The Deacon's Bench
A son of Brooklyn needs our prayers:
Palm Beach Diocese Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito has announced that he will have surgery Monday to remove a benign brain tumor.
In a statement posted Friday on its website, the diocese promised to keep the community updated on the bishop’s surgery and recovery. Bishop Barbarito has led the Palm Beach Diocese since 2003.
The Diocese of Palm Beach covers Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee counties. The diocese ministers to more than 267,000 Catholics through 53 parishes and missions.
I wish to send this personal note to all of you regarding my having to undergo some surgery scheduled next week.
To make a long story short, because of a brief period of vertigo episodes in November, I was sent for a whole series of tests of the inner ear which proved negative. My doctor then sent me for an MRI of the brain just to be safe and to rule out any other possibility for the vertigo. The MRI revealed a moderately large meningioma (benign brain tumor) in an area which could eventually be a serious problem for the future. Luckily, it is not causing any problems or symptoms now but, left unresolved, will. It has nothing to do with the vertigo which has completely disappeared (Go figure!).
I sought the consultation of a number of top neuro-surgeons who gave me the same opinion which is that the meningioma should be removed now before serious problems arise. Unlike with theologians, I could not find a contrary opinion as much as I tried. I am scheduled to have the surgery in Miami on Monday, February 2.
I will probably need a little recovery time because of the surgery. I intend to resume my schedule as quickly as I can but will cancel public functions for a brief period. Fr. Chuck, the Deans and Bishop Mulvee will assist in this regard. I will still be running the Diocese but will have to be less available for appointments and meetings during this time. Again, I will receive assistance in this regard.
I was going to send you this memo this past Monday since the surgery was scheduled for Wednesday, January 28. However, as you may know, I came down with some type of “bug” and the surgery had to be cancelled. Hopefully, I will get clearance for Monday when I get to the hospital Sunday!
I want to assure you that all is well. I feel fine (except for the “bug”) and look forward to continuing that way after this brief “vacation” (not quite a Cruise to the Bahamas). Obviously, I ask for your prayers upon which I always rely. These are very important to me.
While this does present an inconvenience, I am fortunate and consider it providential that the meniginoma was found when it was! Thanks again for your prayers.
With every prayerful wish,
Bishop Barbarito
From his biography:
Born in Brooklyn, New York on January 4, 1950, Bishop Barbarito was ordained to the presbyterate by Brooklyn Bishop Francis J. Mugavero of St. Francis of Assisi, Astoria, on January 31, 1976. After ordination, he was assigned to St. Helen Church in Howard Beach, Queens. He remained there until 1981 when Bishop Mugavero appointed him Assistant Chancellor of the Diocese of Brooklyn. He held that position for one year, and then attended the Catholic University of American in Washington, D.C., for two years, earning a Licentiate in Canon Law. He served as Master of Ceremonies for Auxiliary Bishop Joseph P. Denning from 1984 – 1990. He was named Vice Chancellor of the Diocese of Brooklyn in 1984, and remained in that position until 1992, when Bishop Thomas V. Daily, Bishop of Brooklyn, appointed him as his Episcopal Secretary.
Bishop Barbarito was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn by Pope John Paul II on June 28, 1994, and ordained a Bishop on August 22, 1994 by Bishop Thomas V. Daily. He was assigned as regional Bishop for Brooklyn Vicariate East as well as Vicar for Ministry for the Diocese of Brooklyn, responsible for the ongoing formation of priests in the diocese. In 1999, Bishop Barbarito was appointed as Bishop of the Diocese of Ogdensburg, where he was installed on January 7, 2000, at St. Mary Cathedral.
Prayers for a successful surgery and speedy recovery!
UPDATE: He is out of surgery. Read more.
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