Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
Welcome back to another edition of our diocesan podcast, Big City Catholics, with Bishop Robert Brennan, the Diocesan Bishop of Brooklyn and Queens, and myself, Father Chris Henry. Today joining us is Father Joseph Dubino, the vicar for evangelization and catechesis in the Diocese of Brooklyn, and also the point person really behind this year's Lenten pilgrimage and last year's and our jubilee celebrations in our diocese. We're happy to have him with us to talk about the official launching of this Jubilee year as we start the season of lent this Wednesday, March 5th. But as we begin in prayer, we can pray together the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. Today I'm reading the prayer for the Jubilee year that's written by Pope Francis this Jubilee 2025. Father in heaven, may the faith you have given us in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your kingdom. May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the gospel. May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, when, with the powers of evil vanquished, your glory will shine eternally. May the grace of the jubilee reawaken in us pilgrims of hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven. May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth to you, our God, eternally. Blessed be glory and praise forever and ever. Amen. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. Father Gerbino, we're very happy that you're back on our podcast, Big City Catholics, to discuss with us this Jubilee year and our Lenten pilgrimage.
[00:01:57] Speaker B: Thank you. It's always a delight to be with Bishop and with yourself, Father Chris.
[00:02:02] Speaker C: And we're really on the threshold of Lent. It's a little bit later this year, but it's great that we'll be setting into this important season a privileged time of encounter with Jesus Christ and a chance for us to grow in our holiness individually, but also altogether. I always say about Lent, we don't choose our own days for Lent. It's built into the calendar of the church. It's something we do together. And that's a big part of this Jubilee year that Pope Francis has called us to be pilgrims of hope. So we've had this pilgrimage for the last couple of years, and it's always, for me, a great event to accompany the different people who make it to all the different station churches, and to have that time of special, privileged prayer. In a sense, we do so this year with the heightened awareness that we are on a pilgrimage together. We're walking through this journey of life together, growing in our love for the Lord together. And we do that by listening to one another and walking with one another.
[00:03:03] Speaker B: And that's such a very important theme for the jubilee of hope. Bishop, especially for us in our diocese, because we really did put a lot of energy into. Into the synodal process that the Pope invited us to join during the synod and continues. And so the idea of pilgrimage is so important for the synodal journey together. So continuing from that very important theme of Pope Francis is the idea of making a pilgrimage during the Jubilee year. So our Lenten pilgrimage is ideal. We begin at the cathedral, we journey to the Co Cathedral, and our six shrine churches for the jubilee are all involved in our Lenten pilgrimage. So it's just a tremendous opportunity.
[00:03:54] Speaker A: So, Father Gerbino, if we could just clarify a little bit for our listeners and for the parishioners of the diocese. This year, the diocese has selected a number of churches to be what you call shrine churches for this Jubilee of hope. What does that mean?
[00:04:08] Speaker B: Well, this year, the jubilee is a little different in that the only doors are the doors in Rome of the four major basilica.
[00:04:18] Speaker C: The four major basilica and one prison.
[00:04:20] Speaker B: Right, One prison. And that's a very important sign and symbol that he included a prison, because his message has been to go out to the margins and journey with those on the margins. So it was a powerful choice and interesting in each of the major areas of the world. So if you go to the United States, you go to Europe, you can see the number of designated sites for pilgrimage around the world. And it's really exciting to look at what's going on. But in our diocese, the six churches are St James Cathedral, St Joseph Co Cathedral, and St Jude Shrine Church in Brooklyn in Queens. The three are Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Forest Hills, Sacred Heart in Bayside, and St. Gerard Magella in Hollis. So the faithful who go there in pilgrimage are going to be invited to participate in a number of spiritual activities to receive an indulgence. So it's to visit one of the pilgrimage sites, it's to spend a suitable amount of time in prayer. So that's going to depend on the individual pilgrimage, but also very important to pray for the intentions of Pope Francis. They are going to be invited to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and to receive the Eucharist. Again, praying for the intentions of the Holy Father and it's just such a wonderful time because the final portion is really important, and that is to perform works of charity. And in Lent, we're called to pray a little bit more, to fast and do works of penance and to perform acts of charity. So the Lenten pilgrimage, the Lenten theme, and the jubilee theme of hope and salvation in Christ all come together so beautifully for us in the diocese.
[00:06:24] Speaker C: Yes. Now, you know, it's interesting. We have a number of churches that are designated as shrines in the diocese, but what we tried to do this year is that we chose some of those that are already designated as shrine churches. We tried to spread it out according to geography and according to some of the special focuses of the shrine churches. You know, we do have other, technically speaking, shrine churches, but the ones designated for this jubilee year are the six that you mentioned. I mean, again, geographically, we have three in Brooklyn and three in Queensland.
[00:07:00] Speaker B: One of the other things we're doing, Bishop and Father Chris, that is very exciting throughout the year, Rome and the Holy Father have designated certain times of the year for very specific pilgrimages. We in the diocese are doing the same thing. So on March 10, we're having a jubilee day for catechists. At the end of May, we're having a special jubilee day for grandparents at Queen of Peace Residence, which will be very exciting. We're going to have a special youth Jubilee Day in Coney island, and we're going to have a group of youth, a delegation going to Rome for the canonization of Blessed Pierre Giorgio Frassati and the Jubilee for youth in Rome. So we're really trying to include many groups in our diocese, and there'll be more planned all the way through the Jubilee year into next fall. And of course, next fall, we are really preparing for our jubilee pilgrimage to the Shrine Basilica in Washington, which will be very exciting.
[00:08:10] Speaker C: That it will be. It always is. We have a great history of that pilgrimage to the Shrine Church in Washington. And I know people are already talking, talking about it and making plans. So we look forward to having many of our parishioners from Brooklyn and Queens at the National Shrine Basilica of the Immaculate Conception down by Catholic University. So that'll be a great event as well. On this pilgrimage in Lent, we are going to continue to do what we've done in years past. So every day has a certain station church that's designated, correct? Yes, we publish the schedule as we have in the past. Are we using the app again?
[00:08:49] Speaker B: Yes, there'll be the app again. They will be the passport for those who really love to have the passport in their hand. And if you go to the diocesan website now, there is a link that will take you so that everyone can see the whole roster of the churches for the Lenten pilgrimage. So people, we can begin to plan our calendars now, where we'll be on each day of the Lenten season.
[00:09:15] Speaker C: That's great. You know, over the years, we've had people who've made just about all of the station churches during that time of Lent. And that group of pilgrims have formed something of a pilgrim community, which is great. They watch out for one another, they pray for one another, they look for one another and then see each other during the course of the year at other diocesan events. But it's meant to be for everybody. So, you know, there were those who are able to and really persevere and get around to all of the different churches. There are others who take part when it's their day, when many of our parishes, when it's their parish's day, they extend terrific hospitality and offer different opportunities for prayer. And the people of the parish make a point of coming out on that day to the day that their parish is hosting the Lenten pilgrimage. And then, of course, there were people who basically look at the schedule and see the ones in their general area or the days that they might be available.
So we welcome pilgrims in every way. And then, of course, those who are homebound are always in our prayers and united with us, especially through Net TV in terms of the cathedral and co Cathedral. But we want to make sure that we stay connected to the homebound, united in prayer.
[00:10:32] Speaker B: Bishop each year as we do this, we're getting a little better at it. So one of the things that we thought about this year with the Jubilee is how do we invite people on the street who may not have seen anything to come in? So each of the churches is going to receive a banner for outside the church that will say jubilee of Hope, Pilgrimage of Hope. Hopefully, people will see it and say, what's that all about? And come in to the church to make a visit or just be curious. So we're trying to, again, go to the margins and invite people in who may not be a part of the pilgrimage community or even our parish communities to come and see.
[00:11:16] Speaker C: That's great. That really is good. And I'm again, so grateful to the pastors, the parish teams and parishioners of all the host parishes in welcoming people, whether they be persevering pilgrims or passerbyers coming in to stop in for prayer. That's what it's all about. That's what. What Pope Francis has asked us to do in this time of pilgrimage, to invite others to join us on the journey. I think that's a great idea. Father HENRY the Co Cathedral is on the schedule. Last year we finished up at the Co Cathedral, but that week at the Co Cathedral is a very busy week with the Chrism Mass and all the other events. But the celebration of The Feast of St. Joseph takes place during the month of March. And so the Coke Cathedral will be hosting as one of the shrine spots on March 19th.
[00:12:05] Speaker A: We're certainly, yes, we're doubly blessed to be both selected as a shrine church during this jubilee year, which lasts obviously through the whole season, not just of Lent, but the whole year, but also then to be a part of that diocesan pilgrimage, that Lenten pilgrimage on our feast day. So everyone is welcome to participate and to come to the Co Cathedral. We have an evening Mass and trilingual Mass for our community that will also be televised on Net tv. Just the celebration of the Co Cathedral, the celebration of St. Joseph's feast day. But that leads me to a question to you, Father Gerbino. Is that these shrine churches, the churches that the six churches that you mentioned, they'll remain as shrine churches throughout the whole year, not just for this season of Lent, is that right?
[00:12:48] Speaker B: Yes. And the visitation will go all the way through until really Christmas of 2025. It's actually the Immaculate Conception. But Christmas in the United States is such a wonderful time for family spirituality that we might just extend that time a little bit and encourage whole families to take advantages of visiting the different churches that have been designated and make it a time of family prayer, family catechesis, family growth together for this wonderful time of jubilee.
[00:13:24] Speaker C: And that's great. As we look through the course of the year, this some of these shrine churches have particular spiritualities. You can hear it in the name itself. St. Jude, patron of hopeless causes, as it were, has a great following. And so we have the shrine church of St. Jude and we'll be glad that we'll be there. St. Gerard Magella is another one with a great favorite of so many people who are seeking to have children. And so his intercession is often sought Sacred Heart pairs to there as various different relics. He has the relics of soon to be St. Carlo Acudis and St. Peregrine and others. So he's going to be instituting eventually later on in the year a shrine for Saint Carlo of Cudas. He's waiting for the canonization and then we'll set a date. So they all have a certain spirituality, spiritual closeness, a connection point for so many people. Right. Win Amatas. We remember the people, particularly in the Americas, the early claimers of the faith, who planted those seeds of faith, often giving their martyrs, gave their lives.
[00:14:26] Speaker B: And one thing, Bishop, that is very exciting this year, which will be new to the Lenten pilgrimage, because Brooklyn is the diocese of immigrants, we've invited our immigrant apostolates to prepare special evenings of prayer and invite everyone to come to those evenings of prayer in different churches that are the jubilee churches and the Lenten pilgrimage sites. So that's also very interesting this year that we will have special evenings in Spanish, Italian, Creole and Polish for our communities. And it's just really exciting.
[00:15:05] Speaker C: That should be most interesting. Yes.
[00:15:08] Speaker B: And Father Chris, is it true that the CO Cathedral is providing Zeppeli for ivory pilgrimages on St. Joseph Day?
[00:15:17] Speaker A: St. Joseph's pastries, maybe even tastier than Zeppelin. And we'll have a carb free version for a bishop. If you can smell the.
[00:15:29] Speaker C: That's fine.
[00:15:31] Speaker B: And so, Bishop, one of the questions we've been receiving from many of the faithful has to do with indulgences. Now, we've talked about how one gets the indulgence, prayer, words of charity, penance, receiving the Eucharist. But could you share with us your reflections on the deeper spiritual meaning of an indulgence during this jubilee year?
[00:15:55] Speaker C: That's a very good question because, you know, that's one that's been often a point of confusion through the centuries and sometimes a point of division. And I think the simplest way to explain it is, is to start with the recognition that we are all sinners in need of God's forgiveness first of all, and more importantly, that God is rich in mercy and forgiveness and that God is all just so. He's looking for repentance and conversion. You know, sometimes you hear the expression God loves us just as we are, and God loves us just as we are. He meets us where we are, but he also takes us to where we need to be. He's calling us deeper in a relationship with His Sacred Heart, drawing us in closer. And because he loves us so much, he doesn't want us to remain in our sin isolated, kind of closing in on ourselves, but to find liberation through his mercy. So, you know, sometimes we talk about indulgence as if it's a commodity, something you grab off the shelf. You go to the church to get the indulgence, whereas really it's an encounter with God's mercy. The indulgence takes that experience of God's mercy and crosses over, if you will, into the balance of eternity. So technically speaking, it's the remission of punishment from all sins, temporal and eternal. But it's really an opportunity to encounter God's love in a much deeper way, to be very conscious of it, to seek it. And so there are these actions that we take. First of all, the Sacrament of reconciliation. Sacrament of reconciliation is full and complete in itself. God gives us forgiveness, but then we go deeper into that experience of mercy through the indulgence. So indeed, then you show your appreciation, you make those visits, you offer the prayers. It's an expression of our communion. We pray with and for our Holy Father. Right, as you say, pray for the Pope's intentions. It's an expression of our communities connection. I often quote from the funeral rite, the wake service. We believe that the bonds of friendship and affection that unite us in this life do not unravel with death. So there's that sense of prayer for those who have died. And so it's an expression of our solidarity, our communion with the communion of saints. And then, of course, an act of charity, reparation. Pope Francis, in his letter on the Sacred Heart, he looks at, knows he loves us so, that he, released for the jubilee year, has this beautiful reflection on the idea of reparation. And you know, reparation isn't about beating ourselves up. Reparation is about setting things right. And so it comes about through acts of charity. It comes about by restoring justice. It comes about by making amends, by offering and experiencing reconciliation with one another. We need God's help and mercy. But we also, we also have to repair our relationships here on earth. We had to repair our relationship with our families, with our loved ones, with the wider community sometimes, right? And even one thing the Pope is always calling us to is even to be attentive to voices of the stranger, to the voices of people crying out or in pain or in suffering outside of our own little orbit, to be more attentive. Preparation is part of being more attentive. So that's where acts of charity come in. So that would be my two minute explanation.
[00:19:19] Speaker A: And Bishop, to your point, this is something that goes hand in hand with the tenets of Lent, right? I mean, everything that you were just discussing, this idea of repairing broken relationships, being charitable, being more prayerful, being more united, this is all the beauty of this season of Lent that we're entering.
[00:19:35] Speaker C: Into this Wednesday, you know, on Wednesday, we hear that second meeting from St. Paul, now is the acceptable time. Now is the day of salvation, that immediacy, that we step into this together. And so, yeah, this is a. We're about to embark on a season of tremendous grace.
Tremendous grace. To seek reconciliation with one another and with God, to build up the bonds about communion with one another and with God. He used the terms of the Jubilee to walk together as pilgrims of hope. So whatever we choose to do, people always take up practices during Lent. There are spiritual practices, people go to Mass. Some people will do that through the pilgrim journey, you know, through your own parish. We want to encourage attending Mass maybe during the week. We want to be attentive to the sacraments, especially to reconciliation during Lent. We have reconciliation Monday. Many parishes have the Stations of the Cross on Friday and even take up some of the practices of penance together. You know, I. When I was in Ohio, fish fries were big deals on Fridays in Lent. So communities do things like that. They have Lent, soup, suppers, things of that nature, sharing a penitential meal together. These are all things we can do together. And then again, works of charity. So prayer, fasting and works of charity, almsgiving, giving to those who are in need, being attentive to the needs of one another. And of course, Father Giovino, this time of Lent is a time of intense preparation for those who are preparing for baptism through the order of Christianization of adults.
[00:21:05] Speaker B: Yes. And with the new rites that have been released from Rome, we're very excited this year that we will be experiencing the right of election. That first Sunday of Lent, March 9, for the first time, we'll be using the new rights. So it's very exciting. They're really new translations. The rights are pretty much the rights of the church that have always been there. But there's a real emphasis now on the journey together again, going back to the synodal way and with the theme of hope, the right of election. The hope of salvation in Christ is so real, and it's presented now to the elect in a very visceral way, with you as their spiritual shepherd, welcoming them to their proximate preparation. In just a few weeks, they'll be baptized, receive the Eucharist and confirmed. It's just that hope of joy.
[00:22:02] Speaker C: That's it. Very good. Well, we pray for those who are prepared, preparing for the sacraments and all those who are working with them, especially during this time of life. Father Chris, if I could put in one plug for one of the stations, it's not one of the shrine churches, but on March 21st, we'll be at Douglaston at the Immaculate Conception center, will be in the chapel there. And that's the day that the youth and young adults have their holy hour. And so we're going to tie that in with the Lenten pilgrimage and a special focus on religious vocations. Two relatively young sisters who have entered in recent years will give a witness to their own journey during the holy hour. And then we'll have pizza. It's a Friday in Lent, so we'll have pizza. And the various different communities from this area will be present. So just so our young people can get to meet communities of religious men and women. Some of them have deep and long roots here in Brooklyn, and some have come more recently, but just again, an expression of our walking together. So I really look forward to that with our young people.
[00:23:10] Speaker A: That'll be a great opportunity and certainly we'll have a chance to promote that as well in the subsequent weeks on our podcast and I'm sure through the Tablet and Currents News to get that word out to the young people of our diocese. Bishop, we've discussed a lot. Thank you, Father Trevino, for your presence with us this day. And as we prepare for a blessed Lent to all of those who listen in each and every week, perhaps, Bishop, you could give us a blessing as we prepare for a great season of Lent.
[00:23:35] Speaker C: We pray, oh, Lord, that this may be a time of grace and renewal for all your people. Help us to know the depths of your love for us, to share it with those around us in Christ our Lord. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[00:23:51] Speaker A: Amen. Thank you again, Bishop. And thank you, Father Gerbino, for your presence with us in another edition of our diocesan podcast, Big City Catholics. We hope that all of our listeners will have a very blessed season of Lent. Will join us again next Friday. God bless.
