Faith In Brooklyn for September 18

September 18, 2013 By Francesca Norsen Tate, Religion Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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Journalist and former Presiding Bishop’s Daughter Talks about Covering Nexus of Christianity and Islam

Religion journalist, author and poet Eliza Griswold presents a reading from her 2010 book, The Tenth Parallel: Dispatches from the Fault Line of Christianity and Islam this Thursday as part of the Brooklyn Book Festival.

Eliza Griswold, the daughter of former Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, Griswold is currently a Guggenheim fellow. Also a former Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, Griswold reports on religion, conflict and human rights. Her first book of poems, Wideawake Field, was published in 2007 by Farrar Straus Giroux, as was The Tenth Parallel, an examination of Christianity and Islam in Africa and Asia. Her reportage and poetry have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times Magazine, Harpers, and The New Republic, among others. She is at work on a collection of poems of Afghan women, as well as a second volume of her own poetry. She received the Anthony J. Lukas Prize for The Tenth Parallel, which was a New York Times bestseller. She also received a 2010 Rome Prize from The American Academy in Rome for her poetry.

St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church (Clinton and Montague streets) is hosting this community program in partnership with the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island’s George Mercer School of Theology. This is part of the Mercer School’s inaugural effort to bring the diocesan faith formation program to parishes. In addition, the Borough President’s office has designated the reading an official Bookend Event for this year’s Brooklyn Book Festival.

The program begins at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19. The community is welcome; the suggested donation is $10.
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Msgr. Kieran Harrington Installed As 1st Rector of St. Joseph’s Co-Cathedral

The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese Brooklyn, presided over the installation of the Reverend Monsignor Kieran E. Harrington as the first Rector of the newly named Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, last Sunday.

St. Joseph’s which is at 856 Pacific Street, near Vanderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights, was elevated to cathedral status on Feb. 14, as one of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s last acts before his resignation on Feb. 28th.

“I appointed Monsignor Harrington five years ago [2008] as administrator of St. Joseph’s,” said Bishop DiMarzio. “During that time, he worked with many different people to make sure the infrastructure of the church was upgraded, but as we all know, a church is not just brick and mortar. A church is about its people. And over the past five years, the parish has become vibrant and grown in no small part to Monsignor Harrington and his collaborators. I am confident under his leadership, the co-cathedral will be at the heart of the development of the new Brooklyn.”

Before St. Joseph’s elevation, St. James Cathedral Basilica, Downtown Brooklyn, was the only cathedral in the 160-year history of the Diocese, which was founded in 1853. St. James Cathedral was previously a pro-cathedral from the moment the Diocese was founded; it was conceived that a new cathedral would be built. St. Joseph’s, which can accommodate 1,500 people, is one of the largest churches in the Diocese. It is for this reason the Bishop sought permission for it to be named a co-cathedral.

The Reverend Monsignor Kieran E. Harrington, V.E., is Vicar for Communications for the Diocese of Brooklyn. He also serves as the President and Chairman of DeSales Media Group, a full-service media company that includes NET NY, a cable television station that can be seen in New York City on Cablevision channel 30 and Time Warner channel 97, and On Demand on Verizon Fios; The Tablet, the Diocese of Brooklyn’s weekly newspaper with a circulation of 80,000 and 30,000 unique online visitors per month; a technology division overseeing 21 websites; as well as a public relations office serving ecclesiastical needs.

He graduated cum laude from St. John’s University with a degree in philosophy. He holds a Masters of Divinity degree from the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception and a Masters of Business Administration from the N.Y.U. Stern School of Business.

The Most Reverend Thomas V. Daily ordained Msgr. Harrington a priest at Saint James Cathedral Basilica on June 2, 2001. His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI elevated him to the rank of Papal Chaplain with the title of Reverend Monsignor on Sept. 3, 2009.

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Brooklyn Churches That Suffered Roof Collapses Raise Funds, Celebrating Rebuilding Efforts

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Carroll Gardens, the Flatbush-Tompkins Congregational Church in Ditmas Park and the Old First Reformed Church in Park Slope have been working at fundraising and repair efforts to fix roof collapses in parish halls and sanctuaries.

In the case of St. Paul’s Church, plaster fell from the ceiling of the parish hall on Carroll street in late August. Fr. Peter Cullen, rector of St. Paul’s Church, recalls having to provide space on very short notice, to an AA group that was just arriving for a meeting, according to a message to his parish that was published on Facebook.

A Raise the Roof benefit has been scheduled later this fall to help with the estimated $12,000 for panel replacement and ensuring the ceiling remains safe.

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The Flatbush-Tompkins Congregational Church celebrated the reopening and rededication of its sanctuary earlier in September, with Pastor, Rev. Wilmot H. Taylor and the voices and talents of the choirs “raising the roof”.

In April 2012 the ceiling caved in, but the resilient spirit of the congregation rose to the challenge to enable the restoration of the sanctuary.

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This weekend, Arts at Old First, a ministry of Old First Reformed Church on Park Slope’s 7th Avenue, hosts its Second Annual Brooklyn Bluegrass Bash, a benefit concert featuring a lineup of all-star bluegrass talent from Brooklyn and beyond.

The Brooklyn Bluegrass Bash benefits the ceiling restoration campaign of Old First Reformed Church. Founded in 1654, Old First Church is one of New York City’s oldest congregations. The building was completed in 1891 and its beautiful, historic sanctuary features Tiffany glass, a giant Tojetti oil painting, a Roosevelt pipe organ and a gorgeous chandelier. Old First hosts dozens of community groups and local causes each year, including a homeless shelter, the Hurricane Sandy Relief Kitchen, the Old First Nursery School, and numerous music and performance groups. The sanctuary has been closed for the last two years, because the ceiling needs an extensive repair.

The Bluegrass Bash is hosted at The Bell House, 149 7th Street, Park Slope. Chris Thile & Michael Daves; Sarah Jarosz with Alex Hargreaves and Nathaniel Smith; the Deadly Gentlemen; and Jen Larson and Friends featuring Noam Pikelny and Barry Mitterhoff; Brittany Haas, Paul Kowert, & Jordan Tice; the Birdhive Boys; and the Bilger Family. Emcee is Matt Diffee. Fun goes from 3-7 p.m. on Sunday, September 22. Doors open at 2 p.m. TICKETS: $50 Adults/advance, $60 Adults/at the door, $35 Children (under 12), $160 VIP (special seating and food/drink vouchers). Purchase on the Bell House website here: tinyurl.com/mswqns9
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Religion Editor Francesca Norsen Tate thanks the clergy and faith communities here in Brooklyn for all their ongoing support during this tragic and challenging time.