Brooklyn Oratory marks 30 years as ‘A House of Prayer in an Urban Center’
Co-Founder, The Rev. Dennis Corrado, CO Praises Congregation’s Steadfastness
Joy and prayer are central to the urban ministry at the Brooklyn Oratory of St. Philip Neri. The Oratorian community celebrated its 30th anniversary on Sunday, Feb. 11, marking — to the day — when Pope St. John Paul II established it as a Pontifical Congregation.
The Oratory here in Brooklyn was founded by the Revs. Dennis Corrado and James Hinchey, C.O., two longtime priests at St. James Cathedral-Basilica, the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Oratory is “a foundation in the tradition of St. Philip Neri who began the first Oratory (the Chiesa Nuova) in Rome in 1575. The priests and brothers of the Oratory live a common life but without vows.”
“St. Philip Neri devoted spent his entire life to helping all who came to the Oratory to find joy in their particular vocation as a Christian (ordained or lay) and in the conduct of their daily life as they sought to live a holy life … St. Boniface is primarily a place of prayer in an urban center,” according to the Oratory’s website. Their charism is to work with the people in the “bond of charity,” to bring God’s joy and healing to all who seek it. This hospitality was the emphasis of Sunday’s homily and tributes.