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,
One of the gifts given to us by the Second Vatican Council was the institution of the new Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). Prior to the Council, converts were brought into the Church individually by priests who usually had individual instruction sessions with them.
Lent is here again. It is an invitation to join Jesus in the 40 days He spent in the desert preparing for his public ministry. We must also prepare ourselves for the ministry of announcing His death and resurrection that we will celebrate this Easter.
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
As we begin Catholic Press Month, preparing ourselves for our diocesan celebration of World Communications Day on May 9, we look to the message of our Holy Father, Pope Francis, for World Communications Day to give us some perspective on our duties to communicate the truth to one another.
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
Each year, Catholic Schools Week is a time for everyone to celebrate the great success stories of Catholic education within the Diocese of Brooklyn. During this special week, we recognize the accomplishments of our students, the commitment of our parents, the dedication of our teachers and staff, the leadership of our principals, the work of the boards of directors, and the spiritual leadership of our pastors and parish priests. The theme for this year’s Catholic Schools Week – “Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed.” – is evident in all of the Catholic academies and parish schools in Brooklyn and Queens.
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
Each year, the Pro-Life movement comes together for the March for Life in Washington, D.C. This year, it was scheduled for Friday, Jan. 19. This annual event provides an opportunity for us to gather in our Nation’s capital and march down Constitution Avenue, ending at the Supreme Court, where the decision to make abortion legal in the United States has set a damaging path, reducing human life to a choice. It is unfortunate that there is a fundamental misunderstanding of the beginning of human life, its innate dignity and the possibility of terminating life.
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
As we approach our annual Martin Luther King Jr. weekend celebration, we remember the great civil rights leader who most of all was a Christian preacher who used non-violent actions to promote human rights in the United States. It is unfortunate that many young people today, born after the peak of the civil rights movement and who have never experienced the remarkable life and the tragic death of Martin Luther King Jr., seem to misunderstand what was achieved and what still needs to be achieved today.
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
Each year for over 50 years now, the Roman Pontiffs have designated January 1st as the World Day of Peace. Their intention is that our prayer for peace at the beginning of the New Year will bring fruits to the year just begun.
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
Can anyone ever be afraid of a baby? Perhaps this is the special enchanting nature of our Christmas celebration. At the center of it all is the birth of a child in very humble circumstances. It is a story that is without any parallel. The incarnation and birth of Jesus Christ as a human infant sparks our human curiosity and challenges our faith to believe that God could become man in such circumstances.
Last week, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, suggested the rewording of the Lord’s Prayer which really means a re-translation of the words that we say, “Lead us not into temptation.” We understand the Lord’s Prayer as the summary of the whole Gospel. It is the prayer that Jesus, Himself, taught us; however, most probably these words were spoken in the ancient Aramaic every-day language of Jesus. But in the translation of the New Testament into Greek and then subsequently into Latin, perhaps the real meaning of these words was missed. I would think that most people do not believe that God is “leading us into temptation.”
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
This week we will celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The Declaration of the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was made on Dec. 8, 1854 by Pope Pius IX. The Holy Father explained in this Declaration that Mary was preserved from Original Sin by a “singular grace and privilege given to her by God, `in view of the merits of Jesus Christ’ as redeemer of the human race.”
