Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign welcome back to a new edition of our diocesan podcast, Big City Catholics, with Bishop Robert Brennan, the diocesan bishop of Brooklyn and Queens, and myself, Father Christopher Henry, the pastor of St. Joan of Arc Parish in Jackson Heights, Queens. Bishop, it's good to be back together again. We'll begin as we do each and every podcast and everything we do in prayer.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
[00:00:36] Speaker B: Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
[00:00:45] Speaker A: Amen. In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Amen. Bishop the summer days are kind of coming to a close, but it's still been quite busy for you and a lot of times topics to talk about this week in our podcast, you know, on the news, we've been seeing a lot about possibilities of peace, certainly between Ukraine and Russia, a lot of summits coming together. What are your thoughts on all of this?
[00:01:07] Speaker B: We're praying for peace in Israel and in Gaza. These are very important conversations about peace because the wars that are taking place and the human suffering is just horrendous. So we certainly want to see an end to it. I think we're all united in prayer for true and lasting peace in these trouble spots and real, really all around the world, for an end to violence, respect for human dignity. That's got to be the common outcry over and over and over again. In a sense, you might say the world is on its knees praying for peace. And I think that's got to be our posture. We are in solidarity with one another. You know, last week in the second reading, we had that great image from the letter to the Hebrews of the cloud of witnesses spurring us on, encouraging us on the race. But that cloud of witnesses is a reminder of the solidarity we have with each other throughout the world and with the communion of saints. And so while we are fortunate to live in peace compared with some parts of the world, it's imperative that we feel that sense of solidarity and that we pray earnestly for peace, perhaps even to the point of taking a day, sometime in the early fall as a day of prayer for peace. And we'll look maybe to designate a particular day to dedicate ourselves to that outcry for peace. And, you know, we can't underestimate the power of prayer. It's not that God needs us to change his mind, but basically, when we pray for peace, what we're praying for is that our minds and the minds of other people might be turned to the heart of God, to the will of God. It's God's will for peace. So we're praying, uniting ourselves with the Lord and really seeking his path to peace in the places that are well known for the wars, but really throughout.
[00:02:55] Speaker A: The world, they're suffering. So many places, as you mentioned, Bishop, you said that we're blessed to live in a peaceful place, relatively right in the context in comparison to what's going on. But we think of let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me. You know, the peace reigns in our own hearts, the peace from our Lord Jesus Christ, and let that kind of continue to expand and expand in our own families, in our homes, in our nation and across the globe. You see our Holy Father, Pope Leo, talking about it and really beginning with let everyone be one. You know, let it.
[00:03:26] Speaker B: Let his theme that be love and unity, that we build on that sense of love and unity. His own motto is, we may be one in the one in Christ. Certainly that's a call for Christian unity, that we may be one in the one. But it's also a reminder that we need to have our hearts turned. I often say, and I've been saying it more often lately, I say a confirmation, be careful what you pray for. You might just get it. God might actually give it to you. And so when we're praying for peace, God may actually challenge us to make those steps toward a peaceable world and toward a respect for human dignity.
[00:04:02] Speaker A: Please God. Please God. Well, Bishop, we talk about more peaceful times. Nothing like the peace of being at the beach. What a transition. But what about these days? I know for you, growing up on the island you talked about at your installation Mass as Diocesan Bishop of Brooklyn, walking along the sea, the shore, you've had a few opportunities to be at that peaceful setting of the beach recently for the celebration of the Holy Mass.
[00:04:25] Speaker B: Yes, I have had the chance to visit the beach, and it's ironic that we're recording on the day when the beach is sort of off limits because of the hurricane that's out at. See these last. The later part of this week just passed, but last weekend's podcast was released on the Feast of the Assumption. We spoke a little bit about that great feast day of the Assumption visit Mass traditionally at Breezy Point on the beach by the bay. And I had the opportunity to celebrate that Mass and Oh, wow, what a big crowd of people we had. It was really, it was a beautiful night. There were a great number of people. It was very well organized. It was really a very beautiful experience.
And then again on Sunday, the parish of St. Francis de Sales, they have a couple of Masses throughout the summer, I think at Father's Day, around July 4, around the assumption and then Labor Day weekend. And so I was back in Rockaway for that Mass on Sunday again, another beautiful day. A nice crowd and very reverent, very dignified. So I was glad to be able to do that. It's nice to do that as something different.
[00:05:28] Speaker A: It certainly is. I think it brings people begun to kind of form a tradition around especially the Assumption Mass at Breezy Point. There seems to be a yearly tradition now on the Feast of the Assumption. There's a beautiful article in this week's edition of the Tablet and it states that there were close to 750 people or so gathered on the beach. That seems like an incredible number of people. But also that parish community is still sort of reeling from the disaster of the fire at St. Edmunds. No. Bishop. And so it's a kind of a boost of energy and a boost of support for that community as well as they continue to rebuild from that experience.
[00:06:02] Speaker B: That's right. You know, on the Feast of the Assumption, the vigil. The other thing worth noting is I celebrated in the parish of St. Joseph patron the Vigil of the Assumption for the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the movement, Juan Ventitres, named for Pope St. John XXIII. That's largely Spanish speaking group. They have groups in a number of different parishes throughout the diocese. Their focus is on evangelization. Their focus is on inviting other people to experience the great power of the Gospel through retreats touching on their lives. They had a celebration on the eve of the Assumption and wow, it was a beautiful holy hour followed by Mass itself and then a celebration in the courtyard. I said it was very elegant. It almost looked like a wedding. It was really very, very, very, very beautiful.
[00:06:57] Speaker A: Bishop. This Sunday's readings, especially our first reading from the prophet Isaiah, they talk about gathering nations together of every language. And you're mentioning now that Juan Ventitres and the beautiful masses at the beach us together. But the beginning of a pastoral year, we gather again together and this upcoming September we'll have a gathering of all our priests at our priest convocation.
[00:07:18] Speaker B: Exactly. You know, you see school starting and religious education kicking up again, youth programs that didn't necessarily go dormant in the summer. A number of our youth programs continue through the summer, but kind of get a new energy as we start in September, people coming back and yes, every three years we have a multi day gathering of the priest. And so I'm looking forward to it. We had that my first autumn in September of 22, and for me it was a very, very enjoyable experience. We'll be gathering in September. The way we do it is we gather at the seminary in Huntington, Immaculate Conception Seminary. Half of the priests come Monday, Tuesday, everybody's together Wednesday, and then the other half remain Thursday, Friday. And this year we'll be talking about some really important moral question that are out there that we have to face on a fairly regular basis. So we have a few experts and a good panel. Father Joe Fonte works hard on putting these days together and I give him a lot of credit. So we're looking forward to it. Like I said, it's a great thing to see the priests together. There's a wonderful spirit among the priests in Brooklyn and Queens. And when we're all together, something good always seems to happen.
[00:08:33] Speaker A: It certainly is a great opportunity for us as priests. You talk about bringing big groups together. I know this is still a little early on, but our different our parishes will begin to publicize the diocesan pilgrimage to the national shrine on Saturday, October 25th. That is really talk about gathering nations of all languages. That is really gathering the whole diocese and bringing us all to the National Shrine.
[00:08:58] Speaker B: It is absolutely. Again, that's something else we do every third year and we usually get a great attendance. It's a day bus trip so people can do this, and yet it takes us to someplace different.
But you're right, the different language groups, people of all ages, parishes, movements, it's always a great experience. And that is a national treasure. The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, the shrine in Washington D.C. it's a great spot for pilgrimage. I understand that there are a couple of groups that are going to be going down, making an overnight and doing some other visiting pilgrim sites along the way. And largely most of the parishes who go would probably do it all in the same day. It's a great experience. And of course, our own Father Vito Bonanno is on the staff of the Shrine Basilica and he always rolls out the red carpet.
[00:09:50] Speaker A: He does. He loves to visit each and every bus and come on and greet the pilgrims. It seems to give him a lot of great joy. And it is a very joyful day. You know, we think we're all soon going to be gathering back together, gathering back in our schools, our parish year pastoral years are coming together. It's only sadly, May two weeks left officially before Labor Day. We really are grateful for these days.
[00:10:13] Speaker B: Actually, now that by the time we release it, it's just a week. Our next episode will release on the Friday of Labor Day weekend.
[00:10:19] Speaker A: Boy, oh boy. Kind of anxious about the the new year to begin.
[00:10:23] Speaker B: Well, your new year is going to be a new experience too because you'll be returning now to the experience of a parish with a school.
[00:10:30] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:10:30] Speaker B: And you'll have an awful lot of activity up there in Jackson Heights. It's a very, very busy but life giving area right now. A diocese.
[00:10:39] Speaker A: I'm excited. I'm excited. We got a lot to do still to get the the school year ready and the parish ready for the new pastoral year. But it's always great to spend some time in conversation with you, Bishop, in this podcast and perhaps you could end in prayer and give us your blessing.
[00:10:54] Speaker B: And we pray that the peace of Christ may reign in our hearts and in our world. May the blessing of Almighty God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit descend upon you and your families and remain with you forever and ever. Amen.
[00:11:07] Speaker A: Amen. Thank you, Bishop, and thanks to all who continue to join us each and every week in our diocesan podcast, Big City Catholics. We hope you'll join us again next week as Bishop reminded us Friday of Labor Day weekend. God bless you.
