Welcome to Christ Jesus Our Hope

In the spring of 2010, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio issued a letter to the Diocese of Brooklyn, calling for the new evangelization of a new age. As the diocese began a pastoral and financial reconfiguration, the process became known as Christ Jesus, Our Hope. The Bishop’s letter is published below:

The New Evangelization for a New Age

Before his Ascension into Heaven, the Lord Jesus commanded his disciples, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt. 28:19). As disciples have sought to fulfill this divine mandate throughout the ages, so too must we in our own age. We are commanded to teach and preach the Gospel of salvation, revealed in Christ’s life, death and resurrection, to our families, neighbors, friends and everyone who is willing to listen. It is a command that Catholics who first came to our Diocese in the early nineteenth century took very seriously and fulfilled with great generosity and courage. Over the years, our forebears built hundreds of parishes, many with schools, that became centers of worship providing their members with the celebration of the sacraments, teaching them the mysteries of our Catholic faith and serving the needs of countless immigrants who came to this country seeking a better life for themselves and their children. These institutions form part of a sacred patrimony that is familiar to us and has helped us to fulfill the Lord’s command.

As we begin a new millennium of faith, we recognize that our Diocese has now entered an age when we face unique challenges. Servant of God Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have both challenged us to rededicate ourselves to fulfill the Lord’s command to teach and preach the Gospel with new zeal and energy. They remind us that in order to evangelize our contemporary society, we must confront the unique challenges before us. Among these challenges are the growing secularism of our culture, providing precious little room for God in the lives of growing numbers of persons. There is an alarming disregard for the sanctity of human life, from conception to natural death. Many are growing indifferent and even openly hostile to our Catholic faith, justifying their attacks upon the Church by speaking of the need to keep Church and state apart. Mass media continues constantly to change, providing traditional catechesis both an opportunity and challenge, as we struggle to make Christ present in the virtual world of the Internet, tweets and blogs. Finally, too many baptized Catholics have chosen to leave the active practice of their faith and by their indifference have impoverished both themselves and the Church. Before these and other challenges, the imperative to preach the Gospel in creative new ways, with clarity and courage, has never been more important.This is the work of the New Evangelization which I have made the cornerstone of my Episcopal ministry.

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