by The Tablet Staff
DOUGLASTON — The Mass for Deceased Clergy, an annual tradition in the Diocese of Brooklyn, was celebrated Nov. 7 at the Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston.
This year, about 70 relatives of some 25 priests and deacons who passed away in the past year, along with nearly 60 priests, deacons, and laypeople from across the diocese, attended the Mass, which was celebrated by Bishop Emeritus Nicholas DiMarzio.
During the entire month following All Souls’ Day, together with Catholics throughout the world, the diocesan clergy remember the meaning of death and the invitation that Jesus Christ has given them throughout life, and pray in hope that one day they will join Him.
In his homily, Bishop DiMarzio stressed the importance of remembering the deceased and praying for them in this liturgy.
“We actually die two deaths; the first being the physical death, and the second being that no one will ever mention our names again,” he said.
“So this Mass is actually a secular approach to immortality, because of course, we as Catholics know better, as Jesus has promised us that we who eat the bread and drink the blood will live forever.”
After the Mass, Bishop DiMarzio and a group of auxiliary bishops prayed in the downstairs crypt at the Immaculate Conception Center for the souls of all the clergy who have gone before.
