by Marietha Góngora V.
CYPRESS HILLS — At a Mass to honor the victims of a recent nightclub roof collapse in the Dominican Republic, Bishop Octavio Cisneros highlighted the need for the diocese’s Dominican community to accompany all those who were affected.
“We are not Dominicans for a day; we are brothers and sisters every day. That is what brings us together, what unites us,” Bishop Cisneros, an auxiliary bishop emeritus in the Diocese of Brooklyn, said in his homily.
The memorial Mass was held on April 16 at the predominantly-Dominican St. Rita Parish in Cypress Hills – eight days after 231 people died when the roof of the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, the nation’s capital, collapsed.
The Mass began with a moment of silence for the eternal rest of the victims of the tragedy, which has plunged the Dominican community into mourning. At St. Rita’s, an image of Our Lady of Altagracia, the patron saint of the Dominican Republic, was displayed next to the names of the victims.
Bishop Cisneros celebrated the Mass, accompanied by thirteen priests and five deacons. Members of the Committee of Our Lady of Altagracia were present among the crowd that filled the church.
Bishop Cisneros: ‘We Are Brothers and Sisters Everyday’
“We gather today as brothers and sisters to also reflect on what the pain of these men and women who have suddenly died has meant for those brothers and sisters who come from Quisqueya,” Bishop Cisneros said.
“We all know that we are going to die, but when it is sudden, when it is unexpected, and even when it is expected, there is always that pain, that uprooting, that feeling that there is an emptiness,” he said. “Quisqueya has a void because 231 people have died, and we all want to share that void, that pain, and that pain and that void are filled by our presence, by being present for one another.”
Added Bishop Cisneros: “We are here today because we believe, because we are brothers and sisters, because there is faith, because the resurrection is a reality, because we Christians know how to carry the Cross because that is what will give meaning to our death and to the death of all human beings, especially our loved ones.”
Before concluding the Mass, Father Jeremías Castillo, pastor of Transfiguration Church, Williamsburg, shared a telegram signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, secretary of state of the Holy See, in which Pope Francis expressed his condolences to the Dominican people.
“His Holiness also extends his heartfelt condolences to the relatives of the deceased, together with his expressions of consolation, his heartfelt concern, and his wishes for the speedy recovery of the injured,” read part of the message sent to the Archbishop Francisco Ozoria Acosta of Santo Domingo.
“While encouraging perseverance in the efforts to help and accompany, the Holy Father imparts to all, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, consoler of the afflicted, the comforting apostolic blessing, as a sign of hope in the Risen Lord,” the message continued.
In recent days, Bishop Robert Brennan expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and the Dominican community on social media.
“May our Blessed Mother, under the revered title of Our Lady of Altagracia, the patroness of the Dominican Republic, bring comfort to the families who have so tragically lost loved ones and those who have sustained injuries,” he said.
Bishop Brennan also told the Dominican people and those personally affected by this tragedy that they “can be assured of the prayers and solidarity of the Church in Brooklyn and Queens for all those who have been affected by this disaster.”
Father Elvin Torres, spiritual director of the Dominican Apostolate and parochial vicar for St. Sebastian and Corpus Christi in Woodside, Queens, said, “Today we all have one flag, the flag of solidarity and the flag of faith.”
“Today I want to thank God for this Mass that we can celebrate in suffrage for these 231 brothers and sisters who have lost their lives, and we continue to pray for them,” Father Torres said.
“In a special way, we also pray for the many families who are going through this great moment of pain and suffering, who are united with Jesus Christ on his way to Calvary, and we pray for those who are still hospitalized, that the Lord may sustain them with His grace and, according to His will, grant them health,” he concluded.
María Rosario, a Dominican and member of the diocesan Committee of Our Lady of Altagracia for 18 years, said that although the Dominican community has experienced other painful moments, “none have been like this.”
Rosario, who has belonged to St. Rita’s for 50 years, thanked those in the diocese who have prayed for the eternal rest of the victims because “spiritually united, we can strengthen one another and show solidarity because this is a very difficult time.”
Alberto Cordero, a Puerto Rican parishioner, said he attended the Mass as a “brother in solidarity” to accompany his Dominican brothers and sisters.