For His Friends

Probably the biggest news in the Church world this week was the announcement which all US bishops received yesterday from Cardinal Francis George that finally, after years of preparation, the new English texts for the Roman Missal have been approved by the Holy See and returned to all of the English speaking countries for printing, publication, and promulgation. Cardinal George in his message to the bishops said that in his capacity and role as president of the episcopal conference he was promulgating that the new translation of the texts used at Mass would be utilized starting on the first Sunday of Advent in 2011. So, the long and short of it is that you and I must begin to prepare ourselves for a new translation in English of texts which we have been using at Mass since the early seventies of the last century.

After the fathers of the Second Vatican Council decided that Mass could be celebrated in either Latin or in the language of every country in the world, the English speaking countries founded and financially supported an organization to translate the texts used at Mass from Latin into English. That organization was called the International Commission on English in the Liturgy or ICEL. Latin scholars and English technicians immediately set about to translate the texts used in the Missal on the altar at Mass into the vernacular of every country. There was enormous pressure to change at the time and the translation admittedly was rushed. The translators were allowed by the Holy See to use a translation technique called “dynamic equivalency” in translating which meant that they did not have to translate strictly but could use words and idiom of spoken language at that time. Or to put it more succinctly, both the Holy See and ICEL wished to present a translation which recognized that words change with time and a strict translation might not make sense to the hearer or reader. When published and approved by the Holy See, the translation we currently use served us well but if words can sometimes change and other words pass into disuse, then an updating from time to time was likely.

The bishops of the English speaking world began this updating about fifteen years ago and ICEL produced an absolutely magnificent translation of the Roman Missal which was passed by the US bishops conference by a vote of 235-32. But there was some controversy and the minority complained to Rome that they were not listened to in the debate in the US at least and Rome heard their complaint, refused to accept the new translation, and then amazingly did what the Council documents left to individual bishops’ conferences and changed the rules of translation from dynamic equivalency to a strict adherence to translating the Latin slavishly. The Holy See then ordered a new or third translation attempt, ICEL was radically altered and work begun on the Mass texts which you should be hearing and praying starting next November, 2011.  So, for example, the Latin et cum spiritu tuo which we have been rendering as and also with you is now to be and with your Spirit.

The changes which will be asked of our praying communities will not be a terrible burden, I think. They will take some getting accustomed to but so did moving from Latin followed by some Latin/English to total English in the Mass. If the praying Church did it in the late 1960′s and 1970′s, I am confident that the praying Church will do it again. Only time will tell if the new translation to be brought into being in fifteen months will stand the test of time as well as the current translation has. There are words being changed which will require catechesis on the part of all of us. We use the word offering at Mass but we will soon substitute oblation in its place. The latter is a stricter translation of the Latin. We need to teach our children and others the meaning of a word which is not in common parlance. Perhaps no big deal but change always comes with some pain.

The arguments among the bishops of this country on this translation wore most of us down but I can tell you that in the end, the Holy See did listen and accept many of the greater concerns of bishops who were uncomfortable with some of what was being proposed. I am personally at peace with the translation as I understand it will be coming to us and along with our priests, I will do everything I can to welcome this change, make it as palatable as possible, provide the necessary catechesis prior to implementation, and ready the parishes and chapels of this diocese for the First Sunday of Advent in 2011. I shall be returning to this subject often in the coming fifteen months. I hope we will be one of the best dioceses in preparing for and implementing the new missal. Now is the time and it falls to us as it fell to our parents as well as ourselves and our beloved Church in the late ’60′s and early ’70′s. As Christ said, be not afraid.

+RNL

Several things have happened in the last few days which cause me to pause and reflect on my role as bishop. I really think that the definition of what a bishop is expected to be is evolving in the Church though not theologically or canonically. We know that when we were ordained to this ministry of service, we were told that our three principal tasks were to teach, govern and sanctify. Those three words are right there in the episcopal ordination rite itself. However, the office has evolved to include a lot of things which are not directly related to those three munera. The bishop also has to pastor people, albeit in a sometimes slightly different way than say your pastors and priests “pastor” you in your parishes.

I have a special obligation to my brother priests which transcends governance and acquires the characteristics of a familial relationship. Some say the bishop is to be a “father” to his priests and some would say, wrong person in the family food chain, the bishop should be a “brother” to his priests. In the last decade as a result of the sexual misconduct scandals, the bishop’s relationship with his clergy has become in some instances strained. There is hardly room in the typical family definition of either father or brother for a prosecutorial role, yet that is how some priests view their bishop. One phone call can change their lives, whether they are innocent or guilty. I don’t think bishops in the past were ever truly “fathers” to their priests unless what I would call (forgive me, men) the Irish notion of father was operative in the Church. They were administrators, often remote, sometimes threatening in their very character, neither frightfully loving or expressive of their gratitude. Often isolated and insulated by the “trappings” of the office, one did not approach the bishop except for the most serious of reasons. Better to ask forgiveness than permission was often the norm for dealing with one’s bishop. The Second Vatican Council attempted to “humanize the office”, taking away a lot of the trappings and suggesting a more servant oriented definition of bishop.

Today’s bishop, even with the newer paradigm, probably needs to ignore the comparisons of father/brother and just be present to his priests, in moments of happiness and sadness. I had some time to think about all of this yesterday as I was traveling to and from the funeral Mass for John Schneider, the 92 year old father of our Father Bob Schneider, pastor of Espiritu Santo. It was not easy for me to get to Salina, Kansas and Father Bob and his family would probably easily have forgiven me for not being there (I had missed his mother’s funeral several years ago at Christmas time). But I try whenever possible to be with my priests when they lose a parent. I am successful honestly about half of the time and the parental deaths of our Polish, African and Indian priests are very hard to attend, primarily because of the custom of immediate burials (so quick that if the priest son is not present at the time of death, he too misses the funeral) and, of course, the distance, time and expense. I hate to miss them nonetheless and often feel a sense of guilt for a while when I know it was impossible. There is no time when a priest needs the support of his bishop more than the death of someone dear to him. Yesterday, it was particularly heart warming to see the priests of the Salina diocese gather in great number to support Father Bob who prior to coming to the diocese of St. Petersburg had been ordained for and served in his home diocese. The current and retired local bishops were present and about twenty priests and several hundred friends of the family. I felt good coming back last night, feeling that being there was as important for me as for Father Schneider.

In fourteen years, I have had the privilege of saying the funeral Mass for almost all of our deceased priests, if they lived in the area. I shall not soon forget that during even the height of my incapacity last year I was unable to attend the Mass for our beloved Father Stephen Dambrauskas. I still think of that, long after everyone else probably has forgotten it. I feel a strong sense of going to the cemetery after the funeral Mass for our priests even though it is not always the custom for a local bishop to do that. I guess I would want my successor(s) to be with me to my grave and so many of our older men have no natural family, only myself and their brother priests. Whatever we are called, there is a strong element of family among us.

Driving back to the Wichita Airport, I called my office and learned that a Marine son of one of our long-time employees in Finance, Tracy Kelly of Christ the King parish in Tampa had been shot and very seriously wounded in Afghanistan late last week. Alex is going to live but rehabilitation will be long and begins today as he is flown to Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. Most of Tracy’s children are serving in the armed forces of the United States and each time they are sent to Iraq and Afghanistan she has asked me for prayers for their safety. Learning that Alex was shot was like a blow in the stomach to me. How often his Mom had asked for my prayers when Richard (“Ricky”) left for an Army deployment or Katherine (“Katie”) left for the Navy. But I remember especially Tracy asking for prayers for Alex, the Marine, headed back, this time to Afghanistan. Yesterday when I talked to Tracy, she was a strong mom but one could tell she was struggling. I promised more prayers for Alex and she said a remarkable thing: “Alex asks for prayers for his buddies in his company he left behind. He is alive and grateful for it. He is most worried about his buddies.” Even bishops learn a lot from the lived experience of other people.

Maybe I had too much time on the two plane rides, but each year I learn more and more about what the role of the bishop is in the family of Christ’s church. Perhaps in six years, God willing, at the time of retirement, I will have finally learned what being a good bishop really involves.

+RNL

I am back from fishing and after a long day in the office found myself on a plane to South Bend and the University of Notre Dame. I had been invited to celebrate the graduation Mass, give out the certificates which precede the diplomas and preach for the seventeen members of the ECHO group who are graduating and those returning this week-end for their second year in their dioceses and those who will be beginning their two year service in the dioceses of the country starting, well tomorrow for some. We have had the privilege of three ECHO students in our diocese for the past two years who are graduating today: Anthony Paz who served at St. Jude Cathedral, Katie Muller who served at St. Paul parish and Holy Family parish, and Ellen Voegele who served at Blessed Trinity parish. Anthony is from Eureka, California and graduated with his bachelor’s degree from Amherst College, Katie is a graduate of Marquette University and is from the Chicago area and Ellen is from Batavia, Ohio and graduated from Marian College in Indianapolis. The two young women are returning to continue to serve at Blessed Trinity as Director of Faith Formation and St. Paul’s as High School Youth Minister and Middle School Religion teacher and Anthony is joining the staff of St. Luke’s parish in McLean as Coordinator of Adult Faith Formation. Congratulations and gratitude and appreciation is extended to these three wonderful young people for their educational and pastoral accomplishments during the last to years of ECHO. When they are in the diocese of St. Petersburg, Brian Lemoi, the Director of Religious Formation is their mentor and thanks are also due to him. Father Joseph Waters attended the ceremonies in South Bend for Anthony who served one year with the new pastor of the Cathedral.

Happily, their places will be taken by three new ECHO representatives serving at Holy Family parish in St. Petersburg, at St. Jerome parish in Indian Rocks Beach and at Espiritu Santo parish in Safety Harbor. ECHO at Notre Dame is an activity of the Center for Catechetical Initiatives which itself is a part of the Department of Theology. During their two years in the program, its participants called “apprentice catechetical leaders” experience four important dimensions of growth: academic formation leading to a Master’s degree, professional ministerial formation, communal formation, and spiritual formation.

Our liturgy was lovely and what great readings for the Mass this week-end. One can count on the fingers of both hands the number of times in a three year cycle when all three readings can be tied together thematically and this is one of them. It was a great Saturday for me and for the ECHO program. Tomorrow I fly to Orlando for a meeting with my brother bishops of Florida. Who says summer is a time of rest and relaxation. In fourteen years I think I can prove that summer only sees a slight decrease in activities in our Church.

ET ALIA

Some readers have asked me to comment when I return on how successful I was at “fishing” the last few weeks. I caught nothing as my friends would expect but it was relaxing.

I was out-of-town when George Steinbrenner died and I regret that I could not be present to his family at the time of their great loss. I knew him as a very generous and great man whose love for his children and grandchildren was exceptional. He was generous to a number of Catholic institutions (the Academy of the Holy Names and St. Cecilia school to name two) and very generous in this community. I loved being with him as he constantly teased me about the high school which I graduated from in Columbus, Ohio (St. Charles) while he was coaching at our arch-rival, Aquinas High School. More than the Yankees should be mourning his loss. His heart was larger than his reputation was occasionally controversial. Rest in peace, good friend of the Bay area and great head of a family.

Finally, you should be reading new entries several times a week in the coming month. I missed the discipline which this exercise requires. It is nice to be back.

+RNL

Update 8/5/10: Anthony went to Amherst College, not the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

No, this is not a blog getting you ready for the coming changes in the texts we use at Mass! I am not even sure how much Latin I remember but I am playing off the words attributed to Julius Caesar after conquering Gaul, when he imperially pronounced Veni, Vidi, Vici or “I came, I saw, I conquered.” If I have the case endings correct in the title to this blog, what I meant to say in Latin, is “they came, they saw, we conquered.” The “they” are the bishops of the United States who came and spent the better part of last week with us.

"For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies..."

After some of them had been here a while and enjoyed the beauty of the downtown St. Petersburg waterfront and its parks, and the area’s finest gelateria on Beach Drive (four night average of 100 bishops a night prior to going to bed went to get an ice cream), they began to inquire about my health, how old I am, and who do they talk to about succeeding me. More than one referred to our city as “the last stop on the path to paradise.” I could not have been more proud.

The diocesan Worship Office assisted the national team in preparing morning and evening prayer, a Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament, and an hour-long penance service plus the daily celebration of the Eucharist. Michelle Rego of old St. Mary’s arranged for the superb musicians and our seminarians served the Masses and helped as lectors at many of the liturgical services. I am proud of them all – boasting like a proud parent, “they’re mine.”

As I mentioned earlier in a blog, this was one of those special assemblies which we hold every four years (the next one will be in San Diego in 2014) and there was practically no business conducted. Thus, we were absent the media, the TV lights and cameras, the staff from Washington and the many observers who attend our business meetings. It was just us, wearing “civies”, enjoying both the topic and the fraternity.

The main speakers were outstanding. Archbishop Dolan began the week with a keynote address giving the history of relations between priests and bishops throughout the centuries. Archbishop Collins of Toronto spoke about the relationship of the spirituality of priests and bishops. Archbishop Carlson spoke of the role of bishop with his priests, father, brother or friend. Finally, Archbishop Niederauer of San Francisco spoke of the communion between bishops and priests. To each presentation there were respondents, table discussion and floor discussion. I liked what I heard and hope to incorporate much of it which may have been missing in my ministry as bishop in these remaining years.

On Saturday as we came to a close, more than one bishop came up to thank me, for the hospitality, the hotel and their meals, for the experience, for the weather (humidity and afternoon thunderstorms right on time between 3-5pm) and many said it was the best assembly yet. St. Petersburg conquered the misgivings about coming to Florida in June and what they saw when they came, they surely liked. It will be several generations before they return to the area again – it was only the second time in the history of the conference that they had come to Florida but we set the bar very high. Members of my diocesan family, priests, deacons, religious and laity would have been very proud. I know I was.

+RNL

Most of you know that I was a priest of the Archdiocese of Miami prior to coming to the Diocese of St. Petersburg as bishop. Today I returned to my priestly roots and joined the Church of Miami in welcoming their new Archbishop, Thomas Wenski, formerly a priest of Miami, auxiliary bishop there as well, and for the last seven years Bishop of Orlando, our neighbor just across the Polk county line. The installation of one already a bishop is a fairly simple and straightforward Mass with the official installation taking place right at the beginning, prior to singing the “Gloria.” The representative of the Holy Father, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, who is Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, after offering a few words of congratulations and welcome to Archbishop Wenski and of gratitude and farewell to the retiring Archbishop Favalora, then read the “Apostolic Bull” (an English translation of the Latin original) from Pope Benedict appointing the new archbishop. Archbishop Favalora, who began the Mass sitting in the cathedra or chair of the bishop, steps down and with the Nuncio leads the new Archbishop to his place on the same cathedra just vacated. From that point forward Archbishop Wenski presides as principle celebrant and delivers the homily.

I have already written that it was a bittersweet moment for me as I have throughout my fourteen years as a bishop been grateful to Archbishop Favalora for many kindnesses. He ordained me to the episcopacy at St. Jude’s Cathedral on January 26, 1996 (I was his first bishop ordination), he presided over many meetings we have in the state, and more recently he drove over to visit me during my second week in Intensive Care following my second surgery last August and faithfully called me almost every week during my long recovery. After five years here as bishop in St. Petersburg, upon going to Miami he never lost his interest in and concern for this diocese, its priests, deacons, religious and faithful. He came to ordain Father John Lipscomb when I was too weak to do so last December, celebrated our fortieth anniversary with us as a diocese and often asked me about certain priests and people he missed. Now I will miss him. And it all happens in an instant in the context of Eucharist. My moment is coming and I thought about that a lot today, having passed sixty-nine years last Thursday. Retired bishops, archbishops and cardinals need to recall the words of John the Baptist when Jesus appeared on the shore of the Jordan River, “as He grows greater, so I must grow less.” Archbishop Favalora was genuinely relieved to be retiring but not enough thanks has been given to him for his nearly fifty years of priesthood, nearly twenty-five years as a bishop, five years as our shepherd here, and leader of the Church of Florida. It had to be tough to turn over the reins of office but it happens to all of us and is what I call the “genius of Roman Catholic ordained ministry” which means everyone gets a chance occasionally to have someone else as leader. No bishop can make everyone happy, and I hope we do not try, but all God’s people in their lifetime will have an opportunity to experience different styles of leadership in the Church.

Thank you, Archbishop Favalora, for your time as our Metropolitan Archbishop and welcome Archbishop Wenski, home to Miami, and to the role of our provincial leader. There is a little moniker, borrowed from the Easter Gospel, which summarizes what happens the day after an episcopal ordination or installation and it is this: “they rolled the stone before the tomb and all withdrew.” Now the really tough work begins for every bishop after their ordination/installation and they deserve the prayers of the faithful said at every Eucharist and beginning today in Miami, “we pray for Benedict our Pope, Thomas our bishop, his assistant bishops and all the clergy.”

+RNL

Update: CatholicTV has the broadcast of the Installation Mass available to view on demand.

Last week I wrote a blog They’re Here Already, and again there have been requests for it to be translated into Spanish, so here it is.

El arzobispo Gomez

Hoy es un día  histórico y grande para la iglesia en los Estados Unidos. En los Angeles hoy en la tarde, la arquidiócesis más grande de USA va a recibir al sucesor del Cardenal Roger Mahony, aunque la sucesión no se realizará hasta principios del 2011, lo mejor de esto es que la silla cardenalicia que tradicionalmente estaba ocupada por Irlandeses será pronto ocupada por un Mejicano.

El arzobispo José Gómez, nacido y criado en Méjico, va a ser recibido en Los Angeles  como arzobispo “Co-adjutor con derecho a Sucesión.” En los medios eclesiásticos esto significa que cuando se reciba la carta de renuncia del Cardenal Mahony, en su setenta y cinco cumpleaños a principios del año próximo, el arzobispo Gómez automáticamente se convertirá en el nuevo arzobispo de LA.. La población católica de Los Angeles es ya en su mayoría hispana. Al transferir al arzobispo Gómez de su actual nominación como arzobispo de San Antonio a Los Angeles, el Santo Padre indica, siguiendo las fuertes recomendaciones del mismo Cardenal  Mahony, que LA esta listo para ser pastoreado  por un hombre cuya lengua nativa es el español, cuyo origen es mejicano y cuyo amor por y servicio a la iglesia van más allá de ser desafiados. Los hispanos están presentes en cantidades numerosas en LA,  para que se haya recomendado, que el nuevo arzobispo sea uno de ellos; aunque estará sirviendo a  una iglesia lingüística y culturalmente diversa. Este es un gran día para los católicos hispanos no solo en  Los Angeles sino en  toda la iglesia en los Estado Unidos. Su nuevo pastor tiene gran experiencia  sirviendo a la iglesia entera y no solo a un segmento de su población. El arzobispo Gómez es miembro el OPUS DEI, una asociación de sacerdotes,  hombres y mujeres laicos que se originó desde el siglo pasado en España. Él ha servido en diversas posiciones, como párroco en los Estados Unidos, en Denver como Obispo Auxiliar, en San Antonio como Arzobispo y ahora en la diócesis más grande de USA, Los Angeles. Se que él es un hombre amable, que sabe escuchar, y un gran defensor de la fe cuando lo considera necesario, y es abierto a todos. Él es el hombre adecuado para hacer  esta clase de historia en la fe católica.

Obviamente, es muy probable que un día, él  llegue a unirse al colegio de cardenales y cuando esto suceda  él será el primer cardenal hispano en la historia de nuestra iglesia en los Estados Unidos. . Méjico siempre ha tenido un número de cardenales, en ciudades como Monterrey, Guadalajara, y Ciudad de Méjico para nombrar algunas, pero cuando los Estados Unidos tengan su primer “sombrero rojo” hispano, esto significará que los hispanos católicos en los Estados Unidos han llegado finalmente.

Existe aún mucha xenofobia  en la iglesia en nuestro país. Los católicos anglos y los inmigrantes de Asia y del este de Europa aún están cerrados a la realidad que dentro de dos décadas, la mayoría de los católicos en los Estados Unidos  serán de origen hispano,  Miami sería una de las arquidiócesis con una población mayor de hispanos que de anglos, pero también es la casa de un gran número de Haitianos católicos –  y su nuevo arzobispo es capaz de dirigir a su pueblo en tres idiomas y está en contacto con las tres culturas. Algún día tendrán  un pastor con una lengua nativa diferente y de una tradición cultural distinta. También puede que esto pase en S. Petersburg algún día, y no es demasiado pronto para que nuestros católicos más jóvenes abran sus  corazones y sus mentes a la realidad de hoy, los hispanos en grandes números no son una posibilidad futura, más bien, ellos ya están aquí.

Felicitaciones al  Arzobispo  José H. Gómez, a la iglesia de  Los Angeles, y a la iglesia de Jesucristo por estar abierta a las realidades de nuestros tiempos.

La Arquidiócesis de Los Ángeles tiene información sobre la recepción del arzobispo Gómez en coadjutor.la-archdiocese.org

+RNL