Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:10 Welcome back to another edition of Big City Catholics. I'm happy to be back with you and with Bishop Brennan, our diocese, Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn. For another great addition of our das and podcast, we should begin in prayer asking our blessed mothers intercession upon us and our diocese, especially as we continue through this Lenin pilgrimage. We begin in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Ah, amen. Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with th blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of th Jesus.
Speaker 2 00:00:42 Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. In
Speaker 1 00:00:47 The name of the Father, the Son of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Bishop, since we last chatted two weeks ago, we were together. You've had a lot going on. You were present for the,
Speaker 2 00:00:58 When we began the great season of Lent. Lent brings with it some very important activities. So the first Sunday of Lent is always the welcoming of those who will be baptized at Easter. It makes the connection, uh, between the diocese and bishop and people who are entering into the church. So we have what's called the Rite of Election. People have been preparing for months, maybe even years. Yeah. When someone declares themselves as seeking baptism, they enter into what's called the catechumenate. They are called catechumen. And they're learning about the faith, experiencing the faith. And those who will be baptized at Easter are now chosen by the church. And this is where the diocese and bishop comes in to call them, elect to elect them now. And so now long, we no longer call them catechumens. We call them the elect. These are people who are chosen and marked to experience the sacraments of initiation at Easter times. So they'll be baptized, received the first communion and confirmation. That's a word service. It's on the afternoon
Speaker 1 00:02:09 Of, of that first Sunday.
Speaker 2 00:02:11 First Sunday of land. Of land. It's not a mass because obviously those in attendance on not yet fully initiated into the church, they're not receiving holy communion. Sure. So it's a chance really to welcome them. But it's a joyful celebration. The following week is what we call the call to continuing conversion. And I did one session, but the other bishops, the auxiliary bishops, the retired bishop, Bishop Tamaio, they were in other places. So we had four of those. And we welcomed those who were already baptized in other Christian denominations, but who are entering into the Catholic church preparing for first communion, perhaps preparing for confirmation. So this is about the conversion of Christians into the church.
Speaker 1 00:02:57 So, uh, if we go back just a a second, the, the first Sunday you had two set different ceremonies. One in Douglasson, our diocese center, and our second one was at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn. So that allows for the different people from different varied areas of the diocese to have a more local approach.
Speaker 2 00:03:15 Yes. And quite honestly, Douglaston, you wouldn't have been able to fit anybody else in there. Wow. The place was packed. Wow. You had a great crowd of people. You have the people who are being baptized. You have their godparents and you have the parish team. Sure. And then some of them are bringing their families along as well. Last year we had it, but it was sort of modified. I was here for that this year. We went full tilt and it's really exciting. People, they inscribe their names in the book of the elect. They do that at their parishes and the parachute holds up their book. That's right. The catechumens now elect are called to step forward. They come up into the sanctuary. That's part of the ritual. Yeah. They're all brought into the sanctuary and you just see, get this sense of this crowd coming together. And then I question the godparents, the people in the pews, and I turn and question the elect, and I declare them now elect it's a moment of great joy because they've stepped a little bit closer now. A lot closer.
Speaker 1 00:04:19 And that's, that role is really reserved to you as DAAs Bishop.
Speaker 2 00:04:23 That's right. Where is this? That's good delegated if needed. But that is really a role for the DAAs
Speaker 1 00:04:28 Mission. What it must be when I witness any R C I A groups coming together, uh, or even the few times that I've brought my delegation to the right of election, it's really rejuvenating, isn't it? It's, it must be a real source of joy. It
Speaker 2 00:04:42 Is. For you, it's, it's rejuvenating on a couple of levels. First of all, it's great just to see the joy of the people who are making the journey, the joy of the people who are getting ready for the sacraments and for their teams, for these, the godparents and the R C I A teams in the parishes. But you know, and I say this every time, it's inspirational for those of us who were born in the faith. That's right. It just comes naturally. Yeah. It's just part of who I am. It's part of the language I speak. Everything about me is Catholic and always has been. Yeah. It's not that I made a deliberate choice to be a Catholic. Obviously you and I made deliberate choices along the way to become priest. Sure. But we didn't make a deliberate choice about becoming
Speaker 1 00:05:28 Catholic. Yeah. That was made for
Speaker 2 00:05:29 Us. It was made for us. Yeah. And thank God it was made for me. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. But the thing is, when you see somebody from outside the church making that choice deliberately, it makes you stop it and say, wow. Yeah. Thank you Lord for this gift of faith. Wow. How impressive this is. That somebody would want to make this part of their life to that somebody would profess very freely, very deliberately the truth of the faith that is indeed inspiring
Speaker 1 00:06:00 To join a faith that you'd probably say, did you not see the newspaper? Did you not?
Speaker 2 00:06:05 Yes, exactly. And it goes to show you that faith runs deeper. It's not what the world would have you believe. Certainly we don't have the participation rate that we should have. Certainly there are people who do leave the church and that's very sad. And we wanna try to do what we can to bring people back, or more importantly, to awaken in a lot of people. Because I think especially after Covid, a lot of people just floated away. Yeah. And the world would have you think that the church is on the verge of collapse, and yet a weekend like this would say, oh no, there are people out there who are encountering Jesus Christ in his church and want to continue to encounter Jesus Christ in his church. Things like this, things like World Youth Day are exciting moments when you realize you're not the only one who believes this. That's right. And you belong to a community of people who believe in it, and it's a very strong community. Sure. We have our foibles and, and I wish people were in fact coming to mass regularly and more involved in the life of the church. But I would say this, and I'd say this about the young, particularly those who are involved are very involved.
Speaker 1 00:07:13 Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:07:13 And among the young, those who are involved often would describe themselves as being missionaries. So there's something very, very good happening in the midst of the turmoil. You know, it's the promise of Jesus. He says, he tells Peter Right. The gates of hell shall never prevail against it. Well, obviously it's going to have its struggles, otherwise Jesus wouldn't have had to make that assurance. But gates of hell won't prevail. That's right. In the end, it's, it's God who is doing this work, not me. I'll, I'll do what I can to be part of the, the cause, and I pray and ask the Lord to keep me faithful and to keep me generous in doing it. But in the end, this is about God's work and God's glory.
Speaker 1 00:07:58 I think, you know, it works perfectly with where you were last weekend and last week's podcast. You had Father Chris Beth Gian, our Dias and vocation director. What a blessing it was to have 27 young men, 27 teenagers out in Huntington Seminary. That place for me, holds a special place in my heart. I was at a junior on retreat in high school at Huntington where I was in the basement chapel. And I said to the Lord, God, in the presence of the Eucharist, whatever I need to do to serve you, Lord, that's what I want to do. I really found that place. An essential part of my vocation story was the seminary of the Macular conception. So it was great to know that young men are still going there to discern their call, to discern whatever God is asking them to do in life. But just that you're continuing to give people this opportunity to encounter Christ A and to grow deeper in love with him.
Speaker 2 00:08:51 Absolutely. It is a great spot. And for me too, it holds some very important significance for me. These great memories, both of the years of formation, but even as a priest of Rockville Center, that was a regular part of our diocesan life. Yeah. Now that it's more of a retreat center, it's a pretty busy place, I would say that. But still, it did provide a, a good opportunity here in the diocese of Brooklyn with the counties of Brooklyn and Queens. We are always in the city, <laugh>. That's right. And so to step away from the city Yeah. Is actually a real treat. So just doing that for a couple of days so that you change the scenery that puts you automatically into a mode of contemplation or even discernment
Speaker 1 00:09:38 And giving these teenagers an opportunity to experience that too. I mean, I'd imagine not many of them have gotten those opportunities. Perhaps it might have been the first time even staying away from home, sleeping away from home.
Speaker 2 00:09:50 Right. Well, I mean, it's an older group of teens, so it's the later high school years. And then there are some college and age kind of guys too. And they're all on different stages of discernment. So some of them, I think we're probably ready to make the application soon after the retreat. Others really are just beginning, have a little ways to go. But there, there's an openness to it. And still others are there as part of the group of friends who are going. That's right. And you know what, you need those guys too, because it gives everybody a sense of security. But it's all about listening to where God might be calling you. So whether God is calling these particular men to be priests or not, there are some in that group who I'm sure God is calling to be priests, but no matter what God is calling them, you know, one of the things I said, a skill that's going to be important no matter what you do, is the ability to make and keep promises. Yeah. To make and keep commitments and not to overpromise, to promise what you can do and do what you promise. That's
Speaker 1 00:10:47 Right.
Speaker 2 00:10:48 Yeah. And stand behind it. So part of it is about friendship with Jesus Christ, walking with Jesus along the way, knowing Jesus this time of Lent is a privileged time to develop our relationship with Jesus Christ. And so now where you're going to go in life, you need that relationship, that encounter with the Lord Jesus. And hopefully we can like that, can stir that up inside of somebody.
Speaker 1 00:11:13 Yeah. And talk about this time of Lent being a time of encountering. So we're now in the second week of Lent, and you have, I see it on your Facebook page. You really have been getting around.
Speaker 2 00:11:26 It's been great to get around to some of the different parishes. As you know, I already just love getting into the parishes, but I am so happy with this diocese and pilgrimage of Lent and the station churches. I had hoped it would be a good thing. I've been visiting some of the parishes, so I see what they're doing and parishes the station churches that day, the day that they're designated is a day, day of a lot of activity, a lot of prayer. Yep. All through the day. The parishioners getting very deeply involved. But I'm meeting pilgrims who are making the whole pilgrimage, or at least that's a good part of it, and really enjoying doing it. People are, are really enjoying it. So yes, I'm visiting some of these pilgrim sites. It's been able to work into where I'm going along the way. Sometimes it's early in the morning when, and I might join in their morning mass, or sometimes it might be a 15 minute trip on the way to or from somewhere, or just a special trip out.
Speaker 2 00:12:26 But that idea of pilgrimage is important to me. I think when you go out of your way to spend a little bit of time with the Lord, that does something for you, that does something for you. And as I've been saying in each of the stops, the idea of pilgrimage is the idea of walking, walking with. So we take this time to walk with the Lord Jesus. We take this time to stay with mm-hmm. <affirmative> in adoration, the Lord Jesus, because that reminds us that Jesus is always walking with us. So that when I'm going through my responsibilities or dealing with the things that come up on a daily basis, I can be more conscious of the fact that I'm not alone having walked with Jesus in pilgrimage. I remember he's made the pilgrimage first. He's walking with me.
Speaker 1 00:13:13 That's right. I think another aspect of this too, maybe of something to follow up with when it ends for those pilgrims who have been journeying and getting their passports stamped, you know,
Speaker 2 00:13:23 I thought that was, was a brilliant idea. I had nothing to do with that, but I thought that was brilliant actually. It was so well received that unfortunately we ran out of those passport books. I think we had more in ordered so that we be, will be receiving more for the queen's part of the journey. But amazingly, amazingly, people have really drawn to those passports into getting the stamp. Yeah. It recreates, if you will, the experience of other pilgrimages, specifically the Camino de Santiago de Costello.
Speaker 1 00:13:54 Yeah. So that people go around and they'll be able to show off their passport where they visited, what stamps of different churches that they've gotten, every parish had to prepare with one of these stamps? Or is it just like the stamp of their name? Sometimes
Speaker 2 00:14:07 Everybody did something different. Each did something different. So St. Anthem's Parish actually designed and ordered a special stamp for the occasion, an image of the church and the name of the church. Oh, cool. And
Speaker 1 00:14:20 Very creative.
Speaker 2 00:14:22 We told Par parishes, we're not looking to burden the parishes. Your return address stamp would be fine. Some of them, their, their registers for their official documents is a stamp rather than the seal. And so some of them use that. So each parish did a little bit differently.
Speaker 1 00:14:37 Oh, very cool. Very creative. You know, this week, uh, in our Daan newspaper, there's a beautiful centerfold, actually, that's the front page of the, of the tablet as well, but a, a really nice amount of articles. 10 years of Pope Francis's Papacy. And I know that Bishop, that you wanted to spend some time on that topic.
Speaker 2 00:14:59 Exactly. We celebrate on March 13th. So beginning of the week, the, his election as Holy Father. And then on March 19th, he was installed. So March 19th, 2013, he was installed as Bishop of Rome and Pope. So that 10th anniversary has a little bit of a range to it. Yeah. The anniversary of the conclave, the anniversary of, uh, the election of the Cardinals entering the anniversary of his being elected and announced and presented. I remember, uh, that day very, very well. What I think it was. He, I I remember watching with Catholic Faith Network when the white smoke, I think it was at his election, wasn't it, where they had the bird sitting on the smoke stack <laugh> and everybody's watching this bird for als and, and then eventually
Speaker 1 00:15:52 The most famous bird
Speaker 2 00:15:54 Of Rome. Exactly. Yeah. And, and, and then eventually, you know, uh, the white smoke comes forth and then the world, uh, gets excited and everybody runs to the square. And I think there was a little bit of a surprise. I think looking back, it's less of a surprise because I know that his address to the Cardinals in preparation was very, very well received. It really hit the mark on what is needed for the church going into now this new era. I'm a firm believer that the Lord gives us who we need at a particular time. I think we needed Pope John Paul back in 1979 and mm-hmm. <affirmative> to take us across the threshold of hope. I think we needed Pope Benedict, that intellectual approach, that reflective approach after the whirlwind of Yes. John Paul ii Yeah. Of St. John Paul ii. And I think we needed Pope Francis. Now having had that time of a more contemplative approach to now be more outgoing mm-hmm. <affirmative>, to start to say, okay, let's take this out to the world. I think one of Pope Francis's great images is the idea that it's nice to stand on the steps of the church and welcome everybody in. But he said the modern world doesn't allow for that anymore. We have to go out and find people and bring people in. Sure. You have to go out into the highways and the byways.
Speaker 1 00:17:16 Yeah. I think, you know, you even mentioned that, I'm thinking another one of his very popular phrases is the church being a, a hospital, a field hospital, a field hospital. The church being a field hospital in a time where we need to be out in the midst of the wounded. You know, Pope Francis has been quoted a lot, and sometimes those quotes are like out of the park home run quotes.
Speaker 2 00:17:40 Sometimes they are very profound, sometimes they're very funny. Yeah. <laugh>,
Speaker 1 00:17:44 I,
Speaker 2 00:17:44 I, one of my favorites of his, well, it's my go-to document, the joy, joy of the gospel Evangelian got him. But he talks about the joy of living as a father of Christ. He said, sometimes Catholics look like they're coming from a funeral
Speaker 1 00:17:57 <laugh>,
Speaker 2 00:17:59 And, and that's not going to bring people to Christ. Yeah. So, yes, he has some great quotes that can inspire and capture the moment.
Speaker 1 00:18:08 Yes. And some that also are, can be taken out of context.
Speaker 2 00:18:12 And that is an issue that sometimes people do take him outta context or basically quote him on one thing without the full expression. One of his more famous one is, who am I to judge? Well, that's exactly the Catholic position. We don't judge other people. But Pope is very clear about the That's right. Dignity and the unique quality of Christian marriage, of marriage as a union of man and woman. He's very clear on the pro-life message of the church. He's challenging us, that the pro-life message of the church means to do war, to accompany people, to serve people, to promote the dignity of human life at every moment and in every stage of life. But he doesn't say that it's not an issue that's, that's just wrong. As a matter of fact, forgive me if I sound a little political here, but, uh, president of the United States is recently quoted as saying, well, you know, the Pope doesn't believe that about abortion. You know, like I, the question was something along the lines of the use of federal tax money for abortions. You know, that the church subjects, and he says, well, that's not a Catholic position. The pope doesn't believe that <laugh>. Well, that's wrong. Yes. That's not correct. Yes. Because the Pope is very clear. He speaks about it as murder. Quite honestly, the Pope language when it comes to the pro-life message when it comes to abortion, is very, very strong.
Speaker 1 00:19:34 He calls a doctor a hitman.
Speaker 2 00:19:36 I mean, he uses very, very strong Yeah. Language in the condemnation of abortion. But what does he do? He challenges the church going back to the field hospital. But he says, it's not enough just to say this. We have to be like the doctors in the field hospital going out and finding those who've been wounded by this reality. Yeah. Going out and meeting people who are in need, who might find themselves forced into this reality to prevent it, to accompany one another. Every step of the way is pro-life. Teaching is enlarges our thinking. It challenges us to go beyond just condemning abortion, but really to walking with people. And that's certainly what the church has been looking to do. That's not inconsistent with the church's teaching on the pro-life message. Many of the things that we do in our own parishes and in, in our diocese and in diocese around the country and around the world, that the pro-life message is so much more. It really is trying to change the culture and change the circumstances that lead to that culture of death.
Speaker 1 00:20:45 It, it was interesting. His first trip outside of Rome was to Lampadusa.
Speaker 2 00:20:50 That's right. It was soon after the, uh, shipwreck
Speaker 1 00:20:53 There. That's right. Where,
Speaker 2 00:20:54 Uh, many perished. And there a great story about that. He said, I want to get there. And whoever the office that would take care of the people, it says, okay, holy father, you know, we could probably work that into the five year plan. And he says, no, I want to go there now.
Speaker 1 00:21:09 <laugh> five want this in a five day plan. I want
Speaker 2 00:21:13 This. You know, and, and, and I guess people found out who was boss. Yeah,
Speaker 1 00:21:16 Yeah, yeah. But it was a, a beautiful, I mean, I remember just what that signified was, the importance that he placed in caring for all human life. Right. The migrant, the plight of the poor, it seemed at that moment. Well, every one of these visits are all of these things that he says he's trying to lead the church to something, you know, to think deeper, to think more.
Speaker 2 00:21:39 And he, he evokes the image of Christ, the good shepherd. It's Christ to himself as the good shepherd. But he wants the Pope and he wants his priest to be shepherds like himself. He wants the church, the whole of the church to be like the shepherd who goes out and seeks the lost and gently lifts them and carries them over his shoulders, binds up their wounds, and he restores them to the flock. You see, again, he's not saying that sin isn't in the world. In fact, like I said, his language sometimes is very strong. But what he wants us to do is to seek out, bind up the wounds, to heal and restore. That's the
Speaker 1 00:22:20 Goal. And there's another great phrase, another one of his lines that we should smell like the sheep.
Speaker 2 00:22:25 That we should smell like the sheep, remember. That's
Speaker 1 00:22:27 Right. He has been, i I, we didn't talk about this before, but he has challenged bishops too. No. Oh,
Speaker 2 00:22:32 Yes.
Speaker 1 00:22:33 You know, he talks about the airport bishop or the, uh, what do you take of that as I sit here with, with you?
Speaker 2 00:22:39 Well, I think it's a fraternal challenged, which I think is a good thing. We need to be challenged to greatness. We, you know, the Lord didn't leave us. He have to be mediocre or to sit back and he calls upon us and sets a good example of going out to seek people. That said, though, we had a, a remarkable experience with Pope Francis, um, in December of 2019. So the year 2019 into 20, it really, I think it wrapped up just before the, uh, pandemic, fortunately, but it was the United States turn for the ad limita visits. So we were going over in small groups called regions. So the region of New York, the New York Bishops went over somewhere in November, I think there were, it was around Thanksgiving time. The region I was in at the time was the region of Ohio and Michigan. And those bishops went over, we went over in December, we were there.
Speaker 2 00:23:43 I remember we were there around the feast of our Lady Guadalupe, that okay, that stands out in my mind. Each pope did the visits differently. What he did is he just had us gathered together. And so we met maybe a group of 20 of us or so. He came in, sat down and he said, we're going to talk his brothers. Anything's on the table. Ask me, tell me anything you want and I'll respond. And you know, he gave us nearly two hours Wow. Of just an informal conversation. And he expressed a great closeness to us as individuals. But he, he asked us to express his closeness to our people. He was sincerely interested in what was going on in the churches that we were responsible to care for. He was sincerely issue. What what are the issues in your part of the world? What are your concerns? And what questions do you have for me? Hmm. It was remarkable. You know, like you say, he's great with the quips, but, uh, that one-on-one shows that pastoral side up close and personal. It's not just quips. He really means that when he's, he's interested.
Speaker 1 00:24:57 I was in Ireland for the world meeting of families, uh, as was I I thought that whole trip was incredible. Uh, his trip there, he made it a point to seek forgiveness on behalf of the church for all the sins committed of the church. There was a, a moment where he and the Bishop of Dublin entered and lay prostrate on the ground in a moment of basically laying themselves out in a sign of penance. I think that he takes his words and his actions. I think he's very mindful of how his actions can be perceived and how meaningful they can be. But at times, uh, I think one of the things that he may be himself criticized about is sometimes when he speaks to informally, sometimes those are not always received very well. Or, or they can at times even cause some confusion. No,
Speaker 2 00:25:51 I suppose I, I suppose, I guess that's always a danger when you, you do some of these unscripted kinds of things. You mentioned Ireland. I was moved, uh, by his visit to the United States. Sure. And I get the impression he really enjoyed that visit. He brought the bishops together and we met with him in Washington. He was here for the world meeting of families as well. Yeah. And I thought he had some great lines at that. I remember being out in Philadelphia or that great lawn along the Ben Franklin Parkway, right by, what is it, the library or where? The, the rock the Stairs
Speaker 1 00:26:26 Concert. Yeah, the art
Speaker 2 00:26:27 Museum. The art museum. That's right. The art museum. And Imperatively, he had a talk prepared for that vigil that didn't make it to the podium. Somehow there was a goof somewhere. So he gets to the podium and so he just speaks from the heart. And he said, a girl once asked him when he was bishop in Argentina, what did God do before he created the world? And he said, I was stumped. And then he said, but then I thought about it. He says, I know God loved. And he made that the basis for a talk about the family. And he said, you know, family life has its challenges, but it's also the school where we learn how to manage to get along with each other. It's a school of mercy cuz we learn how to forgive one another. Yeah. But he, he goes, but it's the school of Reality. He was speaking in Spanish and he goes, <unk> plateaus, <laugh>, and sometimes the plates will fly <laugh>.
Speaker 2 00:27:21 I just, I said, did I just hear that <laugh>? And I thought that was very good. Yeah. And, but he spoke about the importance of family life to the integrity of the human person to the building. When I say integrity, I don't mean that moral value, but integrity into, into the, the formation of the person, of the whole person. Family life is something that I think is very, very important to him. And he also speaks about the intergenerational living. And in a very real way, he shows a real concern for the elderly. And he calls on us to have a concern for the elderly. You know, respect. He speaks about respect for grandparents and he speaks about respect for grandparents. He's not just saying, you know, take good care of them. He's saying learn from them. Learn from their experience, talk to them. Um, he has a real sense of respect. And he's instituted some things. Some programs stay for grandparents outreach to the elderly. So he's kind of calling all of the church to a new way of looking at things. Also in that he came up here to New York. He spoke at Madison Square Garden. That's
Speaker 1 00:28:33 Right. I was there
Speaker 2 00:28:33 For a while. And that, that was so exciting. I often quote that where he spoke about that passage from Isaiah, the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. And then it goes on to talk about Emmanuel. They call him one to councilor, uh, mighty God, father forever prince of peace. And he says, point is that Jesus Christ is walking in our city. And I said, wow. That's right here in New York. Yeah. That he, he said that to New Yorkers. Yeah. Jesus Christ is walking in our city. He's walking in our streets. That's an image that always resonates with me. Sure. Especially now that I'm here, not only in New York, but in New York City.
Speaker 1 00:29:09 That's right. That's right. He visited World Trade Center and he also was able to, to address the United
Speaker 2 00:29:14 Nations nations at the World Trade Center. Actually, our home, Bishop Massa was responsible for coordinating an ecumenical interfaith event. The other thing is, you know, he calls us to do things, but he himself does, he calls us to humble acts of loving service to reaching out. So, you know, we know of his holy Thursday visits to either jails or youth centers, or to the poor, to washing the feet of prisoners sometimes. One of the early things he did is he set up hospitality centers right there in St. Peter's Square to take care of some of the basic needs, showering and haircuts and things like that for the homeless. Just again, they go back to that pro-life message. It's about enhancing the dignity of every human person. And he doesn't just speak from a pulpit or from a window, but he rolls up his sleeves and he does what he's asking the church to do.
Speaker 1 00:30:09 Yeah. I think that another just remarkable image of Pope Francis was, uh, the Erbe at Erbe, which
Speaker 2 00:30:18 Is a traditional thing. That's the prayer for the city and for the world that was just so profound to see
Speaker 1 00:30:26 Him. This was in the midst of the
Speaker 2 00:30:28 Pandemic Pandemic March 27th, 2020. There, he, he called the whole world to pray together. Yeah. We were all learning to livestream and he live streamed us and TV and That's right. And all the world watched as he set on a rainy evening at the St. Peter's square was empty. You know, it was like twilight. And that's something you never see. Right. You never see that square empty ever
Speaker 1 00:30:55 Twi ever. Yeah. It was just eerie. It was
Speaker 2 00:30:58 Eerie. Yeah. And it was a little bit rainy. And he sat all alone in a chair. Yeah. And he preached to the world. He prayed, he said, you know, Jesus, we kind of lost our way. We, we experienced in this pandemic. All of a sudden we are confronted with how much we thought we could depend on ourselves. And yet this is reminding us that we're interconnected and that we can do nothing apart from you. And so we turned to you again in this moment of prayer. It's very biblical. Yeah. I mean, you think of some of the, the lamentations or the prayers of the prophets. It was very, very
Speaker 1 00:31:33 Biblical. It was one, it was, it was just for so many, myself included, I think a very reassuring, comforting experience. But one that in the midst of it was still like very just striking the,
Speaker 2 00:31:47 The, the start. It was, and it was at the, the right time. I mean, it was a, I mean, it was more than two weeks in, but it was like everything around here close down around the 16th of March. That's right. And in Europe, it was about a couple of weeks before that. And so we were in the heart of the darkness. We really still didn't understand everything. People were indeed quarantined, everybody stayed in, I, I remember we were all panicked. We didn't know what we were supposed to do. There was some fear about touching. Right. So remember you, we would get a, a package from Amazon <laugh>, and then you would leave it outside the door for a day and then you write it down before you
Speaker 1 00:32:25 Opened it up. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:32:26 I mean, we were afraid. I mean, it was a scary time globally. Yeah. Mostly because of what we didn't know. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And he turned our focus, had us look to God. And it really was, I think, a profound moment.
Speaker 1 00:32:45 Perhaps we turn our focus now to God, if you'd like to end with a prayer bishop and a, and a blessing.
Speaker 2 00:32:51 Sure. Lord God, we ask you in this time of lend to renew that spirit of longing for your presence within us. Lord God, I ask your special blessing on us in Brooklyn and Queens on, in this time of the Lenton pilgrimage. I thank you for the goodness of the people who have been making it so meaningful at various different levels. And pray that it might be a moment of grace and renewal for all of the church, especially here in Brooklyn and Queens. We ask you, Lord to bless our Holy Father on his 10th anniversary of his P certificate, that he may lead us and guide us and shepherd us to desire to know you more and more and to live in joyful witness to your presence among us. Your healing merciful presence among us. Lord God, I ask you blessing on all the church, you the Lord, be with
Speaker 1 00:34:03 You and with your spirit,
Speaker 2 00:34:04 Male mighty God bless you, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Amen.
Speaker 1 00:34:09 Thank you, Bishop for a great conversation. It was great to have this opportunity with you and I hope that our listeners enjoy it as well. We continue through our Lenin pilgrimage, uh, through our Lenton journey, and we wish you all a very blessed, blessed week to come.
