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Mass of Hope and Healing: Diocese of Brooklyn Prayers With Victim-Survivors of Abuse

Brooklyn’s prayers were for hope and healing as the diocese held its annual Mass for the victim-survivors of clerical sex abuse on Thursday, Oct. 26. 

Bishop Robert Brennan led the annual Mass of Hope and Healing at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish.

The purpose of the liturgy is to help those who have suffered from sexual abuse and lost trust in the Catholic Church.

From the readings to the songs, the Mass was planned in part by victim-survivors, for victim-survivors and during his homily, Bishop Brennan apologized for the trauma they endured.  

You can hear Bishop Brennan’s full homily on our website, Currentsny.tv. 

The Mass of Hope and Healing is just one way the Diocese of Brooklyn is trying to combat abuse and help victim-survivors. 

Some other ways include creating the Office of Victim Assistance to help individuals who come forward with allegations of abuse.

The office provides supportive initial counseling, therapy referrals and pastoral resources for victim-survivors.

Every employee of the Brooklyn Diocese, including students, undergoes mandatory background checks and training, designed to spot the signs of abuse and how to stop it.

There’s also a confidential diocesan line to report abuse. That number is 888-634-4499. 

Reports are automatically sent to law enforcement and there isn’t any church involvement to ensure compliance.

Ministering to Faithful With Cars: Trinity Automotive Provides Vehicles for Religious Life

Sal Ervolino said his car business is his higher calling.

“I guess [it is] really fulfilling my ministry,” Ervolino said. “I get a lot of satisfaction helping people.”

In part because some of his most famous clientele have a close connection to God.

“I get goosebumps talking about the cardinal,” Ervolino said. “I have so much respect and admiration for him.”

From New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan to any number of bishops across the country, Ervolino is there to get them a ride. 

“We’re bonded forever,” Ervolino said. “I don’t just sell or lease a car and say good luck, see you in three to five years. Every customer that I have has my cell number and they can reach me and they do, for anything they need at any hour.”

But the call Ervolino will never forget is the one that came in 2015, when he was asked to take care of the Fiat that Pope Francis drove during his trip to New York City. 

The car would later be auctioned off for charity. 

“I personally drove the car with my hazard lights on going like 20 miles an hour because of the $300,000 that came out of the auction,” Ervolino said.

Most of Ervolino’s work at his business, named Trinity Automotive, after the Catholic high school he attended in Williamsburg, is selling, leasing, and servicing vehicles for clergy, religious orders, and Church institutions.

After 50 years in the car business, he estimates he has about 2,000 cars currently on the road. 

The next challenge for Trinity Automotive is finding a successor. Ervolino said he’d eventually like to retire and wants to find someone to take over the business. 

“It’s almost like another era in my life,” Ervolino said. “Although I’m kind of like in a twilight where eventually I have to start slowing down.”

But whenever Ervolino decides to step away he’ll leave with the greatest gift.

“Ticket to heaven?” Ervolino said. “No. a reward. Very positive feeling of the confidence and trust people have in me.”

‘Ceasefire!’ Pope Francis Calls for Humanitarian Aid to Be Allowed to Enter Gaza

At the end of the Angelus, Pope Francis publicly thanked those who prayed with him on the day of prayer, fasting, and penance for peace in the world.

“Let us not give up,” Pope Francis said. “We continue to pray for Ukraine, also for the grave situation in Palestine and Israel and other warring regions.”

The pope joined the chorus of international voices calling for a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to continue to be provided to Palestinian civilians.

“In Gaza, in particular, that space be left to ensure humanitarian aid and that hostages be released immediately,” Pope Francis said. “Let no one give up on the possibility of a ceasefire.”

The pope also asked for prayers for the victims of the hurricane in Mexico, which has left dozens dead and caused widespread chaos and destruction.

Day of Prayer for Peace: Bishop Brennan Led Mass Aligned With Pope’s Worldwide Prayer

By Jessica Easthope

As a second straight day of ground raids in Gaza gots underway, millions of Catholics across the globe answered Pope Francis’ call, pleading and praying for peace in the Middle East.

A sign of peace, one Catholics prayed will help counteract an exchange of fire thousands of miles away.

Bishop Robert Brennan of the Diocese of Brooklyn stood in solidarity with the Holy Father, calling for an end to violence between Israel and Hamas with a Holy Hour and Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James on Friday, Oct. 27. 

“Prayer is about trying to conform ourselves to God’s own will and God’s own mind,” Bishop Brennan said. “So, what we’re looking to do is change ourselves and then to change one another, and change the world.” 

For parishioners like Marise Louis, prayer is power over evil, over violence, and over war among neighbors.

“If I thought prayers didn’t work, I wouldn’t waste my time to be here,” Louis said, “God is there for me all the time. He never fails. He never fails. And I believe, I strongly believe, that the war will stop between Israel and Gaza.”

This week Israel has carried out several small-scale ground raids in Gaza and more than 250 air strikes backed by fighter jets and drones targeting Hamas sites. 

This recent clash amid a deeply political conflict has claimed thousands of innocent Israeli and Palestinian lives. 

Father Bryan Patterson, the rector of St. James, said he wanted people to leave Mass realizing it’s not about choosing sides.

“Taking sides and trying to enact revenge is not helpful and we need to open ourselves up that God may release in us what is best in us, which of course is God,” Father Patterson said.

Israel says the ground raids are preparation for a full blown invasion of Hamas-ruled territory in an effort to destroy the militant group’s infrastructure.

Catholic News Headlines for Friday 10/27/2023

 

Parishioners in the Diocese of Brooklyn came together today to pray for peace answering a call made by Pope Francis.

Before joining today’s Prayer for Peace– Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan led prayers for Hope and Healing.

The diocese is trying to help victim-survivors with the creation of the Office of Victim Assistance.

We’ll introduce you to Sal Ervolino, whose clients include those with some deep connections to God.

Israeli Tank Raid: Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

In the Middle East, the violence continues. Israel carried out a “targeted raid” overnight in northern Gaza.

The Israeli military briefly sent in tanks and armored vehicles, claiming to strike several militant targets in order to “prepare the battlefield” ahead of its ground invasion. 

The raid comes as the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza strip worsens.

It has been under siege, running out of food, water, and medicine.

The only Catholic parish in the Gaza strip has been a source of refuge for Christians there and now they are getting the support of Pope Francis, who called the parish’s pastor. 

The Church of the Holy Family has been providing food and shelter for more than 100 people who lost their homes to the bombings.

 

Mass of Hope and Healing: Diocese of Brooklyn Brings Clergy Abuse Survivors Together

By Jessica Easthope

Every year the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Office for the Protection of Children and Young People comes up with new ways to support survivors of clergy sex abuse. This year the Mass of Hope and Healing is being opened up to survivors of any abuse.

Maryellen Quinn, the director of the Office for the Protection of Children and Young People, and Elizabeth Harris, the Diocese of Brooklyn’s victim assistance coordinator, say this year people who have suffered any type of abuse can heal through faith. 

The two work directly with survivors of clergy abuse.

They’ve heard their concerns and have helped them process their pain and they’re here to tell them God’s love for them is unwavering. 

With the Mass of Hope and Healing, survivors are welcomed into the Church, and in turn welcome their faith back into their lives.

“We recognize that it’s not that easy for them to walk into a place that should have been a sanctuary for them and was not,” Quinn said. “We want our Church to grow again, we’re never going back to the way things were where these things happened, we’re moving forward. We want them to heal by watching us in what we’re doing to move forward.”

“I have found that they want to heal, they want to come back to their Church, they want to feel that they’re being heard and that the Church is there for them and recognizes the wrongs the Church has done in the past,” Harris said. “So I want to be here for them to hear that from them and support them and let them know that while we’re very sorry for what’s happened in the past we’re always looking to do better.”

A community of survivors from the Diocese of Brooklyn helps plan the Mass of Hope and Healing, picking readings and songs they say will help them regain trust in the Church and strengthen their faith.

The Mass is just one of the ways the Diocese of Brooklyn attempts to help victim-survivors.

It has also created the Office of Victim Assistance to help individuals who come forward with allegations of abuse.

The office provides supportive initial counseling, therapy referrals, and pastoral resources for victim-survivors.

Every employee of the Brooklyn Diocese, including students, undergoes mandatory background checks and training, designed to spot the signs of abuse and how to stop it.

The diocese’s conversations with victim-survivors led to the yearly Mass of Hope and Healing, where the faithful come together and pray.

This year the Mass is being celebrated at St. Bernard Church in Bergen Beach, but you can watch it live right here on NET TV.

You can also check in with Currents News for updates on the Mass.

There’s also a confidential diocesan line to report abuse, that number is 888- 634-4499. 

Reports are automatically sent to law enforcement and there isn’t any Church involvement to ensure compliance.

If you know anything, please give it a call. 

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday 10/26/2023

 

The Diocese of Brooklyn is helping victim survivors of clergy abuse heal through faith.

At least 18 people are dead after a pair of mass shootings in Maine on Wednesday night, Lewiston police reported.

The Israeli military said its troops and tanks briefly raided northern Gaza Thursday night.

The Synod on Synodality is winding down and the hundreds of delegates in Rome have written a letter to the people of God.

Annual Red Mass: Catholic Judges and Lawyers Pray at the Start of the Court Year 

Those who uphold justice in the Diocese of Brooklyn looked to God for guidance on Tuesday, Oct. 24.

The diocese celebrated its annual Red Mass at the Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston, Queens.

Every year, judges and lawyers gather together in prayer to mark the beginning of the judicial year.

Bishop Robert Brennan celebrated the Mass, and told those present that they are called to a holy and noble profession.