Father Carlos Velásquez, pastor of St. Brigid Parish in Bushwick, has been appointed the new director of liturgy for the Diocese of Brooklyn. Inspired by the beauty of the Mass since childhood, he hopes to ensure that the diocese’s diverse celebrations of worship — offered in nearly 30 languages — reflect the reverence and unity of Catholic liturgy.
An auxiliary bishop who fled his native Nicaragua after facing down death threats for criticizing that country’s totalitarian government was at St. Brigid Church in Bushwick on Jan. 8, helping the largely Latino community there celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany.
The Federal Emergency (FEMA) has rolled out a COVID-19 Funeral Assistance program that offers up to $9,000 per funeral to reimburse families for expenses in cases of COVID-19 deaths that occurred after Jan. 20, 2020.
St. Brigid Church is preparing to mark a tragic milestone — the one-year anniversary of the death of Father Jorge Ortiz-Garay, the first Catholic priest in the U.S. to die of COVID-19.
Across the Brooklyn Diocese, 75 parish schools and academies opened their doors on Sept. 4, with about 21,000 students. Also opening were 17 Catholic high schools in the diocese with about 11,000 students.
With a Mass celebrated by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, at St. Brigid’s in Bushwick, Father Jorge Ortiz-Garay was installed as the parish’s new pastor.
Holy Week events that took place throughout the diocese.
The parish and the state eventually agreed that the best use would be to provide a loving home for people with developmental disabilities who were being moved out of Willowbrook State School.
Sister Mary Patricia O’Connell, R.S.M., a Sister of Mercy for 58 years, died April 18. She was 76.
Sister Mary Brenda Gorman, R.S.M., 76, a member of the Sisters of Mercy Mid-Atlantic Community for 58 years, died Dec. 31 at Maria Regina Residence, Brentwood, L.I.
