For Halloween this year, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio dressed as a knight … a Holy Cross Knight, that is.

The bishop marked his 17th anniversary of being raised to the episcopacy Oct. 31 at Holy Cross H.S., Flushing. He celebrated Mass with the school’s 900 young men as well as faculty and staff.

“It’s (Holy Cross) a very good school,” Bishop DiMarzio said. “They have great spirit here, and it’s a good atmosphere. It’s one of the great schools in the diocese.”

To show its appreciation, the Holy Cross community presented Bishop DiMarzio with a Knights’ athletic jersey printed with “DiMarzio” and the No. 17 on the back – to mark his 17 years as a bishop.

Bishop DiMarzio was ordained as a bishop in 1996 in the Diocese of Newark, N.J., at Sacred Heart Cathedral by then-Archbishop (now Cardinal) Theodore Edgar McCarrick. It turns out that Oct. 31 was the only day that the cathedral was available for the installation, so Bishop DiMarzio will always have the memory of having his episcopal ordination on Halloween.

In his homily, Bishop DiMarzio spoke of how the celebration of Halloween has evolved into a pagan holiday, though it has spiritual roots. He also said that being Christian involves worshipping in a group setting, similar to the day’s liturgy.

“We see the example of the faith of others,” he said. “That’s what makes the community of the Church real, that we are not alone before God but that we go to God together with a community of faith.”

During the Mass, Bishop DiMarzio installed the new Holy Cross campus ministers for this school year. Each campus minister received a gold pin signifying his new title.

Before the final blessing, Father Walter Jenkins, C.S.C., president of Holy Cross, said the school community was so delighted to be able to celebrate Bishop DiMarzio’s anniversary with him.

“I remind especially the boys that at the moment that the bishop was ordained and consecrated in the order of bishops, he joined the ranks of the apostles he represents for us,” Father Jenkins said. “He is for us, our shepherd.”

Following Mass, a group of 25 juniors and seniors joined Bishop DiMarzio for breakfast as part of the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Project Andrew program – named after the Apostle Andrew, who invited Peter to seek Jesus.

“Project Andrew is an opportunity for the bishop to speak directly to young people, asking them to consider a vocation to priesthood or religious life, and it gives them the opportunity to ask questions,” Bishop DiMarzio said.

Father Kevin Abels, diocesan vocation director; Msgr. Steven Aguggia, pastor of St. Margaret’s parish, Middle Village, and a Holy Cross graduate; Andrew D’Angelo, director of campus ministry at Holy Cross; and Father Jenkins were also on hand to take part in the discussion.

D’Angelo said that the best way to start the process of discerning a vocation is to have the bishop come and speak to a group directly.

“The fact that they (the students) were able to share Mass with him (Bishop DiMarzio) and then be able to sit down in a small-group setting and share a meal and a conversation and have him answer questions, I really don’t think there’s any better testament to the beauty of a vocation than that,” he said.

Bishop DiMarzio shared with the students how he was called to religious life. Growing up, he lived across the street from his parish, so he constantly saw the good works of the parish priests. He became an altar server and later entered into the college seminary right out of high school. He’s now been a priest for 43 years and said the highlight of religious life has been administering the sacraments.

Dedication, Happiness, Fulfillment

“Believe me, it is a life of dedication, happiness and fulfillment, and that’s not easy to find today in many areas of life,” he said.

The students seemed receptive to the message and can contact Father Abels with any other questions.

“I thought it was great, considering that he (Bishop DiMarzio) took time out of his busy schedule to come and talk to us students and then talk about religious vocation throughout his life,” said junior Frederick Schuler.

Father Abels left the students with prayer cards and purple bracelets with the question, “How is God calling me?” He said the students need to be convinced that God has a plan for each of them.

“God is calling,” he said. “We now just need to be open to the direction that He is calling you into.”

Young people are the future of the world and future of the Church, so Father Abels said he hopes that the Holy Cross young men are open to the call.