Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio’s pastoral visit to Guardian Angel parish, Brighton Beach, turned out to be a jovial commemoration of leadership, commitment, faithfulness, trust and obedience.
The bishop re-echoed the call to renew evangelization by encouraging all the leaders of the different ethnic groups in the parish to answer the call of discipleship and set an example as  stewards of God’s grace.

Bishop DiMarzio began the parish visitation by celebrating the 10:30 a.m. Spanish Mass at which he was greeted by a thunderous ovation.  The Spanish-speaking parishioners were impressed by the bishop’s fluency in the language.

A meeting with the leaders of the different communities followed the Eucharistic celebration.  Each different ethnic group: Hispanic, Indian, Polish, Filipino and the English speaking communities were all represented.

The bishop encouraged the administrator, Father Adnel Burgos, and parish leaders to continue evaluating the parish’s needs, its strengths and limitations in order to plan for the future. He explained the pastoral plan, Christ Jesus, Our Hope, which seeks to strengthen neighboring churches. He fielded questions and concerns while constantly re-assuring everyone that the diocese has been doing careful analytical studies before coming up with resolutions affecting the parishes.

The congregation was relieved to find out that Guardian Angel parish is not considered to be in a precarious position. The leaders thanked the bishop for his continued support and constant prayers.

Everyone got a chance to speak and take pictures with the bishop as he stayed for a couple of hours to accommodate all individuals who wanted to personally convey their messages.

One leader of the Filipino community explained, “This visit, the first since 2005, is a unique opportunity for the Guardian Angel parishioners to receive blessings from God through His herald of faith. That’s why we made sure Bishop DiMarzio felt comfortable and loved.”