Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:10 Welcome back to another edition of our diocesan podcast, big City Catholics with Bishop Robert Brennan, the diocesan bishop of Brooklyn. Myself, father Christopher Heu, the rector of the Co Cathedral of St. Joseph. We begin our podcast 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.
Speaker 2 00:00:33 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
Speaker 1 00:00:42 Evil. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Bishop, this is a bit of an update podcast, you know, of all the recent events that's been going on in our diocese and around the world, an opportunity for us just to kind of catch up. We've had guests on in the show more recently with Senior Grimaldi, and we've had a lot of directed episodes, but today's just an opportunity for us to chat again, back to the basics,
Speaker 2 00:01:08 <laugh>. That's right, especially in these summer days where life changes pace, but it doesn't mean it stops. I mean, boy, things are happening all around us, but it's just a different kind of busyness.
Speaker 1 00:01:18 Um, it is, it
Speaker 2 00:01:19 Is something that we can all enjoy.
Speaker 1 00:01:21 And the busyness is not just here in Brooklyn, which we'll hear more about what's going on and in our diocese, what you've done recently. And, but the busyness is also, uh, the Holy Father's schedule. I mean, pretty exciting news in the church that the Holy Father would appoint, uh, new cardinals for the church. Universal, what's your thoughts on that, Bishop?
Speaker 2 00:01:41 There always is exciting news when the Holy Father names Cardinals for the church. It's part of the ongoing lifeblood of the church that we continue to develop new leadership, and that the Lord guides us in ways. The Cardinals, in some ways, they play an honorary role. They're bishops. Ordinarily bishops of diocese tend to be larger or metropolitan diocese, but where they do play a role is Cardinals have a role of advising the Holy Father. So he turns to the Cardinals for a number of the Roman committees and offices. He turns to them for his own counsel. And then of course, the major role of the cardinals comes when the Pope dies. Or as in the case in 2013 with the late Pope Benedict, he steps aside, it's the Cardinals who discern the will of God to elect a new Pope. So these are important appointments.
Speaker 2 00:02:35 These are very, very important appointments and we're glad for them, and we're glad to see the church continuing in its role of service to the human family for the glory of God. Now, this time it's always a big deal, but this time we have two cardinals. Two of the Cardinals have connections with us here in the United States. One of them is a native of the United States of Chicago, Illinois, but he's an Augustinian priest, a member of the Order of St. Augustine, who served as the general at one time, but was really a missionary priest. He served in Peru. He was a missionary priest in Bishop, and now he is the, uh, head, the office for Bishops, the De Castro for bishops. He took Cardinal Willett's place. Cardinal Willette retired. And so he has a special responsibility for the naming of Bishops to advise the Holy Father after all the work has been collected, but also to be solicitors of the bishops to care for the needs of the dioceses.
Speaker 2 00:03:32 So it's not really a surprise that he would be named a Cardinal, because that's a job, a ministry that is ordinarily done by a cardinal. So, and then also the new head of, uh, the d d f, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith is recently appointed. And so he too would ordinarily be a Cardinal. So it's not a total surprise that the Holy Father named Cardinals. But going back to now Cardinal designate pre, he has those American connections, a missionary priest, but who's been in the service of the Universal Church and now in a particular service to the Holy Father, both caring for the bishops and serving as a cardinal
Speaker 1 00:04:12 And certainly the Church of Chicago rejoices that the Church of the United States of America rejoices that one of our, our own would be elevated to the rank. And, and the other connection, of course, as you mentioned, there are two that have connections to the United States. So the first, of course is Prevo born here in the United States. The second is that pap nuncio to the United States. Archbishop Christophe Pierre, whom you've worked with before, and
Speaker 2 00:04:37 Cardinal designate Pierre, has been nuncio to the United States for a long time. And the only father asked something of him that is unusual already by asking him to stay on beyond the age of 75. Ordinarily it's soon after those in the diplomatic service turned 75. And Pope Francis has indicated that that's his desire, that soon after they turned 75, that those in diplomatic service would retire. The Holy Father specifically asked him to stay on. So Hess, I don't know exactly, maybe 77, 78, and he continues here. The Holy Father has relied on him. Cardinal designate Pierre has served the church in the United States, extraordinarily, extraordinarily well. He represents Pope Francis to us as to all Pap Nuncio's. But he's the one who gets to know the diocese and makes the recommendation, sends in the, what's called the Turner, the three candidates for the bishops, for the congregation of Bishops to serve.
Speaker 2 00:05:34 And the Holy Father to a point he has really given himself over to that work in an extraordinary way. He gets to know the diocese. He comes and just visits diocese. He's, he would see himself more in a pastoral role than in a diplomatic role. You know, you said, I've worked with him, but yeah, so have all bishops. That's, that's one of the great things. Sure is he's just so available to the bishops and to the different dioceses. As a matter of fact, previously scheduled, he'll be coming up here, we'll talk about this a little bit more later on, but he'll be coming up here for the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. He comes sometimes just to be with God's people and takes great joy in that. He loves to talk about Pope Francis, and he talks about what Pope Francis teaches us about accompaniment and about the encounter with Jesus.
Speaker 2 00:06:20 Those are the two central things he keeps coming back to, but he's always close to the people. One of the things, when he goes to installations of bishops or ordinations of bishops, he has a sense of the place, and he sometimes makes a joke. So one of the great jokes right here in Brooklyn, I was coming from Columbus, and you know, in Columbus, Ohio, there's a terrific rivalry between Ohio State, which is in Columbus and Michigan, the University of Michigan. Their game is always on Thanksgiving weekend, and Ohio State had been dominating for the last couple of years, but last year, and then again this year, they lost that key game. And it doesn't matter, you can win the championship, but if you lose the Ohio State Michigan game, it's a disaster. So when he was here and installing me just a couple of days later, he says, oh, there are many tears in Columbus today, but it's not about you <laugh>. It has something to do with the football game. <laugh>. Well, the plays just got such a kick outta that. I remember that
Speaker 1 00:07:24 As you mentioned, the idea of ac accompaniment. It shows that he works hard to understand the needs of the diocese, to understand the, the people within the dioceses and to see, we were talking in our last podcast with Monsignor Grimaldi about just how every parish, every deanery has particular needs, every diocese, every region of our country. And imagine trying to decipher the needs of all. But in order to do that, you have to get to know the people and and he really does. He really does.
Speaker 2 00:07:55 And to that end, you know, he said that he's very solicitous, he's very caring of the diocese and, and helpful to the bishops, but I got newsfeed. He's also very challenging to us as bishops. And I think that's a heart of a good pastor as well. He's very challenging because in those themes of Pope Francis accompaniment of the encounter with Jesus of Pastoral presence, he's constantly challenging us to that pastoral service. He's constantly challenging us to be among people. He's constantly challenging us to focus not on programs or little things here and there, but really in the vision of Pope Francis to foster that encounter with Jesus Christ through pastoral accompaniment, especially to those who are struggling. Great pastor, both consoling and encouraging, but also challenging and
Speaker 1 00:08:44 Convicting. Yeah. Which really does echo the words of our Holy Father, Pope Francis. I mean, exactly. Really, it's his job. Cardinal Delegate's, Pierre's job as Nuncio to the United States is to be the Pope's representative, to echo the words of the Holy Father. And the Holy Father has had some pretty harsh words at times, or or challenging words.
Speaker 2 00:09:03 Challenging
Speaker 1 00:09:03 Words, yeah. Uh, toward, you know, the bishops, do you smell like the sheep? Are you an airport bishop? Or, you know, whatever It may.
Speaker 2 00:09:09 Exactly.
Speaker 1 00:09:10 And so I, I could see that, I could see are nuncio doing, echoing those words. And so, as you mentioned, pretty exciting for us in the Diocese of Brooklyn that one of his first public appearances as, as part
Speaker 2 00:09:23 Of, we'll be right here in the diocese here in Historia for the Feast of Mount Carmel.
Speaker 1 00:09:26 Speaking of the, that feast last year, we, we spoke a lot about, because it was your first opportunity to experience the feast. And when we think of the Diocese of Brooklyn, we think of the feast in Mount Carmel. Generally, it's the larger feast in Williamsburg that gets a lot of the news, uh, especially on currents.
Speaker 2 00:09:43 And it is a big deal. You know, there are other big feasts in the New York area, but this is a parish festival parish feast, and it really is the hard labor of parishioners who literally roll their sleeves up. I mean, yeah, we have outside vendors that come in and all of that, but these are people who are rolling up their sleeves deep in the work. And there's the devotion to a Lady of Mount Carnell, but also to St. Paul's of No, I, a a lot of the original parishioners in Williamsburg come from that town of Nola. And so that gilio, that tall structure that they carry has the statue of St. Pauline's on it. And it really is quite a spectacle. So it deserves all the attention it gets. It's a lot of fun. But it is all about devotion.
Speaker 1 00:10:28 And it's something, an event that's occurred for this year is the 130 sixth.
Speaker 2 00:10:33 That's correct. Year, 136 years. So you can imagine that this has been a part of, of the heart of Williamsburg. I was at the opening of the feast last week after we had recorded. So again, it was a joyful day, beautiful mass. It's beautiful to be able to celebrate that mass because people who are inside the church, there's a lot of activity going on outside, but the people who are inside the church are devoted. There's an enthusiasm. You, you hear it in the responses. They really, really want to be there when you offer those masses. It can be so invigorating and so inspiring. And it was that kind of a response. And then we had the procession after through the streets again, part of it, there's a lot of fun, but we are taking what we believe, what we profess inside the church out into the heart of Brooklyn.
Speaker 1 00:11:22 Yeah. This is a beautiful act of faith. And I remember last year, I didn't make it to this year, to the opening, but I remember the heat of the night, and it's quite a, an act of devotion and sacrifice, especially for yourself, Bishop. I mean, you've got like five layers of clothes and That's right. Investments and cas and chales. You're walking through 90 degree summer, humid evening. So That's right. You saved a few souls in purgatory that, and
Speaker 2 00:11:49 If I can be a little profane, and as you do it, you smelling the sausage and the peppers and the zeppelins
Speaker 1 00:11:54 <laugh>,
Speaker 2 00:11:57 I told the story, and forgive me if I've told it on this podcast, you know that I love Columbus. We had an Italian feast in Columbus, part of the Columbus called Italian Village, and they had the big festival. It was always around Columbus Day weekend. They never heard of Zeppelins. I said, how can you not heard of Zeppelins? They didn't have a Zeoli truck. So <laugh>. So I told that story at Mass. It got a good laugh because we know those zeep are a big part of our feast. Not only here, but all around us.
Speaker 1 00:12:24 That's right. That's right. And you can have all but the Zeppelin, you gotta no
Speaker 2 00:12:27 Zeppo for me, but the sausages in the peppers, I can do, I have to go back there one night maybe. I don't think I'll make it for the Gilio this year just because of my schedule, but that's lifted on certain days. But I'm hoping to get back there, really, to tell you the truth. Just thank some of the workers, the partic, particularly the parish workers. So that would be one of my goals. But it's a great feast. And again, of course the feast in Williamsburg is the one that's very, very well known and well established. But as you know, we have another parish of our Lady of Mount Carmel in Astoria Queens, and they have a very rich spiritual tradition with the scapula of our Lady of Mount Carmel and the consecration. And so it's a big feast there. So annually they too have a procession, but that's more just the religious procession, not the feast with the rides and all of that.
Speaker 2 00:13:17 And they have the devotion, they have the novena preparing for it. So I'll be going there this year as well. There was there last year on it, the feast fell on a Saturday. I did the morning mass where people renew their promises to the consecration or new people to take up the consecration, and we bless and distribute the scapula. So this year I'll be going, but it'll be Archbishop Pierre now Cardinal designate Pierre, who will offer that mass. Monsignor Fa, the pastor in a Lady of Mount Carmel Astoria worked in the Nuncio in Washington. And so he extended that invitation. And as I said before, if he's able to, the Nuncio is very gracious about trying to be pastorally present. So, so he's coming. And this was all before all the news about yes, being named a Cardinal. But that'll be a great gift because a lady at Mount Kamlan Astoria is one of our very international parishes. We have number of ethnic communities there. So there's the old guard Italian lady of Mount Carmel community. Yeah, you have, um, a, a large Hispanic community. You have a significant Vietnamese community there, just to name a few. There's a universality in this celebration. And I think that's why it's significant that the representative of the Holy Father would celebrate that mass for us.
Speaker 1 00:14:45 I was always very proud when I was assigned to our Lady of Mount Carmel in Astoria as a transitional deacon to be able to say to my friends in, in other diocese is, you know, I'm assigned to a parish where we offer mass every Sunday in five different languages.
Speaker 2 00:15:01 That's right. The check That's right. A
Speaker 1 00:15:03 Unique place That's like just the definition of Brooklyn. You know, in one parish, I think there were nine Sunday masses in five languages. It was a, and a polite way to say it, but it was like a factory of masses. It was just,
Speaker 2 00:15:15 Oh, they, they had the upper church and the lower church so that they can accommodate Yes. At convenient times for people.
Speaker 1 00:15:20 That's right.
Speaker 2 00:15:21 All of these different language groups. And yet one of the things that's beautiful there that has been the tradition and continues is this sense of, yes, mass is offered in various different languages. We do come from different ethnic backgrounds, but we are one parish. And there's that sense of universality that's very much alive there at a Lady Mount Kama.
Speaker 1 00:15:43 Speaking of, uh, universality and diversity, the diversity of ethnic groups with the universality of our faith. Pretty exciting news for the diocese that this past Sunday you had that opportunity and, uh, it was a beautiful liturgy. Uh,
Speaker 2 00:15:56 It really was. We were at St. James Cathedral. It was transitional diaconate. These are three men who were studying in different seminaries or community, not a religious congregation, but part of their formation would include their being ordained deacons as they go into their last year. We have another fellow in fourth year who will be ordained a deacon with the fellows at St. Joseph's in seminary in Dunwoody. So we have the tradition of the fellows in Dunwoody being ordained. Yes, transitional deacons together. But Deacon Randy Nen is at, uh, St. Vincent's, uh, seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Luis Marquez is Deacon Luis is at St. John the 23rd in Western Massachusetts, which is a seminary where men who are just a little bit older, we'd go to study. And then Ano Moura, who is Dekin Gaetano is part of the Neocatechumenal Way. So he does the academic studies at St. Joseph's, but he's part of the Redemptor Mater Seminary, which he's right here in Queens Village. So he'll be ordained for the diocese, but serving through the neo catechumen away
Speaker 1 00:17:08 And, and speaking of the, the neo catechumen away, there was such a great showing of support by them at that liturgy, at that mass. They really build the,
Speaker 2 00:17:17 The neo catechumen away is, it's an interesting, very, uh, effective missionary movement. So couple of things to note. They're not a religious community in the sense of traditional religious communities like Dominicans or Franciscans or something like that. When a priest is ordained through the Neocatechumenal way, he's ordained for that diocese. They see themselves as being sent and to the universal church, the missio argenti to the peoples. And so typically you wouldn't say, oh, somebody from here would say, I wanna be part of the New York Catechumen way and I wanna serve as a priest. First of all, there's this very long discernment process and then involves that community before they even put somebody forward for a vocation. But then you are sent, you're not necessarily sent to where you're coming from. You're sent anywhere throughout the world, and they say yes to just being sent wherever they need it, and that, that's remarkable.
Speaker 2 00:18:15 And, but then they're ordained for that diocese to which they're sent. So the men who are here, some come from other parts of the us, some come from parts all around the world. And the men who are ordained for the Neocatechumenal Way here are priests of Brooklyn. So they are part of the Diocese of Brooklyn here in Brooklyn, in Queens. And they will serve primarily in Brooklyn or Queens. They will serve parishes and they do many of the things. They do all the things that parish priests are asked to do, but then they also serve the Neocatechumenal way. The best way I can describe the Neocatechumenal Way is the small groups. And they do all kinds of, like knocking on door kind of missionary works, inviting people into the life of the church. They form very strong communities in these small groups. They're very strong on fostering family life.
Speaker 2 00:19:05 In fact, they rescue many families. People are not shy about telling their stories. In fact, I remember years ago interviewing some people, I said, so what drew you to the neo catechumen away? And people talk about how sometimes this rescues families, but at other cases it's just people looking to develop a stronger relationship with Jesus Christ for themselves and their family and to do so in the midst of a supportive community. So that's one of the foundational pieces of the neo catechumen way. But they're also very good on vocations. They call forth many vocations and, and they form them very, very well. So, so we have the presence of the Neocatechumenal way here in the diocese in Brooklyn and Queens in different parishes among different small groups. We're glad that we have a Ray tourist mater seminary here, where our men are formed so that they can then serve the church broadly and in these communities.
Speaker 1 00:20:05 I remember hearing years ago a story of one of our auxiliary bishops who was asked by Bishop DeMarzo to represent the diocese at an event in Italy where seminarians or future seminarians would come in the droves in hundreds of them. And dioceses would say, we have a need for someone who speaks English and Spanish and perhaps Italian, or we have a need for this ministry or that. And these young men from all different parts of Italy would sort of be like, selected, okay, you're going to Brooklyn and you're going to this other diocese. And I just was so shocked, but edified by that to say God bless them. You, you and I spoke about this a few weeks ago, you know, sort of being octan priests, and yet as a bishop, you're sort of sent out of your diocese, out of your diocese home, home diocese, right on sort of mission work to be shepherd in other places. I give these men great kudos to be able to say, yeah, we will go blindly wherever the Lord asks us to go. That's beautiful.
Speaker 2 00:21:05 And they do so with a great deal of joy. The other day, after Mass, they were outside on the street singing and proclaiming praises in Thanksgiving to God for the ordination and for the response of these two orders. They're known for doing that in different streets. So they'll send a big group of people to World Youth Tape, but they'll be doing missionary work throughout. I tease them, I tell them, they remind me of like a flash mob. So when I would go to meet people at World Youth Day at a train station or at an airport or something like that, you can kind of spot first you see the icon, the icon of the Holy Family. Then there you might see somebody in a corner holding a guitar <laugh> and somewhere else you might see somebody with a drum, those hand drums. And then all of a sudden at the appointed hour, they just, from the different parts of the station stand together and start singing. And it really gets people's attention. Yeah. They draw people in to that encounter with Jesus Christ. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:21:58 Yeah, definitely very, uh, energetic and, and the church rejoices, uh, diocese of Brooklyn certainly is excited, as you said. So these three men will join a fourth.
Speaker 2 00:22:07 Next June will be ordaining the four priests for the diocese right here in Brooklyn and in Queens. Now I mentioned World Youth Day that they send a large group to World Youth Day, and they have their own activities. We are sending about 350 young people here. So in the weeks to come, world Youth take takes place in the last week of July. And that first week of August, it's that crossover. I'll be doing some recording of our podcast. From there in Lisbon, we'll visit Fatima, the site of the appearance of Our Lady of Fatima, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to be able to speak with some of our young people during the pilgrimage to get that sense of pilgrimage. While we are there,
Speaker 1 00:22:49 I only wish that the big City Catholic Podcast budget would've allowed me to join here. <laugh>, we have a great series of episodes to come during the summer months, as you mentioned, you'll be recording from Lisbon and from World Youth Day coming up. You and I will be making our trip to the 10 Mile River Boy Scout Camp, and we'll be able to interview some of the scouts and the leaders up there on our time in 10 Mile River. And just a nice way to kind of keep this conversation moving through the summer so we can keep up with you Bishop, and during this sort of nicer, quieter, relaxing time, especially after World Youth Day as we prepare then for the new pastoral year. So perhaps Bishop, you'd like to end in prayer and Sure.
Speaker 2 00:23:32 This Sunday we hear in the first reading that beautiful image of, you know, just as from the heavens, the rains come down and do not return to the heavens until they've accomplished their purpose. Watering the earth is that cycle. Remember, we learned it all in, in grammar school, that that water cycle, right, the falling rain into the earth, the, um, evaporation, condensation falling again. He says, just as the rains come down, conative function and then return. So it is with God's word. God's word comes down upon us here on earth and doesn't return without reaching in watering, if you will, nourishing the hearts of women and men. So we give thanks to you, oh God, for your gift of your word, for touching our hearts and keeping us close to you. We ask that we might be able to receive that word and live it joyfully through Christ our Lord. Amen. Amen. And may the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and this Son and the Holy Spirit descend upon you and remain with you forever and ever. Amen. Amen.
Speaker 1 00:24:35 Always great to have this, uh, opportunity to chat with you, Bishop. And thanks to all those who listen in tuning into big City Catholic Podcast each and every week. We hope that you have a great week. God bless.
