September 29, 2021
Hello, Friends –
Early this morning the Holy See announced that Bishop Brennan has been named Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, NY. He will be replacing Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio who is retiring. Bishop Brennan will be formally installed in Brooklyn on November 30 and will remain here in Columbus until that time.
Since his installation as the Bishop of our diocese in March of 2019, we have seen a renewed energy and vitality, and have been grateful for his emphasis on joy! We will certainly miss him and will be praying for him, his successor, the people of Brooklyn, and the priests and laity of our diocese during this transition. We also pray for the Holy Father as he discerns who our next shepherd will be.
Obviously, many of us have questions about what this announcement means for the Real Presence Real Future initiative. Bishop Brennan has stated that the initiative will move forward as planned. “…Where we are now is in [the] process of consultation. It’s not a part of the process that depends on the bishop, but what you’re doing is you, as a diocese, are making your voices heard. Please continue to participate. If you haven’t already participated in some of these parish sessions, please continue to be part of this process because we’ll be able to give the next bishop a wonderful gift. He will be able to come in and hear what the people of this diocese are saying are the needs, and some of our ideas for the ways the church in the 21st century can function and meet the needs of this new century.” (For the full article on the bishop’s statement on the RPRF initiative, click link: - Catholic Diocese of Columbus - Columbus, OH (columbuscatholic.org))
I participated in last night’s session and found it quite informative. If you were not able to participate yesterday evening, I strongly encourage you to sign up for Thursday’s session. You can do so here: Parish-sessions-register | Real Presence, Real Future (realpresencerealfuture.org) (The session is only offered virtually, and will take place at 6:30pm.) Personally, I felt the session provided a better understanding of the goals and purpose of RPRF. (Note: There were several times throughout the seminar we were given polling questions about the potential plans for the future. I encourage you to register as an individual (rather than watching with others) so you can weigh in on these polling questions.)
In uncertain times, it’s a tremendous gift to be a people of hope! We remember that our Church belongs to the Lord and is guided by the Spirit. We continue to trust in Him and put our willing hearts at His service.
With eyes and heart focused on the Lord, I remain yours in Christ,
Fr. Dooley