For
an updated calendar of Jubilee events, click
here,
or contact the Golden
Jubilee Coordinator in your parish.
By
THE MOST REVEREND WILLIAM E. LORI, S.T.D., BISHOP OF BRIDGEPORT
Ash
Wednesday, March 5, 2003
Fifty years
ago, on December 2, 1953, a train pulled into the station at Bridgeport.
As Bishop Lawrence J. Shehan, the first Bishop of Bridgeport,
disembarked, he was greeted by a throng of over 3,000 people from
the City of Bridgeport and from every corner of Fairfield County.
He was greeted, not by a crowd, but by a family of faith –
a new family of faith known as the Diocese of Bridgeport.
Some of you
were there for the arrival of Bishop Shehan. I’ve been delighted
to hear eyewitness accounts of parish representatives, Catholic
school students, altar servers, priests and religious, or simply
bystanders. You are part of the living memory of this family of
faith which today includes more than 370,000 Catholics served
by 87 parishes, numerous Catholic schools, nursing homes, a network
of Catholic social services, and so much more. You are part of
a family that includes a tremendous diversity of language, ethnic,
and racial backgrounds. Whether you are a life-long member of
the Diocese or, like me, a relatively recent arrival, we have
an anniversary to celebrate – the fiftieth anniversary of
the Diocese of Bridgeport. And celebrate it we will with a wonderful
calendar of events prepared by a very dedicated Jubilee Committee
representing every location and vocation in our Diocese.
It seems to
me that most anniversaries are self-evident. For example, when
a couple celebrates a golden wedding anniversary, we know that
they are celebrating the joys, sorrows, and challenges of 50 years
of wedded life. But it may not be clear to everyone just what
we are celebrating. After all, just what is a “diocese”?
Where does the word come from and what does it mean? What does
it mean for you and me to be part of a diocese? And how does a
diocese relate to the rest of the Roman Catholic Church and to
the community at large?
The
thought behind this pastoral letter is that, if we are to celebrate
well, we should be clear about what and how we’re celebrating!
So I’d like to takethis occasion to share some reflections
on our identity and mission as a diocese and on the 50th anniversary
celebration that has been planned.
A Diocese is More a “Who”
Than a “What”
Let’s start with the word itself – “diocese.”
One dictionary defines it as “the district under the jurisdiction
of a bishop” (in my case, that’s Fairfield County).
That basic definition is fine – so far as it goes –
but it doesn’t go quite far enough! So let’s dig a
little deeper. Actually the word “diocese” is from
the Greek word dioikesis, and one of its possible meanings is
“to keep house” or, better yet, “to inhabit
a house.” So a diocese might be thought of as a family that
inhabits the household of the faith. You and I are part of a diverse
family of faith extending throughout the nearly 700 square miles
of Fairfield County and dwelling together in the household that
is the Roman Catholic Church.
As members
of this diocesan family of faith, you and I know we are part of
a larger family. At every Mass we pray in union with the Holy
Father, with the Church throughout the world, with the saints
and angels, and with those who have died. Clearly a diocese and
parish do not stand alone. They are part of something larger –
but in a unique way.
Unfortunately,
dioceses are often thought of merely as administrative units of
the world-wide Church – like divisions in a multi-national
corporation. Again, that description just doesn’t go far
enough. What’s unique about the Church is that in every
diocese the whole Church is present! A diocese is a particular
manifestation of the universal Church.
And at this
point you might be saying, “Wait a minute, Bishop Lori,
how can the whole Church be present right here in Fairfield County?”
Let’s
return to our comparison of the diocese to a family. Like a diocese,
a family unit does not stand alone. Each family is part of a larger
family, an extended family. Extended families may live all over
the world. They include members that are living and deceased.
Yet, when a particular part of that family is together, somehow
the whole family is present. Even those who are unable to come
or those who have died are somehow present. After all, the whole
family is bound together by ties of blood, matrimony, common traits,
and shared experiences and memories.
The ties that
bind us in the Church are more real than family ties. Those ties
are far deeper than our own good will or our readiness to participate
in the life of the Church. What really binds us together is the
redeeming love of Christ, revealed in His death and resurrection,
and communicated by the power of the Holy Spirit, most especially
in the celebration of the Eucharist. Unlike our love, Christ’s
love knows no limits. It embraces the world. It embraces time
and eternity. Only God’s love can beget and maintain such
a huge and diverse family, founded on the apostles and endowed
with His gifts of unity, holiness, and universality. Only God’s
love can make the whole Church throughout the world present in
our particular diocesan family of faith. That same love makes
our diocese, the Diocese of Bridgeport, a unique manifestation
of the whole Church.
That is why we chose as our 50th anniversary motto, “One
Family in Faith.” After all, the diocese is more than a
“thing.” And it’s more than “just us.”
In the power of Christ’s love, we’re a unique family
enriched by the rest of the Church and enriching the rest of the
Church. In the power of His love, we can speak not only of the
“Church of Bridgeport” but rather the “Church
which is at Bridgeport.”
Who’s
Who in a Diocese?
If a diocese
is more a “who” than a “what,” then it’s
important to know “who’s who.” In other words,
who makes up our Diocese? Who is part of this One Family in Faith?
The answer to that question involves more than the listings in
the diocesan directory!
At the center
of the Church is a Person – the Person of Jesus Christ,
the Eternal Son of God, who became man, preached the Good News
of the Father’s love, cured the sick, and raised the dead.
It was the Father who called the Church into being by sending
His Son into the world to share our humanity and to redeem us
from sin by His life, death, and resurrection, and by the sending
of the Holy Spirit. And as the soul of the Church, the Holy Spirit
makes Christ present to the Church – truly and pervasively
present – until the end of the ages. Indeed, the New Testament
frequently refers to the Church as Christ’s very Body, as
closely united to Him as members of a body are to its head. The
presence of Christ in our midst, through the power of the Spirit,
is the source of our unity as One Family in Faith. This unity
or communion is expressed and brought about most completely in
the Eucharist: “Really sharing in the body of the Lord and
in the breaking of the Eucharistic Bread, we are taken up into
communion with Him and with one another” (Second Vatican
Council, Lumen Gentium, 7).
Since, as
we’ve seen, a diocese is a particular manifestation of the
entire Church, we can say that, in the power of the Holy Spirit,
Christ is at the heart of this Diocese. He is truly and pervasively
present – present when the Scriptures are proclaimed; present
when the banquet of His sacrifice is offered; present in the Blessed
Sacrament reserved; present in the Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation,
and in all the sacraments; present in the priests and deacons
who serve us; present in the consecrated women and men who live
in chastity, poverty, and obedience; present in the lay women
and men who, representing every walk of life, comprise the largest
part of our family of faith.
Membership
in the Church comes about through the sacrament of Baptism. But
Baptism is not merely a matter of signing up or going through
an initiation ceremony. Rather, in Baptism, you and I are re-born
through water and the Holy Spirit. Baptism changes us, in the
very depth of our being, by washing away all sin and by implanting
in us the life of God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Through
Baptism, we become the adopted sons and daughters of God who,
like God’s own Son, call God our Father (see Galatians 4:
6–7). As a result, the Father can see and love in us what
He sees and loves in His own eternal Son, Jesus Christ (Preface
for Sundays, VII). So the very Person who is at the heart of the
Church is at the very center of our lives, dwelling in the depth
of our souls. In belonging to Christ, we are members of His Body,
the Church. Baptism incorporates us into the Church, the Body
of Christ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1267). As members
of His People, the Church, we no longer belong to ourselves “but
to Him who died and rose for us” (CCC 1268). In Christ we
are One Family in Faith, professing “one Lord, one faith,
one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through
all and in all” (Eph. 4: 5-6).
Baptism is not only the entry way into the Church; it also equips
us for our lives as followers of Christ and members of the Church.
Baptism conveys to each one of us – clergy, religious, laity
– a personal call to holiness (Second Vatican Council, Lumen
Gentium, 40). As members of a priestly people, we are called to
participate in God’s own life, above all, through the celebration
of the Eucharist, and all the sacraments, and to model our lives
on the words and example of Christ and His saints. Indeed, the
crux of our lives as Catholic Christians is the Sunday celebration
of the Mass, the Eucharist. It is from the Eucharist that the
Church continually derives life and thrives (Second Vatican II,
Lumen Gentium, 26). Here is where we are joined most intimately
to the Risen Christ and to one another. Here is where we derive
the inspiration and strength to live as Christ’s followers.
Absence from Sunday Eucharist, except for a serious reason (such
as serious illness), is not an option for anyone who takes his
or her faith seriously (CCC 2181).
In Baptism,
we are also given the theological virtues of faith, hope, and
charity which dispose us, as members of the Church, to live our
lives in relationship to the Holy Trinity (CCC 1813). These virtues,
which are the basis for the moral virtues, are “implanted”
in us in seed form but must be carefully tended if they are to
grow to full maturity and to bear fruit. In addition, at Baptism
one is given the mandate not only to practice the faith with fidelity
and love, but also to spread the faith – to participate
in the life and mission of the Church. And finally, in Baptism
we receive the kernel of our vocations.
When we are
baptized, we become members of a parish community and members
of a diocese. But since the universal Church is present in each
diocese, we are, at the same time, joined by Baptism to the whole
Church. We are given a “passport” to a world-wide
communion of believers, past and present, representing every language,
culture, and epoch of history. We are given entrée to the
holiness of Christ reflected in the saints. And we are joined
to one another and charged to help one another along the path
of truth and love, the path of salvation. We become part of the
Church, “founded by Christ as a communion of life, love,
and truth [and] taken up [by Him] as the instrument of salvation
for all; as the light of the world and the salt of the earth,
it is sent forth into the whole world” (Second Vatican Council,
Lumen Gentium 9; see also Pope John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio,
9).
And it is from that perspective that you and I need to consider
the various vocations that are part of the Church’s life
and crucial to the life of each diocese. Every vocation is a vocation
of service. We truly find our identity, mission, and dignity in
the Church when we imitate Christ who came as One who serves.
Vocations in the life of the Church are not about “empowerment,”
“ownership,” or “entitlement,” but rather
about embracing Jesus “who emptied himself and took the
condition of slave” (Phil. 1:2). Baptism calls us to be
emptied of self so that we can be filled with genuine power and
authority – the power of Christ over sin and death, and
an authority rooted in the life-giving truth of Jesus Christ,
communicated in the Scriptures and in the teaching, worship, and
service of the Church. Indeed, none of us is “above”
the Gospel as it comes to us through the Church. Each of us, from
Pope to newly baptized, is called to embrace and adhere to everything
the Church believes and teaches with loving and faith-filled hearts
(Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, 25).
The Holy Father
is the Pastor of the Church Universal. Because this Diocese is
a particular manifestation of the universal Church, we, as its
members, can claim Pope John Paul II as our pastor. At Mass we
pray “in union with John Paul II our Pope.” We claim
him as Successor to Peter, Vicar of Christ and visible head of
the whole Church, both of the College of Bishops and the communion
of all the faithful (Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, 18,
23). In union with the Holy Father, the world’s bishops,
who have “by divine institution taken the place of the apostles
as pastors of the Church” (Second Vatican Council, Lumen
Gentium, 20), shepherd God’s People in the very person of
Christ, the Head of the Church. All of us are joined to the Holy
Father and the bishops in a communion of truth, life, and love.
For that reason we are called to open our minds and hearts to
the teaching and direction which they give to the whole Church
as authentic teachers, “endowed with the authority of Christ”
(Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, 25). We do ourselves and
others a disservice when we rely on skewed interpretations which
do not reflect the truth, beauty, and coherence of what the Church
teaches.
As your bishop,
I am called to be pastor of the particular Church “which
is at Bridgeport.” I am privileged to build upon the solid
foundations of faith, worship, and service put in place first
by the Archdiocese of Hartford and then by the first three Bishops
of Bridgeport, Cardinal Shehan, Bishop Curtis, and Cardinal Egan.
Unworthy though I am, I am counted among those who are successors
to the apostles. It is my responsibility to serve as “the
visible source and foundation of unity” for this One Family
of Faith (Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, 23). I am charged
with preaching the Gospel as it comes to us through the Church
– without diluting, distorting, or compromising it (Second
Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, 25). I am called to serve as the
Lord’s instrument to engender genuine holiness in the individuals
and communities who form the Diocese of Bridgeport by providing
for the Church’s liturgical and sacramental life, most especially
the celebration of the Eucharist (Second Vatican Council, Lumen
Gentium, 26). I am also called to govern and guide the Church
so that its gifts may be used for the glory of God’s name
and the advancement of the Church’s mission (Second Vatican
II, Lumen Gentium, 27). And as your bishop, I am part of the College
of Bishops responsible for promoting and guarding the unity of
the Church’s faith and upholding the Church’s discipline
throughout the whole world (Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium,
23).
In all of
this, I am not a lone ranger. My ministry is exercised in closest
union with the Holy Father and with bishops throughout the world.
It is exercised in union with the priests and deacons, ordained
to cooperate with me in preaching the Gospel, celebrating the
mysteries of Christ, and guiding the Church in loving service
(Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, 28). I depend on my brother
priests and deacons to lead and serve the 87 parish communities
that are the heart and soul of our family of faith – to
help each parish community be a vibrant community of faith, worship,
and service. Consecrated religious also work together with me
in a unique and vital way, both by their generous apostolic labors
but even more by their vowed witness to Jesus Christ.
So also,
I exercise my mission and ministry in union with the laity. Above
all, the laity is called to bring the Gospel of Christ to the
world, to bear witness to Christ in daily life by word and example.
Indeed, the Church’s most urgent mandate and responsibility
are to bring the Gospel of Christ to the world, including every
corner of Fairfield County. This is called “evangelization”
and it is a mission we share. However, lay persons fulfill a crucial
role in advancing this mission by creating strong and loving families,
rooted in the love of husband and wife, and in whose love children
are begotten and reared in accord with God’s plan. Lay persons
often go where priests and religious do not – to business
offices and boardrooms, to classrooms and factories; to the halls
of government and to the centers from which the news and entertainment
industries emanate.
In one way
or another, you and I help to shape the culture in which we live.
With the truth and redeeming love of Christ, you, as members of
the laity, have a particular calling to evangelize that culture,
to create by word and example a culture more worthy of the human
person, called to share God’s life (Second Vatican Council,
Lumen Gentium 35, 36). Please do not underestimate your role in
bearing witness to the Gospel! Saint Francis of Assisi used to
say, “Preach always. When necessary, use words.” Your
manner of life, your knowledge and love of the Catholic faith,
your readiness to speak about and defend the faith, your spirit
of willing service – all this helps attract those who have
left the practice of the faith or those who are searching for
a spiritual home.
Many members
of the laity also extend the bishop’s ministry to the Church
by serving as teachers, cate-chists, administrators, social workers,
and so many other roles. Others serve as lay members of parish
corporations and on parish and diocesan councils and boards which
help to guide the programs and administration throughout the Diocese
(Second Vatican Coun-cil, Lumen Gentium, 37). Currently a newly-revitalized
diocesan pastoral council is being formed, a council that will
be comprised mostly of lay women and men, a council that will
reflect our One Family of Faith.
To understand
how we are to work together in the Church, let’s focus yet
again on the comparison of the Church to a family. Every member
shares in the life of a family and everyone has distinct responsibilities
within the family circle. Healthy families try to make it possible
for members to help and support one another in honesty and in
love. They try to eliminate unhealthy competition whereby one
family member advances at the expense of others. Something similar
should go on in the Church. The various vocations in the Church
should not compete with one another but rather support and sustain
one another. For example, the involvement of the laity should
not and does not depend on diminishing the role of bishops, priests,
and deacons. Indeed, holy and well-functioning priests and deacons
have as their mission in life to bear witness to the Gospel so
as to draw lay women and men into the redeeming love of Christ
and to help them participate in the holiness and the mission of
the Church. Similarly, lay women and men help bishops, priests
and deacons to be who they are – to have deep integrity
and holiness of life in the faithful exercise of their ministry.
A healthy laity should want strong bishops, priests, and deacons
and work hard to encourage vocations to priesthood and religious
life. A healthy episcopate, priesthood, and diaconate should seek
to engender enduring holiness and active participation among the
laity in the life of the Church. And both the ordained and the
laity should look to those in consecrated life (religious sisters,
brothers and priests) as models of that ultimate holiness and
goodness to which all of us are called.
Families Have Sorrows,
Disagreements, and Problems
Every family has sorrows, disagreements, and problems. Our diocesan
family of faith is no exception. We are part of a Church endowed
with the holiness of Christ but comprised of sinners. Like every
family we go through good times and bad, sickness and health.
And like every family, we sometimes experience disagreements and
discord.
Currently the Church in the United States, including our own diocesan
family of faith, is undergoing a time of tremendous challenge.
It is a time of sadness and dismay as the Church in the United
States comes to terms with scandalous and destructive behavior
on the part of a small number of bishops and priests and other
representatives of the Church, as also with the serious mistakes
that were made by bishops in dealing with it. These scandals have
evoked deep feelings in all of us. In spite of efforts to deal
with each allegation swiftly, decisively, and fairly, we nonetheless
stand as a local community of faith in need of hope, forgiveness
and healing. We face the long-term task of restoring trust and
reaching out to those who have departed in the midst of this crisis.
Lest we forget,
all of us in this family of faith know what human weakness is.
We experience it in ourselves and in our families. We face an
array of difficulties including marital problems, spousal abuse,
family financial challenges, drug and alcohol abuse, and so many
other problems. Young people who are very much a part of our family
of faith encounter challenges that were undreamed of when I was
growing up. So, like Saint Paul, we find ourselves carrying with
us the great treasure of Christ and His love in earthen vessels
– in our fragile humanity. And how earnestly we should ask
for the grace to allow His goodness and love to break through
and transform us!
Any healthy
family knows that, when tragedy strikes, it is best to face the
issues squarely. A healthy family focuses not only on the issue
at hand but also its root causes. It also takes steps to ensure
that it does not undermine or destroy itself in dealing with them.
The same is true for this diocesan family of faith. With the grace
of Christ Jesus and the help of many dedicated priests, deacons,
religious, and members of the laity – with your help –
I am doing my level best to ensure that no one in church service
poses a threat to children and young people or, indeed, to anyone.
Again with God’s help and the help of many, I am also working
to create a “family environment” where we relate to
one another in a healthy and loving fashion based on the truth
that binds us together. Healthy families forgive deeply but they
also take steps to ensure that offending family members do no
more harm. It has to be that way with us. We need to forgive those
who perpetrated the harm, but not enable them to harm others.
As a family of faith, we need to continue reaching out to all
those who have been harmed by destructive behavior. Above all,
with your prayers, encouragement, and participation, I am working
to ensure that all those in the service of the Church –
priests, deacons, and those in lay ministry – are well-formed
as human beings and servants of the Gospel.
And even as
we celebrate our diversity as a family of faith, we must guard
against a destructive diversity – a tendency to substitute
one’s own opinions and style for the received faith and
discipline of the Church. This tendency creates divisions that
weaken the solidarity that must exist among members of the Church
and saps the energy needed for the Church’s essential mission
of proclaiming the faith, worshipping in spirit and truth, and
serving those in need. Like a family that returns to its core
traditions and values in time of crisis, so this Diocese must
be renewed and strengthened on the one foundation of the Gospel
of Christ as it comes to us in the teaching of the holy Catholic
Church. Now is not the time for us to shrink from professing our
faith with boldness, completeness, and joy. Now is not the time
to advance opinions or agendas at variance with the Church’s
teaching and discipline.
We want to
move forward with integrity and love. Our hopes for doing so are
well-founded – not because our family of faith will ever
be perfect (we are all sinners being forged into saints) but rather
because the Lord remains with us, endows us with His holiness,
and never abandons us. In His wisdom and love, the Lord can draw
out good from even the most unimaginable evil. If we unite in
relying on the Lord, we can expect to grow stronger and holier
as a family of faith – and, perhaps, even larger!
The Mission and the Means
Thank God, we are not a stand-alone family! In Christ we are indeed
One Family in Faith. The Church is endowed with the truth of the
Gospel and the holiness won for us by Jesus’ death and resurrection.
We have been given the Spirit who unites us in knowing the Lord,
accepting the Gospel, and bearing witness to it. And we live in
a time and place where the Church is blessed with good priests
and deacons, with an extraordinary number of excellent candidates
for the priesthood (seminarians) and the diaconate, with dedicated,
self-giving religious, and with talented and generous lay persons
who support and help guide the mission of the Church in countless
ways.
We are blessed with 33 elementary schools, one special education
academy, and 5 diocesan high schools, as well as several private
Catholic schools which educate nearly 14,000 young people per
year. At Bridgeport’s Kolbe-Cathedral High School, the only
inner-city Catholic high school in Connecticut, 96% of the graduates
go on to college; indeed all five diocesan high schools, fully
committed to teaching the Catholic faith, have enviable academic
and athletic success, coupled with a wonderful spirit of service
to the community. There are approximately 3,260 catechists teaching
in parish religious education programs, serving some 23,000 young
people. Catholic Charities in Fairfield County is the largest
non-governmental provider of social services, with 26 locations
throughout the county. Last year alone Catholic Charities served
500,000 meals to those in need. Our family of faith is enriched
by the Daughters of Charity who sponsor Saint Vincent’s
Medical Center, which serves 175,000 patients per year. Our diocese
maintains three well-run nursing homes (Saint Joseph’s Manor,
Trumbull; Saint Camillus, Stamford; and Pope John Paul II Health
Center, Danbury) and an excellent home for retired priests, the
Catherine Dennis Keefe Queen of the Clergy Residence, in Stamford.
Throughout Fairfield County, Bishop Curtis Homes provide much-needed
affordable housing. Through the generosity of the Order of Malta,
there is a loving home for unwed mothers and their children, Malta
House of Good Counsel, in Norwalk. There are two wonderful centers
for young people in Bridgeport – the Cardinal Shehan Center
and the McGivney Center; they help young people excel in academics,
in sports, and in their relationships with others. At the Saint
John Fisher Seminary Residence in Stamford, 12 of our 30 seminarians
are receiving their initial priestly formation, and many other
young men attend activities to help them discern if they might
be called to the priesthood.
Our diocesan
family of faith is also blessed and enriched by the presence of
many religious communities of women and men who bear witness to
Christ by their consecrated lives and who engage in wonderful
ministries and apostolates. Many have been serving in the Diocese
from its first years and even earlier. Others have just recently
arrived, and more are likely to serve here in the near future.
The Diocese will welcome in the fall the Sisters Servants of the
Lord and of the Virgin of Matera who will be serving at Saint
George Parish in South Bridgeport, along with the newly- arrived
priests of the Institute of the Incarnate Word.
You
may have seen the Jubilee poster that features all 87 parishes
of the Diocese of Bridgeport. The poster speaks volumes about
who we are as a diocese. The parishes are where you and I most
often encounter the Church. I visit the parishes as often as I
can – it’s my favorite part of the job! And in those
visits, I have come to know something of the rich diversity of
parish life. Mass is celebrated in 13 languages. Our parishes
reflect not only the languages but also the cultures of the Americas
– Puerto Rico, Columbia, Mexico, Cuba, Brazil, Haiti, and
the African-American culture. They are enriched by the languages
and traditions of Western, Central, and Eastern Europe –
Italy, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, and Slovenia. They
include communities of recent immigrants from the Philippines,
Vietnam, China, Laos, Cambodia, and Korea. Currently the Diocese
is expanding its ministry to the Latino community in the Naugatuck
Valley and in various parts of Bridgeport.
Though the Diocese is geographically small, there are striking
regional differences as one travels from Bridgeport to Danbury,
from Greenwich to Shelton, from Trumbull to Stamford, from Sherman
to Newtown. I am deeply grateful to the priests and deacons who
lead and serve these parishes; theirs is a demanding and absorbing
ministry to which they have given their lives. I know how much
they love their parishes and tirelessly work to strengthen them.
These parishes and diocesan ministries are more than the “products”
of the Diocese. They reflect not only your financial generosity
but also your participation in the life of the Church. Participation
takes many forms. It begins with sharing in the life of the Trinity
through Sunday Mass, regular reception of the sacraments, and
daily private and family prayer. It involves living one’s
vocation virtuously, especially the vocation to marriage and family.
It requires a daily witness to the truth and love of Christ within
the family, in the workplace, and in the wider culture. It also
involves lending one’s time and talents to the Church’s
mission – by assisting in parish and diocesan committees
and boards, and by assisting in various church ministries such
as religious education programs, youth work, and outreach to the
poor, the elderly, the sick and the needy. Participation also
includes generosity in sharing one’s resources with the
Diocese and with one’s parish so that the Church’s
mission of spiritual formation, education, and charity might continue,
both now and in the future.
One Family in Faith Celebrates
Fifty Years
Fifty years
have passed since our family of faith, the Diocese of Bridgeport,
began. This year we mark the Golden Anniversary not merely of
buildings and institutions but of a family of faith, a family
which is a particular manifestation of the Universal Church, the
Holy People of God. We celebrate our oneness in Christ and the
diversity that reflects divine wisdom and love. We celebrate all
that the Church which is at Bridgeport is accomplishing in and
for the Kingdom of God. We celebrate this Diocese as One Family
in Faith.
How shall
we, as one family in faith, observe our 50th anniversary? At the
beginning of this letter, I spoke of an extensive “calendar
of events” prepared by the Diocesan Jubilee Committee. I
hope we shall see these events as graced opportunities to give
thanks to God for His abundant blessings during these past 50
years and as a source of strength and renewal as we begin our
journey into the future. This Jubilee, in God’s Providence,
affords all of us a chance to grow in unity and in holiness of
life, and to rededicate ourselves to the mission of the Church
in Fairfield County. We are given a graced opportunity to rebuild
and renew what has been damaged, and to strengthen and purify
what is best in our collective life of faith, worship, and service.
Here are just
some of the ways we shall do this:
•
Renewal and holiness requires repentance. We begin this Lent
with penance services in the five vicariates of the Diocese.
I will be privileged to preside at each of these.
•
Our unity as a family of faith is centered on the Lord Jesus,
who died and rose for our salvation and who gives Himself to
us in the Eucharist. From Easter to Pentecost, each of the 87
parishes will schedule at least one full day of Eucharistic
Adoration.
•
Our unity as a culturally diverse family of faith must be visible
so that we may draw strength from one another in the Lord and
bear witness to the vitality of our faith. On Sunday, September
28, at 3:00 p.m., the Diocesan Jubilee Mass will take place
in Harbor Yard Arena, Bridgeport, a Mass which will draw over
7,000 people.
•
The Cathedral is the seat of the Bishop and the Mother Church
of the Diocese. Currently, the Cathedral of Saint Augustine
in Bridgeport is undergoing extensive renovation and will be
rededicated on December 2 – fifty years to the day on
which Bishop Shehan was installed as the First Bishop of Bridgeport.
•
Our anniversary falls in a year designated by Pope John Paul
II as the Year of the Rosary. From October 3-5, there will be
a Diocesan Pilgrimage to the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate
Conception, “Mary’s House” in Washington,
D.C.
•
We celebrate the Diocese as one family in faith. The Jubilee
is an opportunity to deepen our knowledge of and love for the
faith of the Church. A lecture series has been arranged with
notable speakers, as well as a conference on the Church’s
vision of the human person and human sexuality.
•
As a family of faith, we are called to spread and transmit the
faith. On November 7, a Christian Formation Congress is scheduled
for religious educators and teachers in Catholic Schools, with
Bishop Donald Wuerl of Pittsburgh as the keynote speaker.
•
The young are a vital part of our family of faith. They are
not only the future of the Church but a part of who we are here
and now. Our celebration will include a youth rally on May 4,
and an effort to renew and strengthen youth ministry throughout
the Diocese.
•
Vocations to the priesthood and religious life are the lifeblood
for the continued vitality and effectiveness of this One Family
of Faith. Next year, on World Day for Vocations, May 2, 2004,
I will celebrate a special diocesan Mass to pray that the Lord
will send us an abundance of vocations to the priesthood, diaconate,
and religious life.
•
Those in advancing years are a source of immense wisdom and
strength for the Diocese, even as they undergo physical decline.
For the elderly and the seriously ill of all ages, the Diocese
and parishes will celebrate, in various places, the Sacrament
of the Anointing of the Sick in common.
•
Our Diocese, as has been noted many times, is blessed with a
wonderful cultural and linguistic diversity. Each parish will
celebrate its own heritage, invite ever greater participation
of the faithful in the mission of the Church and devise a plan
of evangelization so that we may reach out to those who no longer
practice their faith or those who are seeking a spiritual home.
•Our
family of faith treasures the gift of life and celebrates the
Gospel of Life. On January 22, the Diocese sponsored the first
“Life Train” – a chartered train to Washington
for the March for Life. We will repeat this initiative in January
2004.
•
In September 2002, the priests of the Diocese of Bridgeport
participated in its first Convocation. During the year ahead,
through days of recollection, retreats, small prayer groups,
and vicariate meetings, we shall continue our spiritual renewal
and seek to strengthen one another in Christ Jesus.
Conclusion
I thank you for taking time to read this letter. It is a joy and
a privilege to serve as your pastor – as pastor of this
One Family of Faith. I thank you for opening your hearts to the
truth and love of Christ and for your enduring love as members
of His Church. I thank you for loving the Church, especially now
when we need to show our love for the Church.
Cardinal Avery
Dulles has written:
“In
our time Christians, and perhaps Catholics more than others, are
haunted by the fear of loving the Church too much. They find it
hard to share Christ’s own love for the Church (Eph. 5:25)
and to accept the maxim of Saint Augustine, quoted by Vatican
II, that ‘one possesses the Holy Spirit in the measure that
one loves the Church of Christ” (Avery Dulles, The Reshaping
of Catholicism, p. 152).
Through the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Augustine,
the patron saint of our diocese, may we unite as One Family in
Faith in wholeheartedly loving the Church of Christ and in participating
in the Church’s mission. May God bless us and keep us always
in His love!
For
an updated calendar of Jubilee events, click
here, or contact the Golden
Jubilee Coordinator in your parish.