The Catholic Standard & Times - Bicentennial Reflections

For Philadelphia, it is indeed a wonderful moment to look back over the 200 years to see how the grace of God has worked, and what has been accomplished.

We do [this] to praise God’s grace and to thank Him for how He has sustained our forebears and all the wonderful people that have been part of the community of the Archdiocese for 200 years. Priests and people together have made up this faithful Church.

Part of the greatest legacy of the Archdiocese are our Catholic families, who have lived the Gospel of Jesus for all these years. Family after family, handing down the holy, Catholic faith — this is why we have the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It’s part of the universal Church, it’s part of the mission.

[Proclaiming Jesus Christ and His Gospel] is the deepest identity of the Church at every single moment — and this is the greatest of [the Archdiocese’s] achievements for the last 200 years.

By Auxiliary Bishop
Robert P. Maginnis,
Episcopal Liaison for the
Bicentennial of Philadelphia
as a Diocese

The bicentennial was really designed to be a year of grace for our people. Some of the events highlighted just how grace-filled our Church in Philadelphia has been — growing from a few hundred Catholics in the early 18th century to well over a million now, with two proclaimed saints.

It has been a grace-filled Archdiocese whose accent has always been — especially with St. John Neumann and St. Katharine Drexel — on the Blessed Sacrament and Catholic education.

What a joy for me to be part of our Bicentennial celebration. I have been privileged to work within the administration of this great Archdiocese and witness firsthand the faith and generosity of countless people and the unparalleled service provided by the Archdiocese supporting not only our Catholic community but people of all faiths.

Personally, I thank God for the wonderful education provided by my home parish, Our Lady of Consolation, the Sisters of St. Francis and the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales.

The 200th anniversary of our Archdiocese is a time of remembrance, celebration and commitment for all the faithful of the Church in Philadelphia.

As an auxiliary Bishop, I stand in awe at the wonderful Church we have inherited from those who have preceded us. When we think about the outstanding leadership that God has given to us in our Ordinaries — from Bishop Michael Egan to Justin Cardinal Rigali — we realize that we have been truly blessed in our Shepherds.

We need only to look the 41st International Eucharistic Congress, which the Archdiocese hosted in 1976, and the momentous visit of Pope John Paul II in 1979 to understand the love our people have for their faith and their attachment to the Vicar of Christ on earth.

As our bicentennial year comes to a close, I look forward to joining all the faithful in committing ourselves to an ever deeper love of the Lord Jesus in the Eucharist and of serving Him through our love for our neighbors.

“The gift you have received, give as a gift” (Mt 10:8).

As we celebrate 200 years as a diocese, there is cause for great rejoicing. The Church of Philadelphia has received many gifts.

We rejoice in our Catholic faith, our fidelity to the Church and the Holy Father, our two Saints, our parishes, our Seminary, our rich ethnic and cultural heritage, our school system, our care for the sick and the poor, our vocations, our diocesan priests, religious and lay faithful, our families and our young people.

The gifts of grace we have received in our 200-year history are an inspiration for all of us to build upon that foundation which was then, and is even now, built on the cornerstone, who is Jesus Christ. I pray that the gift we have received, we will give as a gift.

By Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua
Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese
of Philadelphia

When one thinks of a period of 200 years, it may seem like a very long time. But, when one thinks of those 200 years as part of the 2,000-year history of the Church, we are infants. We are learning to crawl on our faith journey.

Having said that, I do not mean that we have not accomplished anything during our relatively young life as the Church of Philadelphia. The opposite is true.

Those who have gone before us — especially those who sacrificed much in order to practice their Catholic faith in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia — have given us a wonderful foundation. They are the “parents” of our infant faith. They hold us by the hand and let us begin our “walk” of faith. Among the “parents” of our infant faith, let us particularly remember Saint John Neumann and Saint Katharine Drexel, who intercede on our behalf.

During my tenure as Archbishop of Philadelphia, I was blessed to be surrounded by priests whose unselfish devotion to Jesus Christ and His Church have continued the tradition of the priests who went before them, and serve as a shining example to those who will come after them.

One of the first impressions upon my arrival in Philadelphia was the steadfast devotion of the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the Archdiocese.

Among many events in the life of the Archdiocese, it has been my privilege and honor to be a part of the nine-year renewal program, Catholic Faith and Life 2000 — culminating in the Archdiocesan Synod.

Now, during the third millennium, we are charged to continue to “parent” future generations by guiding them on their faith journey.
May Almighty God bless us with an abundance of happiness and peace, and may Mary, our Mother, watch over and protect us always.

By Matthew Gambino
Director and General Manager,
The Catholic Standard & Times

For more than half of the 200 years that the Church in Philadelphia has existed, its official newspaper, the Catholic Standard & Times, has been writing the first draft of our Archdiocese’s history.

Each week we present the stories of people in our community who are living their faith in these times.

The paper’s talented staff pledges fidelity to our mission to inform, form and evangelize the Catholic faithful in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.