As I write my final column before entering into retirement, I think back to how it all began. According to my mother, when I was five years old, I played with little statues of saints. My grandmother emptied a kitchen cupboard, where I stored the little statues on a shelf. I would take out the statues, rearrange them on an altar made from a wooden milk box, and I would pray every day. I guess at that tender age, the Lord began calling me.
Put Out into the Deep
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, the seventh Bishop of Brooklyn, has led the Diocese since 2003. He is a forceful voice on behalf of migrants and immigrants, whose causes he has worked for through most of his priestly ministry. Complete Bio
I Am Thankful For My 51 Years As a Priest And 18 Years As Your Bishop
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, we need to focus on giving thanks, not only for the harvest, as was in its origins, but to God for the many blessings in our lives throughout the year that has passed.
Child Victims Act Lawsuits Reveal More Facts About Sexual Abuse Cases
The abuse of children anywhere is a heinous crime and sin. When it occurs by those working in the Catholic Church, however, the abuse is even more horrific. This should never have happened. The problem of sexual abuse is a societal problem that permeates the Church, schools, sports programs and families.
I Give Thanks for the Blessings I Have Received During My Episcopacy
During my years of preaching, I have found that concrete images help the hearers focus on what the truth of the homily is about. So I want to give you an image that in my mind encapsulates the role of the Bishop in the Church. St. Augustine tells us, “With you, I am a Christian, and for you I am a Bishop” which is printed on the cards distributed at today’s Mass, with a new picture of myself. This is what I believe about a Bishop’s role in the Church.
All Souls Day: When We Join With The Dead in Spiritual Union
Each November, we come to recognize in our liturgical celebration what we recite in the Apostle’s Creed, our firm belief that we pilgrims on earth are not alone in the Church. Those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith, some still being purified awaiting their entrance into heaven, and the blessed saints in heaven, together form this one Church of Jesus Christ.
Take Seriously the Responsibility To Assist Mission Dioceses
Almost 100 years ago, Pope Pius XI instituted World Mission Sunday for the whole Church with the first global Mission Sunday collection taking place in October of 1927. The Mission Sunday collection is always taken on the next to last Sunday during the month of October.
This Is a Time Not to Slow Down, But to Pursue New Horizons
Today, I am happy to offer some ideas on the transition and the responsibility between myself as Seventh Bishop of Brooklyn and Bishop Robert Brennan, newly appointed as the Eighth Bishop of Brooklyn.
Synodality’s Challenge: Become Open To New Ideas, Ways of Doing Things
We come together today to initiate the Synodal process in the Diocese in Brooklyn and Queens. The concept of Synod is nothing new to the Church. In the Acts of the Apostles, we see the first council, the Council of Jerusalem, where the people came together to discern the question of how new non-Jewish Christians should be initiated into the Church.
We Must Do All That We Can to Protect God’s Greatest Gift — Life
October is the month that the Catholic Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Month. During this month, the Church concentrates on making sure that we are following the life issues that greatly affect our society.
We Must Never Forget the Poor and Migrant People of the World
Each year for the last 50 years, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has maintained the custom of aligning National Migration Week with the theme of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. The Bishops recently decided to move National Migration Week, normally celebrated in January, to September to coincide with the Holy Father’s annual message on migration.
