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| Bishop Speaks | ||||
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| March 3, 2005 Edition | ||||
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Mass at cathedral:
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Dear Friends,
As we move through these days of Lent, we are preparing to celebrate Laetare (Rejoice) Sunday next weekend in hopeful anticipation of Easter joy. The discipline of Lent continues, and please be reminded to plan your continuing gift of time to the Lord well in advance, setting aside, well in advance, as top priority, the times of the Holy Week services and devotions in your own parish or the Cathedral church and especially of the great Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night.
"In the Cathedral on Sunday mornings, to pray with my Cathedral parish family symbolizing all of the faithful in the diocese is basic to my own spirituality . . ." |
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Another question which arose during one of my recent dinners with priests is the following good question: Why do you not celebrate Confirmation in the parish churches, generally speaking, on Sunday morning? An excellent question indeed which I am happy to answer! I consider it very important to be at the Cathedral church on Sunday mornings for the Bishop's Stational Mass whenever I am able, and that would generally exclude my presence in the parishes at that same time.
That raises still another question which I am happy to answer: Why is it so important for the Bishop to be in the Cathedral church for the Stational Mass on Sunday morning? (In this context I should add that I try to be available for Confirmation in the parishes both on Saturday evening and on Sunday evening as well as on weekdays, and I consider it very important that I be with parish families on Sunday morning for very special occasions such as parish jubilee celebrations, the dedication of new or renovated church buildings, etc.)
Bishop's focus at cathedral church
In the first place Canon Law indicates the importance of the presence of the Bishop in his Cathedral church especially for the Sunday Stational Mass. While this is not an absolute obligation for the Bishop, it is one to be taken seriously because the Cathedral is the Mother Church of the whole diocese, and it is important that the Bishop celebrate the liturgy there with the local community so as to signify his communion with all of his priests and all of his people throughout the diocese, that is, the Bishop's focus at the Cathedral church is precisely his union with all in the diocese. It is the privilege of the Cathedral church to serve as the special place for the expression of this particular focus.
Secondly, and very importantly, the celebration of Confirmation should really focus on the rushing of the Holy Spirit unto strength on the souls of those wonderful young people to be confirmed. The theme of every Confirmation Eucharist is this special gift of the Holy Spirit unto strength - every Confirmation Eucharist is in a way a celebration of the mystery of Pentecost. Even when the readings of the Eucharist are those of Advent, or Lent, or the Easter Season, the theme of the Confirmation Eucharist is the gift of the Holy Spirit unto strength as happened in a very unique way at Pentecost.
As the Bishop, part of my own Catholic spirituality, along with Eucharistic Devotion, the Rosary, spiritual reading, etc., is living the whole liturgical life of the Church, which for any priest normally includes preaching on the Sunday readings to basically the same worshipping community. The spirituality of any priest as regards liturgy normally includes this very special relationship. If I, as the Bishop, am celebrating a Pentecost-like liturgy of Confirmation with a different community on almost every Sunday morning, I am pulled away from this flow of the liturgical spiritual life.
I think all would agree that I love to celebrate Confirmation with our parish families and especially with our young people - I think anyone can see that, in all honesty. But my own deep desire as baptized Catholic and priest to live an authentically priestly liturgical spirituality through preaching and celebrating with a stable community on Sunday morning is a desire which, for my own spiritual good, I should earnestly pursue. If I do not take the necessary means for my own growth in holiness, then I cannot expect to give, by God's grace, to our people what I myself do not have.
Finding spiritual strength
There is a legitimate diversity among Bishops as to their Sunday presence at their Cathedral churches. I very much respect this diversity, and in addressing the issue of why I choose to remain in the Cathedral, I am very much speaking for myself.
In the Cathedral on Sunday mornings, to pray with my Cathedral parish family symbolizing all of the faithful in the diocese is basic to my own spirituality - as priest and as Bishop. It is something that I could not see myself giving up without serious spiritual consequences for myself.
Whenever I am away from Madison or from the diocese over a weekend, and especially during the days of my convalescence after last September's surgery, the occasion I missed most was very honestly the celebration of the Stational Mass on Sunday at the Cathedral. Every one of those celebrations, moving through the liturgy and readings of all the Sundays of the year with basically the same flock, means the world to me, and therein I find tremendous spiritual strength.
So as you can see, I love to celebrate Confirmation, and I love to celebrate the Bishop's Stational Mass on Sunday at the Cathedral which provides the best sign of my union with all of you, priests, deacons, those who live the consecrated life, and the beloved faithful of our diocese.
Thank you for reading this. God bless each one of you as we continue together on this Lenten journey. Praised be Jesus Christ!
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Bishop's Letter
Catholic Relief Services collection
Dear Friends in Christ:
The annual special collection in support of the Catholic Relief Services Collection will be taken the weekend of March 5 and 6.
This is a new name for the American Bishops' Overseas Appeal, but the theme of the collections is similar: Jesus in Disguise, which reminds us of the presence of Christ in every one of our brothers and sisters in need
Your contributions will support the vital programs of Catholic Relief Services, which currently is deeply involved with tsunami relief efforts in South Asia; Migration and Refugee Services; the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc.; the Department of Social Development and World Peace of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Holy Father's Relief Fund. Their programs include emergency aid and disaster relief, health and education programs, small enterprise development, refugee resettlement and advocacy, and the promotion of religious liberty, human rights, and global solidarity. Through these Catholic agencies you can be assured that your contributions will be used for quality programs with minimal administrative overhead.
As you consider your contribution, also pray for peace and justice in the world. With war, terrorism, famine, disease, and disrespect for human life so wide spread, the practical presence of the Church in the world is a sign of caring and hope to those who need to know that God loves them. They are indeed Jesus in disguise. Thank you for your generosity.
Faithfully yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Robert C. Morlino
Bishop of Madison
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