Author: St. Charles Borromeo

Messages from the PPC

Message from Donna Whiteford, PPC

| St. Charles Borromeo

Dear St. Charles Parish Family and Friends,

“These are the times that try men’s souls.” Thomas Paine wrote that in 1776 but is apropos of the health crisis we are living through today. These are trying times, and if we are willing to be honest, many of us may be a bit afraid because there are so many unknowns with the coronavirus.

But rather than panic, let us pray on our own and together virtually. The Parish Pastoral Council (PPC), together with Fr. Bill, Msgr. Al, and Fr. John, wants our parish family to know that St. Charles is here for you and remains committed to providing you with spiritual support. While the church is no longer permitted to be open for Eucharistic Adoration and private prayer, Mass will be live-streamed again this Sunday at 11:15 AM and will also be available on our website for later viewing [Zoom meeting details removed from website for security reasons]. Masses from St. James and the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph are available on Net TV. The parish office is closed, but Fr. Bill is available when needed by phone. Continue reading “Message from Donna Whiteford, PPC” →

Front Page

Parish Coronavirus Response 3/21 – Closure of Church Building and Rectory Office

| St. Charles Borromeo

On Thursday, March 19, Bishop DiMarzio mandated the closing of all church buildings and rectory offices in our diocese in response to the spread of the coronavirus. A copy of the announcement at available at dioceseofbrooklyn.org/coronavirus-updates. Based upon that guidance, we have responded as follows:

  • Our church will no longer be open for Eucharistic Adoration prayer and private prayer until further notice.
  • The rectory office is now physically closed; however, we will remain available by phone or email. Please call us at (718) 625-1177 or email us at [email protected].
  • We will stream a private Mass this Sunday at 11:15 AM from the rectory chapel, which we expect will include hymns and music recorded by the St. Charles musicians for the occasion. You can watch it live, and it will also be available on our website for later viewing.
  • Starting next Sunday, March 29, we will adjust the format of our Sunday program. Instead of streaming the Mass live, we will pre-record the program. This will allow you to see and hear it more clearly. It will also allow us to prepare it while abiding by the new mandates issued by the state and the diocese. We expect that, starting next weekend, the recorded Sunday program will include a homily from one of our priests and hymns sung by our musicians, but will not be a recording of a full Mass.
  • Full Masses are available online and on TV. Fr. Bill recommends the Mass from St. James Cathedral, which is broadcast on NET-TV on Sunday at 11 AM and weekdays at noon. NET-TV can be seen in the New York City are on Spectrum (Channel 97), Optimum (Channel 30) and FIOS (Channel 48). Viewers can also tune in online at www.netny.tv.
  • Our priests continue to say daily private Masses, which are offered for the special intentions of our parishioners.
Homilies, Messages from the Pastor

4th Sunday of Lent – Addressing the Real Needs of Our Time

| St. Charles Borromeo

Samuel Anoints David, François Victor Eloi Biennourry, 1841, École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts.

Fourth Sunday of Lent
1 Samuel 16:1B, 6–7, 10–13a
March 22, 2020

The relationship between King Saul and the Prophet Samuel is one of the most interesting in the Old Testament. The tensions are always there, but the reasons are hidden under a veneer of piety. Its relevance to our present situation as a church may indeed be obscured for the same reason.

Our opening line this week says:

The LORD said to Samuel: “How long will you grieve for Saul,
whom I have rejected as king of Israel?
Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way.
I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem,
for I have chosen my king from among his sons.”
(1 Samuel 16:1)

It may seem that Samuel was fond of Saul as the LORD asks him how long will he grieve for him. Yet in the next verse (Sa. 2a), Samuel tells the Lord: “How can I go? Saul will hear of it and kill me. With friends like this who needs enemies?” Continue reading “4th Sunday of Lent – Addressing the Real Needs of Our Time” →

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Urgent Update From the Diocese of Brooklyn 3/19/2020

| St. Charles Borromeo

Tonight, Bishop DiMarzio issued the following guidance given the current impact of the coronavirus.

As of tomorrow, Friday, March 20 at noon:

  • All churches  in the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens will be fully closed;
  • Parish offices will be physically closed;
  • Funerals and wedding will not be permitted in church since limiting funerals and weddings to 10 people is proving not to be feasible. If absolutely necessary, a graveside service could be held, at the discretion of the cemetery administration. A memorial Mass for the deceased should be celebrated later. Weddings should be postponed.

Continue reading “Urgent Update From the Diocese of Brooklyn 3/19/2020” →

Front Page

Update on Parish Response to Coronavirus – March 15, 2020

| St. Charles Borromeo

Given the continuing and growing concern about the spread of the coronavirus, Bishop DiMarzio has determined that all public Masses be cancelled in the Diocese of Brooklyn beginning Monday, March 16, until further notice. This includes weekday Masses as well as Sunday Masses.

Funerals and weddings will be permitted but should be limited to family members only. Parish baptism celebrations should be limited to family only, if they cannot be postponed.

In accordance with the Bishop’s guidance, all public Masses and other in-person parish activities are cancelled.

  1. We will have a private Mass on Sunday at 11:15 AM that people can stream or dial in to. Below are further details about how to join the remote events via Zoom or by phone. Wherever possible we will use the same Zoom meeting for parish events. A recorded version will also be available on our website for later viewing.
  2. On weekdays, the church will still be open for Eucharistic Adoration and private prayer from 9 a.m. to noon, but we will not hold public weekday Masses.
  3. Other parish events will proceed on a remote-only basis, including Tuesday’s RCIA class, Thursday’s discussion group with Grace Church, and our Sunday faith sharing groups.
Until further notice, the Parish will stream a Sunday 11:15 AM Mass and other parish events live via Zoom. [Zoom dial-in info removed from website for security reasons]

In

Bulletin

Praying the Liturgy of the Hours

| St. Charles Borromeo

The Liturgy of the Hours is the official prayer of the Catholic Church. As its name suggests it is the concrete expression of the Church’s desire to fulfill St Paul’s injunction to “pray without ceasing.” (1 Thess. 5:17) It is composed mostly of Psalms and other “songs” from the Old Testament and readings from both. It is often referred to as “The Breviary.” The word is derived from “breviarium” which means brief summary.  We may not find it all that brief but it does put together the Church’s prayer in one place and is remarkably easy to master. Continue reading “Praying the Liturgy of the Hours” →