Today for sure is a joyous day. A joyous day when we celebrate our identity, who we are as a people of God. The source of our unity, the source of our joy. We celebrate the sacramental life of the Church and the ways that God is working in our midst, especially here in Brooklyn and Queens. Thank you for your presence here today. Gracias a todos, merci beaucoup. 

Last month, I wrote to Gov. Kathy Hochul to share my concerns regarding the pending closure of SUNY Downstate Medical Center. As of this writing, New York State budget negotiations continue, and I am hopeful that the final agreement will keep this university hospital, based in Central Brooklyn, open to provide continued care.

“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.” (Col 3:4) We hear these words from St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. 

Over the past year and a half, more than 100,000 migrants and asylum-seekers have arrived in New York City. Like many municipalities throughout the United States, especially those close to the southern border, our city has struggled to provide housing and other material assistance to those newly arrived.

The following is the homily delivered by Bishop Robert Brennan during Easter Sunday Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Downtown Brooklyn.

This is Bishop Robert Brennan’s full homily from the Diocese of Brooklyn’s 2023 Chrism Mass.

Last month, I joined with a delegation from Brooklyn and Queens and with people from all around the country for the March for Life in our nation’s capital. Rightly celebrating the Supreme Court decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case overturning Roe v. Wade, we recognized that we still have a long way to go to transform the culture around us, awakening society to the dignity of human life in its earliest stages.