September 29, 2021 at 1:42 p.m.

Brooklyn Bishop DiMarzio retires

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, New York, and named Bishop Robert J. Brennan of Columbus, Ohio, to succeed him.

Bishop DiMarzio, who has been Brooklyn's bishop since is 2003, turned 77 in June. When he turned 75, he turned in his resignation to the pope as required by canon law.

Bishop Brennan, 59, is a native New Yorker who has headed the Columbus Diocese since 2019. He was born in the borough of the Bronx and raised in Lindenhurst, in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, where he was an auxiliary bishop from 2012 until his appointment to Columbus.

The changes were announced in Washington by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

A Mass of installation for Bishop Brennan will be celebrated Nov. 30 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Brooklyn.

"On behalf of the Diocese of Brooklyn, I welcome Bishop Brennan, whom I have known for many years, with confidence in his ability to lead our Catholic community and build upon the pastoral achievements we have made. It has truly been an honor to serve as bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn for 18 years," Bishop DiMarzio said in a statement.

"This is a historic moment for the Diocese of Brooklyn which is a very active diocese, and Bishop Brennan's energy makes him a perfect choice," he said. "I ask for God's blessings on this transition so that the work of God, in service to his people, can effectively continue for the more than 1.2 million Catholics throughout Brooklyn and Queens."

Dennis Poust, executive director of the New York State Catholic Conference, offered Bishop Brennan an enthusiastic "Welcome Home!"

“We are so grateful to Pope Francis for sending Bishop Robert Brennan home to New York, as the eighth Bishop of Brooklyn. Bishop Brennan, a born-and-bred New Yorker, was an integral member of the New York State Catholic Conference during his time as a priest and auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Rockville Centre. To Bishop Brennan, we say, ‘Welcome home!' Poust said.

"As we rejoice in Bishop Brennan’s homecoming, we also give thanks for the ministry of Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, whose leadership over the last 18 years has been an incredible gift to the people of Brooklyn and Queens. As perhaps the Catholic Church’s foremost expert on migration issues, he has been an invaluable asset on the state and national level in framing the Bishops’ positions on immigration reform, treatment of refugees, and other issues related to new Americans. Our expectation is that we will continue to rely on Bishop DiMarzio’s counsel on these and many other issues for years to come.

“The Diocese of Brooklyn is perhaps the most diverse and densely populated diocese in the country. With Mass regularly celebrated in 33 languages throughout its 177 parishes, it is a living witness to the universality of the Catholic Church. It is a diocese that has seen tremendous economic, social and demographic change over the last two decades. We are overjoyed that following Bishop DiMarzio’s historic tenure, this dynamic diocese now will be in the very pastoral and capable hands of Bishop Brennan."

Bishop Brennan said he has come to know "amazing people" in the Columbus Diocese "and there is a tremendous sadness in leaving them behind."

"As I prepare for a return to New York, I am ready and eager to embrace the people of Brooklyn and Queens as their pastor," he said in a statement. "Knowing we are loved by Jesus, we will strive to show others his face, bearing the joy of the Gospel and the splendor of truth."

"In the end," he added, "that's what it is all about --– in Columbus, Brooklyn and around the world."