A
Pastoral Letter from
Cardinal Rigali
Pastoral
Letter on the Occasion of
the Third Anniversary of Installation as
Archbishop of Philadelphia
Cardinal Justin Rigali
My
dear People,
On Saturday, October 7, I will observe the third anniversary of my pastoral
service as Archbishop of Philadelphia. With profound gratitude in my
heart, I take this opportunity to reflect with you on the abundant graces
and blessings which we have experienced together in this local Church.
I rejoice in the dedicated collaboration of my brother Bishops, in the
faithful ministry of my brother priests and deacons, in the witness
of our many consecrated Religious sisters and brothers, and in the generous
devotion and service of the laity. Together, we form a vibrant community
of faith, hope and love, for which “we too give thanks to God
unceasingly” (1 Thes 2: 13).
This vibrant community of faith is evidenced by the many parishes, schools,
institutions and varied forms of ministry and service which have been
an integral part of the history of our Archdiocese. From the very beginning
of our Archdiocese almost two hundred years ago, the Holy Eucharist
has been the heart of the life of this local Church. The entire history
and indeed the very life of our Archdiocese presume that, if we are
living the way in which we are supposed to live, then we must be a Eucharistic
people.
As a people who are united, formed, nourished, sustained and sanctified
by the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus Christ, we know that we need the
Bread of Life, we need the Body and Blood of Christ. When we come together
in the Sunday assembly to celebrate the Eucharist, we are aware that
we are united—in prayer, in song, in charity—but also, most
particularly, by the Holy Communion which we receive. In that encounter
with our Eucharistic Lord, we recognize that we are brothers and sisters,
we respond to Christ’s invitation to evangelization and service,
and we set our hopes on the heavenly banquet where we shall see God
face-to-face. It is during the Sunday Eucharistic celebration that we
are more painfully aware of the absence of those who have drifted away
from the practice of the faith, who do not understand or appreciate
the wonder of the Eucharist.
The Second Vatican Council noted: “At all times the Church carries
the responsibility of reading the signs of the time and of interpreting
them in the light of the Gospel, if it is to carry out its task”
(Gaudium et Spes, 4). Our present time, riddled with confusion, wounded
by violence, and misdirected by materialism and sensuality, urgently
cries out for the witness and message of a people transformed by the
Eucharist.
Of special concern is the trend of violence which has gripped the City
of Philadelphia and has affected the entire metropolitan area. As I
write this letter, I learned this morning that the homicide toll in
the city has reached 295. These wanton killings, the tragic episodes
of violence which scar our nation, and the precarious and volatile situation
in so many parts of the world serve as a rallying call to all men and
women of good will to strive for peace, to work for justice, and to
live in harmony. Catholics, in a special way, understand that these
can only be adequately achieved through reception of and devotion to
the Most Holy Eucharist. As Pope John Paul II stated in his October
7, 2004 Apostolic Letter, Mane Nobiscum Domine, “The Eucharist
is not merely an expression of communion in the Church’s life;
it is also a project of solidarity for all of humanity … More
than ever, our troubled world, which began the new millennium with the
specter of terrorism and the tragedy of war, demands that Christians
learn to experience the Eucharist as a great school of peace, forming
men and women who, at various levels of responsibility in social, cultural
and political life, can become promoters of dialogue and communion”
(no. 27).
One year ago, I wrote to you to join me in Eucharistic Adoration particularly
through a weekly Holy Hour for Reparation and Renewal. These weekly
Holy Hours celebrated in our parishes and institutions provided us opportunity
to pray for healing and forgiveness for sins committed in our midst,
for our own sins, and especially for sins committed against young people.
These hours of prayer have not been without effect, as the Eucharistic
Presence of Christ, Priest and Victim, offers consolation and strength,
holiness and courage. Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament allows us
to draw near to the Heart of Jesus in adoration, in supplication, and
in thanksgiving. Within that Heart, which bears for the human race infinite
love and mercy, we are able to cast all of our cares, repent of our
sins, implore mercy for the sins of the world, and learn how to love
truly. Mindful then of the transforming power of the Eucharist, I invite
all of the priests and faithful of the Archdiocese to continue these
weekly Holy Hours before the Most Holy Eucharist in reparation for sin,
for renewal within the Church, for an end to violence, and for a true
and lasting peace in our world. As Saint Paul declared, “Where
sin increased, grace overflowed all the more” (Rom 5: 20). Confronted
with the evils and trials of our time, we pray before Christ in the
Holy Eucharist that His grace will abound in the Church, in the world,
and in our own community.
In the context of the renewal of all our people—our families,
our priests, deacons and religious, our entire Archdiocese—I remind
everyone of our need for more priests who are at the service of every
vocation in the Church. Once again I ask everyone in this local Church
to pray urgently before the Blessed Sacrament that God will grant an
increase of vocations to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
On December 25, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI issued his first Encyclical,
Deus Caritas Est. The Holy Father invites us to understand charity—authentic
sacrificial love—by meditating upon Christ crucified: “By
contemplating the pierced side of Christ (cf. Jn 19:37), we can understand
the starting point of this Encyclical Letter: ‘God is love’
(1 Jn 4:8). It is there that this truth can be contemplated. It is from
there that our definition of love must begin. In this contemplation
the Christian discovers the path along which his life and love must
move” (no. 12). Born from the wounded side of Christ, the Church
has preached the message of love through two millennia and has demonstrated
that message through the exercise of charity, the proclamation of justice,
the encouragement of peace.
The days in which we live, though darkened by violence, have been brightened
by the efforts of those who are committed to works of peace. Efforts
in education, programs to protect children and youth, bonding through
community and neighborhood outreach all have demonstrated that people
of good will have a thirst for justice and a longing for security and
peace. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia enthusiastically cooperates in
these efforts to make safe and secure our neighborhoods and especially
our children. The work of all those who are committed to ending violence
in our community must be underlined and strengthened by the Eucharistic
Sacrifice and through Eucharistic Adoration. Contemplation of the One
who suffered on Calvary moves us to intensify our efforts to alleviate
the sufferings of the innocent and to provide secure havens of hope
and peace for all people, especially our children. I extend my deepest
thanks to our parishes, schools and institutions which, on the local
level, have provided or cooperate with these initiatives.
I am grateful for the efforts of our priests to make people more conscious
of the centrality of the Eucharist in daily life. As parishes have made
Eucharistic Adoration more available, people have come to realize that
time spent in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament moves them to look
forward to participation in the Mass and reception of Holy Communion.
So, too, the Mass and Holy Communion stir the faithful to continue their
adoration before Christ reposed in the Tabernacle or exposed in the
Monstrance. I am pleased that there are not only Holy Hours, but also
extended periods of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and, in some
parishes, where possible, even Perpetual Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.
The centrality of the Eucharist in the life of the Church is most clearly
demonstrated by the location of the Tabernacle in the center of the
Sanctuary. I express appreciation to those parishes which have restored
the Tabernacle to this prominent location. I further encourage, as I
have previously, that, if architecturally possible, the Most Blessed
Sacrament be placed in the center of the Sanctuary in all of the parish
churches of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
October 7, the anniversary of my Installation as Archbishop of Philadelphia,
is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Within the parishes of this
Archdiocese there is a tremendous devotion to Mary, Mother of God. This
devotion is manifested especially in the many faithful who pray the
Rosary. Whether the Rosary is prayed individually, with others in Church,
within the family, in the classroom, or gathered with others in various
homes, the prayers which are offered through the Rosary are a great
source of blessing for the universal Church, for our Archdiocese, for
our parishes and for our community.
Meditation on the mysteries of the Rosary invites us to enter into those
significant moments in the lives of Jesus and Mary. Through the Rosary,
Mary welcomes us to join her in contemplating Jesus. Pope John Paul
II, in Rosarium Virginis Mariae, encouraged us: “Mary constantly
sets before the faithful the ‘mysteries of her Son, with the desire
that the contemplation of those mysteries will release their saving
power. In the recitation of the Rosary, the Christian community enters
into contact with the memories and the contemplative gaze of Mary”
(no. 11).
The contemplation of the mysteries of the Rosary naturally leads us
closer to Christ, our Eucharistic Lord. “Mary,” wrote Pope
John Paul II, “can guide us toward this most holy sacrament, because
she herself has a profound relationship with it” (Mane Nobiscum
Domine, 53). By contemplating Jesus in the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful
and Glorious Mysteries, we have that desire to be near Jesus and, with
Mary, the “Woman of the Eucharist,” to learn from Him and
to unite ourselves more closely with Him.
In 2008, we will celebrate the bicentennial of the establishment of
the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. This coming milestone provides for
us further motivation for evangelization and service. Sustained by participation
in the Mass, frequent reception of Holy Communion and of the Sacrament
of Penance, regular Eucharistic Adoration, and contemplation of the
mysteries of the Rosary, we will be strengthened for the work of evangelization
and service. With a desire for an even more vibrant witness to the Faith
and an ever deeper compassion for all those people of the Archdiocese
suffering in various ways, we look once again to our own Saint John
Neumann and Saint Katharine Drexel. They remain for us Eucharistic models
of evangelization and service; impelled by the love of Christ, they
set many hearts on fire. They lived the Eucharist. They emulated the
mysteries of Christ. They labored to instill the Gospel in the minds
and hearts of others, especially children. May we, nourished by the
Eucharist and encouraged by the example of Mary, be a Eucharistic people
who live in charity, justice and peace.
May the Lord Jesus Christ grant all of us His grace, mercy and peace!
Sincerely in Christ,
Cardinal Justin Rigali
Archbishop of Philadelphia
October 2, 2006
Feast of the Guardian Angels