On Sunday, September 6, Bishop Robert Brennan led the final beach Mass of the 2026 season and emphasized the need for love, both in everyday life and in response to the evil that occurs in our world.
With more than 600 parishioners on beach chairs and towels sprawled between Beach 128th and Beach 130th Streets, the bishop delivered his homily with a “Never Forget 9.11.2001” banner on the dune behind him. “We are surrounded by all the flags, and I saw all the flags at St. Francis,” Brennan said. “We’re reminded of the messiness of the world, of the evil in the world but we are also reminded of the spirit that God planted within us to overcome that evil. To overcome evil by doing good.”
Students at St. Francis de Sales placed 2,977 American flags around the school, church and rectory last week in memory of every life lost in the September 11 terrorist attacks.
The bishop said we are called on to do true good in the world. “Love means doing whatever is in our power to bring that true good about,” Brennan said, emphasizing that Christians are taught not only to love the people close to them but even to love their enemies.
“Sometimes that can be hard,” Brennan continued. “We are talking about the real world. We don’t live in the world of make believe where we say, ‘Oh, everyone should just love one another and everything will be alright.’ We know life isn’t that easy, is it?” The bishop cited practical advice from St. Paul’s writing to help with this challenge.
St. Francis de Sales conducts four Masses every summer on the sand at Beach 129th Street. Each Mass is coordinated with the help of Jamie and Lorraine Agoglia, Kristen Franchock, Kevin Dolan and several other volunteers. Father Jim Cunningham, Monsignor John Bracken and Deacon Vincent LaGamba participated beside the bishop in this week’s liturgy. The hymns were sung by the SFDS Folk Group (Katie Diffendale, Joanne Marnick, Margaret Powers with Lou Sheriff on guitar). DJs @ Work, as always, provided the sound.
On November 30, 2021, Bishop Brennan was installed as the Eighth Bishop of Brooklyn, serving the people of Brooklyn and Queens.
