When Bishop Robert Brennan was a student at St. John’s University in the 1980s, he remembers attending daily Mass at the small Our Lady of Lourdes chapel tucked away on-campus. It was something vital to his early formation and eventual decision to join the seminary.
Since Bishop Robert Brennan is already a prelate, there will be no rituals for ordaining a new bishop on Nov. 30. Instead, the ceremony involves his installation as shepherd of his new flock — approximately 1.5 million Roman Catholics in nearly 200 Catholic parishes across the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens.
Bishop-designate Robert Brennan doesn’t view his arrival in the Diocese of Brooklyn in the midst of a time-sensitive global synod as a challenge, but rather as a “blessing,” because it’s an avenue to integrate himself into the diocese.
There isn’t a single day, or moment, that Bishop Robert Brennan considers to be his “calling” to the priesthood. Instead, he attributes that call to a number of smaller moments from his early Catholic life in the New York area.
After Bishop Robert Brennan of Columbus missed the annual Bishop’s Golf Classic reception recognizing a student who drew artwork for the event’s program, he paid her a visit at school to extend his congratulations.
Whether it was Mass, reconciliation, or other campus ministry events, the frequent presence of Bishop Robert Brennan at The Ohio State University reaffirmed to senior Matthew Turek the high regard the Church holds for college Catholics.
The Archbishop of New York’s simple message for the incoming Bishop of Brooklyn: Welcome back, it’s going to be great working with you.
Before the Oct. 2 kickoff of the Pontifical College Josephinum “Mud Bowl” — an annual flag football game between seminarians — Bishop Robert Brennan of Columbus jogged across the field to lead the opening prayer.
Today, I am happy to offer some ideas on the transition and the responsibility between myself as Seventh Bishop of Brooklyn and Bishop Robert Brennan, newly appointed as the Eighth Bishop of Brooklyn.
When Saul Buitron reflects on Bishop Robert Brennan’s impact on the Hispanic Catholic community in the Diocese of Columbus, the phrase that comes to mind is “it’s been a dream come true.”
