Optimism abounds for Bishop-elect

CONVENT STATION  Father Thomas Fallone, pastor of St. Thomas More Parish here in Morris County, smiles as he fondly remembers hanging out with Father Kevin Sweeney of the Brooklyn Diocese — who was appointed as the eighth Bishop of Paterson on April 15 — at annual conventions, when they both served as vocations directors of their home dioceses.

While serving as Paterson’s vocations director, Father Fallone even stayed at John Paul II House of Discernment for the Brooklyn Diocese, where Bishop-elect Sweeney served as vocations director — a facility that would become a model for what would become Domus Bartimaeus, the Diocese of Paterson’s house of discernment for men in Boonton in the former convent on the property of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish there. The Bishop-elect showed Father Fallone around the house before they concelebrated Mass there and each offered a short reflection, during Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

“Although he was a contemporary, I felt like he was a priest I’d like to be when I grew up! He is a humble and affable Catholic man, who is rooted in his devotion to the Real Presence,” said Father Fallone.

He also told The Beacon that he attended two baseball games with the Bishop-elect: one at Camden Yards in Baltimore during a vocation directors’ conference there and another at Yankee Stadium. This brought to the surface a rivalry between the two priests: Father Fallone is a Mets fan, while the Bishop-elect bleeds the blue and white pinstripes of the Yankees.

“I’m so happy for our Diocese to receive such a shepherd, despite our baseball allegiances. His grounding will make him a wonderful bishop for us. I look forward to seeing him again and serving in obedience to the successor of my ordinary as promised. Welcome, Bishop-elect Sweeney!” Father Fallone said.

As diocesan archivist, Msgr. Raymond Kupke, pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Hawthorne, located in Passaic County, lent a historical perspective to the appointment of Paterson’s eighth bishop. “I cannot help but compare our new Bishop-elect Kevin Sweeney to some of his predecessors, Msgr. Kupke told the Beacon. “Like our fourth and fifth bishops, James Navagh and Lawrence Casey, he is a complete ‘outsider.’ Bishop Navagh only admitted to having been in the Diocese once before his arrival in 1963, and Bishop Casey had only seen it from a train window when he came in 1966. As far as I know, Bishop Sweeney does not have much more familiarity with our diocese. I only know of two of our priests who can claim even a remote knowledge of him. You would think he was coming from the West Coast, instead of just 50 miles away!”

Continuing in his historical vein, Msgr. Kupke related, “In his youthfulness, Bishop-elect Sweeney resembles Bishop Frank Rodimer, who was also just 50 years old, when he was named bishop in 1976. Like Bishop Rodimer, he is not yet a bishop, and presumably he will be ordained and installed in our Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, which will be only the second time that rite has been celebrated there.”

Msgr. Kupke added, “Like many people watching the introduction video, I was struck by how pastoral, down-to-earth and prayerful Bishop-elect Sweeney seems and how fluent he is in Spanish — all traits that will stand him in good stead in our Diocese. In talking to priests and people since last Wednesday, I am struck by how hopeful they all are for him and how much good will he has waiting for him here.

“Throughout my years as a priest I have had the pleasure and privilege of working with many wonderful people who originally grew up in the Brooklyn Diocesan Church. I have benefitted many times from the strength and vitality and joy of their faith. If that is the bedrock that nurtured our new Bishop, then we are very blessed. Welcome Bishop-elect Sweeney!”

All across the Diocese, priests and religious reacted to the news of Bishop-elect Sweeney’s appointment with great joy and delight. While a few priests, such as Father Fallone, drew on past interactions with him, most leaders, such as Sister of Christian Charity Joan Daniel Healy, diocesan chancellor and delegate for religious, learned more about him on the morning of the announcement. All the leaders who spoke to The Beacon agreed that they are impressed with Bishop-elect Sweeney’s down-to-earth personality, his embrace of cultural and religious diversity, his compassion for the poor and those affected by the coronavirus pandemic and his demonstration of leadership at the chancery and parish levels. Some priests and parishes posted their congratulations on social media. A few local priests, who are Brooklyn natives, beamed with pride over the naming of the homegrown Bishop-elect.

One of those priests was Father Peter Glabik, pastor of St. Clare Parish in Clifton, who not only hails from Brooklyn but also from the parish the new bishop currently serves as pastor of St. Michael Parish in Sunset Park in Brooklyn. They both attended the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, L.I., during a time when Father Glabik was starting his formation with the Congregation of the Mission/Vincentians and the Bishop-elect had completed studies and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Brooklyn. Father Glabik grew up in Brooklyn but moved with his family to Sunset Park from Park Slope when he was in second grade. He made his first Penance, first Holy Communion and Confirmation at St. Michael’s and was graduated from the parish grammar school. Father Glabik moved from the neighborhood for studies in the seminary in 1998.

“St. Michael’s is a beautiful church — the interior art work is magnificent and the outside structure can be seen for miles away due to a large church steeple. In fact, the steeple can be seen while driving through the Brooklyn/Queens Expressway. Sunset Park is a neighborhood that truly represents Brooklyn. Currently, the area is blessed with immigrants from various Latin American countries and from the very beginning of its history welcomed immigrants from across the globe. People who come from Sunset Park are proud that they had the privilege of living in such a great diverse area,” said Father Glabik, who emphasized that he does not know Bishop-elect Sweeney personally but that they share friends in common. “It’s nice to see a fellow New Yorker named the eighth Bishop of Paterson and I am happy to welcome him to our Diocese and wish him all of God’s blessings,” the priest said.

Another enthusiastic fellow Brooklyn native is Father Jared Brogan, current pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Mountain Lakes, who will soon take on a new assignment as president of DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne. He told The Beacon that he is “pleased and delighted to have a bishop from Brooklyn.” Father Brogan said he keeps in touch with people from Brooklyn who are familiar with Bishop-elect Sweeney.

“The Bishop-elect is a hard worker. He has had some challenging assignments in the Brooklyn Diocese as pastor and vocations director — and he has thrived. He has a pastoral and compassionate heart,” Father Brogan said.

From the chancery, Sister Joan Daniel said that she watched the video of Bishop Serratelli’s welcome and the new Bishop’s response, which “made me feel that all will be well.” She highlighted his ministry to an urban parish in Brooklyn and his command of Spanish.

“He has had experience in many facets of the Brooklyn Diocese, especially with vocation work. When he comes and sees what the Paterson Diocese has to offer, he can continue to build on what has been accomplished here. He will be in my daily prayers as he processes his new role in the life of the Church,” Sister Joan Daniel told The Beacon.

Thomas Barrett, diocesan coordinator of special projects, cited Bishop-elect Sweeney’s combination of experience “as pastor of a city parish in an economically depressed area” and at the chancery level.

“A diocese, probably just like most organizations, has natural challenges where people look at basically the same things from very different perspectives. Parish priests, religious, lay staff members and the faithful sometimes see temporal issues and needs through different lenses. Differing perspectives set up conflicts that always need care, kindness, explanation and judgment. I think it is great to get a man coming from many perspectives,” Barrett said.

Msgr. Herbert Tillyer, president of the board of directors of diocesan Catholic Charities, noted that the Bishop-elect’s experience “has prepared him to embrace this moment — this great responsibility of leading our Diocese,” especially through the “hard times that lay ahead” in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The dedicated and hardworking men and woman of our Catholic Charities family inherently recognize Bishop-elect Sweeney’s great love for our brothers and sisters, who are poor and vulnerable,” said Msgr. Tillyer, also pastor emeritus of St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Parsippany. “We at Catholic Charities know that he will love and encourage us and challenge us to serve more and more effectively. We all look forward to working with him, especially in this season of unparalleled upheaval in our daily lives in every community and family,” he said.

Mary Baier, diocesan schools superintendent, noted, “From viewing his videos, he is a most pastoral, kind and a compassionate individual.

“I look forward to working with him to continue the mission of Catholic education in our Diocese. I will pray for Bishop-elect Sweeney as he shepherds us through challenging times,” Baier said.

In Paterson, Msgr. Geno Sylva, rector of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and diocesan vicar of special projects, learned through friends in the New York Archdiocese that the Bishop-elect “is a deeply spiritual man, very down to earth and collaborative.

“This will be a great blessing as a Diocese,” said Msgr. Sylva, who told The Beacon that he was moved by Bishop-elect Sweeney’s “heart of a priest and shepherd” in his compassion toward people who are suffering, especially those in the midst of COVID-19, including the patients, their families, doctors and nurses.

Preston Dibble, diocesan music director, said, “I am excited about him for these reasons: his pastoral experience as a pastor in a parish that will give him that necessary perspective as our Bishop, his youthful energy that could help to engage our faithful as we come out of the current crisis and his experience in ministering to a diverse community.”

In Hardyston, Father Michael Rodak, pastor of St. Jude the Apostle Parish in Sussex County and diocesan pilgrimage director, said that Bishop-elect Sweeney “will find a welcoming Diocese.”

“As a priest, who attends the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. and celebrates Mass with the faithful of the Diocese there, I was happy to hear the Bishop-elect’s support for families and Respect for Life. As diocesan pilgrimage director, I was pleased to hear that he supports diocesan pilgrimages,” said Father Rodak, who noted that the Bishop-elect had scheduled a mini-pilgrimage in Washington, D.C., for July before the COVID-19 outbreak. “People want to come back to church but many will be afraid. I believe that Bishop-elect Sweeney will invite people back and tell them that God wants you and thirsts for you,” he said.