Msgr. Harrington, of Brooklyn’s Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, named to national post by Church

Was honored by Catholic Lawyers, Great Irish Fair here

April 15, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Reverend Monsignor Kieran E. Harrington Photos courtesy of DeSales Media

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Rev. Msgr. Kieran E. Harrington, rector of the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph and Church of St. Teresa in Prospect Heights as well as vicar for communications for the Diocese of Brooklyn, has been named national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, according to the Diocese of Brooklyn.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, which includes both Brooklyn and Queens, has a combined population of more than 4.9 million, and nearly 1.5 million identify themselves as Catholics, according to the Diocese. It also has the seventh largest Catholic school network in the United States.

Due to its multicultural population, churches within the Diocese hold Masses in 33 different languages. In the past, the Diocese was driven by a European immigrant population, and now “it is home again to an immigrant population, this time driven by Hispanics,” the Diocese says on its website.

Monsignor Harrington, ordained a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn in 2001, was appointed vicar for communications in 2006 and rector of the Co-Cathedral of Saint Joseph in 2008.

The Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, located on Pacific Street between Vanderbilt and Underhill avenues, was built in 1912 in the Spanish Colonial style. In 2013, it was named co-cathedral, along with the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Downtown Brooklyn, partially because of its location near the new Barclays Center and new residential developments. The church can hold 1,500 worshippers and underwent an $18.5 million renovation.

In addition to his role at the co-cathedral, in 2009 Msgr. Harrington was named president and chairman of DeSales Media Group, the communications arm of the Diocese. In this role, Monsignor Harrington has overseen the diocesan newspaper The Tablet; NET, the cable station of the Diocese; and the diocesan public information and governmental affairs offices. From 2009 through 2018, he hosted “In The Arena,” a weekly program on WOR radio.

Msgr. Harrington graduated with honors from St. John’s University with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. He holds a masters of divinity from the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception and an MBA from the New York University Stern School of Business.

“I have worked with Monsignor Harrington in many capacities for the past 17 plus years, five of which were spent living at the Bishop’s Residence, and I know his selection for this assignment is the absolute right choice. There has always been an extraordinary desire within him to bring the good news of Jesus Christ and the Christian faith to the people not only of his parish, but throughout the world,” said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of the Diocese of Brooklyn.

“I am grateful to Bishop DiMarzio for his tutelage and the confidence he entrusted to me as rector/pastor of the Co-Cathedral of Saint Joseph and Church of St. Teresa. Moreover, I am grateful for the opportunity to have served as vicar for communications for the Diocese of Brooklyn and president and chairman of DeSales Media,” said Msgr. Harrington.

The Pontifical Mission Societies are organizations under the direction of Pope Francis that support missionary work, foster prayer and awareness, and combat poverty, disease and injustice. The appointment was made by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

Msgr. Harrington is also the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Saint Thomas More Award of the Catholic Lawyers Guild and the Father Mychal Judge Award at the Great Irish Fair in Brooklyn.
He is a knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, a Knight of Columbus and a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.

He serves on the boards of the Futures in Education Foundation, the Catholic Technology Network and Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School.

In his new position, Msgr. Harrington succeeds Father Andrew Small, OMI, who is completing his second five-year term as director of the Pontifical Mission Societies.