Brooklyn bishop to hold mass of thanksgiving for new pope
Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio will celebrate a special bilingual mass of thanksgiving in honor of the new pope.
The mass, which will be celebrated in English and Spanish, will take place tonight at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint James, 250 Jay St., at 7:30 p.m.
DiMarzio will be joined by priests and deacons from all over the Diocese of Brooklyn. The bishop is issuing a special invitation to the Latino community in Brooklyn and Queens to attend the mass. Pope Francis I, who hails from Argentina, is the first pope to come from Latin America.
DiMarzio noted that the new pope chose the name Francis, in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. The name has a great deal of significance, the bishop said. “St. Francis of Assisi is closely identified with the poor. In choosing such a name, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, signified that we are called to be a church in service to the most vulnerable,” he said.