Catholic News Headlines for Thursday 3/28/2024

The Diocese of Brooklyn’s Lenten pilgrimage has come to an end. The 40-day journey took faithful to 22 churches in Brooklyn and 18 in Queens. Those who took part in the Lenten pilgrimage tried to visit as many stops as possible.

We’ll hear from one woman tonight who made it to 20 churches!

This weekend, the air in Borough Park is filled with joy and anticipation as an annual Polish tradition kicks off. At St. Frances de Chantal Church, parishioners have been eagerly decorating Easter baskets and filling them with meats, cheese, holy water, eggs, and chocolate.

Welcome the newest member of the Currents News team, Santino Joseph DeLuca! Congratulations to our assignment editor, Raquel DeLuca, on the addition to her family!

Diocese of Brooklyn Faithful Complete Lenten Pilgrimage

 

By Jessica Easthope

Diane DeBernardo was among the many pilgrims pounding the pavement to pray with each other. She hit a milestone of 20 churches along the route throughout the Diocese of Brooklyn.

“I loved seeing the different neighborhoods and the parishioners that you met when you went into the churches, and so many beautiful churches that honestly I would’ve never have been to if I wasn’t inspired, or encouraged to do so with the pilgrimage,” DeBernardo said.

DeBernardo spent Monday at her favorite pilgrimage stop, the home parish of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Windsor Terrace, with Bishop Robert Brennan.

“I’m very touched by the participation in the pilgrimage by people who have been coming from church to church,” Bishop Brennan said. “The pastors who have been hosting have been so moved by the number of visitors who have come to their parishes to pray to be with the Lord. I think it was a great success, a great grace, thanks to the faithfulness and the effort of so many people.”

This year, pilgrims checked in on the Lenten Pilgrimage app, which was developed by DeSales Media Group, the communications and technology arm of the Diocese of Brooklyn that operates NET TV. Father Joseph Gibino, Vicar for Evangelization and Catechesis, praised the innovation required to get it off the ground.

“I have to thank DeSales Media and acknowledge the incredible team at DeSales,” Father Gibino said. “So yes, bigger and better and year three we are learning every year we learn a little bit more.”

But for pilgrims and diocese officials alike, there was one feature that stood out.

“The one piece that was the most moving to me were the prayer intentions,” Father Gibino said. “What I especially liked about the app was the prayer section.”

People from all over the Diocese of Brooklyn and worldwide got to submit intentions and pray together.

“The thousands of people who requested prayers, prayers, and so that piece alone that united the diocese this year we became an international pilgrimage with the app,” DeBernardo said.

“I really felt like that brought us together and that clicking on the image of I’m praying for all these different intentions that people put, and I just feel like that we were unified in that way, and the app did that the app was able to do that it builds community even in the digital way even an emoji builds community.”

When people reached the end, they realized the pilgrimage was never about taking them to a physical place but about making a place in their hearts for Christ and the community.

At Chrism Mass, Bishop Brennan Says Oils Are a Sign of Church’s Unity

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Father Michael Falce remembers the first time he administered a sacrament as a newly ordained priest. It was 2019 and the memorable occasion was a baptism at St. Patrick’s Church in Bay Ridge. It marked his first experience using chrism oil.

“It was very exciting,” he said. “I remember that not too long before that, we were together as an entire group of priests at the chrism Mass as we watched, at that time it was Bishop (Nicholas) DiMarzio, bless these oils. And then to be able to have them back in the parish and use them as you initiated this new member of the church was truly a special moment.”

Father Falce, the parochial vicar for St. Patrick’s Church, was one of hundreds of priests who gathered for this year’s chrism Mass celebrated by Bishop Robert Brennan at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights on Tuesday, March 26.

A Catholic Church tradition, the chrism Mass takes place during Holy Week and is centered on the moment in which a bishop consecrates the chrism oil and blesses the other sacred oils that are used in churches throughout the year for baptisms, confirmations, anointing of the sick, and other sacraments.

Auxiliary bishops, deacons, women and men religious, and laypeople from different parishes around the diocese were also in attendance at the Mass, which began with a procession by the clergy from Pacific Street into the co-cathedral.

The Mass also served as a salute to jubilarians — priests marking milestone anniversaries of their ordinations. There were priests at the co-cathedral celebrating their 25th, 50th, and 65th anniversaries.

The spiritual highlight of the Mass came when Bishop Brennan breathed into the vessel holding the chrism oil — a significant moment that served to remind all in the co-cathedral of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

There are three holy oils the Catholic Church uses for administering sacraments and for important moments such as consecrating an altar.

Chrism oil, a mixture of olive oil and balsam, is used for baptisms, confirmations, ordinations, and consecrations. Oil of the catechumens, which is made of olive oil, is used by priests to anoint catechumens. The oil of the sick, which is also made of olive oil, is used by a priest to anoint the sick.

Father Falce said he is always struck by the meaning of the oils. “The oils are with us during exciting moments like baptisms,” he said. “But they’re also with us at difficult moments, like the anointing of the sick when we’re preparing a loved one to return home to God. It shows the different aspects of priesthood — how through the sacraments, we’re with people in all different journeys in life.”

Father Patrick West, pastor of St. Sebastian Church in Woodside, recalled how he felt as a newly ordained priest in 1981. “I remember thinking about how you learn about chrism oil in the seminary and then there you are baptizing a baby,” he said.

“For me, more than the memory of a specific baptism, was the feeling that I was integrating the theology I had studied into practice,” he added.

Traditionally, the chrism Mass has also served another purpose. A bishop often uses his homily to deliver a message to his priests so that they can be inspired as they carry out their duties throughout the year.

Bishop Brennan sounded a note of unity in his message to his priests. “Tonight, we celebrate that unity through the blessing and distribution of the sacred oils for the sacramental life of our church,” he said.

“The oils that we bless this evening mark our unity with one another, our unity with Christ himself, and our unity in his mission,” he added. “We are strongest, at our best, when we are working together in this fashion bringing our various gifts, traditions and devotions.”

After listening to their bishop, the diocese’s priests stood in unison and renewed their vow of obedience to him. The first time they take that vow is when they are ordained into the priesthood. They renew that vow every year at the chrism Mass.

Following the Mass, the clergy joined Bishop Brennan at a celebratory dinner in the undercroft of the co-cathedral. The priests also received their supplies of chrism oil to take back to their churches.


Pulse of the Parish, St. Bartholomew

Young people are practicing faith and sports at the same time at one parish in Queens.

The youth minister at St. Bartholomew in Elmhurst acts as their teacher and their coach.

Angelica Taveras is the “Pulse of the Parish.”

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 3/27/2024

At last night’s Chrism Mass, Bishop Robert Brennan blessed and consecrated the holy oils used in sacraments at the Diocese of Brooklyn churches throughout the year.

During Tuesday’s Chrism Mass, Bishop Robert Brennan also delivered a homily to inspire his priests as they carry out their daily duties throughout the year.

Bishop Robert Brennan offered prayers for the NYPD Officer who was fatally shot Monday during a traffic stop on a street in Far Rockaway. Officer Diller, 31, was shot in the stomach, below his bullet-resistant vest, as he and his partner attempted to pull a passenger out of a car that was illegally parked at a bus stop.

At St. Bartholomew’s Church in Elmhurst, young people practice faith and sports simultaneously. We’ll meet the woman who acts as their teacher and coach and see why she is featured in the Pulse of the Parish.

Bishop Brennan’s 2024 Chrism Mass Homily

Today for sure is a joyous day. A joyous day when we celebrate our identity, who we are as a people of God. The source of our unity, the source of our joy. We celebrate the Sacramental life of the Church and the ways that God is working in our midst, especially here in Brooklyn and Queens. Thank you for your presence here today. Gracias a todos, Merci beaucoup.

We are so so glad to be together. But the joy in our hearts in the festivity of this day – we also feel a twinge of concern and of sadness here in New York City.
We join together in solidarity with the residents of New York and particularly with our police departments here in New York City, the NYPD, in mourning the loss of Officer Jonathan Diller. We mourn his tragic death, a senseless shooting, the violence that has overtaken his life. And we pray, in a very special way, for his family. This must be a terrible, terrible ordeal for a young family. We think of his sacrifice and the sacrifices that so many men and women make on behalf of our communities, that’s first responders, in the police departments, in the fire departments, in all of the different rescue, protective and first responders. A tragedy like this reminds us of the debt of gratitude that we must have every single day.

I am so grateful, by the way, for the presence of the police who are here this day, who make it possible for us to gather on a day like this. We all know it’s not exactly easy to get around and to find parking in Brooklyn, is it? And so, we’re especially grateful for all the assistance that they have given to us.

At the same time as a Nation, too, our eyes are turned toward Baltimore and we pray for those who suffered as result of the collapse of the bridge, and for those who are involved in the search and rescue there as well.

At a recent meeting of our Diocesan Pastoral Council, we were discussing the experience of the Synod right here in Brooklyn and Queens and the ways our conversations at the synod have informed our work and the major themes that they undertook: communication, ongoing faith formation, concern for youth and young adults and the collaboration of our parishes and the voices of our people in our diocese as we do planning and look at how we respond to the demographic challenges, the number of priests and the aging condition of our facilities. Indeed, we are engaged in much work in this planning with deanery discussions. I have been with a number of priests in the deanery discussions and have a few more to go and I have enjoyed those immensely. It is such a great experience to hear your wisdom on the ground, in these neighborhoods, but it helps me in the responsibilities that I have to undertake when it comes to making decisions and standing behind them. These conversations will expand in the months to come as we try to draw in the voices of our people.

The question arose at the conversation at the DPC, Diocesan Pastoral Council, and I’ll use my words rather than trying to capture them exactly. The question was something along the lines of: “Which is more important, the process or the results?” We are trying to say, people making the connection with Synod themes and things that are happening, which is more important? The process, the conversations or the actual results, things happening in response to that. My first thought in answering the question was that for Pope Francis it is largely about the process, while on the other hand, the American mindset is very much result oriented. We like to be able to see a problem, solve a problem, get to it as quickly as possible. For the Holy Father, he seems to look upon the experience of the Synod on Synodality less as an event and more as a mindset as the name itself would indicate. He stresses our walking together and listening to one another.

The answer to the question of course, in typical Catholic fashion, which is more important, the answer is yes, the answer is both; it’s not an either/or question but rather a both/and. Clearly each viewpoint, certainly for the Holy Father, would see the wisdom of the other, we need both, the process and the results.
When we think about process, when we think about Synodality, when we think about process, walking together, and listening to one another; building solidarity, the example that comes to mind is that of families, how we function as families. When does a family complete its mission as a family? When do you say as a family, we are done we got it settled. Never really, never. There are always new needs and challenges, things we have to work out together. Sadly, sometimes there are fractures along the way, we let each other down, we need to seek reconciliation. But at our best, families work things out, they work things out together. So, when does a family complete its mission? Never really. As time goes on, through generations, the families grow, new families are formed while remaining the extended family and we become more and more a family of families.

Friends, isn’t that the Church at its best, a family of families? You could say that a parish is a family gathering many different families in a neighborhood together in our common faith in the Lord. The local Church, the diocese, is a family of parishes and, of course, the Universal Church is the family of local churches. Actually, you know this, the proper term is, Koinonia, Comunio, communion. What we are at heart is a communion of communions. Indeed, we experience in the Church Universal, and boy oh boy do we experience it here in Brooklyn and Queens, we experience a great diversity of culture, language, history, and expression. We have different needs. But we are one – we are indeed one, united in our faith in Jesus Christ, in His Gospel, His continued presence in the church; one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:5-6).

This evening, we celebrate that union, that unity, through the blessing and the distribution of the Sacred Oils for the Sacramental life of the Church.
We see in the Church in Brooklyn and Queens constant change – demographic shifts, new peoples coming and going, generational changes, attitudinal changes. We know only one thing, in terms of these things today, you can’t predict what tomorrow will be. But there is one constant isn’t there?

There is one constant. Jesus Christ, Jesus, the anointed one, Jesus the Redeemer, Jesus the Christ who was sent to bring good news to the poor, liberty to captives, sight to the blind. Jesus who came to be with His flock, to lead, guide, to protect and to nourish. Jesus who gives himself to us in the Sacramental Life of the Church.
Jesus the Christ (the anointed one) calls all the baptized into his mission as priest, prophet and king. He anoints us and sends us forth. Through Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist we are all conformed to Him, incorporated into His Paschal Mystery. As the instruction for the blessing of oils tells us, having died, and been buried with Him and risen with Him, we are sharers in his Kingly and prophetic ministry, given the spiritual anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Yes friends, Jesus walks with us, he listens to us, he engages us. But He is not all talk, is He? He is not all talk and no action. Quite the opposite. Remember how he says, “I have come to light a fire on the earth and how I wish it were ignited.” Indeed, He comes with the power of mercy to lift up, to heal and to give life. In the first reading we hear the words of the prophet that Jesus takes upon himself for Him and His mission: He speaks of comforting those who mourn; to place on those who mourn in Zion a diadem instead of ashes, to give the oil of gladness in place of mourning, a glorious mantle instead of a listless spirit – yes Jesus lifts up, heals and gives life.

He likewise calls us into action, doesn’t he? He calls all of us into action, anointing us for mission. The oils we will bless this evening mark our unity with one another, our unity with Christ Himself and our unity with His mission.
Thank you one and all for the vibrancy of this local Church. This is a Church fully alive, fully alive. Thank you for the ways that you work, day in and day out, conformed to Jesus Christ, united with one another, a communion of communions, a family of families. We are strongest, at our best, when we are working together in this fashion, and bringing our various gifts, traditions and devotions. Thank you for your witness: bold, joyful and unapologetic, your witness to Jesus, the anointed one, the redeemer.
True, we have many practical things to work out – this will always be the case – but we keep our eyes on Christ and the mission to which He calls us.

Did any of you see the film, Cabrini? It was amazing, quite amazing. If you have not yet, I am sure it will be live streaming soon. Talk about being anointed and sent as a witness to Christ. We are a big part of her legacy right here in Brooklyn. Imagine that a saint ministered here in our midst. Another came walking among us to visit. A few of them came. We are pretty flush with saints, aren’t we? There is a line from the film that I have been quoting a lot these days. At one point in a tough situation, she says to the sisters, she explains she will be away for a while and she says, “When I’m away, learn to face your fears. Not just to carry on, but to lead and demonstrate you can do all things – all things in Him who strengthens us. Whether I am here or not.”

We can take this to heart. In the midst of change and uncertainty, in a fright-filled world, in an area that needs a lot of attention, we are made for more than getting by. Not just to carry on, to get by. We are made for more than that. No, we are meant to lead and demonstrate that we can do all things together in Him who strengthens us.
Again, I thank all of you who are here, the faithful of our diocese, the core and the life of our parishes, our movements in the diocese. I see a number of the pilgrims who have made the Lenten journey these forty days, so proud that you came out tonight as well. I thank you and I offer words of profound gratitude as well to our consecrated religious women and men. We have inherited SO MUCH from our religious congregations over the generations. Moreso, even today, we are enriched and blessed by the charisms, the witness, prayers and apostolic works of all of the sisters and brothers ministering here in Brooklyn and Queens.

I thank our deacons for your dedicated service to our parishes, to our diocese. Thank you for the wisdom you bring, for the sacrifices you make and the work that you do, for your commitment to those who are in need.

Momentarily, I will invite you priests here present, to renew the Priestly Promises of Ordination, promises to be more united and more closely conformed with Jesus Christ; promises to follow Christ the Head and Shepherd, not seeking any gain but moved only by zeal for souls. This renewal is always a profound moment. But even more powerful than what you will do together here is the way that you will live these promises each and every day, not always in the easiest of circumstances. I am so moved, so grateful for your holiness, your humble loving service. You are an example and inspiration to me and at the same time, a blessing to the Church here in Brooklyn and Queens; in fact to the Church Universal. Thank you thank you thank you.

In June, I look forward to celebrating some of our particular anniversaries. I see Father Ed Brady is here, he will be celebrating 65 years as a priest, as well as Father Robert Harris. I see that we are going to be celebrating Father Diego Villegas, 50 years. And in our 25-year class, we have Father Chris O’Connor and Father Johnson Chanassery, we have Father Joseph D’Aco, Father Peter Mawusi, Father Norbert Katembo, Father Paul Osei-Fosu, Father Juan Ruiz and Father Grzegorz Stasiak. Looking forward, we want to celebrate you in a particular way.

And I look forward in June to the Ordinations of Deacons Luis Marquez, Caetano Moura, Randy Nguyen and Tobe Offiah.

Friends, the Church is very much alive in Brooklyn and Queens. It is alive because Christ is alive. He lives and He anoints us and sends us forth.

Pope Francis Has Personally Written the Meditations for the 2024 Stations of the Cross

Pope Francis wrote the meditations for this year’s Stations of the Cross, but the content has not yet been announced.

They will be read on the night of Good Friday in the Colosseum. It is one of the most unique moments of Holy Week, where reflections are read regarding different problems in the world.

“Lord Jesus, help us to see on Your Cross, all the crosses of the world,” Pope Francis said. “The cross of the little ones, wounded in their innocence and purity. The cross of humanity that wanders in the darkness of uncertainty and the culture of the moment. Lord Jesus, rekindle in us the hope of resurrection and of Your final victory against all evil and all death. Amen.”

Typically, the Pope assigns a person or a group to write the reflections for the Stations of the Cross. For example, on one occasion, students from a Roman college wrote them, and in 2020, inmates from a prison had the task. That year, it was particularly moving because, due to COVID restrictions, the Stations were moved from a crowded Colosseum to an empty St. Peter’s Square.

Queens Catechumen Motivated to Be Baptized After Family Loss

by Katie Vasquez

After a year of studying Catholicism, Linda Roman is embracing a newfound faith. 

It’s something she’s always wanted since she was a little girl. 

“I always kind of reached for it and would ask my mother and kind of bug her and act like, hey, why don’t we go? and then my father growing up always instilled the importance to me of prayer. and he would say, you know, if you are ever in trouble or if you ever need anything, you can always pray,” said Roman.

Her parents never took her to church but prayers surrounded her life.

And in March of 2023 she would rely on them more than she ever had before, her father had been diagnosed with liver cancer. 

“I figure, like, this is the hardest thing I will ever have to do. and i didn’t know how i was going to get through it. I was really worried, very stressed out. I felt very much alone,” said Roman. 

He passed away only 2 months later, leaving her with one final wish before returning to the lord. 

“We did speak about religion a lot at the end, but I think for sure his last dying wish was to make sure that his kids were okay. And I think this was one of those ways of having him make sure that we were okay,” said Roman. 

Unsure of how to proceed, she turned to her best friend, Maria Molina, for guidance. 

Maria was getting confirmed and returning to church around the same time. 

“It felt great, because honestly, my faith wasn’t as strong as it is now. so it was when she said, yeah, let’s do it. and i was like, it was kind of weird for me at first. I was like, okay, I guess like, let’s do it. but I was more excited than anything,” said Molina. 

The pair started attending mass at Holy Child Jesus church in Richmond Hill.

“I feel like a bond has gotten a little stronger than anything. So it’s like, even though we don’t see each other towards the week, I feel like we look forward to Sunday more than anything because we get to go to church,” said Molina. 

Last year Maria was fully initiated into the church. 

This year, it’s Linda’s turn. 

She has gone through OCIA, or order of christian initiation of adults, and she just took part in the rite of election, a time-honored tradition where the church confirmed she’s ready to be baptized at the Easter vigil. 

“When we first did the mass here at our parish and we’re lining up waiting to sign the book, I got really emotional. so i don’t know. I don’t know how baptism is going to go. I might also get emotional,” said Roman. 

And she can’t wait to fully enter the faith, because she knows she has guardian angels guiding her. 

“I feel like it brings me closer to those that I have that I’ve lost being my grandmother, my grandfather and my father,” said Roman. “So I know he’ll be there. I feel his love every time I’m in the church.”

 

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday 3/26/2024

Hundreds of adults in the Diocese of Brooklyn from all walks of life have chosen to be united in faith. The night before Easter, they will be baptized Catholic.

At a Lenten pilgrimage last week, Bishop Robert Brennan performed scrutiny, helping those on this faith-driven journey.

We’ll also take a look at the Diocese’s 40-day journey during the Lenten pilgrimage.

Lent is often considered a season of change, a time to reflect and revise one’s life. We’ll introduce you to a deacon who exemplifies this.

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Sacred Oils to Be Blessed, and Priests’ Vows Will Be Renewed, at Chrism Mass

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — The sacred oils that priests in the Diocese of Brooklyn use to administer sacraments will be blessed by Bishop Robert Brennan at a Holy Week Mass at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights on Tuesday, March 26.

The chrism Mass, which will take place at 4:30 p.m., is a Catholic Church tradition in which a bishop consecrates the chrism oil and blesses the other sacred oils that are used in churches throughout the year for baptisms, confirmations, anointing of the sick, and other sacraments.

More than 450 priests from the diocese are expected to attend and in another time-honored tradition, will take part in a procession from the street into the co-cathedral at the start of the Mass.

Auxiliary bishops, deacons, women and men religious, and laypeople affiliated with the diocese are also expected to pack the pews.

In what is sure to be one of the more memorable moments of the Mass, Bishop Brennan will breathe into the vessel holding the chrism oil — an action meant to remind all of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

But the chrism Mass has also traditionally served another purpose. Bishop Brennan will likely use the occasion to deliver an inspirational message to his priests — something they can carry with them throughout the year.

Last year, he urged priests to grow closer to Jesus Christ so that they can urge all Catholics to do the same.

“The root of any Eucharistic Revival has to be the rediscovery of Jesus as a real person and a meaningful encounter with him. For us as priests, this encounter is crucial if your ministry is to be effective,” Bishop Brennan said in his homily last year.

The chrism Mass also provides an opportunity for priests of the diocese to renew a vow of obedience to their bishop. Priests originally take that vow when they are ordained and renew it every year.

Following the Mass, the clergy will join Bishop Brennan at a celebratory dinner in the undercroft of the co-cathedral.