Bishop John M. D'Arcy

  • Fifty-fifth anniversary of Priestly Ordination

    In a few days I will observe 55 years as a priest. The ordination in my seminary in those years took place on Feb. 2, 1957, the day the Church commemorates that moment when Mary brought her Child to the temple in observance of the Jewish law.

    I am struck about how I remember almost every moment of that cold and snowy day. After a lifetime it remains so clear, etched in my memory forever. My parents. My sisters. The Cathedral of the Holy Cross. My brother priests who prostrated themselves on the sanctuary floor as a sign of offering everything.

    I have never felt worthy of the gift of the priesthood, but still I reflect on the years with profound joy and gratitude.

    More and more these days my prayer is turning to thanksgiving, thanksgiving to God for what happened that day through the laying on of hands by the unforgettable Cardinal Cushing. Thanksgiving also for the gift of Episcopal orders, which took place on another Feast of Our Lady — Feb. 11, the commemoration of Our Lady of Lourdes.

    As the anniversary approaches, I find coming to mind the words of two extraordinary popes, with whom I have served. The first expression clarifies the priestly vocation, and the second gives light for the future.

    The great day for the pope

    While at lunch with Pope John Paul II and other bishops at our “ad limina” visit, I said to him, “Holy Father, do you have a word for our priests?” His response was immediate.

    “Tell your priests,” he said, “the great day for the pope was not the day when he became a bishop or a pope, but the day he was ordained a priest and could say Mass for the people.”

    “… could say Mass for the people.” This expression is filled with light and grace and theological content. It is also marked by humility, for it makes clear the gift of Holy Orders is not primarily for the priest himself, but for the people.

    The priest, acting in the person of Christ, is fittingly called to make the only life that he will ever live as a gift for the people, who through his words — which are the words of Christ — are joined to the sacrifice of Christ.

    This truth is expressed repeatedly during the ritual of ordination; for example, when the bishop hands the candidate the chalice filled with wine and the paten, he says: “understand what you are doing, imitate what you handle and model your life on the Lord’s cross.”

    Only in this context can we begin to understand why the Church has for hundreds of years required the gift of celibacy for the priest. It is fitting that before the priest can offer the Eucharist, he must offer himself — body and soul.

    Pope Benedict XVI

    I also find myself considering these words of “the Professor Pope,” as he once called himself, an extraordinary theologian and pastor — Pope Benedict XVI.

    On his pilgrimage to this country, he was interviewed on the airplane. In answer to a question about the great scandal that had fallen on the Church, he said, “It is more important to have good priests than to have many priests.” As he has done many times during his pontificate; for example, in his homily at the conclusion of the Year for Priests, with 15,000 priests concelebrating with him in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Benedict XVI made clear that the future must be marked by careful discernment before a man is ordained to the priesthood. In my years as bishop, I prayed every day for an increase to the priesthood and consecrated life. Many years ago, I began to add to this prayer asking God to send more candidates for the priesthood and that only men of good quality be accepted and ordained. This reflects the teaching of the Church for centuries.

    “The life of the celibate priest, which engages the whole man so totally and so delicately, excludes in fact those of insufficient psycho-physical and moral balance. Nor should anyone pretend that grace supplies for the defects of nature in such a man.” — Pope Paul VI Encyclical Letter on Priestly Celibacy, 1967.

    Retirement, like any stage of life, is an invitation to closer union with Christ. I have been helping on weekdays and Sundays in parishes in both offering Mass “for the people,” as John Paul II would say, and also hearing confessions with my brother priests. What has caught my eye especially is the fidelity of those priests with whom I have worked these past 26 years. They have served with humility and courage through the dark days. May God bless them all.

    I will give thanks on my anniversary for many things — for my parents, the main instrument of my vocation; my three dear sisters; for the gift of priesthood and I will give thanks for the 26 years I have been privileged to spend with you.

    Please pray for me that I may live out these years with increased fidelity and increased devotion to Christ our Savior and to His people.

    Posted on January 25, 2012, to:

  • Heroic holiness

    In this second reflection on the beatification of Pope John Paul II, written and submitted in connection with the observance of his beatification, which Bishop Kevin Rhoades had selected to be observed in all Masses in our parishes the weekend of Oct. 15-16, we are confronted with the reasons for his beatification. First of all, what are not the reasons. It is not because so many considered him instrumental in the freedom that came to Eastern Europe. It is not because of the great success of the World Youth Days founded during his pontificate. Nor is it the fact that he visited so many countries. If he is canonized; that is, declared a saint, as so many hope, it is because of evidence of an extraordinary, indeed heroic, holiness.

    ‘I must’

    That is what Pope John Paul II said to Bishop John Roach, the president of our conference, when the pope said he intended to visit every bishop in the world during their “ad limina” visit. He took literally the words of Christ to Peter that “you must strengthen your brothers” — “confirma fraters.” It was an admonition for Peter to confirm and strengthen the other apostles, and was the theological basis for the Holy Father’s intention to spend time with every bishop in the world.

    He did four things during our week in Rome. First, we would concelebrate with him early one morning, finding him always kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament when we entered his chapel. In the early days, he gave us a talk on various pastoral questions. Then each diocesan bishop would have about 10 minutes with him, archbishops and cardinals a bit longer.

    Finally, our delegation would be divided into two groups for a delightful lunch. It was amazing at these meetings how much he knew about each diocese and about our country. I recall him telling us about his visit to Columbia, S.C. “Eighty thousand people praying with the pope,” he said, “in a place only five percent Catholic. You would not have that in Europe. It is because you do not have the virulent atheism in the United States that is common in Europe.”

    His devotion to priests

    Always evident at these lunches and in the letter he wrote every Holy Thursday to the priests of the world was his devotion to priests, and this love for priests and for the priesthood was a sign of his own holiness. His biographer said of him, “He has once again made the priesthood a great adventure.” I asked him once at one of these luncheons if he had a message for our priests. His reply: “Tell your priests the greatest day for the pope was not the day he was made bishop or pope. Rather, it was the day he was ordained a priest and was able to say Mass for the people.” I often thought of that: “… was able to say Mass for the people.” I think of it often now, as a retired bishop. The beauty of the priesthood. Going into my neighboring St. John’s Parish and saying Mass for the people, saying Mass at the Mother Theodore Chapel at noontime for large crowds and also hearing confessions. It is reaffirmation of what the pope said. Indeed I remember asking my father as he was getting closer to death: which was the more important day to him — the day I was made a priest or a bishop? He did not hesitate to reply, “The day you were made a priest.” Also, John Paul II was not clerical. From his earliest days, lay people were close to him and influenced his spirituality and prayer. In his teaching, he always linked the ministerial priesthood to the priesthood of Christ and the priesthood of the baptized. The ordained priest is at the service of the priesthood of the baptized (Vatican II).

    Always a place for prayer and also a sense of humor

    As we would leave the luncheons, we would all go into the chapel to pray briefly before the Blessed Sacrament. I had the good fortune to walk out with him once; and I said to him simply, “You have helped all of us to be better priests and bishops.” He replied, “Well, the pope should be good for something!” At another time I happened to have been standing with him and I said to him in my best Latin, “Tu es bonus pastor.” (You are a good shepherd). “No,” he said, “Ego sum inutilis servus.” (I am a useless servant.) A citation from the Gospel.

    The Pope’s Prayer

    We celebrated his beatification and look forward to his canonization because he was holy. Holiness grows through prayer, and it never grows without it.

    This was grasped most beautifully by his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, preaching at a Mass celebrated on the fifth anniversary on the death of Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict made clear where he believed Pope John Paul II found the source of that strength which enabled him to do hard things, things which often brought him suffering.

    “In his homily for the 25th anniversary of his pontificate, he confided that he had felt echoing in his soul, at the moment of his election, Jesus’ question to Peter: “Do you love me? Do you love me more than these? (Jn 21: 15-16); and he added: “Every day that same dialogue between Jesus and Peter takes place in my heart. In spirit, I focus on the benevolent gaze of the Risen Christ. Although He knows of my human frailty, He encourages me to answer confidently, like Peter: “Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You.” (Jn 21: 17). And then He invites me to take on the responsibilities that He Himself has entrusted to me” (Homily, 16 October 2003; L’Osservatore Romano English edition, 22, page 3). Pope Benedict adds: “These words are laden with faith and love, the love of God, that conquers everything!” (L’Osservatore Romano English edition 13, March 31, 2010, page 3).

    Today we would call this according to the Benedictine formula, “lectio divina,” a method of biblical prayer in which we grasp that in the Scriptures we are speaking not only of a past event, but a present event in which Jesus Christ is speaking to us and we are speaking to Him. It is the Holy Spirit within us that prompts us to accept much of the New Testament as a conversation with Christ. Followers of St. Ignatius have a similar basis often referred to as a composition of place, placing oneself in this case, beside the lake with Christ and the Apostles, and hearing Him speaking to us.

    Could Pope John Paul II some day be a Doctor of the Church? It is certainly possible; for so many people, and I certainly include myself, he has been a teacher of spiritual theology and his writing continues to guide us.

    It was a joy following Bishop Rhoades’ decision, to offer Mass and confer the sacrament of Confirmation recently at St. Anthony Parish, South Bend, and to hear addressed to myself and to all present the words addressed to Peter, “Do you love me more than these do?”

    Let us pray to Blessed John Paul II for our parish, our diocese and our Church.

    Posted on October 26, 2011, to:

  • On Blessed Pope John Paul II …

    ‘Thank you for the visit.’

    It was the last of the five “ad limina” visits I was privileged to have with that great athlete of Christ, Pope John Paul II. I knew he spoke with great difficulty, so I deliberately did most of the talking — thanking him for what his pontificate had meant to the Church and how inspiring it was to me. He looked at me with those deep eyes and at the end simply said to me in a clear voice, “Thank you for the visit.”

    I recall with joy my time with Pope John Paul during the “ad limina” visits and also when I concelebrated with him and other bishops during his pastoral trips. They were moments filled with grace.

    I always thought of him as a saint and found it a joy to be in his presence. So manly. So warm. So intelligent. Filled with love for God. So devoted to Mary. So open to others. Always eager to learn. Always joyful. Truly a “witness to hope.”

    First there was Boston in 1978. In the rain. “America, the beautiful,” he said. “Beautiful even in the rain!” But I didn’t fully understand that late October night until I led a retreat about five months later in a small house near the Atlantic Ocean. Harvard undergraduates were there and they were still talking about him and how they went back to their dorms and analyzed his homily on the rich young man in the Gospel.

    That story of the rich young man (Mt 19: 16-26), he used throughout his pontificate and made it central to his historic encyclical on the great moral issues of our time — “veritatis splendor,” “The Splendor of Truth.” There were two things evident that night on the historic Boston Common. One was his love for young people, while the other was the fact that he challenged them, asking them for spiritual greatness and not to be satisfied with mediocrity. It was the key to so much that followed in his historic pontificate.

    I still hear the strong voice echoing out over the old city of Boston, “Youth of America, do not go away sad. Do not go away sad on drugs. Do not go away sad on sex. Do not go away sad on money.” There was an evangelizer in our midst, and the rain became secondary. We knew we were blessed to be there. A night never to be forgotten.

    An old Spanish mission

    We were up early on a lovely spring morning in 1987, the bishops of this country going south by bus to one of the old Spanish missions in California, where we had Morning Prayer with John Paul II. Shortly he joined us in what looked like a school cafeteria. There were four talks, to which he responded. I remember it like it was yesterday.

    One archbishop spoke in a way that seemed touched by a certain hubris and told the Holy Father that we had the best educated laity in the world. Professionals. Lawyers. Physicians. Scientists. The pope said this was true, but then taking a clear theme from the Second Vatican Council about the vocation of the laity in transforming the world, he said, “Have you transformed the culture, have you transformed the culture of film, of the media and journalism?” Again, a challenge for us.

    Another archbishop spoke about the difficult moral issues of the time. In his reply, the pope reminded us of our teaching responsibility. He told us that we should teach on these difficult moral issues in a way that would attract people, so they could be attracted to the beauty of the truth contained in the teaching. He used the word “attract” or “attraction” twice. I verified it recently.

    A few months later, at the “ad limina” visit, I was with about 14 bishops from our Midwest region at lunch with the Holy Father. I have often heard that the office of the papacy was a very lonely life. It was not lonely for Karol Wojtyla. He loved company, and he loved to be with bishops. The four times I had lunch with him, were unforgettable moments of grace. Being with him helped you to understand more deeply the vocation of the bishop.

    I said to him, “Holy Father you told us in California in response to one of the bishops that we should teach on these difficult moral issues so that people are attracted to them, and see the beauty of the teaching. But how do we do this?” He became quiet. The philosopher came out, and so did the priest. Here is his response. I remember it exactly. When he finished, we all were quiet.

    “It is necessary,” he said, “to understand the soul of the woman. All these things which were meant to liberate her: premarital sex, contraception, abortion; have they liberated her or have they enslaved her?”

    He was a pastor who lived close to Jesus Christ. His life was strengthened by prayer and study. He understood the crisis of our times and he knew how to respond to it.

    I shall try to add a few thoughts to these next week as we continue to mark, under the guidance of our bishop, the liturgical observance of John Paul II now declared “Blessed.”

    Posted on October 12, 2011, to:

  • The installation of Felipe de Jesus Estévez

    10th bishop of the Diocese of Saint Augustine, Fla., June 2, 2011
    They came here as refugees. Twenty-six young boys. Part of the Pedro Pan Project, which brought thousands of young boys and girls to this country, sent by their Catholic parents so they would not fall under the influence of Fidel Castro’s communist regime. The regime which, as expected, implemented an anti-Church policy. Awaiting them in Fort Wayne was a Catholic welcome and at the head of it, the late Msgr. J. William Lester, who became the mentor and spiritual guardian of these 26 boys — “the Cuban boys” — as they are called to this very day. Among the 26 who arrived in Fort Wayne were Felipe Estévez and Carlos Rozas who were ordained priests. Felipe was ordained a bishop and was recently installed as the 10th Bishop of the Diocese of Saint Augustine, Fla., one of the oldest Catholic settlements in North America, founded about 1550.

    Felipe’s journey
    Not long afterwards, Bishop Estévez’s whole family came; and he remembers Father Lester driving around St. Peter’s Parish with the young boy in tow trying to find a home that would not be too expensive, finally securing one on Eckart Street in St. Peter’s Parish. Felipe hoped to return to Cuba as a priest. He studied in Canada, with priests who had missions in Cuba. Ordained a deacon in St. Jude Church, Fort Wayne, and a priest in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, he served several years in Honduras awaiting the opportunity to return to preach the Gospel of Christ in his native land. Alas, it was not to be; and seeking the help of the Holy Spirit, he chose the next best opportunity to evangelize his people by returning to Miami, where so many Cubans had come to find political and religious freedom. He was ordained a priest of the Miami Diocese, was sent to Rome for a doctorate in theology (see sidebar) and was appointed the rector of St. Vincent de Paul Seminary in Boynton Beach, Fla.

    A turn to Msgr. Lester
    The friendship formed between the teenage refugee and the devoted priest continued and Father Felipe turned to his friend. Bishop Estévez told Msgr. Bob Schulte years later:

    “We had to build up the seminary and receive accreditation. The only person I knew with the wisdom and experience to make this possible, was Msgr. Lester. So I called him. And with the permission of Bishop McManus, Monsignor came to Miami to help us. With his help and guidance, we received accreditation and became a seminary for the entire region.”

    When Father Estévez was made a bishop in 2004, Msgr. Lester returned to Florida to attend his Episcopal Ordination. I remember his joy at being invited and being given a central part in the installation. Monsignor gave the homily at a special Mass for the Estévez family, whom he knew well having given them such pastoral care and affection over the years in Fort Wayne. Msgr. Lester’s cousin, Marcie Hunter, recently wrote: “Wouldn’t Father Bill be proud and thankful that one of his Cuban boys has accomplished so much? Bishop Estévez’s life story is truly remarkable and inspirational. I remember him as a teenager, coming to our house with Father Bill and some of the other Cuban boys who had no place to go on holidays or on summer vacation. Please thank Bishop D’Arcy for sharing the news, and let him know that I am so pleased and grateful that he will be there for Father Bill. It will be an event he would not have missed.”

    I sensed on receiving the invitation that it was my obligation to attend, to represent Msgr. Lester especially and the diocese, and so many others. So, I found myself in the historic Basilica Cathedral of Saint Augustine in the diocese of that same name in northern Florida. A few minutes prior to a beautiful celebration of Evening Prayer, I approached Bishop Felipe. What happened next was one of those extraordinary moments that happen rarely in one’s life. I was about to speak when Bishop Estévez approached me with Bishop Robert Baker of Birmingham, who had worked with Msgr. Lester and Father Felipe at St. Vincent de Paul Seminary.

    “You have come to represent the diocese and the city which welcomed me as a teenager, a refugee, so long ago.”
    The love and joy was in his eyes and mine, too. Bishop Baker said to me, “I can see so much emotion in your eyes.” I replied to Bishop Estévez:

    “Bishop, I bring the greetings of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Bishop Rhoades and the alumni of Central Catholic High School; and most of all I come to represent our beloved friend, Msgr. Bill Lester.” ‘Yes,’ he replied, “and also the Poor Handmaid Sisters!”

    It was the Poor Handmaid Sisters who staffed St. Vincent’s Villa and welcomed these young refugees, and with Msgr. Lester, gave them a home that included the sacraments and prayer, and a truly Catholic life. A place where his vocation was fostered.

    When Msgr. Lester died last year, Bishop Estévez came all the way from Miami to be present at the Mass and he drove with Msgr. Schulte, myself and a few others to Bluffton on a cold February day for the burial of this special priest.

    In a note received after I returned to Fort Wayne, Bishop Estévez wrote, “Msgr. Lester was an icon of the Good Shepherd.”

    The Installation
    The next day I concelebrated with about 25 bishops and 3,000 priests, religious and laity at a beautiful Mass of Installation. The Church in Florida is special because it is so multicultural — people from Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and native Floridians. I met Bishop Estévez’s mother and his sister. He has a brother who is a doctor. They lived over 20 years in Fort Wayne. A great Catholic story and a great American story. The homily of the new bishop of Saint Augustine filled with faith also showed his deep devotion to Our Lady. I believe in Cuba she is hailed as Our Lady of Charity. She had accompanied Felipe on his remarkable journey, as she accompanies us all. The charity extended by Msgr. Lester and the Poor Handmaid sisters and our diocese so many years ago has brought abundant fruit for the Church.

    The Servant of God
    — Felix Valera

    Present in faith at the installation of Bishop Estévez, was the remarkable Cuban patriot, priest and servant of God, Father Felix Varela, 1788-1853. When Blessed Pope John Paul II came to Cuba and spoke at the University of Havana to the Cuban leadership with Fidel Castro seated in the front row, the pope’s focus was on this extraordinary priest, a Cuban native. Father Varela supported Cuban freedom from Spain, the dignity of the human person and above all the Catholic identity of Cuba. He was a distinguished professor of philosophy who opposed slavery, supported equal education for women and Cuban independence from Spain. Condemned to death by the Spanish Crown, he fled to New York where he served as a priest for 25 years. He was assigned to the Irish area and supported the rights of Irish immigrants fleeing from the Great Famine. He was appointed vicar general of the Diocese of New York. He returned to Saint Augustine, where there is now a statue honoring him outside the Cathedral Basilica. At the request of the Cuban people, his body was later returned to Cuba.

    Bishop Estévez, as Msgr. Lester reminded me, wrote his doctoral dissertation on the spiritual teaching of Father Varela. The cause for canonization of this remarkable priest is moving forward.

    In the program for the Mass of Installation, under Father Varela’s picture, were the following words:
    “I now wish to fulfill a promise which I made long ago, to make a profession of faith — at death as in life — in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Eucharist. I firmly believe that the Host which you hold in your hand is the Body of Jesus Christ under the appearance of bread. Lord come to me!”

    — The last recorded words of Father Felix Varela as he was given Holy Communion as Viaticum before his death in February 1853.

    Posted on June 15, 2011, to:

  • History of the Annual Bishop’s Appeal

    Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades explains the meaning of his diocesan coat of arms to those gathered for the Annual Bishop’s Appeal kickoff dinner at the Grand Wayne Center in Fort Wayne on Thursday, Aug. 19.

    Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades kindly asked me to write an article on the history of the Annual Bishop’s Appeal and its importance for the mission of the Church in our diocese. I welcome the opportunity. As I recall how the appeal unfolded, I am struck at how quickly this initiative became not only a fundraiser, but an instrument of evangelization and a means of what the Church calls “communio.” This is a central work of the bishop — to bring people together in Christ.

    Also, from the beginning it was directed to help the parish, lifting a burden and awakening new resources to strengthen the life of the parish.

    In my first months as a bishop, I was approached by priests who explained to me the great burden of the system in place: A 13 percent tax on all income: Collections, fundraisers, school tuition. I remember Fathers John Suelzer and Bob Epping, CSC, and I recall an important and courageous public intervention by Father John Pfister.

    Quickly, we formed a committee of 10 priests and six laity under the dynamic chairmanship of Father Bill Schooler. They met over many months at various parishes.

    Having received their report, I met with them at Sacred Heart Parish, Warsaw. I told them I accepted their report completely, with one admonition. The report advised that the bishop should be “out front” in the appeal. I promised I would be so, but told them this would not carry the day. The parish priest would have to be “out front.” If the priest made it his own and gave it his support, it would be successful. This, plus the fact that from the beginning the appeal was parish-oriented, represent the fundamental reasons why our effort brought such blessings and achieved widespread acceptance. Indeed from this past appeal alone $1 or $2 million is being returned to parishes which have exceeded their goal.

    Communion
    The appeal has brought us into closer communion with each other. Communion between priests and their bishop. Communion between priests and their advisors. Increased communion between our two major cities, created by alternating the leadership in the diocese each year. Communion and evangelization through the video, in which people see and support the work of the Church from one end of the diocese to the other.

    Parish schools
    The struggle to preserve and strengthen Catholic schools across the country is well known. As the appeal developed, assisting schools became a shared effort between the diocese and the parishes. I recall a meeting in Syracuse with priests, educators and business leaders. The priests, even though they would bear the burden suggested an effort to increase the appeal by one half million dollars, so that we could have a substantial increase in teachers’ salaries. It was achieved, and the partnership between the diocese and the parishes helping parish schools, grew rapidly and was strengthened later by the Legacy of Faith, which gives almost a million dollars every year to parishes with schools and returned over $9 million to all parishes.

    The high schools
    The subsidy previously given by the diocese to the high schools varied with enrollment. This presented serious budgeting problems. The four Catholic high schools, so beloved in our diocese and so important for many reasons including as a ground for vocations to the priesthood, have a special place among us. The appeal stabilized the finances of the high schools, provided funds for students who otherwise could not have attended our high schools, kept tuition increases moderate and secured the future of these educational gems.

    A historic development
    When the appeal began, the salaries of our teachers were inadequate. An adversarial relationship existed between the diocese and the teachers. We were losing teachers to the public schools. Sometimes a teacher would be with us two or three years and then go to the public schools. Often they would leave after a few weeks at the beginning of the school year. All this has changed.

    In the past year, one could read about communities all over our diocese, laying off public school teachers and the freezing of salaries. This is regrettable and something which we hope will not continue. At the same time, we should note the situation in our schools. Because of the Annual Bishop’s Appeal and the Legacy of Faith, last year every full-time teacher in our schools received an increase of $800. In the year just beginning they will receive an increase of $900. No teachers have been dropped for financial reasons. This is a result of the generosity of our people to the Annual Bishop’s Appeal and the Legacy of Faith. It is important that this progress continue.

    Strength even in the
    economic downturn
    In the last year, unemployment in some parts of our diocese, was over 18 percent and some of our communities were among the hardest hit in the nation.

    Despite the severe economic downturn, the deepest and most prolonged since that of the Great Depression, our most recent Annual Bishop’s Appeal was the highest in history.

    Here are the totals for the last three years:
    • 2007-08: $5,542,447
    • 2008-09: $5,568,513
    • 2009-10: $5,745,113

    How was all this possible in such difficult times? It is possible because our people love their faith, appreciate Catholic education, love their priests and want the Church to continue and grow.

    Now the 24th appeal
    The appeal just ahead of us takes on a special importance. For the first time in 25 years, we have a new bishop. He has left his home diocese to offer himself to Christ for us and for our diocese, and he has come with a spirit of dedication.

    As I have done every year, I will increase my gift this year and will increase it by a larger amount than in the past. I hope all will do this as a welcome to the new bishop, but even more to help him build up the Church so the mission Christ has given to him and to us may be brought to fulfillment.

    Our schools, the education of priests, our service to the poor, our ministry to young people, the care of retired priests and the strength of our parishes, depends on your generosity and mine. The call for generosity is from Christ. Let us be generous to Christ and his work, in response to the Lord’s generosity to us.

    Posted on August 24, 2010, to: