By Katie Vasquez and Bill Miller
CORONA — Parishioners of Our Lady of Sorrows, the Diocese of Brooklyn’s largest parish, packed the 3 p.m. Mass on Feb. 15 to say goodbye to their pastor of nearly six years.
Bishop-designate Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez will be installed as the new bishop for the Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida, on Feb. 24.
As those balmy environs await him, the sky over the parish’s neighborhood in Queens was overcast. The thermometer hovered around 32 degrees, with snow forecast for the night.
At the start of the Mass, a solemn tone hung over the congregation, which filled all the pews and had some people standing in the side aisles. Others found chairs set up in the foyer, and entire families sat on the sanctuary steps.
Some people dabbed at tears, and Bishop-designate Rodríguez also briefly removed his eyeglasses to wipe his eyes.
“This is a very tough day for me,” he said after the Mass, “because this concludes my 17 years in this diocese.”
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A native of the Dominican Republic, Bishop-designate Rodríguez came to Brooklyn in 2009 and became incardinated here two years later. He has served the diocese as a canon lawyer while handling his pastoral assignments.
He served as parochial vicar for St. Michael Parish in Sunset Park (2009-2011); pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Williamsburg (2011-2014); pastor of Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Jamaica (2014-2020); and pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows since 2020.
He led the parish through the COVID-19 pandemic and the influx of immigrants to New York City during the crisis at the U.S. border with Mexico.
His accomplishments include starting new food ministries to help the needy and working to ease the plights of immigrants while also respecting and praying for law enforcement. Just six days before Christmas, Pope Leo XIV named him to succeed the retiring Bishop Gerald Barbarito, 75, and formerly of Brooklyn, as the next prelate for Palm Beach.
Despite his many accomplishments, Bishop-designate Rodríguez leaves Brooklyn with a servant’s heart.
“I look back with joy and gratefulness and in a spirit of humbleness,” he said, “thanking the Lord for this great privilege of being part of a diocese that cares about God, but also cares about people, with love, commitment, and service.”
Our Lady of Sorrows is the parish home to an estimated 17,000 people, making it the largest church community in the diocese. Most are of Ecuadoran heritage, reflecting the dominant population group in Corona.
Each Sunday, the parish celebrates nine Masses — one in English and eight in Spanish, as was this farewell Mass.
RELATED: Bishop Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez’s Appointment to Florida Diocese Continues Brooklyn-Palm Beach Catholic Legacy
The mood lightened during the homily as Bishop-designate Rodríguez’s towering frame ambled up and down the center aisle, expressing gratitude to the congregants and urging them to embrace fraternity.
“The faith that we have been blessed with is to be transmitted and shared in a world that is, unfortunately, growing in animosity, confrontation, and violence,” he said.
The solemn mood gave way to a celebration as representatives of parish groups added gifts to the offertory.
To recognize the pastor’s programs for families, a couple brought their baby girl, and he blessed and kissed the child.
Two parish youths brought a basketball and a soccer ball in recognition of the sports programs he shepherded. He lightly tossed each ball upward; then he blessed them.
Last came parishioners carrying one of the pro-life placards used each month while praying outside one of the 14 abortion clinics in Corona, a practice fostered by Bishop-designate Rodríguez.
Some of the people at Mass came from parishes where he previously served.
Marlana Toledo-Gonzalez said she and her husband, Christopher Gonzalez, grew up in St. Michael’s Parish, and they have known him since they were kids.
“He’s basically been a part of our life since I was a teenager, and I’m 28 now,” she said, describing how Bishop-designate Rodríguez was invited to the couple’s wedding, and although he couldn’t make it, he was with the family in their times of grief.
“He was there when my mother passed away,” Toledo-Gonzalez said. “He was there when (her husband’s) grandmother passed away.
“We’re going to miss him, but we’re very proud of him.”
Another St. Michael’s alum at the Mass was Matthew De Luna, who is discerning a priestly vocation while serving as Bishop-designate Rodríguez’s master of ceremonies for the past few weeks.
De Luna also has childhood memories of the priest — one of the many Catholic clergymen who inspired his discernment.
“He got this parish through COVID and brought them back,” De Luna said. “I would say it is even more alive than before the pandemic. There’s always something going on here, and that’s because of him. He doesn’t stop, and he loves his people.”
Bishop-designate Rodríguez’s final urging to the congregation was to stay committed to their parish — a beacon of God’s love and mercy to Corona, Queens.
“Our commitment,” he said, “should be to keep Our Lady of Sorrows alive for many years to come, at the service of its people, and at the service of the community of the greater Corona.
He noted that the parish just celebrated the 154th anniversary of its founding.
“And we look forward to the next 155 years,” he said. “That is because this church is a blessing, not only for Catholics, but for everyone.”
