Pentecost Sunday is one of the most ancient feasts of the Church, celebrated early enough to be mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles (20:16) and St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians (16:8). It is the 50th day after Easter (if we count both Easter and Pentecost), and it supplants the Jewish feast of Pentecost, which took place 50 days after the Passover and which celebrated the sealing of the Old Covenant on Mount Sinai.

The Acts of the Apostles recounts the story of the original Pentecost as well (Acts 2). Jews from all over were gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish feast. On that Sunday, ten days after the Ascension of Our Lord, the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary were gathered in the Upper Room, where they had seen Christ after His Resurrection:

And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them parted tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of them: And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they began to speak with divers tongues, according as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak. [Acts 2:2-4]

Christ had promised His Apostles that He would sent His Holy Spirit, and, on Pentecost, they were granted the gifts of the Spirit. The Apostles began to preach the Gospel in all of the languages that the Jews who were gathered there spoke, and about 3,000 people were converted and baptized that day.

That is why Pentecost is often called "the birthday of the Church." On this day, with the descent of the Holy Spirit, Christ's mission is completed, and the New Covenant is inaugurated. It's interesting to note that St. Peter, the first pope, was already the leader and spokesman for the Apostles on Pentecost Sunday (see Acts 2:14ff).

In years past, Pentecost was celebrated with greater solemnity than it is today. In fact, the entire period between Easter and Pentecost Sunday was known as Pentecost (and it still is called Pentecost in the Eastern churches, both Catholic and Orthodox). During those 50 days, both fasting and kneeling were strictly forbidden, because this period was supposed to give us a foretaste of the life of Heaven. In more recent times, parishes celebrated the approach of Pentecost with the public recitation of the Novena to the Holy Ghost.

POPE NAMES TWO PRIESTS AS AUXILIARY BISHOPS
FOR BROOKLYN DIOCESE
 
Pope Benedict XVI has appointed two priests of the Diocese of Brooklyn – Msgr. Raymond Chappetto, 66, and Msgr. Paul Sanchez, 65 – as auxiliary bishops of Brooklyn. Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, made the announcement public today in Washington, D.C.
 
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio will ordain the new bishops at a Mass of Episcopal Ordination to be celebrated at Our Lady of Angels R.C. Church, Brooklyn, on July 11th at 2 p.m.
 
“These two men are among the most respected priests in the Diocese of Brooklyn. Fundamentally, they are parish priests at heart.  Each is very attentive to the diverse needs of the people they serve,” said Bishop DiMarzio. “I am also grateful for their assistance in my ministry as bishop. Bishop-elect Chappetto and Bishop-elect Sanchez consistently offer wise counsel and advice that has been indispensable in the administration of the diocese with respect to parish reconfiguration and the revitalization of spiritual programs and ministry to priests.” 
  
As auxiliary bishops, they will join Auxiliary Bishop Frank Caggiano, Vicar General, and Auxiliary Bishop Octavio Cisneros, Vicar for Hispanic Concerns and pastor of Holy Child Jesus, Richmond Hill, in assisting Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio to serve the sacramental, spiritual and pastoral needs of the 1.4 million multi-cultural Catholics who reside in Brooklyn and Queens.

The Most Reverend Raymond Chappetto was born August 20, 1945, in Astoria. He studied at Our Lady of Angels Seminary, Albany, where he holds a Master’s of Divinity, as well as a Master of Arts in Religious Education from St. John’s University. He is also certified in Pastoral Counseling.
 
He was ordained May 29, 1971, by Bishop Francis Mugavero at St. James Pro-Cathedral, Downtown Brooklyn. His priestly assignments include associate pastor at St. Camillus, Rockaway Beach (1971-75); St. Pius V, Jamaica (1975-76); Incarnation, Queens Village (1976-81), and St. Helen, Howard Beach (1981-83). He was among the first to be involved in Team Ministry at Our Lady of Miracles, Canarsie, from 1983-89, where he ultimately then became pastor. He served there until 1995 when he was named an Episcopal Vicar for Brooklyn West. In 1999, he became pastor of Our Lady of the Snows, Floral Park, where he still serves. The National Catholic Education Association named him Pastor of the Year in 2008.
 
While remaining pastor of Our Lady of Snows, Msgr. Chappetto was appointed Minister for Priests and in 2009 he was named Vicar for Clergy and Consecrated Life.  His sister-in-law is a religious sister in the congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
 
“I am honored and humbled that the Holy Father would entrust me with such an important ministry in the life of the Church,” said Bishop-elect Chappetto. “The work of visiting the sick, as well as teaching in our parochial school and celebrating the Sacraments has kept me grounded for the forty-one years of my priesthood.  Despite the greater responsibilities of my new office, I intend to be faithful to those ministries which have been so nourishing to me these many years.”
 
Bishop-elect Chappetto was named a Prelate of Honor by Blessed John Paul II in 1997.  He speaks English and Italian.
 

The Most Reverend Paul Sanchez was born November 26, 1946, in Brooklyn. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from St. Bonaventure’s University, a Master of Arts from the University of Notre Dame and a Licentiate of Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
 
He was ordained December 17, 1971, by then-Bishop James Hickey (later His Eminence James Cardinal Hickey of Washington, D.C.) at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. His priestly assignments include Our Lady of Mercy, Forest Hills (1972-75), St. Michael, Flushing (1975-87), and St. Sebastian, Woodside (1987-91). He served as pastor at St. Agatha, Brooklyn (1991-2001), and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, (2001-08), while also serving as administrator of St. Margaret Mary, Long Island City. He was named Vicar for Queens North in June 2008 and, beginning in June 2009, continues to serve as Vicar for Queens.
 
Then-Father Sanchez was named vicariate coordinator for the diocesan Liturgical Commission, January 1975.  He served as a member of the Presbyteral Council, January 1984; member of the diocesan team for Ministry to Priests, January 1985; member, International Committee on English in the Liturgy sub-committee, January 1978 to January 1979.  A passionate teacher, he was an adjunct faculty member at Saint John’s University and the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, New York.
 
 “I have been a priest for forty years and have been privileged to see how Almighty God has used me, despite my many failings and weaknesses, to build up the kingdom of Heaven.  I am deeply grateful to the Holy Father for his confidence and trust in choosing me to share in the life of the apostles of our Lord,” said Bishop-elect Sanchez.  “I have loved my ministry as a parish priest in my first three wonderful parishes and then as pastor of the people of St. Agatha in Sunset Park and Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Astoria.  Even when the people had limited financial resources, they were rich in faith and an inspiration to my life of faith. Moreover, as the Territorial Vicar of Queens, I have been able to work closely with the pastors, priests and staff of our parishes.  As I have walked on this great pilgrimage as a priest, the depths of God’s love have been made very clearly manifest.”
 
Bishop-elect Sanchez was named a Prelate of Honor by Blessed John Paul II in 1997. He speaks English and Spanish.