Diocese of Brooklyn:
Today and Tomorrow

By Robert Choiniere

Director, Pastoral Planning Office

First in a Series on Pastoral Planning

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio’s recent third pastoral letter, “Do Not Be Afraid,” calls each Catholic in the Diocese of Brooklyn to engage in the work of the New Evangelization, a vision of a vibrant and living Church marked by collaboration, conversion and mutual support. The bishop recommends specific strategies and practices to help us achieve this vision, including ongoing pastoral planning in parishes, strategic planning in Catholic schools and a collaborative planning process in clusters of parishes and schools. This planning is undertaken with the hope of adapting our institutions, programs and ministries to the ever-changing needs and situations of our complex diocese.

This is the first in a series of articles, entitled “The Diocese of Brooklyn: Today and Tomorrow,” that is meant as a follow-up to the bishop’s pastoral letter and a precursor to the work of collaboration that lies before us. This series will take a wide view of the Diocese of Brooklyn by examining the “lay of the land,” including data on the population of our city and the Catholic population of Brooklyn and Queens in particular. The series will share what we know about ourselves in overview. It will also seek to demonstrate our uniqueness and our relationship to one another.

Each parish is unique, yet is joined together with all other parishes into the local Church, which is the diocese. Our diocese is then joined in communion with all other dioceses in the world to create the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. No parish is autonomous, an island unto itself, yet all parishes have a unique identity.

To begin our series, we offer you a newly created map of our local Church, the Diocese of Brooklyn. This map includes all parishes and schools within the diocese. Each parish is located within a cluster. The diocese is split into 32 clusters of parishes and schools. These clusters are more than geographic, though. The leaders in each parish have a consistent habit of meeting together on a monthly basis to coordinate ministry in the local area.

For larger map click on image (File Size 774KB)

The diocese is also divided into four vicariates (Brooklyn West, Brooklyn East, Queens North and Queens South). These large areas can be seen on the map. Each vicariate is served by an Episcopal Vicar, a respected priest appointed by the bishop. The Episcopal Vicar acts as the representative of the bishop to the pastors, parish leaders and parishioners of his designated vicariate.

As you review the map and find your parish or school, also look at those parishes and schools which surround you. Many parishes are very close together, others are more evenly spaced.

Over the course of our long history, 154 years, the process and rationale for establishing parishes has changed. In our early history many parishes were established in Brooklyn, often in the same neighborhood to accommodate the many Catholic ethnic groups immigrating to New York. As Queens County became more developed, parishes were established based on larger parish boundaries. Therefore, the parishes in Queens are more evenly spaced for the most part.

It is important to note that our diocese is the smallest in the country in terms of geography. It is only 179 square miles, the total area of the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. It is also one of only a few dioceses in the world that is one part of a larger city. At the same time, we are the fifth largest diocese in the country in terms of population. It is estimated that there are 1.6 million Catholics in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

As we plan for the future, the unique issues of size, proximity of parishes and schools and our large overall population will certainly figure into our conversations. Our plans must not only address the situation we see before us today, but must also take into consideration how our city will change in the next decade.

Finally, as we look to the future to create a vibrant Church for our children and those who come after us, we must always be attentive to the history that has shaped us and the inheritance of faith entrusted to us by those who have gone before.

Over the next few months, we will continue our exploration of our diocese. The diocesan map will be followed by a look at the People of God by examining the demographics of the Catholic population. Our conversation will continue with a look at the total population of Kings and Queens Counties and what the Catholic population looks like in comparison to the wider population.

The fourth part of our series will take an even closer look at priests, religious, and parish staff members and lay leaders, all those who serve the Church. The final installment will take a serious look at the financial resources of the parishes and schools, so that we will have a better understanding of our total situation as we continue to plan for our future.

Our hope is that these installments will provide a larger perspective and a wider view of our diocese which will be necessary as we move together to the place where God is calling us to be. In this way, we can move one step closer to Christ’s deep wish that we all might be one in Him.

back to top