Dear Friends,
We extend a heartfelt welcome to Archbishop Lucas this weekend as he makes a pastoral visit to our parish. I hope that all of you will have an opportunity to have a conversation with the Archbishop during his visit to the parish.
In the ancient tradition of the Catholic Church, the Archbishop is the pastor, the shepherd, the protector and guide of the flock. My ministry, the ministry of the priest, is an extension of the ministry of the bishop. The bishop cannot be everywhere and do everything so he appoints priests to be in the places where he cannot be, but that does not mean his responsibility has gone away. He is just using helpers to care for the flock.
Archbishop Lucas has been working in the Archdiocese for ten years now and has brought his quiet, steady, and compassionate style of ministry to the work of the church in our midst. He has a deep devotion to both God and the flock God has given him to manage. We have been blessed by his unwavering service.
The Church cannot functionally exist without a hierarchical structure to ensure its unity. From the very beginning, after the departure of Jesus, it was necessary to institute functions of governance. The Holy Spirit working through the Church preserves the teaching of Christ and the teaching of the apostles. The Bishop is the successor of the Apostles, sent out to guide the flock of Christ and ensure the unity of Christians. The Bishop is commissioned to bear witness to Christ, to speak in his name, and to preserve all that has been handed down by means of the apostolic body.
Bishops are guardians and servants of communion. By virtue of his consecration and in a sacramental way, the Bishop is the embodiment of Christ and the Gospel message. He is a symbol of the unity of Christ and the Church. Acting “in persona Christi,” Bishops are a sign, voice, and means of salvation; they carry out—in visible form—the role of Christ as teacher, priest, and shepherd.
The Archbishop’s work is precisely that of Christ and the heralding of hope. Apostle of Christ, he is a symbol of all that binds the community into a single body in the Lord. As a defender, promoter, and builder of communion in the Church, instrument of communion among all and between human beings and God, the Bishop is, personally, an announcement of hope for the world.
The Bishop must also maintain communion with the Holy Father in Rome, not only for the sake of ecclesial unity, but also so that the truth which is handed down through the ages may remain free from the distortions of individualism, partiality, and incongruity. For this reason, Archbishop Lucas will be going to Rome this winter with the bishops of the region to meet with Pope Francis and talk about the experience of faith in the United States.
The Bishop’s role is one of father, educator, consoler, and friend. Scripture teaches us that kindness, courtesy, meekness, gentleness, humility, patience, prudence, and eager concern are the virtues which describe the pastoral ministry of the Bishop. Bishops must, before all else, be people of faith, witnesses of the presence of the Holy Spirit. They must be dedicated to prayer. Like Christ, the Bishop must embrace the joys and sorrows of his flock, so that all might approach him with confidence and hope.
Knowing all that, you should feel confident and at peace as you approach Archbishop Lucas. He really does want to hear from you and get to know you. That is why he has come. There is no secret agenda. He simply wants to know his flock. You are his flock.
Peace,
Fr. Damian