Author: St. Charles Borromeo

Messages from Parishioners

Walking Before We Fly (Pt. I) – Joe Genova

| St. Charles Borromeo

I was struck by the sharpness and zeal of what last week’s readings say about what Christians will face. As we end the Easter season and prepare to reenter Ordinary Time, I’d like to reflect on fostering spiritual growth and strength based upon my experience raising two sons here in Brooklyn Heights and in St. Charles Borromeo parish. Today, in what I have boldly called Part I, I want to talk about faith formation—the groundwork that creates Christians strong enough to face fires. Part II will be based on Laudato Si, Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment. Continue reading “Walking Before We Fly (Pt. I) – Joe Genova” →

Events

Online Community Mass – Pentecost Sunday 5/31 11:15 AM EDT

| St. Charles Borromeo

View the mass for Pentecost Sunday here:

Please join us for our Online Community Mass for Pentecost Sunday on May 31 at 11:15 AM EDT. We congratulate Msgr. LoPinto and his seminary classmates on the 50th anniversary of their ordination to the priesthood.  We will properly celebrate this in the Fall when we are able to reunite with each other. Ad multos annos!

Instructions to view the Mass are available here.

 

Messages from the Pastor

Pentecost Sunday – First Reading Commentary

| St. Charles Borromeo

Why the geese?
Wild geese were the ancient Celtic symbol for the Holy Spirit .
(click here for more info)
(Photo by Bahram Bayat on Unsplash)

Acts 2:1–11

The celebration of Feast of Pentecost brings together the literary brilliance of St. Luke and the ancient wisdom of Israel. The last element perhaps of more contemporary relevance than we might immediately think.

Luke understood himself to be writing a work of history. He did not follow the same conventions as a modern historian but his were clear and, once understood, could give a deep insight into the people and situations of the day. Luke’s work is in two parts: the “Gospel” and the “Acts.” The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, at the beginning of Acts, is the hinge. Luke, like a good historian of his day, would be very careful to have many links between the two works and indeed between the beginning of Acts and further sections. Continue reading “Pentecost Sunday – First Reading Commentary” →

Homilies

7th Sunday of Easter – Homily (Fr. Gribowich)

| St. Charles Borromeo

Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE with license #A-730437.

Transcript:

Morning, everyone! It’s so great to be with you all again here today on such a beautiful Sunday. I think that today is this special day where we can really appreciate the beauty of creation – something I want to touch upon, especially as we reflect upon our readings today.

You know, I’m sure many of us have been able to spend a lot of time in our apartments and our homes catching up on different movies that maybe we wanted to watch, or TV shows. And one movie that I had every intention of watching but I just never got around to was the one called A Hidden Life and it came out last December, I believe in the movie theaters. And I know that some people here at the parish actually have seen it, and they had a very favorable impression of it. But for those you may not know what the movie’s about. It’s a true story of a man named Franz Jägerstätter, who was an Austrian during World War 2 who refused to swear an oath – pledge an oath of loyalty – to Hitler, and because of that, he was essentially persecuted, but then eventually executed. Continue reading “7th Sunday of Easter – Homily (Fr. Gribowich)” →

Messages from Parishioners

The Power of Prayer – Maria Marti

| St. Charles Borromeo

Wash your hands…Wear a mask…Maintain six feet of distance…Avoid crowds…Watch daily updates by Governor Cuomo on the confirmed cases…Isolate…Quarantine…Lockdown… Zoom… Skype… Home school…Work from home…Closures of non-essential businesses.   Most of us cannot truly find the words to describe our new reality.

In the midst of all of this uncertainty, we have also witnessed the wonders and blessings of God.  We see how medical professionals attend to coronavirus patients.   Catholic charities provide emergency assistance and food.  We comfort our loved ones, neighbors, and parishioners by connecting and reaching out.   “I believe that I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.” (Psalm 27:13) Continue reading “The Power of Prayer – Maria Marti” →