Mass of Hope and Healing: April 21

Our Lady Queen of Martyrs was selected as the location for the annual Mass of Hope and Healing, sponsored by the Diocese of Brooklyn/Queens and Survivors of Sexual Abuse by the Clergy. The Mass was held Thursday evening, April 21 and was broadcast live on NET-TV. Watch the news story by Currents correspondent Katie Breidenbach (original airdate April 22, 2016).

The very moving Mass recognized the “great problem of sexual abuse in the church and in society,” said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, the main celebrant and homilist. He spoke of “mercy, which goes beyond justice,” citing the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin as stories of forgiveness and how it has a place in our life. Jesus the good shepherd reaches out to all of us to heal from these deep wounds, he said. Diocesan priests participated in the Mass in great numbers. Deacon Philip Franco, a survivor of sex abuse by a member of the clergy, spoke after the Mass. There is hope that the terrible reality of abuse won’t shatter our devotion to faith and the Lord and that the Church continues to seek ways to help the healing process.