Dedicated Mass in time of COVID-19 – Sunday 5/3 11:15 AM EDT

Please join us online for our weekly Online Community Mass for Good Shepherd Sunday – Fourth Sunday of Easter on 5/3 at 11:15 AM EDT at https://zoom.us/j/819741616  or dial in at +16468769923,,819741616# .

At this Mass, we will remember by name those who are ill and those that have passed away during this time of COVID-19. We will also honor the first responders and healthcare workers at the forefront in addressing the pandemic.

During the Prayer of the Faithful, please turn on your camera when instructed. Light a candle or turn on your cellphone flashlight so that it is visible.

 

Update from Bishop DiMarzio on COVID-19

Yesterday, Bishop DiMarizio issued a letter providing an update on the diocese’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The text of the letter is below. In the letter, the Bishop:

  1. reflects on the challenges of our times,
  2. offers suggestions for ways to experience Jesus when we are unable to receive the sacraments, and
  3. describes the process by which the diocese will determine when it is safe to reopen churches.

Continue reading “Update from Bishop DiMarzio on COVID-19”

Sunday Online Community Mass Dedicated to Those Affected by COVID-19

Please join us online for our weekly Online Community Mass for the Fourth Sunday of Easter on May 3 at 11:15 AM EDT. [Zoom dial-in info removed from website for security reasons]

At this Mass, we will remember those who are ill and those that have passed away during this time of COVID-19. We will also honor the first responders and healthcare workers at the forefront in addressing the pandemic.During the Prayer of the Faithful, please turn on your camera when instructed.Light a candle or turn on your cellphone flashlight so that it is visible.

 

 

St. Charles at Home: Run In on the Way to Emmaus

Fr. John Gribowich and Katrina Mestas reflect on last Sunday’s homily and speak about journeys and discovery.

St. Charles at Home episodes feature conversation between the prior Sunday’s homilist and parishioners to provide us with more connection to the parish during the week. The videos are available on our YouTube channel and our website.

We invite you to subscribe to our YouTube channel, which will provide notifications when new content is available. Visit https://www.youtube.com/user/stcharlesbklyn and click Subscribe.

Message from Phil Murray, PPC

Hello! I’m Phil Murray. I serve on the Parish Pastoral Council and have been a St. Charles Borromeo parishioner since 1984. Yes, I know that is longer than more than a few of you reading this have been alive. And I can say that what we are all now going through is the strangest time in my life, both as a person and a Roman Catholic Christian.

This Sunday at our Online Community Mass at 11:15 AM, we will be particularly remembering all those who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and especially those who have suffered and died. Many have been also impacted by the suffering of relatives or friends. The pain has not been distributed uniformly, but as it is now estimated that 25% of City residents would test positive for the virus, we can be sure that our St. Charles Borromeo family has been affected. (I will especially be praying for a long-time employee—forty years plus—of my co-op who is recovering, and for his twin sister who died.) Others of us may be feeling increasingly down as the enforced separation and the disruption of daily routines continue. And, there is the economic hardship being experienced by so, so many people and families. Continue reading “Message from Phil Murray, PPC”

Good Shepherd Sunday – Seeking the Hope Within

The Good Shepherd, c. 300–350, at the Catacombs of Domitilla, Rome (Wikipedia)

Fourth Sunday of Easter
1 Peter 2:20B–25
May 3, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the entire world to a standstill. This has caused considerable dislocation in every area of every society and has provided an opportunity to re-evaluate attitudes and world views. With the Internet, spokespeople for every philosophy and religion, new and old, have emerged to take advantage of this situation. Many of these are charlatans and huskers, but some intelligent and reasonable views have been raised. One of these is about the oldest: Stoicism.

We looked at the Stoics by comparing their view of fate with that of the great Jewish sage Ben Sirach. Fate was irresistible and unchangeable and the question for the Stoic is how to approach the inevitable. A Stoics facing the pandemic first ask, “Is what is happening to me under my control?” The Stoic answer is that the existence or non-existence of the disease, who will or will not contract it, and who will or will not die is simply not under our control. In the words of the great Stoic philosopher Epictetus: “I should be indifferent to things beyond my control. They are nothing to me. —Discourses 1.29.24.” Continue reading “Good Shepherd Sunday – Seeking the Hope Within”