The Link
The newsletter for The Brooklyn Oratory Parishes

"I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons."
-St. John Henry Cardinal Newman, C.O.
 The Brooklyn Oratory Parishes
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Boniface
February 8, 2022
From Our Pastors
Making room for the Holy Spirit in our lives is not often easy. Our certainties, fears and needs can create barriers to the Spirit of God in our personal and communal lives. The readings from this past Sunday, which focused on various call or vocation scenarios underscore this reality. We all have a perspective, an underlying sense and indeed an assurance of how the world is to work and of our place in it. We may not always be confident in that place or even our grasp of the world, but we usually have some confidence in what we think we know or in our own point of view.

The calls of Isaiah, Paul, and Simon witness for us the struggle and the essential need for grace, and reliance on the divine action, mercy and compassion, in responding to God’s call. Isaiah has a mystical experience. The soon to be prophet who is “religious” and “observant” of the requirement of his faith, comes to an inner understanding of his lack, his otherness from the divine. He experiences a mystical transformation which readies him for his call as a mouthpiece of the Most High. Paul’s call is one in which he is born “abnormally”. He was a persecutor of the faith until his experience of the risen Jesus on his way to Damascus. Again, a mystical encounter brings about a change of mind and heart and is the basis for his response to God’s call to faith lived differently than he thought possible.

And then there is Simon, who knows better than the carpenter from Nazareth about when and where to fish. But, intrigued by Jesus’ preaching, Simon humors Jesus and again a profound experience occurs. Jesus, using the practical means of the moment, rather than a mystical experience, gets Simon’s attention and Simon like Isaiah and Paul, comes to a keen self-awareness of his own inadequacy, his sinfulness. As hedeclares this to Jesus, Jesus’s response is not to abandon Simon but to call him to a deeper life, where Simon will become an instrument to gather others to the same hope and mercy he has experienced. We know Simon, whom we will come to call Peter, fails Jesus and the other disciples again and again. Failure does not undo the call, nor does it negate the transforming grace of the Divine.
As we consider the Synod on Syndodality in 2023, we know that we are discerning our call, our vocation, as disciples and as Church. In our live conversations and in the feedback people have offered online, we have the opportunity to become more aware and open to one another, purified and converted to Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit. We are grateful to those who have participated thus far. Please pray for the success of the Synod, for our ongoing dialogue and for hearts that like Isaiah, Paul and Simon, might be transformed by grace as the Holy Spirit calls us forward together.

Fr. Michael Callaghan, c.o. and Fr. Mark Lane, c.o
Journeying Together - The Synod on Synodality
Please use this link to send your answers to the questions to The Brooklyn Oratory Parishes:


Please fill out the form for the parish by February 13th. This will ensure that your voice is heard in this process. We are most grateful for your time and input in this important process. 
Annual Black History Month Mass
The Diocese of Brooklyn Annual Black History Month Mass of Thanksgiving which will take place on Sunday, February 20, at Immaculate Conception Parish in Jamaica Queens beginning at 4:00PM. His Eminence, Wilton Cardinal Gregory, Archbishop of Washington will be the Main Celebrant and Homilist.
Brooklyn Oratory Small Groups presents
Spirituality of the Oratory: Knowing Our Charism
Season 6 “Deepening Joy by Word and the Spirit”

This original program about Oratorian spirituality is written and edited by Fr. Anthony Andreassi and Fr. Michael Callaghan.

Further details and the sign up form: https://forms.gle/5Nn7U1ftxnUztD4V6
Contact: affc@oratorychurch.org with questions or if you are unable to attend a group, but would like a copy of the booklet.

Dates: The week of February 28 through the week of April 4, 2022. 
Deanery Mass Invite with Bishop Robert J. Brennan
The members of the Oratory parishes of Assumption & St. Boniface are invited to attend a Special Deanery Mass with newly installed Bishop of Brooklyn, Most Reverend Robert J. Brennan Wednesday, February 16, 7 PM at Sacred Hearts – St. Stephen Church 125 Summit Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231. All in attendance must wear a mask.
Financial Assistance for Neighbors in Need
As we continue to navigate the course of the pandemic, there are neighbors who have struggled financially in our communities. Fr. Michael has a special fund to assist with a variety of situations. These are one-time grants and are available to anyone living in the five boroughs of NYC. Grants are confidential and the process is simple. If you know of a person or family who might benefit from assistance, please have them contact Fr. Michael, mcallaghan@oratorychurch.org.
Upcoming Dates/Events

February
Oratory Anniversary, Feb 11
Baptism Sunday, Feb 27
Small Groups Sign up
Synod Questionnaire deadline, Feb 13

March
Ash Wednesday, March 2
First Saturday 9am Mass, March 5, ABVM
Unbound Visit STB, March 6
Special Collection: Black & Indian Mission, March 6
Baptism Prep, March 9
Mass Intentions
If you would like to request a mass for someone living or deceased, mass intentions are available for the weeks or months ahead. Email info@oratorychurch.org. The offering is $20. Please pay by using Pushpay or by mailing a check to 64 Middagh St. Brooklyn, NY 11201. Please include the name of the deceased or a special intention request.
The Brooklyn Oratory Parishes 
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Boniface
Roman Catholic Communities in
Downtown Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights
Both parishes operate from one office:

64 Middagh Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
718.875.2096
718.625.1161