Bishop Robert J. Brennan to be Installed as the Eighth Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn

Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, and Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America, will officiate as Bishop Brennan, who has led the Diocese of Columbus since 2019, was named by Pope Francis to succeed Bishop Nicholas A. DiMarzio on September 29, 2021. Bishop DiMarzio’s mandatory letter of resignation sent to the Holy Father, Pope Francis, on his 75th birthday was accepted on that day.

Bishop Brennan will hold a 20-minute press conference at 10:30 a.m. inside the Co-Cathedral. Invited guests will begin arriving at 12:30 p.m. and the entrance procession will begin at 1:30 p.m. The Mass of Installation will begin at 2 p.m.

Brooklyn’s new Bishop will lead a Diocese of more than 1.3 million Catholics, known as the Diocese of Immigrants. Bishop Brennan has pledged to strengthen the Catholic schools and academies in Brooklyn and Queens, work with and support the immigrant communities, and focus on evangelizing Catholics through various means of communication and social media.

Information about Bishop Robert J. Brennan

Bishop Brennan was born on June 7, 1962, to Robert and Patricia Brennan in the Bronx and was raised on Long Island, in Lindenhurst, New York. Bishop Brennan attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School in Lindenhurst and St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School in West Islip. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and computer science from St. John’s University in Queens.

Bishop Brennan completed his studies for the priesthood at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, New York, and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Rockville Centre on May 27, 1989, by then-Bishop John McGann. His first parish assignment was at the Church of St. Patrick in Smithtown. In 1994, he was appointed Secretary to the Bishop and served in such capacity for three bishops: Bishops John McGann, James McHugh, and William Murphy. He has previously served as the Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Rockville Centre and was ordained an Auxiliary Bishop for the Diocese of Rockville Centre on July 25, 2012.

Bishop Brennan was appointed the 12th Bishop of Columbus on January 31, 2019, and was installed on March 29, 2019. Among the highlights of his time in Columbus was the institution of the Diocesan-wide Real Presence, Real Future evangelization and planning initiative, a process involving clergy, lay ecclesial ministers, parish volunteers, and the faithful. The objective was to determine the best path forward to increase the presence of the Church in the Diocese of Columbus.

Bishop Brennan has served with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as a member of the Committee for Catholic Education, the Administrative Committee, and the Priorities and Plans Committee.