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
November 23, 2021
Welcome Aaro Leon Espinosa Sigg who was baptized last Sunday at St. Boniface. Congratulations to the family!
From Your Pastors
As we come to another Thanksgiving Day, we do so both sobered by the experience of the past 20 months and grateful for the opportunity to gather more fully with family and friends. There are the obvious objects of our gratitude, that which we call blessings or sign of God’s love that break forth in our lives: successes, recoveries, new opportunities, reuniting with friends and the welcoming of new children into our families. This time of pandemic and our efforts to emerge from it might call us to reflect also on the less obvious “blessings” that we should acknowledge as well. These might include how we prioritize time and schedule; work and school; quiet and solitude or other experiences that we have had as a result of the pandemic and its impact. St. John Henry Newman’s poem “A Thanksgiving” invites us to this deeper contemplation of Thanksgiving which he begins with a line from Psalm 119. He reminds us that grace arises from the burdens we bear, the challenges we face as we share the cross of Christ in our pilgrimage of life.

With gratitude for each of you and the blessings that you are in our community, let us give thanks for the difficulties and pains we have borne as well for in this “you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:22)

Fr. Michael Callaghan, c.o. and Fr. Mark Lane, c.o.

A Thanksgiving
Blessings of friends, which to my door
Unask’d, unhoped, have come;
And, choicer still, a countless store
Of eager smiles at home.

Yet, Lord, in memory’s fondest place
I shrine those seasons sad,
When, looking up, I saw Thy face
In kind austereness clad.

I would not miss one sigh or tear,
Heart-pang, or throbbing brow;
Sweet was the chastisement severe,
And sweet its memory now.

Yes! let the fragrant scars abide,
Love-tokens in Thy stead,
Faint shadows of the spear-pierced side
And thorn-encompass’d head.

And such Thy tender force be still,
When self would swerve or stray,
Shaping to truth the froward will
Along Thy narrow way.

Deny me wealth; far, far remove
The lure of power or name;
Hope thrives in straits, in weakness love,
And faith in this world’s shame.

Oxford. October 20, 1829
Thanksgiving Day Mass Schedule

Assumption 
Vigil Mass on Wednesday, November 24 at 6:00pm.
Please note! There is no 8am Mass on 11/25 & 11/26, Thanksgiving Day and the day after Thanksgiving.

St. Boniface 
10:00am Mass on Thanksgiving Day.
Baptism Preparation for Parents
If you are expecting your first child or are new to our communities and would like to have your child baptized in our parishes, please register for the next Baptism Preparation Session. The next class is on January 12 through Zoom. Check the website for contact information or email info@oratorychurch.org.
Brooklyn Ballet brings The Brooklyn Nutcracker back to the majestic King's Theater in Flatbush. Our production fuses traditional ballet with hip hop, Native American hoop dancing, and more, to create a one-of-a-kind culturally inclusion version of this holiday classic. Brooklyn Ballet is thrilled to help lead Brooklyn's post-pandemic cultural resurgence.

December 11, 2pm and 7pm
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Yes, Handel’s Messiah can once again be experienced in person this Advent in the grandest of halls. Is there any time we could need this holy music more than now? Prepare for some choral magic: A rousing vest-pocket Handel’s Messiah is paired with the Carnegie Hall premiere of The Ballad of the Brown King by Margaret Bonds, inspired by the Langston Hughes Nativity poem. A few members of our Oratory communities (including two from the Oratory choir) are singing in the 100+ strong Cecilia Chorus with full orchestra and wonderful soloists (from the Met).

Text 718 490-1694 or email torkilheggstad@gmail.com me soon for more information and the best discount on tickets. We would love to see you there. Bring friends and family. All ticket holders must be vaccinated (all performers are as well).

Friday, December 10 at 8 pm, Carnegie Hall
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 2022Mass book is open as well. The offering is $20. Please pay by using Pushpay or by mailing a check to 64 Middagh St. Brooklyn, NY 11201.
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