DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — When Auxiliary Bishop Neil Tiedemann thought about World Mission Sunday this year, a fellow Brooklyn-born bishop came to mind, Servant of God Francis Xavier Ford.
At the annual Mission Sunday Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James, Downtown Brooklyn on Oct. 20, Bishop Tiedemann spent most of his homily telling the children in attendance about his personal hero. The Catholic school and religious education students were honored at the Mass for their fundraising for the Missionary Childhood Association, a pontifical organization that encourages children to donate to mission dioceses throughout the world in countries such as India, Nigeria and Sri Lanka.
Bishop Ford was among the first American priests to go on mission in China. Bishop Tiedemann said Bishop Ford was a great witness who expressed Jesus’ love to many people.
Bishop Tiedemann also told the students that part of Mission Sunday is to ask, “To whom am I going to give Jesus to?”
St. Bernadette Catholic Academy, Dyker Heights, raised the most money of any Catholic elementary school in the Diocese of Brooklyn, with more than $7,000 raised between March 2018 and February 2019. Eighth-grader Freddy Scuteri said the school’s student council tries to make fundraising fun by sponsoring activities such as a “Fall Family Festival” and a game night, where students make a small donation to play basketball.
“What (our teachers) tell us is, even donating a little, if we all donated something each day, we could make a huge impact on the world,” Scuteri said.
Here are the Brooklyn and Queens winners from 2018 fiscal year:
Top Fundraiser
St. Bernadette Catholic Academy, Dyker Heights
Catholic Academy Awards
High Fundraiser Under 250 Enrollment, Brooklyn
St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy, Greenpoint
High Fundraiser Elementary Schools Under 250 Enrollment, Queens
Holy Family Catholic Academy, Fresh Meadows
High Fundraiser Over 250 Enrollment, Brooklyn
St. Bernadette Catholic Academy, Dyker Heights
High Fundraiser Over 250 Enrollment, Queens
St. Sebastian Catholic Academy, Woodside
Mission Incentive, Brooklyn
Visitation Academy, Bay Ridge
Mission Incentive, Queens
St. Matthias, Ridgewood
Parish Religious Education Awards
High Fundraiser, Brooklyn
St. Brigid, Bushwick
High Fundraiser, Queens
Immaculate Conception, Astoria
Mission Incentive, Brooklyn
Our Lady of Angels, Bay Ridge
Mission Incentive, Queens
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Bayside
High School Special Mission Awards
St. Francis Preparatory High School, Fresh Meadows
Bishop Loughlin Memorial H.S., Fort Greene