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
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
Since 2001 — almost 20 years, which marks a generation — the metropolitan area, and especially our own city of New York, particularly in Brooklyn and Queens, has witnessed some tragic events that have called forth from us some good and, at times, heroic responses.
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
This is the full text of Bishop DiMarzio’s video message on Holy Thursday for the priests of Brooklyn and Queens.
At the beginning of Lent, I read something in a spiritual book, which I cannot find now. However, one of the Fathers of the Church said, he who does not know how to feast, does not know how to fast. This is good advice for Lent.
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
At the beginning of this Lent, we heard the words, “Remember you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.” Little did we know that as we come to the end of Lent and the celebration of Easter that these words would become a reality for many and, unfortunately, for some of our priests and laity.
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
The old saying that an idle mind is the Devil’s workshop is so true. In times of idleness, we accomplish little, and we are more vulnerable to life’s usual temptations. Our own personal laziness and any other faults we have seem to be exaggerated during times of idleness, and when we are not sure of what to do with ourselves.
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
When we began Lent this year, many of us heard the words, “Remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return.”
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
As you know, March 19 is the day we celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church.
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
As we begin the Season of Lent, the First Sunday of Lent is traditionally the time when we celebrate the Rite of Election, which is the ceremony for those who are to be baptized or to complete their sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil. All of these candidates are brought together to the Bishop and are charged with their final preparation for Easter in their baptism or completion of the sacraments of initiation.
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, After each Synod of the Church, a system that began after the Second Vatican Council, the Holy Father issues a Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation. In this document, the Holy Father reviews the results of the general Synod working groups, the Synod itself where he has been present, and offers his own exhortation. On February 12, 2020, Pope Francis issued “Querida Amazonia,” meaning Beloved Amazon.
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, On Wednesday, we imposed ashes with the words, “Remember that you are dust and unto dust, you shall return.” These words remind us of the inconvenient fact that each one of us someday will die. Lent is a time when we learn to die to ourselves through prayer, fasting and almsgiving, while at the same time preparing ourselves for our eventual death.
On behalf of the people who are served throughout our Diocese in Brooklyn and Queens, we begin the 2020 Annual Catholic Appeal by thanking those who generously responded to the 2019 Annual Catholic Appeal. If it were not for the commitment of parishioners throughout the diocese to the Annual Catholic Appeal each year, fulfilling the responsibility to provide the basic services and ministries of the Diocese of Brooklyn would be impossible.
