Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades

  • Holy Spirit is the principal agent of the Church’s evangelization

    Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades processes into Angela Athletic Facility at Saint Mary’s College to celebrate the baccalaureate Mass on Friday, May 14, the day before commencement. The Mass celebrates the achievements of Saint Mary’s Class of 2010. It was the first time Bishop Rhoades had visited the college and the first time he celebrated Mass there since his installation in January.

    Pentecost Sunday
    With the feast of Pentecost, we have come to the end of the Easter season. For 50 days, we have celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus, the crowning truth of our Catholic faith. On Pentecost, the Apostles, gathered in the upper room in Jerusalem with the Blessed Virgin Mary, received the Holy Spirit. The new life derived from Christ in His resurrection was infused by the Holy Spirit into their souls. They became courageous witnesses to Christ’s resurrection and went forth, strengthened by the Spirit, to proclaim the Gospel to the world.

    The Holy Spirit continues to guide the Church and strengthens us to bear witness to the Lord Jesus in the world today. Since the day of Pentecost, the great family of the Church has borne witness to Christ, filled with that fire of love, which is bestowed upon us by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the principal agent of the Church’s evangelizing activity. The Holy Spirit helps all of us to live, spread and defend our faith. May the Holy Spirit enlighten and guide all of us as we strive to follow the Lord Jesus each day!

    The Sacrament of Confirmation
    During the past two weeks, I have celebrated the sacrament of Confirmation at the following churches: St. John the Evangelist in Goshen, St. Matthew Cathedral (for St. Monica, St. Bavo and St. Joseph parishes in Mishawaka), St. Vincent de Paul in Fort Wayne, Sacred Heart in Warsaw and Our Lady of Good Hope in Fort Wayne. Today, Pentecost Sunday, I confirmed adults at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. In this beautiful sacrament, our candidates become more firmly united to Christ and to His Church.
    I still have several Confirmation Masses to celebrate in the coming weeks. May the gifts of the Holy Spirit that our newly confirmed Catholics receive bear abundant fruit in the vineyard of the Lord!

    Graduations
    This is a season not only of Confirmations, but also of graduations. Congratulations to all the graduates of our colleges, high schools and elementary schools!

    On May 14, I had the joy of celebrating the baccalaureate Mass for the graduates of Saint Mary’s College. This was my first visit to Saint Mary’s and I am truly grateful for the warm welcome I received from President Carol Mooney and the administration and faculty of Saint Mary’s. The baccalaureate Mass at Saint Mary’s was beautiful. I told the graduates that each of them has received a call, a personal vocation, and has a unique part to play in God’s saving plan, in building up the Body of Christ, the Church, and in extending Christ’s Kingdom. I reflected on the words of Jesus in the Gospel that day: “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain.” We prayed that the graduates would go forth to do the works of the Lord, to bear fruit that will endure.

    After the Mass, I had the pleasure of meeting many of the Saint Mary’s graduates and their families, including several from our diocese and from the Diocese of Harrisburg. At a dinner reception, I met the co-valedictorians of the class, two very impressive young women, both from Kokomo, in the diocese of Lafayette: Carly O’Connor and Audrey Marrah. Carly will be continuing her education at the Pope John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Washington, D.C. She hopes to serve in family life ministry in the Church. Audrey will be going to Guyana in South America to do mission work with the Mercy Volunteer Corps. How beautiful it is to see such young people using their talents in the service of the Church!

    I also participated in the baccalaureate Mass and graduation at the University of Notre Dame that same weekend. Then, I shifted to our eighth-grade graduates, celebrating Mass for the graduates of 20 of our Catholic schools in the South Bend area at St. Matthew Cathedral on May 17. I remained in South Bend that evening for Catholic Schools’ Night at the Silver Hawks baseball game, where I stood on the pitcher’s mound in a light rain to throw out the first pitch. I got the ball over the plate, though the umpire, Msgr. Michael Heintz, was very generous in calling it a “strike!”

    This coming week, I move onto our high school baccalaureate Masses. I am looking forward to praying with our graduates from Marian, Saint Joe’s and Bishop Luers High Schools. Bishop D’Arcy will be celebrating the baccalaureate Mass at Bishop Dwenger High School, the same night as the baccalaureate Mass at Saint Joseph’s.

    Education for Ministry graduates
    On May 11, I celebrated Evening Prayer at the St. Theodore Guérin Chapel with the 47 graduates of our Education for Ministry program. For two years, these devoted men and women have gathered for classes in theology, preparing to serve the Church in a variety of ministries throughout our diocese. It is certainly impressive to see the dedication of these generous men and women to service in the Church. Special thanks to Our Sunday Visitor for funding this important program!

    Deacon candidates
    I had my first gathering with the 11 men in formation for the permanent diaconate in our diocese on May 15. I celebrated Mass with them on that day in which they were gathered for a weekend retreat directed by Father Jim Schafer. Using the example of St. Isidore the Farmer, whose feast day it was, I spoke to our deacon candidates about prayer. St. Isidore, a simple, peasant farmer got up early every morning to attend Mass, and then prayed constantly throughout the day while working in the fields. Interestingly, his wife, Maria de la Cabeza, is also a saint. This married couple is a beautiful example for all of living an ordinary life with deep faith and fervent charity. They were also known for their generosity to the poor, though they were poor themselves.

    I am looking forward to the ordination of these deacon candidates next May. Speaking of deacon ordinations, this past Saturday I returned to Harrisburg to ordain 23 men as permanent deacons. I was happy to be invited back (they are still waiting for a new bishop in Harrisburg) since I accepted these men into the diaconate program and had been a part of their formation the past four years.

    Concordia Lutheran Seminary
    On May 18, Bishop D’Arcy and I were guests of Dr. Dean Wenthe, president of Concordia Lutheran Seminary, in Fort Wayne for a luncheon with him and some of the seminary faculty. We had a very enjoyable conversation about our ecumenical relationship and discussed ways for future collaboration and activities together. I was particularly happy to see our shared beliefs and common commitment in several areas of moral teaching, particularly regarding the sanctity of life and the sacredness of marriage as instituted by God. I look forward to a strong relationship with Concordia in the years ahead.

    The Lord desires the unity of all Christians. May the Holy Spirit help us who believe to be one in heart and soul!

    Posted on May 25, 2010, to:

  • It is good to remember the goodness of our mothers

    Mother’s Day
    I am writing this column on Mother’s Day, having returned from a Confirmation Mass at St. Michael Church in Plymouth. It is a sunny, yet chilly day. Happy (belated) Mother’s Day to all the mothers of our diocese! I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God and our spiritual mother, intercede for you with her maternal love! It is good to remember the goodness of our mothers and to thank them for their self-giving love. Today I remembered my own mother, to whom I am deeply grateful for the gift of my Catholic faith. She died in 1994. If I were home, I would have tried to visit my mom’s grave, but she told me before she died that it would be more important to her that I remember her in my prayers, especially at the altar of the Lord in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. At the Confirmation Mass in Plymouth and also last evening in Little Flower Parish, South Bend, we prayed for both our living and deceased mothers. Prayer is always an act of love. Praying for the living and the dead is a spiritual work of mercy.

    On my way back to Fort Wayne today, I called my sister to wish her a Happy Mother’s Day. I was happy to hear that my brother-in-law, my nephew and nieces spoiled her a bit today, treating her to dinner, a homemade DVD, flowers and candy. I am looking forward to seeing the family next month when I return home for my nephew’s high school graduation en route to St. Petersburg, Fla., for the spring assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop.

    Indiana Catholic Conference
    This past Tuesday, Bishop D’Arcy and I traveled together to Indianapolis for a meeting with the bishops of Indiana, dinner with the governor, and then a meeting of the Indiana Catholic Conference on Wednesday. The meetings went well. What I enjoyed most was the travel to and from Indianapolis with Bishop D’Arcy, since it gave us an opportunity to get caught up about the diocese and our ministries. I always appreciate Bishop D’Arcy’s wisdom and insights, as well as his enjoyable company. We always get along very well unless we talk about baseball!

    Diocesan review board
    On Wednesday evening, I had my first meeting with our Diocesan Review Board. This consultative body of lay people advises the bishop in his assessment of allegations of sexual abuse of minors and in his determination of a cleric’s suitability for ministry. It reviews our diocesan policies and procedures for dealing with sexual abuse of minors. I counted on the review board’s advice in the Diocese of Harrisburg and appreciated their expert counsel. I was greatly impressed by the members of the review board here in our diocese and am very grateful for their assistance. They help me and the diocese to ensure the protection of our children and young people and to promote the healing and reconciliation with victims/survivors of sexual abuse of minors.

    Directors and coordinators
    of religious education
    It was a pleasure to meet many of our devoted parish directors and coordinators of religious education at their conference in Syracuse this past Thursday. Our diocesan Office of Catechesis sponsored this day-long conference. Though I was there for only part of the day, I enjoyed hearing about the good programs of religious education throughout our diocese and listening to the DRE’s and CRE’s share their ideas and experiences. I shared with the group my own hopes for the future and a major concern of mine: The need for continuing the catechesis of our young people in public schools after they receive Confirmation.

    I am saddened that many of our public high school youth do not receive further religious education after their Confirmation. Some do, through parish youth ministry programs or through high school religious education. I am afraid that most do not. I encourage all to reflect on this very important responsibility. The faith formation of our young people must not stop at the end of eighth grade! I encourage all of our public high school students to enroll in high school religious education and/or youth ministry. As I said to the DRE’s, the sacrament of Confirmation is a sacrament of initiation, not “termination.” There is so much more of the faith that our young people need to learn after they complete grade school. We would never even consider that their education in other subjects is complete with grade school graduation. And what subject is more important than the study of the faith?

    Catholic Cultural Diversity Network Convocation
    I was happy to attend the opening session of the Catholic Cultural Diversity Convocation this past Thursday at the University of Notre Dame. At that session, I was honored to introduce the apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, to the national gathering.

    This convocation brought together bishops and priests, academicians, diocesan and parish leaders, national experts, school leaders, ethnic pastoral leaders, publishers and national organization representatives. The gathering included representatives of six cultural/racial families, namely: African American, Asian and Pacific Islander, European-descent, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, and refugees, migrants and travelers. It was beautiful to see the unity in diversity of our Catholic community in the United States, as represented at the convocation. The convocation, cosponsored by the USCCB and Notre Dame’s Institute for Church Life, was not only a celebration of the Church’s growing ethnic diversity. It sought also to foster a robust Catholic identity within this diversity and firmer bonds of communion among all the cultures, races and ethnicities of the Church in our country.

    Holy Cross College
    I was blessed to be invited to celebrate the baccalaureate Mass this past Friday for the graduating class of Holy Cross College. This was my first visit to Holy Cross. I was edified by the evident faith of the graduating seniors. It was a pleasure to meet these fine young men and women and their families, as well as to meet Holy Cross Brother Richard Gilman, the president of Holy Cross College, and many members of the faculty and administration. We are blessed by five Catholic institutions of higher education in our diocese. I look forward to getting to know the Holy Cross College community more intimately in the years ahead.

    I learned that Holy Cross began as a junior college in 1966. It has since become a four-year college. When I drive along Michigan Avenue in South Bend, it seems like a mini-Vatican with all the Catholic institutions situated there: The University of Notre Dame, Holy Cross College, Saint Mary’s College and Saint Joseph’s High School!

    Confirmations
    This column would not be complete without my mentioning Confirmations. As I mentioned above, I celebrated Confirmation Masses this past weekend at Little Flower Church in South Bend and at St. Michael Church in Plymouth. The Confirmation at St. Michael’s also included the candidates from St. Patrick Parish, Walkerton. As always, it was a joy to confer the gifts of the Holy Spirit on these young people. The next four weeks on my calendar are filled with more Confirmations, baccalaureate Masses and graduations. I feel like I am running a marathon!

    This coming week, it will be different for me to celebrate the Ascension of Our Lord on Sunday, rather than Thursday. In Pennsylvania, we observed this feast on Ascension Thursday as a holy day of obligation. Here in the Midwest, the feast has been transferred to Sunday. As we prepare to celebrate on Sunday the solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord, it is good to reflect on this glorious mystery of our faith. To learn about this mystery, I invite you to check out No. 659-664 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. May the Lord Jesus, who has preceded us into the Father’s glorious kingdom, bless you!

    Posted on May 11, 2010, to:

  • Authentic hope comes from something beyond ourselves

    University of Saint Francis
    baccalaureate Mass

    Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades congratulates graduates of the University of Saint Francis after the baccalaureate Mass on May 1. In the photo, he greets Monica Eichman, a Today’s Catholic intern, and one of the university’s valedicatorians.

    Greetings in the peace and joy of the Lord! I am writing this column on Saturday, May 1, having just returned from celebrating the baccalaureate Mass for the graduates of the University of Saint Francis. I need to write this before leaving this afternoon for South Bend for Confirmation Masses tonight and tomorrow at St. Matthew Cathedral, at the University of Notre Dame, and at St. Adalbert Church. I checked the odometer in my car and see that I am almost at 7,000 miles! I realized that I am putting a lot more miles on my car here than I did in the Diocese of Harrisburg!

    At the beautiful baccalaureate Mass today, it was great to celebrate with our graduates from the University of Saint Francis. They are a very impressive group of young people. I spoke to them today about joy, hope and courage as disciples of the Lord Jesus. My main message was that hope doesn’t come from our accomplishments nor even our success. Authentic and lasting hope comes from something beyond ourselves, or rather, someone beyond ourselves. That “someone” is Christ. Hope comes from God and our belief in Him. I prayed with the graduates that they will go forth with firm hope for the future, a hope that is founded on the Person of Jesus Christ. God has drawn near to each one of us in Christ Jesus our hope. I prayed that our graduates’ faith in Christ will always be lively and strong so that they will be messengers and witnesses of hope for the world.

    Confirmations
    Every week in this column, I report on my Confirmation Masses. This past week, I was privileged to bestow the sacrament of Confirmation on our young candidates at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Elkhart and at St. Gaspar del Bufalo Church in Rome City. These were my first visits to Elkhart and Rome City. I am truly enjoying my first visits to so many of the parishes of our diocese. I have heard a lot about the lakes of Indiana. I saw my first lake in the diocese at Rome City, the beautiful Sylvan Lake. I am hoping to get some time, maybe in the summer, to enjoy some of the natural beauty of Indiana!

    Imagine my surprise when I arrived at St. Gaspar’s — when I arrived, I was greeted by a priest from Gettysburg, Pa., in my home diocese, Father Jim Miller, a Precious Blood father. Father Miller is serving there a few weeks while the pastor of St. Gaspar’s, Father Bernard Ramenaden, is home on vacation.

    Thank you, Sister Jane Carew!
    This past Wednesday, Bishop D’Arcy and I celebrated a Mass of thanksgiving for the 23 years of service of Sister Jane Carew, OV, here in our diocese. Sister has done an incredible job in strengthening the catechetical mission of the Church in our diocese. Though Sister Jane has now retired from her position as director of the Office of Catechesis, she still assists the office as a volunteer. How blessed we are by Sister Jane’s dedicated ministry and her expertise in catechesis! Good catechesis builds up the Body of Christ, the Church. The education of our people, of all ages, in the faith is one of our most important tasks. I thank Sister Jane for her many years of service in this important and vital ministry. I thank both Sister Jane and Bishop D’Arcy for leading the revitalization of catechesis in our diocese.

    Knights of Columbus
    This past Wednesday, the Knights of Columbus in Fort Wayne hosted a religious appreciation dinner for the sisters and priests of the area. I am very grateful to the Knights for their generous support of priestly and religious vocations. It was a very enjoyable evening. The Knights paid special tribute to our priests and sisters celebrating special anniversaries and jubilees this year. Thanks also to the students from Bishop Dwenger High School who served the delicious dinner!

    Department heads
    This past Thursday, I had my first meeting with all the heads or directors of diocesan departments. It was a good opportunity to discuss the various works and initiatives going on in the various offices, to share ideas, and to plan for the future. Of course, all we do in the diocesan offices is meant to serve our parishes, to foster the Church’s mission of evangelization, and to promote the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Thank you to all our diocesan staff for their dedicated commitment to the Church’s mission in our diocese.

    Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters
    On Friday, Sister Beatrice Haines and the leadership team of the Victory Noll Sisters came to visit me. I was happy to learn about the charism and the ministries of the sisters in our diocese and beyond, particularly in the southwestern United States. As you probably know, Archbishop John Noll, the fifth bishop of Fort Wayne, advanced the growth of this congregation that was founded by Father John Joseph Sigstein in 1922. I am looking forward to visiting the motherhouse, Victory Noll, in Huntington this summer. I learned about the Marian devotion of the Victory Noll Sisters and their spirituality that is grounded in a particular way in Our Lady’s Magnificat. During this month of May, it is a beautiful time for all of us to reflect on our Blessed Mother and to grow in our devotion to her.

    The month of May, the month of Mary
    In the Gospel of this first Sunday of May, the fifth Sunday of Easter, we hear Jesus’ new commandment of love: Love one another as I have loved you. — Jn 13:34. Mary teaches us to live this new commandment. She was always obedient to her Son’s commandment of love and teaches us that same obedience. She is the shining model of our call to holiness through love.

    We see Mary’s love at the Visitation when she went to assist her cousin Elizabeth for three months in the final phase of her pregnancy. We see her love when she asked Jesus to help the newly married couple at Cana. We see her love when she stood at the foot of the cross, her heart broken as she witnessed her Son’s suffering and death. We see her love in the upper room as she prayed with the disciples awaiting the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Let us ask Mary to teach us to love as we journey through this life. On our Christian pilgrimage, love is the most important virtue for us to cultivate. Mary, Mother of Fairest Love, pray for us!

    In this context, I ask you to be generous in the second collection next Sunday, May 9, for the benefit of Catholic Charities of our diocese. This is a very important collection that helps to fund so many programs that serve the poor and needy in our midst.

    Posted on May 5, 2010, to:

  • Diocese marks vocations from diaconate to bishop emeritus

    Congratulations Bishop D’Arcy
    This Saturday marks the 25th anniversary of Bishop John M. D’Arcy’s installation as the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. On behalf of all the faithful of our diocese, I offer grateful thanks and prayerful best wishes to our beloved bishop emeritus. 

    On April 30, 1985, Bishop D’Arcy took canonical possession of the diocese during Evening Prayer at St. Matthew Cathedral, South Bend. The apostolic letter of appointment was read by Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Crowley. On the next day, May 1, the installation Mass was celebrated at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception, Fort Wayne. That was certainly a blessed day for the diocese as well as for Bishop D’Arcy and his family. 

    Thanks to Bishop D’Arcy, the Church in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend has grown and flourished in faith the past 25 years. I’ve been thinking how appropriate it was that Bishop D’Arcy’s ministry here began on the feast of St. Joseph the Worker. As St. Joseph worked humbly and diligently to support the Holy Family and watched over Mary and Jesus with love and devotion, so has Bishop D’Arcy in his fatherly care of the family of our diocese. Thank you, Bishop D’Arcy, for your hard work these past 25 years and for your continuing devoted ministry as our bishop emeritus. May our Risen Lord bless you with much joy on your 25th anniversary!  

    Congratulations Deacons Matthew and Terrence!
    This past Sunday, April 25, Matthew Coonan and Terrence Coonan, Jr., were ordained deacons by Bishop D’Arcy at the Pontifical College Josephinum. This is a cause for joy for the Coonan family and for our diocese. We thank these two fine young men, blood brothers, who are now also brothers in the ordained ministry, for saying “yes” to the call of our Lord to service in His Church. I am already looking forward to ordaining them to the priesthood next spring!

    I will be meeting with Matthew and Terrence soon to give them their summer diaconal assignments. Please pray for them and for all of our seminarians as they continue their road to the priesthood. And please remember in your prayers Deacon Andrew Budzinski who will be ordained to the priesthood on June 26. Let us pray that the Lord will bless our diocese with an abundance of good priestly vocations!

    Pastoral visit to Bishop Dwenger
    I have now visited all four of our diocesan high schools! I celebrated Mass on Monday, April 19, at Bishop Dwenger High School and then visited classrooms and enjoyed lunch with a group of amazing student leaders. My visits to Bishop Dwenger and to all of our high schools have been some of the best experiences so far for me here in the diocese. I am really grateful to see the strong faith formation going on in our high schools, a formation that is evident to me as I speak with the students and enjoy their company. 

    At Bishop Dwenger High School, I received a tour from the principal, Mr. Fred Tone. He has served at Bishop Dwenger for 42 years, the past 16 years as principal. He has truly done an outstanding job. Everyone I speak to shares with me their admiration for Mr. Tone’s leadership and example of faith. He will certainly be greatly missed, yet his service has left a lasting mark on this community and in the lives of thousands of young people. Let us pray that the Lord will bless Mr. Tone with good health and much happiness as he retires. Thank you, Mr. Tone, for your service and for your commitment to the noble mission of Catholic education!

    Redeemer Radio
    This past Wednesday, I was privileged to be a guest at the start of the annual Shar-athon for our Catholic radio station in Fort Wayne, Redeemer Radio. I spent an hour on the air from 7-8 a.m. It was an enjoyable opportunity to talk about our faith and to offer my support to this important and holy apostolate. Redeemer Radio is a great means of evangelization and catechesis. I wish to thank all the dedicated employees and volunteers who serve in this apostolate. It has my blessing and my strong support, especially as it embarks on new endeavors to increase local programming and to expand its area of broadcast. May the Lord bless these endeavors!

    Moreau Seminary
    I am very happy that we have a seminary in our diocese. I felt very much at home during my first visit to Moreau Seminary at the University of Notre Dame, where I celebrated Mass on April 22. It was great to meet the seminarians and the seminary staff, under the wonderful leadership of Father Patrick Neary, CSC. Father Neary will complete his term as rector this year as he is being transferred to serve at the Holy Cross Seminary in Kenya. Thank you, Father Neary, for your spiritual leadership at Moreau. May the Lord watch over you as you continue your priestly ministry in Africa!

    As you probably know, Moreau Seminary is an institution of the Congregation of Holy Cross and is named after the founder of Holy Cross, Blessed Basil Moreau. This holy French priest founded the Holy Cross community not long after the tumult of the French Revolution. How blessed we are in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend by the presence and ministry of so many of the spiritual sons and daughters of Father Moreau! I am glad to see that the Congregation of Holy Cross Fathers is doing well with priestly vocations. As we pray for our own diocesan seminarians, it is important that we also pray for our Holy Cross seminarians. 

    After Mass with the seminary community, I was happy to deliver a speech to the Moreau community on the theme of “Jesus Christ, the Great High Priest.” I am grateful to Father David Tyson, the provincial superior of the Holy Cross Fathers, and to Father James Gallagher, the vocation director, for their kind invitation to deliver this address as part of a series during this Year for Priests. Besides the seminary community, several Holy Cross priests and Notre Dame students attended the address. I felt privileged to share some theological and spiritual reflections on the gift and mystery of the priesthood in light of the priesthood of Christ.

    LuersKnight
    I attended the 30th annual dinner and auction benefiting Bishop Luers High School on Friday, April 23. What a wonderful evening! I especially enjoyed the outstanding performances by the student jazz band and the dance choir. The musical program at Bishop Luers is truly one of the finest I have ever experienced. I remember the beauty of the liturgical music when I celebrated Mass at Bishop Luers back in early February. 

    I was very touched by the moving speech of Bishop Luers’ senior, Deshaun Thomas, who spoke about his experience as a student at Luers’ and the great support he received there from Mrs. Mary Keefer, the principal, and from the faculty. I congratulated Deshaun on his accomplishments, not only on the basketball court, but academically as well. I only gave him a little hard time about his choice to go to Ohio State, rather than Penn State!

    Many thanks to all who so generously supported LuersKnight this year, especially in the auction, which raised over $130,000 for tuition assistance. May God bless your generosity!

    Confirmations
    This past week, I was privileged to administer the sacrament of Confirmation at Ss. Peter and Paul Church in Huntington and at St. Anthony of Padua Church in South Bend. This was my first visit to these two beautiful churches. Even more beautiful than the churches was the beauty of the faith of the young people who received the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of Confirmation.

    Month of May
    As we begin the month of May, a month traditionally associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary, let us turn in a special way to our Lady. Let us remember Mary’s presence in the pilgrim Church from its very beginning on the day of Pentecost. She was present at the very dawn of the Church, united in mind and heart with the disciples at prayer in the upper room, awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit. She is with each of us, her spiritual children, on our pilgrimage through life. She is with us in prayer, as she was with the Apostles and disciples in the upper room. She is with us in our daily activities. She is with us as our mother and our model. She accompanies us throughout our lives with her maternal love. I invite you to pray with me the beautiful Easter hymn, the Regina Coeli:

    Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia. The Son whom you merited to bear, alleluia, has risen as He said, alleluia. Pray for us to God, alleluia. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia! For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.

    Let us pray: O God, who through the Resurrection of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, did vouchsafe to give joy to the world; grant, we beseech You, that through His Mother, the Virgin Mary, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. 

    Posted on April 27, 2010, to:

  • Confirmations offer opportunity for new bishop to visit parishes

    Confirmations
    The busy Confirmation season is now in full swing for both me and Bishop D’Arcy. This past week, I enjoyed celebrating Confirmation Masses at three parishes of the diocese that I had not previously visited: Most Precious Blood and St. Jude parishes in Fort Wayne and St. Pius X parish in Granger. Actually, I celebrated two Confirmation Masses at St. Pius because of the large number of young people to be confirmed, over 160 candidates. The Confirmations are a wonderful opportunity for me as your new bishop to visit many, if not most, of the parishes of our diocese.

    After the Confirmation Mass at St. Jude’s, one of the adults present said to me that he was very struck by the ceremony and said it got him thinking about his own need to reflect on the graces he received when he was confirmed many years ago. That is something important for all of us in our Christian lives: To recognize the gifts of the Holy Spirit that we have received and to open our hearts each day to those gifts. One of the questions I usually ask the Confirmation candidates is “what are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit?” I also talk to them briefly about those gifts. Actually, a homily could be given on each of the seven gifts! The Spirit’s gifts of wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsel, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord sustain our moral lives.

    Another important effect of the sacrament of Confirmation is the special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as faithful witnesses of the Lord Jesus. This is what I usually focus on in my Confirmation homilies. This effect reminds all of us of our responsibility as agents of evangelization. God’s love inspires us to live our faith and to share it with others. At times, it also requires us to defend our faith when it is attacked. During the 50 days of the Easter season, the first reading at Mass is from the Acts of the Apostles. It is good to reflect on the missionary dynamism of the first Christians. The active presence of the Holy Spirit, who is the protagonist of the Church’s mission, is evident in the vitality of the early Church. That same Spirit is with the Church today, inspiring us to confess Christ’s name boldly and never to be ashamed of the Cross of Christ!

    During this season of Confirmations, may we all be renewed in our life in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, in our mission to live our faith to the full, and in our communion with Christ and His Church!

    Catholic Charities
    This past week, I met for several hours with the Board of Catholic Charities of our diocese at Villa of the Woods, next to Bishop Luers High School, in Fort Wayne. The purpose of the meeting was strategic planning for the future. It was an excellent opportunity to reflect deeply on the mission of Catholic Charities within the mission of the Church in our diocese. The Church’s charitable activity is an essential part of her mission. I encourage everyone’s support of Catholic Charities and its many programs and services on behalf of “the least of our brothers and sisters.”

    Though there are some challenges and struggles, especially due to cutbacks in state funding, we are committed to moving forward in our endeavors to serve the poor and needy in our communities. Sadly, it will be necessary to close Children’s Cottage in Fort Wayne due to insufficient financial resources. But we must not be deterred in our charitable efforts; rather, using our limited resources wisely and working diligently to secure needed funding, we must move forward with new resolve. We must also be attentive to new circumstances and changing needs in the communities of our diocese where the services of Catholic Charities are most needed.

    Many thanks to the devoted members of the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities for their generous and devoted service!

    Campus Ministry at the University of Saint Francis
    I enjoyed breakfast with the campus ministry team at the University of Saint Francis this past Thursday. I was happy to listen to several students active in campus ministry share with me their growth in faith through campus ministry. I learned about their retreats, service trips, liturgical life, social activities and spiritual and theological formation. At the University of Saint Francis and throughout our diocese, I continue to be edified by the enthusiasm and commitment of our young people to their Catholic faith. They show me that the Church is indeed alive and that there is much hope for the future! I thank Janet Patterson, the director of campus ministry at the University of Saint Francis, and all who serve with her in this important apostolate.

    Knights of Columbus at Notre Dame
    This is an historic week for the Knights of Columbus council at the University of Notre Dame. One hundred years ago, on April 22, 1910, the first college council of the Knights of Columbus in the world began at Notre Dame. I was privileged to celebrate the centennial Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart this past Saturday with the young Knights of the Notre Dame Council, along with several alumni members, as well as officials of the Supreme and State Councils. After the Mass, we gathered for a dinner celebration, during which there were various distinguished speakers, including Father Theodore Hesburgh, president emeritus of the University of Notre Dame, and Mr. Virgil Dechant, past Supreme Knight.

    The Knights of Columbus are a great blessing to the Church throughout the world, in our own nation, and here in our diocese. I thank all our Knights for their dedicated service to the Church and encourage young men to consider joining this excellent order. The dedication of the Knights of Columbus to charitable service, to the promotion of priestly and religious vocations, to the pro-life cause, and to the building up of our parishes, schools and other institutions is indeed praiseworthy. Thank you, Brother Knights, and congratulations to our young Knights at Notre Dame! Happy 100th Anniversary!

    Well, it is getting late and I must go to reflect on the readings for Mass tomorrow at Bishop Dwenger High School. May God bless you!

    Posted on April 20, 2010, to: