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Parishioners prayed for victim-survivors of clerical sex abuse during the Diocese of Brooklyn’s annual Mass of Hope and Healing, meant to help those who have suffered and lost trust in the Catholic Church.
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BATH BEACH — Gene Doyle is a survivor of clergy sex abuse decades ago. However, throughout all that time since, he has never lost his faith in God and never left the Catholic Church.
“Through all the abuse that I went through, it never really alienated me from liturgy. That’s been a constant,” Doyle explained. “I knew enough to not confuse pathology with theology. The priests who abused me … had their own wounds.
“We all bleed in different ways.”
So, when the Diocese of Brooklyn offered its annual Mass of Hope and Healing for survivors of clergy sex abuse on Oct. 29, Doyle was there, sitting in a front pew of St. Finbar Church in Bath Beach with his wife Mary beside him.
The Mass, which was celebrated by Bishop Robert Brennan, has been offered every year in the diocese since 2015, except in 2020 and 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is meant to send an essential message to clergy sex abuse survivors that the diocese stands with them, Bishop Brennan said.
“I believe that’s true, not just my personal presence, but really the presence of so many here,” he explained. “It does send a message … of solidarity. And even sorrow.”
The evening not only acknowledged the courage of sex abuse survivors who have already come forward, but it was meant to raise awareness that the diocese is there to help anyone now, said Maryellen Quinn, director of the diocese’s Office for the Protection of Children and Young People.
Quinn explained that members of the diocese’s Healing Intervention Team — a group made up of volunteers — were there to speak privately after the Mass if anybody wanted to “go speak to them, to give us information, to just have someone to listen to.”
Wearing a badge identifying him as a member of the Healing Intervention Team, Deacon Carlos Garcia noted that he has observed in recent years that people have become more open to the idea of seeking help.
“We’ve been doing these types of Masses now for a little while, so I think it’s been more common for people to come forward,” explained Deacon Garcia, who serves at St. Michael-St. Malachy Parish in East New York. “Everybody deals with the trauma differently.”
Deacon Garcia and another team member, Deacon Jaime Cobham, said they were there to help in any way they could, be it by describing the services the diocese offers or simply by listening.
“One of the things that we are concerned about is the victims and the impact on them, God’s people,” said Deacon Cobham, who serves at St. Athanasius-St. Dominic Parish in Bensonhurst. “Many times, it’s not just victims, but people, [just] by hearing the news, get very upset.”
The Mass drew many of the faithful to St. Finbar Church, where, scattered throughout the church pews, were members of the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Healing Intervention Team who are there to provide assistance to any survivor seeking help.
In addition to the Mass of Hope and Healing, the diocese serves the survivor community in other ways, including operating a zero-tolerance policy toward abuse, conducting background checks of all employees and volunteers who work with children in churches and in church programs, offering survivors free counseling, and operating a telephone hotline for people to report suspected cases of abuse.
Offering a reflection during the Mass, Father Jeffry Dillon, a survivor, told the faithful that the journey to hope and healing isn’t easy, but worth it.
“I know in my own life, things changed when I owned up that abuse was part of my journey,” he said. “When I could do that, then I could decide not to allow it to define me, not allow it to control or limit me.”
For Father Doyle, part of his healing journey included forgiving the priest who was the first to abuse him many years ago.
A few years ago, he wrote him a letter, “essentially saying, I forgave him and how much it affected me, but also that I wanted to let him know that this is something he can let go of as well,” he said.
Anyone who is a victim of sexual abuse within the diocese is encouraged to call the confidential reporting line (888-634-4499), which connects directly to law enforcement authorities.
The Diocese of Brooklyn’s Indonesian Apostolate marked its 40th anniversary with a joyful Mass and celebration at St. Bartholomew Parish in Elmhurst, Queens. Bishop Robert Brennan honored the milestone by serving a traditional rice dish symbolizing gratitude to one of the community’s founders.
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After years of playing on concrete, student-athletes at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Fort Greene finally have a turf field to call their own. Bishop Robert Brennan visited the campus to bless the new field — a long-awaited upgrade that students say gives them pride, safety, and a true home-field advantage.
The Diocese of Brooklyn will remember victim survivors of clerical sex abuse at their annual Mass of Hope and Healing.
The Indonesian Apostolate in the Diocese of Brooklyn celebrated a milestone anniversary, marking 40 years of fellowship and service.
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Public transportation has always been a part of St. Patrick Church’s pastor, Father Brian Dowd’s daily routine dating back to childhood.
“It was a long ride, to come from Queens to come to Brooklyn,” said Father Dowd, “I always found it to be an adventure.”
And over in Jackson Heights, Queens, Father Christopher Heanue says taking a bus or train is common for both him and his parishioners.
“Sometimes it’s the quickest way to get to where you need to go,” he told Currents News.
That distance could soon be cut down with the emergence of the Interborough Express, or IBX.
The all-electric light rail system will span 14 miles with stations between Roosevelt Avenue and the Brooklyn Army terminal, and is expected to provide end-to-end travel in just 32 minutes.
“Basically, a short cut in our diocese between one part to another,” is how Father Dowd anticipates the travel experience will be.
Earlier this month the environmental review process for the project started, marking a big step in the light rail becoming a reality.
Workers who will be designing the pathway won’t have to lay new tracks down between Brooklyn and Queens: the IBX will utilize an existing freight corridor.
On top of making commutes easier, pastors in Brooklyn and Queens believe the light rail could be a tool for evangelization.
“I think that a lot of people wanted to do more of the churches on the pilgrimage route for the Lenten journey,” explained Father Dowd, “but I think that they found it more difficult, especially from this part of Brooklyn.”
“Visiting other churches like we do during the Lenten Pilgrimage, I think that allows people to open up their eyes more to the universality and the beauty of that of the Universal Church, ” added Father Heanue.
They both also feel having a priest’s presence on public transportation could be a way to connect with those who have strayed from their faith.
“I don’t think connectedness is a bad thing. I think it’s a nice idea to be able to be more united,” said Father Heanue.
“Being with the people, it’s like we feel we’re shoulder-an- shoulder going on a destination, just like we do in our faith,” said Father Dowd.
It’s still a long way before the line is complete, with estimates that it could be operational in the early 2030s.
A proposed 14-mile rail line linking Brooklyn and Queens may do more than ease commutes in New York City — the Interborough Express could help unite Catholics across the Diocese of Brooklyn.
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A proposed 14-mile rail line linking Brooklyn and Queens may do more than ease commutes — local priests say it could help unite the faithful. The Interborough Express could make visits between churches in the Diocese of Brooklyn easier than ever.