NBC after Saturday night’s disgraceful and offensive skit in which cast member Pete Davidson, during the Weekend Update segment, said: “If you support the Catholic Church, isn’t that the same thing as being an R. Kelly fan?” The statement clearly shocked the studio audience as gasps could be heard off camera.

 

Apparently, the only acceptable bias these days is against the Catholic Church. The faithful of our Church are disgusted by the harassment by those in news and entertainment, and this sketch offends millions. The mockery of this difficult time in the Church’s history serves no purpose.

 

The clergy sex abuse crisis is shameful, and no one should ever get a laugh at the expense of the victims who have suffered irreparably. The Diocese of Brooklyn strives every day to ensure that sexual abuse by clergy never happens again.

 

For nearly two decades, the Diocese of Brooklyn has taken this crisis seriously and instituted widespread changes mandated by the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.

 

Those changes include a zero-tolerance policy in which any clergy member credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor is permanently removed from ministry. Since 2002, the Diocese of Brooklyn has shared all of its files and allegations against clergy with the District Attorneys of Brooklyn and Queens. In 2004, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio instituted a reporting line that sends reports directly to law enforcement authorities.

 

The charter also mandates sexual abuse awareness training for all clergy members, teachers, parish/academy/school employees, catechists and volunteers who work directly with children. Employees and volunteers also must agree to initial and ongoing criminal background checks and must sign a code of conduct.

 

To help victims, the Office of Victim Assistance provides referrals for therapy, support groups for survivors and an annual Healing Mass to pray for all who have been impacted by sexual abuse.  The diocese also started the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program as another possible mechanism for healing that may help bring closure to victim-survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

 

It is likely that no other institution has done more than the Catholic Church to combat and prevent sexual abuse. The insensitivity of the writers, producers, and the cast of SNL around this painful subject is alarming.

 

DIOCESE OF BROOKLYN TO ORDAIN FIVE MEN TO THE PRIESTHOOD

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 28, 2018

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Carolyn Erstad
323-384-7098
cerstad@desalesmedia.org

Adriana Rodriguez
516-238-7565
arodriguez@desalesmedia.org

DIOCESE OF BROOKLYN TO ORDAIN FIVE MEN TO THE PRIESTHOOD

On Saturday, June 30, at 11 a.m., the Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, will ordain five men to the priesthood for the Diocese of Brooklyn. The ordination Mass will take place at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, 856 Pacific Street in Prospect Heights.

The new priests come from all over the world and will add to the diverse tapestry of the diocese. Two were born in New York to immigrant parents. The others were born in Haiti, Vietnam, and Germany. They range in age from 28 to 41.

The men have varied and rich life experience, which helped them in discerning God’s call to serve the Church. One survived cancer, while another lost his sister in the 2010 Haiti earthquake. One speaks four languages. And all are highly educated, with degrees in Theology, Philosophy, Business, and Political Science.

“As these seminarians journey to their day of Ordination, one can sense the joy that they experience as well as the joy of the Diocese and the Presbyterate that welcome these newly ordained into our ranks,” said Bishop DiMarzio.

The Diocese of Brooklyn, the eighth largest diocese in the United States and the only entirely urban diocese in the Nation, serves the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. The combined population of the boroughs stands at 4.9 million residents, of which more than 1.5 million identify themselves as Catholics.

For photos and full bios, please visit this week’s Tablet.

The Ordination Mass will be broadcast LIVE on NET TV at 11 a.m. EST., and will also be streamed live on www.netny.tv.

NET TV is a cable network featuring news and information with a Catholic point of view. It is available in the New York area on Spectrum, channel 97; Optimum, channel 30; and Verizon Fios, channel 48.

Reporters interested in covering the event should contact Carolyn Erstad or Adriana Rodriguez in advance.

An Unholy Separation Policy

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An unholy separation policy: Stop pulling families apart now, says the Bishop of Brooklyn
By Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio
New York Daily News, June 19, 2018

For weeks now, we have heard of children being separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, literally being ripped from their parents’ arms. The images of crying children and distraught parents seem so inhumane that it is hard to believe this is actually happening in the United States of America.

We are beginning to hear more about the detention centers at the border, as reporters and elected officials are now being allowed inside. One individual who was given access said he saw children being kept in what resembled “animal kennels” or cages. Another reported that a baby was taken away while breastfeeding. There have been numerous reports of children being taken away on false pretenses, with no idea when the will be returned to their parents.

It is horrifying to contemplate the psychological damage being perpetrated on these innocent children.

As the Book of Leviticus reminds us, “When a foreigner resides with you in your land, you must not oppress him. You must treat the foreigner living among you as native-born and love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God …” (19: 33-34).

The Trump administration says in taking children from parents at the border, it is following a law that already existed, but this is untrue. There is not a law that requires family separation. The President could stop this with a phone call.

The administration also says this zero-tolerance policy acts as a deterrent by sending a message to adults of what could happen if they arrive at our border with their children. But this policy is not reflective of the values of our nation or the morality of its people and should be halted immediately. There must be a compassionate way to enforce immigration laws.

What is more egregious is that the administration is using these children as leverage to enact its nativist agenda in the form of two bills being considered in Congress. Both of those bills would change our nation’s immigration system for the worse. And they are not needed to end the separation of families.

Both bills would include, among other “poison pills,” a reduction in asylum standards, the removal of protections from unaccompanied children, evisceration of the family-based immigration system, the end of the diversity lottery system and an ineffective border wall. In order to end family separation, the bills remove protections for unaccompanied children — what they call “loopholes” — allowing the administration to incarcerate children with their parents in adult jails.

The second bill, forged by the House Republican leadership and dubbed a “compromise,” would provide DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) youth a chance for a green card through a new merit — or points-based — system. But immigration advocates say as many as half of the DACA-eligible youth might not get the chance to obtain one through the new system.

Both of these bills should be voted down. They use the undocumented youth as bait to achieve immigration changes which on their own would never receive majority support. They also would fundamentally alter our legal immigration system, weakening family unity and diversity in the process.

As the U.S. Catholic bishops have stated in the past, addressing the push forces that drive migrants to flee — endemic violence and extreme poverty in their countries — is a more effective and humane solution to forced migration than a border wall. For years, the bishops also have called for comprehensive immigration reform, which should include a path to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants, not just undocumented youth.

But right now our immediate concern should be ending the brutal policy of separating migrant children from their families at the border. President Trump himself has said he “hates” to see children separated, while First Lady Melania Trump opposes the policy, stating that we need to be a country that follows laws, but also a country that governs with heart.

If these statements are sincere, then the President should end this policy and not use vulnerable children as bargaining chips.

I call upon Congress to reject this false bargain and work toward humane immigration reform. What is needed on this vital issue is a true bipartisan effort which reforms our immigration system in a just manner and reflects our history and values as a nation of immigrants.

BISHOP DIMARZIO ISSUES STATEMENT ON FLORIDA SCHOOL SHOOTING

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News of yet another mass shooting, this one at a high school in Florida, is heartbreaking and, for many, demoralizing. News reports indicate this is the 18th school shooting this year.

Gun violence has become so prevalent in our country, and people are angry and frustrated.

Please pray with me for the families of the victims as well as for all Americans and our elected leaders, that we may come together to address this senseless violence.

BISHOP DIMARZIO TO ORDAIN 19 PERMANENT DEACONS FOR THE DIOCESE OF IMMIGRANTS

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On Saturday, May 23rd, the Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, will ordain 19 men to the Order of Deacon at 11 a.m. at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, 856 Pacific Street, Prospect Heights.

“These 19 faithful men are a clear representation of the Church in Brooklyn and Queens,” said Bishop DiMarzio. “I am profoundly grateful for their vocation to the Permanent Diaconate. Their dedication to the many hours of education and formation, and their faithfulness to this ministry is a wonderful expression of the vitality and new life present in our Diocese. This diversified group of men are ready to assist in the ministry of our multicultural communities in Brooklyn and Queens. I take this time to thank their wives and children for their support, not only of their husbands and fathers, but also of the Diocese of Brooklyn.” Read more »