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Diocese of Brooklyn Bishop-Designate Promises Focus on Catholic Education During First Appearances

By Paula Katinas and Emily Drooby

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Bishop-designate Robert J. Brennan introduced himself to the Diocese of Brooklyn by pledging to support immigrant communities, strengthen Catholic schools, use social media to reach young people, and listen to the needs of people in the pews.

Earlier in the day, Bishop Brennan of Columbus, Ohio, was named by Pope Francis as the eighth Bishop of Brooklyn. The announcement was made on Sept. 29 in Washington, D.C., by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States.

Under his episcopacy, he said the Diocese of Brooklyn will fully embrace social media and technology as evangelization tools to draw young people to the Church. 

“The world in the 21st century has changed enormously,” Bishop Brennan said. “We have to meet the needs of today with the tools of today.”

His top priority as he assumes the role of guiding the diocese’s 1.5 million Catholics is evangelization to bring people closer to the faith. 

“Evangelization is very important to me,” he told The Tablet. Part of evangelization, he continued, is listening to everyday parishioners voice their views on the Church. 

Bishop Brennan appeared at a morning news conference side-by-side with Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, 77, who has served as the leader of the diocese for 18 years. He called his successor “the perfect man for the job.” 

Bishop DiMarzio submitted his resignation to the Holy Father in 2019 when he turned 75, as all Bishops are required to do. He has been ministering since then pending the selection of his successor.

Bishop-designate Brennan noted he will begin his service in Brooklyn and Queens as as a synod process of local and global discussions is getting underway. 

“The timing of that fits perfectly with this transition,”  he said. “My tenure here will begin with listening. I’m kind of excited by that.”

Pope Francis has called on the world’s bishops to gather in Rome in October 2023 to discuss issues important to the Church. Before that meeting, synods will take place in dioceses worldwide to gather input and ideas from clergy, women religious, and parishioners.

Bishop Brennan comes to the Diocese of Brooklyn from the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio, where he has served as bishop since 2019. He will be officially installed on Nov. 30 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, Prospect Heights.

Bishop Brennan was born in New York City, lived in Long Island, and served as a priest in the Diocese of Rockville Centre. 

“He knows New York. He is someone familiar with the issues here,” Bishop DiMarzio said. “He’s a quick study. He knows a lot of the priests already in the diocese.”

Bishop Brennan, 59, was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Rockville Centre in 1989, and in 2012, was ordained as the diocese’s Auxiliary Bishop.

The Diocese of Brooklyn is known as the “diocese of immigrants,” and Bishop Brennan said he was looking forward to getting to know the various immigrant communities in Brooklyn and Queens.

He talked about the close ties he has formed with the Hispanic community in the Diocese of Rockville Centre: “It was the Dominican community … that really embraced me and opened many, many doors for me, so I look forward to that.” He spoke in Spanish during portions of the news conference.

Bishop Brennan was well aware of immigrants’ important role in the Diocese of Brooklyn long before he even became a bishop.

“As a student at St. John’s University, in the heart of Queens, I first experienced the remarkable diversity of the Diocese of Brooklyn,” he said. “The parishes of Brooklyn and Queens have long embraced the richness of that diversity and the bishops and diocesan leadership have sought to provide for and learn from immigrants from around the world. 

“I intend to continue that journey in faith, and I am eager to get to know each of the many and varied communities that form this amazing and unique diocese.” 

At a time when large numbers of Catholic schools across the U.S. are closing, the Diocese of Brooklyn saw increases in enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic — something marveled at by Bishop Brennan. He said that strengthening the schools is a priority because schools “are where one encounters Jesus Christ.”

The fallout of the clergy sex abuse crisis is something the Church continues to work through and heal, but he stressed that it is a ‘societal problem’ and that many of the cases took place a long time ago. 

Still, he called it “horrendous” and “intolerable” and said, “it’s something we will work hard to fight. The church has a big responsibility.”

Bishop Brennan praised the efforts of the diocese to assist victims. Under Bishop DiMarzio, the diocese established a hotline for victims and others to confidentially report charges of sex abuse. 

He also expressed confidence in the findings of a Vatican investigation, known as Vos Estis Lux Mundi, into accusations of sex abuse against Bishop DiMarzio, dating back more than two decades, that cleared him after being independently led by a former federal prosecutor and the firm of a former FBI director. 

The news conference came after Bishop Brennan concelebrated his first Mass as bishop-designate with Bishop DiMarzio. They welcomed Police Commissioner Dermot Shea and a contingent of police officers to the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph for a Mass to celebrate the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel, the patron saint of cops.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know each and every one of you,” Bishop Brennan said. “I want to serve you with all my heart.”

Born in the Bronx, Bishop Brennan is the son of Robert and Patricia Brennan. He is the oldest of five children.

He grew up in Lindenhurst, New York, and attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Lindenhurst; St. John the Baptist Diocesan H.S. in West Islip, New York; and St. John’s University, Jamaica, where he earned a degree in mathematics and computer science. 

He studied for the priesthood at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception and was ordained on May 27, 1989. His first assignment was at St. Patrick’s Parish in Smithtown, New York. In 1994, he was appointed secretary to the bishop, working for three bishops: the late Bishop John McGann, the late Bishop James McHugh, and Bishop William Murphy. 

In 2002, he was named vicar general and moderator of the Curia for Rockville Centre. Eight years later, he was appointed pastor of St. Mary of the Isle Parish in Long Beach, New York. 



Bishop Brennan serves on the Board for the Institute for Catholic Schools at St. John’s University. 

He is also a member of the three different committees in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops — the Committee for Catholic Education, the Administrative Committee, and the Priorities and Plans Committee.

Bishop Brennan, who appeared relaxed and at ease in the spotlight, joked about being a New York Mets fan, despite being born in the Bronx. 

“We’ve learned the virtue of long-suffering,” he said as the baseball season neared the end for the Mets, who missed the playoffs for the 13th time in the past 15 years.

Becoming a Bishop: How Successors of the Apostles are Chosen

Currents News Staff

It’s been two years since Bishop DiMarzio submitted his resignation, a requirement when a bishop reaches the age of 75. Naming a replacement for a diocesan bishop is obviously not something that happens overnight.

The entire process can take months, even years. It all starts right in the local diocese and ends with a decision at the Vatican.

We spoke with those in the know to find out what happens in between.

Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Brooklyn Octavio Cisneros has been at the receiving end of a similar process and was part of the process in choosing Brooklyn’s newest bishop.

“One does not become a bishop, one is chosen a bishop. It’s not a lot of steps but it involves a lot of people,” said Bishop Cisneros.

It starts with a meeting of the bishops in an ecclesiastical province. New York’s eight dioceses make up the empire state’s province. Each bishop in a province can nominate someone.

“Why are you chosen? Because you are doing that which you were meant to do as a priest. Be a good priest- do what you were ordained to do… and do it with love, do it with freedom, do it with a fidelity to the church and to the diocese and to the people who you are ministering,” said Bishop Cisneros.

The bishops take a vote and send the top names to the Apostolic Nuncio, Christophe Pierre.  This is the part of the process where a lot of the research is done.

The nuncio gets information about the diocese from the current bishop. He also contacts priests and even lay people to find out more about a nominee.  He then narrows the list down to three, which is called the Terna, and sends it to the USCCB for input. Then to Rome, to the Congregation of Bishops at the Vatican. Bishops and cardinals from around the world meet to vote on the candidates and put them in order of preference.

Editor Emeritus of The Tablet, Ed Wilkinson, says the congregation does its due diligence.

“They look at the slots that are available. It’s almost like a chess game – who fits where – who’s got the talents that would be best used whether in the state or outside of the province. They want to pick the right person they want to find the person who has the right talent, the right resource for a particular diocese,” said Wilkinson.

The names of the top three candidates are presented to the pope who makes the final decision.

“It’s the Holy Father. He may like all 3 names. He may like none of the names. He may add another name,” said Bishop Cisneros.

Whoever the pope chooses is notified by the nuncio and asked if he will accept the appointment.

“Oh, it’s an exciting time. It’s always exciting. You get the new bishop and you want to get to learn more about him and you see him in action and you see his new style. It’s going to be a very exciting time,” said Wilkinson.

Once accepted, an announcement is made, an ordination or installation is scheduled, and the excitement begins.

One-on-One with Bishop-Designate Robert Brennan

Currents News Staff

Bishop-Designate Robert Brennan is a listener and a communicator. And, he is hitting the ground running, learning about the Diocese of Brooklyn and the people in it.

Currents News spoke one on one with Bishop-Designate Brennan right before his joint news conference.

 

A Closer Look: Getting to Know the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Bishop-Designate Robert Brennan

By Jessica Easthope

Columbus’ loss is Brooklyn’s gain. But the city streets won’t take the new bishop-designate much getting used to – Robert Brennan is a New Yorker.

“One thing I know about coming back here is I’m in a place where people speak properly,” Bishop-Designate Brennan joked about his New York accent.

Born in the Bronx and raised in Lindenhurst on Long Island, the Diocese of Rockville Centre used to be home.

“I feel at home here, I grew up on Long Island. If you live on Long Island, you’re part of the city of New York, right? Your life is also partly split here in the city whether it be Brooklyn and Queens or the boroughs of the Archdiocese of New York,” said Bishop Brennan.

When the bishop was a boy, he attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Lindenhurst and St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School in West Islip, New York. After high school, he had his first brush with the Diocese of Brooklyn as a college student at St. John’s University in Jamaica, Queens where he earned a degree in mathematics and computer science.

“There’s a way of thinking in mathematics, there’s a way of logic, there’s a way of working your way through a proof for example, it’s based on truths. The more you delve into the truths of these human subjects, the more you encounter the reality of God,” he said.

After college, he solved a big equation in his life – his love of education plus his devotion to God equaled joining the seminary at Immaculate Conception in Huntington. He was eventually ordained a priest and then became an auxiliary bishop there years later. Then in 2019, he became Bishop of Columbus, Ohio – a home away from home he’ll miss dearly.

“I wasn’t thrilled at first, I’ve only been in Columbus two and a half years. We started a planning process. People were excited about working together, so my first reaction was I’m not ready to leave this and I became very attached,” Bishop Brennan said.

But he says in a short time, he already loves Brooklyn.

Pro-Life Advocates Fight Women’s Health Protection Act Ahead of Senate Vote

By Jessica Easthope

These are some ways pro-life leaders in New York are describing the Women’s Health Protection Act: The worst case scenario; unheard of; radical. 

“It’s the New York State Reproductive Health Act, the abortion expansion law on steroids,” said Director of Pro-Life Activities for the New York State Catholic Conference’s Kathleen Gallagher,

In a 218 to 211 vote Friday, Sept. 24, the House passed the bill which advocates say would go far beyond just codifying Roe vs. Wade. The bill would allow for an abortion up until birth, would allow a baby to be denied any medical treatment if it were born alive during a botched abortion and one of the most dangerous aspects: a provision that would take away the right for doctors who are morally or religiously opposed to participate in abortions.

“Is that what we want to do to our healthcare workers who we just lauded for their heroic efforts during this pandemic?” asked Kathleen. “Do we want to take their moral and religious liberties away from them?” 

Many advocates are not very optimistic that much can change. That’s because in 2018, more than a quarter of all pregnancies in New York ended in abortion and though rates have been on a steady decline, the state has accounted for more than 100,000 every year since 2005. 

But there are plenty of ways Catholics can fight the bill and it starts with the device that might be in your hand right now. Advocates say getting on social media and personally promoting the pro-life message has the power to change someone’s mind and make a call to your elected officials.

“I think that’s why it’s just incredibly important that people use their ability to make phone calls and write letters to get the word out there about how extreme this bill is so it’s stopped in the Senate,” added Kathleen.

Abortion rights aren’t just getting national attention. This week, Pope Francis spoke about the ‘throwaway culture’ that leads to the killing of children.

“There is the discarding of children that we do not want to welcome with the law of abortion that sends them to the dispatcher and kills them directly,” Pope Francis said. “And today this has become a ‘normal’ method, a practice that is very ugly. It is is really murder.”

The Women’s Health Protection Act is unlikely to pass in the Senate. It would need all Democrats and 10 Republican senators to advance.

 

Currents News Update for Tuesday, 9/28/21

Catholics here in New York are reacting to the abortion bill passed by the House of Representatives.

New York City public school teachers have to get a COVID shot by Monday or risk losing their jobs — more than 90 percent of teachers are already vaccinated.

The border crossing in Del Rio, Texas has reopened. We have a reporter on the ground and will have an update.

A masterpiece was hidden in plain sight – at a church in Westchester, New York.

Pope Francis Condemns Abortion; On Public Health: ‘I Don’t Know Whether to Laugh or Cry’

Currents News Staff

During his meeting with participants of the Pontifical Academy for Life’s plenary assembly, Pope Francis harshly criticized abortion and euthanasia.

“Yes, in many places there is a “hidden” law of euthanasia, as I call it. It’s the one that says, “Medicine is expensive, so we can only give half doses.” And this means cutting short the life of elderly people,” the pontiff said.

Participants of the plenary assembly were in Rome discussing ways to improve public health globally, especially in response to the need for equitable health care revealed by the pandemic.

The Holy Father repeated what he said when he left the Gemelli hospital after undergoing intestinal surgery, emphasizing the importance of free health care.

“Do not lose it; otherwise, we’ll reach the point where the only people who have a right to health care are those who can pay for it,” Pope Francis said. “Others will not.”

The pandemic revealed the weaknesses of public health systems and the challenge of providing a coordinated global response. The pontiff said that when it comes to making public health policy, it is important to understand the context in which that policy will be applied.

“I don’t know whether to laugh or cry,” Pope Francis said. “Sometimes cry, when we hear government or community leaders advise inhabitants of shantytowns to wash their hands several times a day with water and soap. But dear friend, you have never been in a shantytown. There is no water there, the people don’t have soap. “Don’t leave the house.” But there, the house is the neighborhood because they live… Please, let us take these realities into account.”

Pope Francis said that the pandemic crisis is an opportunity to learn and improve the future. He said the worst outcome would be to not take advantage of this opportunity.

17th-Century Masterpiece Thought to be Lost Forever, Discovered in New Rochelle Church

By Beth Griffin and Emily Drooby

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (CNS) — A parish in a neighborhood that once had the highest concentration of COVID-19 cases in the country has found new joy in the discovery that a familiar painting over the transept doorway of its church is a 17th-century masterpiece.

“Holy Family with the Infant St. John,” a Florentine Baroque by Cesare Dandini, was installed in the 1960s at Holy Family Church in the New York suburb of New Rochelle. Parishioners described it as one of many beautiful artworks at the parish.

Early in 2020, a professor of fine art and art history at nearby Iona College made several private visits to the church, sitting in a rear pew.

On his fourth trip, when the church lights were glowing, Thomas Ruggio saw the Dandini high on a wall over a transept exit. He recognized the painting as an Italian Baroque and took photos with his mobile phone.

Back at his office, he shared the photos with colleagues in Italy. The painting was positively identified as one of four similarly themed works by Dandini, likely created in the 1630s.

Ruggio’s further research at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York indicated that the painting was thought to be missing because there was no public record of it since the early-to-mid 20th century.

Msgr. Dennis Keane, Holy Family pastor, told Catholic News Service the painting was acquired in Rome by a predecessor of his, Msgr. Charles Fitzgerald, in the mid-1960s. Msgr. Keane said Msgr. Fitzgerald had once been assigned to Rome.

He said he thought a benefactor had given Msgr. Fitzgerald funds for the purchase. Msgr. Fitzgerald’s niece had the painting restored and framed before it was installed in the parish church.

Ruggio said the four related paintings have the theme of charity. Two are religious and two are not. All have a central maternal figure. Ruggio said “Holy Family with the Infant St. John” is one of Dandini’s finest works and the summit of his creative journey through this theme.

The 46-inch-by-57-inch, oil-on-canvas painting includes Mary, Joseph and the infants Jesus and John the Baptist. Ruggio said the composition of the parish’s canvas is more dynamic than the other three.

“Joseph is almost a scene-stealer here and reaches his full potential because of his interaction with St. John the Baptist,” he said.

Of the related paintings, one is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, another is in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the fourth is in a private collection in the New York borough of Manhattan.

“Holy Family with the Infant St. John” is thought to be worth $800,000. Msgr. Keane said he had been told during his tenure that the painting was probably the most valuable in the parish’s collection, “perhaps in the neighborhood of $50,000.” He said local lore ascribed the painting to the Dandini school, but not the painter himself.

“I was surprised at the news and thankful Tom (Ruggio) was able to do the research on the history of the art,” Msgr. Keane said.

Teresa Cohan Minnaugh grew up in Holy Family Parish. She said her family entered church and left church under the Dandini painting each Sunday.

“Sometimes your mind wanders during Mass. I remember looking at that painting and thinking, ‘Wow, those babies are fat. Real babies aren’t that big!’”

Susan Woodruff is the youngest of six children who attended Holy Family. She said her brother developed an interest in art at the parish and became a painter. His early tutelage helped her appreciate the three-dimensional aspect of the canvas.

“I always looked at the inside of the baby’s foot. It was so different,” she said. By Dandini’s purposeful design, the bottom of Mary’s foot also is visible to a viewer looking up at the painting.

On Sept. 17, “Holy Family with the Infant St. John” went on display at Ryan Library at Iona College, an institution founded by the Congregation of Christian Brothers. It is on loan for three months from Holy Family Parish.

Richard Palladino, director of libraries at Iona, said its placement high on a wall in the well-lit atrium entrance allows it to be shared with students and the public.

“It’s also a wonderful opportunity for students to see something historic firsthand,” he said.

Msgr. Keane said he is happy to allow other people see and appreciate the work. He said the parish is preparing for the reinstallation of the Dandini painting, possibly to coincide with the feast of the Holy Family in January.

For now, the space where it hung is covered by a white curtain and Msgr. Keane is exploring appropriate security in anticipation of its return.

“People are looking at a blank wall now, but when the painting comes back, the image will penetrate their hearts — seeing Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the precursor, John the Baptist,” he said. “In the past, the painting was part of the background. Now it will be in the foreground.”

In March 2020, a large part of Holy Family Parish was included in New York state’s first mandated “containment area” established to fight the spread of COVID-19.

Msgr. Keane said the authentication of the Dandini “adds joy to life. We’ve had so much bad news, with the pandemic, riots and violence. This is good news. What was lost is now discovered.”

Diocese of Brooklyn Introduces New Social Justice Curriculum in Catholic Schools and Academies

By Jessica Easthope

Learning about social justice isn’t new in the diverse classrooms at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Academy in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. But for the first time it’s an official part of the curriculum.

“This will help our children to see the importance of embracing someone of a different culture, of a different race and give them a broader perspective of life, of God and what God expects of us,” said principal Margaret Tyndall.

Earlier this month, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio announced every school in the Diocese of Brooklyn would make the new social justice curriculum part of religion class. Each month students will explore a new theme, September is solidarity.

Teachers say it’s an opportunity to address current events and issues of race and equality through faith.

“We’re taking a step away from the textbooks and teaching the children more about the word of God and how to take a page from Jesus and be as He did,” said Rosaleen DeGregorio, an eighth-grade teacher.

The goal is for students and teachers to embrace social justice as part of a Catholic education.

“We create a loving open environment where they don’t need to be afraid of these issues,” said Father Joseph Gibino, Vicar for Evangelization and Catechesis for the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Every month, teachers across the Diocese will be provided with new, age appropriate course materials and book suggestions. October’s theme is family, community and participation.