The Gospel of the Family

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, The Final Report of the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family, which will serve as a preliminary document for next fall’s Synod on the Family, gives us much thought for consideration. I would like to focus my attention in this column on the proclamation on the […]

A Comprehensive Pro-Life Agenda

Each year, the Pro-Life movement has united at the March for Life in Washington, D.C. This year, it will be held on Thursday, Jan. 22. This 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 destructive path and human life has been reduced 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.

Local Haitians Celebrate Day of Independence

More than 700 Haitians gathered for a Mass of thanksgiving at St. Joseph’s Co-Cathedral, Prospect Heights, on Jan. 1 to celebrate the Feast of Mary, Mother of God, and to mark Haiti’s 211th anniversary of independence from France. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio was the main celebrant of the liturgy that was offered in Haitian-Creole. The homily was […]

‘No Longer Slaves…’

As we begin this new year, there are two important messages from our Holy Father, Pope Francis. The first, in his Message for the World Day of Peace, celebrated Jan. 1, he took the theme “No Longer Slaves, But Brothers and Sisters” directly from the Scriptures and the words of St. Paul as he commends the slave Onesimus as he returns to Philemon his owner. St. Paul urges Philemon to treat Onesimus as a brother and as a fellow Christian, so that fraternity will be the fundamental bond of family life and the basis of life in society.

Bishop Welcomes Four New Priests to Diocese

Christmas came a week early for four extern priests serving in Brooklyn and Queens when Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio incardinated them into the presbyterate of the Diocese of Brooklyn. The newly incardinated are Fathers Robert Ambalathingal, Saint Martin Estiverne, Thaddeus J. Abraham and Walter G. Lawson. Fathers Abraham, Ambalathingal and Lawson were incardinated during a noontime […]

The Lessons of 2014

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, In the last issue of The Tablet for 2014, the questions are always posed to me to look back on the year which has just passed and emphasize the lessons which, perhaps, we have learned. Like all years, this past year has contained challenges and surprises, joys […]

Statement of Bishop DiMarzio on the Murder of Two NYPD Officers

The Catholic Community in Brooklyn and Queens joins me in praying for the repose of the souls of Police Officer Wenjian Liu and Police Officer Rafael Ramos. We offer our sincere condolences to the families of our fallen Police Officers and pray earnestly for their consolation. Each day, 35,000 of our fellow citizens put on […]

Brooklyn Hosts New Vatican Envoy to UN

Accepting Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio’s invitation, the recently named Apostolic Nuncio to the U.N. visited the Brooklyn Diocese and celebrated Mass Dec. 17 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, Prospect Heights. Bishop DiMarzio said he and the diocese can learn much from Archbishop Bernardito Cleopas Auza, who was assigned as Pope Francis’ representative to the U.N. […]

Bishops’ Christmas Masses

The Diocesan Bishop’s Office has announced that Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio will celebrate three Masses for Christmas. On Christmas Eve, he will be the main celebrant at the Family Mass at St. Pascal Baylon Church in St. Albans, a worship site of Our Lady of Light parish. Later that evening, he will celebrate the 12 p.m. […]

God Enters Into Creation

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, Christmas in many ways is one of the most nostalgic periods of time. We have many treasured memories, especially surrounding the celebration of Christmas. Perhaps as we come closer to this Christmas, we can recall these memories. For me, it was the annual ritual of buying the […]