Bishop Robert Brennan (left) receives a standing ovation at the Columbus Catholic Men’s Luncheon Club gathering at Columbus St. Patrick Church on Friday, Oct. 1, two days after he was announced as the new bishop of Brooklyn, New York. Bishop Brennan celebrated the 11:45 a.m. Mass that preceded the meeting.                              Photo courtesy Andy Mackey

By Tim Puet
For The Catholic Times

Clergy and lay leaders of the Diocese of Columbus reacted with both delight and disappointment to the Sept. 29 announcement that Bishop Robert Brennan will be leaving central Ohio to become bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, on Nov. 30.

“I was rather bereft when I learned he would be going to Brooklyn but proud that Brooklyn was getting him,” said Msgr. Stephan Moloney, pastor of Columbus St. Andrew Church and vicar general of the diocese, on the day the appointment was announced.

“I had felt ever since he became bishop 2 ½ years ago that he was just what the diocese needed. When I said Mass this morning and got to the part where we pray for Robert, our bishop, I thought, ‘He’s our bishop. Why does he have to go somewhere else?’ 

“We worked closely together in our respective roles. He was always very kind and attentive to me and would often be asking about aspects of the diocese and individual parishes because of my long service to, and knowledge of, the diocese. I recognized he had great leadership qualities and knew better than I what the right course was for the diocese.” 

“I have a bittersweet feeling about the decision,” said Deacon Thomas Berg Jr., diocesan chancellor. “I’m proud and happy for the people of the Diocese of Brooklyn because he will be a blessing to them, but there’s also a sense of heartbreak because he’s been such a strong and helpful leader for the past 2 ½ years. He will be very much missed.”

Deacon Frank Iannarino, director of the diocesan Office of the Diaconate, received the news while returning from vacation. “It took us all by surprise,” he said. “He was a great bishop with a great love for deacons and supported all our ministries and was the first bishop to appoint a deacon administrator for a diocesan parish.” Deacon Iannarino serves in that role for Columbus St. John the Baptist Church. 

“I know he had been looking forward to working with the next diaconate class. I’m sad he’s leaving, but he made quite an impact and helped all of us walk through the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“The Brooklyn diocese will be truly blessed,” said Sister Patricia Twohill, OP, prioress of the Dominican Sisters of Peace. “Bishop Brennan is a true pastor and a natural collaborator. He is pastorally sensitive with a compassionate heart for the poor. We are grateful for all the many ways he has fostered unity in our local Church and for the inspiration he has provided through his actions and in support for our ministries.”

“The bishop’s presence in our school communities has been one of the greatest blessings bestowed upon us,” said diocesan school Superintendent Adam Dufault. “You would be hard-pressed to find another bishop who has made so many visits to schools, celebrated school Masses and attended athletic events and other extracurricular activities.

“When you see the bishop’s interactions with our students, you can see that their well-being, success and formation are his utmost priority. Each time he is in a school, he reminds students of how much he loves them and, more importantly, how God loves them.”

Dufault noted that the bishop recently attended a Senior Night volleyball game at Columbus Bishop Ready High School against Columbus St. Francis DeSales High School and recognized the senior girls on both teams. He also was at the Sept. 24 football game at Columbus Bishop Hartley High School between Hartley and DeSales and visited the student section of each school, “laughing and engaging and just enjoying his time with them.”

Bishop Brennan visited every parish in the diocese’s 23 counties during his tenure, and sometimes those visits were surprises. “He’s been here a few times, most recently a couple of weeks ago,” said Deacon Don Robers of Logan St. John Church. “On that occasion, he just showed up. 

“Father (Stephen) Krile (the church’s pastor) and I knew he was coming, but no one else did. He didn’t want the parishioners to know because he wanted it to be a true pastoral visit, with nothing special to mark the occasion. Of course, the people were delighted to see him. I hate to see him go, because he’s done an excellent job, but God’s in charge, and I guess He’s decided that the bishop is needed in Brooklyn, and the bishop is a New Yorker.”

“When I heard the news of his appointment, I felt like crying on one hand and rejoicing on the other,” said Father Robert Jager, pastor of Columbus St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Church. “Bishop Brennan visited our congregation in January, and we were delighted to have him. This is a wonderful opportunity for him to go back home.”

“The news certainly came as a surprise,” said Jerry Freewalt, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Ohio and former director of the diocesan Office of Social Concerns. “The conference extends its heartfelt congratulations to Bishop Brennan and its deep appreciation for his service. It was a joy to work for him in the last 2 ½ years. He showed great leadership and promoted the joy of the Gospel to everyone he encountered.

“The life of a bishop is like that of a priest and like that of the Apostles,” said Father Leo Connolly, pastor of Pickerington St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish and longtime chaplain of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. 

“You never know where the Holy Spirit is going to lead you and where you’ll be called to next. Bishop Brennan will face many challenges and surprises in Brooklyn, as he did when he came here, but the Spirit will guide him, as He will guide whoever succeeds Bishop Brennan here.

“Bishop Brennan will share the same enthusiasm and ministry of presence in Brooklyn that he did here, and he’s returning to where his family and lifelong friends are while leaving many friends in Columbus.”
“Bishop Brennan will indeed be sorely missed, as he has done so much for our diocese in his short time here,” said Father Edward Shikina, pastor of Kenton Immaculate Conception and Ada Our Lady of Lourdes churches. “He has shown a love and concern even for those of us on the fringes. 

“When we had our 40 Days of Adoration, he made it a point to stop in each of my two churches for Mass or to pray during our days of Adoration, even though we’re on the farthest northwest corner of the diocese. By his presence, he was telling us that we were important, not forgotten. I will miss his joy, his zeal and his warm presence. His example has indeed made me a better priest and pastor.”

“I am sincerely happy for him, and I imagine his parents, family and friends are undoubtedly celebrating his return to New York. At the same time, I feel a real sense of loss and sadness that he will be leaving the Diocese of Columbus,” said Father David J. Young, pastor of Reynoldsburg St. Pius X Church. 

“His gifts for leadership, listening and insight have benefited our diocese in so many different ways. His compassionate guidance and encouragement will be felt for many years to come, I think, by our diocese and especially by our priests. I wish him all the best and will especially miss his genuine, fraternal style, his kindness and his sense of humor.”

Msgr. Joseph Hendricks, pastor of Dublin St. Brigid of Kildare Church, said, “The appointment of Bishop Brennan to the Diocese of Brooklyn will be a wonderful gift to the diocese, the clergy and faithful. The gifts that Bishop Brennan shared with us, his positive attitude, his willingness to listen and his care for the poor set the Diocese of Columbus on a path for both spiritual growth and evangelization. 

“While I personally will miss his leadership, I trust the Holy Spirit and the church to send a leader who will not only continue his legacy, but enhance it. To Bishop Brennan, Ad multos annos! (Latin for, “May you live for many more years!”)

“I am still absorbing this news,” said Father Jonathan Wilson, pastor of Westerville St. Paul Church. “It was his generous ‘Yes’ to the Lord that brought him to Columbus 2 ½ years ago, and it is his continued ‘Yes’ that will take him to Brooklyn. I have been consistently inspired by his pastoral care, his zeal, his dedication, his virtue and his visionary leadership.

“He modeled for all of us what it looks like to be disciple of Jesus Christ who announces the joy of the Gospel and the splendor of the truth. Bishop Brennan would be the first to say that our mission was never about him, but it was always about the Lord.”

“I have been inspired by his leadership and genuine care for all of us in our diocese,” said Father James Black, pastor of Powell St. Joan of Arc Church. “While he will be gone, his inspiration will remain to me as a priest and to our diocese for his courageous efforts in planning for our future through the Real Presence Real Future initiative. He has started us down a good path, and the same Holy Spirit that accompanies us down that path will guide him as he tends a new flock.”

“Brooklyn’s lucky,” said Erin Cordle, associate director of the diocesan Office for Social Concerns. “He’s made quite an impact on our diocese in the short time he’s been here, moving it forward and promoting unity among its people in the different types of areas it covers.

“His focus on social justice and taking care of the other has been very important, and he’s been supportive of all our office’s initiatives, most recently Walking with Moms in Need. His people-oriented, approachable style will go well in Brooklyn.”