Be not afraid!

In this issue of FAITH magazine you will find a special report on the priesthood and parishes in the diocese of Erie. It contains valuable information I think we all need to consider carefully. As a diocesan family, we must face the realities of declining numbers of priests. But I want to help you see the situation in the Erie Diocese in light of what’s happening in the church across the United States.

Someone once asked me, “What’s wrong with the Erie Diocese? Why are the numbers of priests declining?” As it happens, we are in much better condition in terms of seminarians, ordinations and numbers of priests than most dioceses. We could obviously use many, many more, but we are blessed with the students and priests we have.

The reality is we are ordaining two or three priests a year, replacing classes of five or six. In the last 12 months, I have had to bury nine priests and in May I will ordain only two. That’s where the difficulty comes.

Bishops across the country are handling the situation in different ways. I have a folder of news clippings from places like Camden, NJ, where the headline reads: “Diocese plans to slash its parishes from 124 to 66.” Altoona-Johnstown, an eight-county diocese, has closed 30 parishes since 1994. The Diocese of Cleveland will close 30 or more and the Diocese of Buffalo has closed 80 parishes. So it’s happening all around us.

In addition, we must consider the declining number of Catholics in the diocese. Every county in our diocese has suffered enormous population decline in the last decade according to the US Census with one exception, Forest County, and that is due to a prison population increase. The economic collapse in our region has taken a toll.

All of these factors mean that we must make some adjustments. My approach is to do so with consultation with the Priest Personnel Board and the Priest Council. I also believe the best approach is to make changes over time. I do not think drastic change is necessary in our diocese, I think that would only disturb faith and alarm our people. I’d rather take gentle and gradual steps, and that is what we’ve been doing.

For example, shortly after I came here in 1991, we clustered parishes in the Moshannon Valley: St. Agnes in Morrisdale, Immaculate Conception in Osceola Mills and Ss. Peter and Paul in Hawk Run as well as St. Mary in Frenchville, St. Severin in Drifting and Ss. Peter and Paul Mission in Grassflat . We have done the same thing with St. Peter in Linesville and St. Philip in Conneautville, putting one pastor in charge of two different parishes. In addition, St. Timothy Parish in Curwensville and St. Bonaventure in Grampian are being served by one pastor, as are St. Catherine and St. Joseph in DuBois. Clustering was the solution for three parishes in Erie, too: Holy Family, St. Casimir and St. Ann are all served by Father James O’Hara as pastor. About three months ago I met with parishioners from St. Adrian in Delancy, St. Joseph in Anita and St. Anthony of Padua in Walston and we are working out a permanent pastoral approach with the pastor in Punxsutawney. Two years ago, All Saints Parish in Erie was created when we consolidated parishioners of St. Matthew-in-the-Woods and St. Cyprian in Waterford. And just last month, we merged St. Ann Parish in Farrell with Our Lady of Fatima in Farrell.

I know that in each of these situations, there was dismay—change is never easy. But I continue to believe that evaluating each parish on a case-by-case basis when opportunity for change arises is the best approach. As you will discover when you read the special report, closing or merging parishes and missions is not unique to this moment in our history. In fact, the diocese has closed 183 parishes during its 155 years of existence. So this is a time for us to once again embrace a broader outlook.

As bishop, I want to ensure that Eucharist is celebrated in every parish of the diocese each Sunday, and thankfully, that is still the case. Many other dioceses already have priestless parishes where lay people or sisters are in charge of running parishes and Communion services, with hosts which have been consecrated previously. Eucharist is still celebrated in all of our parishes and with good planning and God’s grace, we hope that will remain the case.

We all have to promote vocations to the priesthood as well as to build up our faith communities. Prayer is essential; encouragement of young people is essential. In mission countries, sometimes four or five parishes or more are joined together by one priest who in effect becomes a circuit rider, going from parish to parish to take care of sacramental needs. While it is a necessity in mission situations, I do not believe we should be in that category. A priest should be the spiritual father of the parish family, and that means he must get to know the people and be present to them.

Let me explain this idea. A true faith community must have several elements: teaching, shepherding, sanctifying, interaction of community members, the good works of people. For a priest to form a bond with a community, he must be present. It calls for stability and it calls for him to interact with all the organizations and groups of the parish.

Eucharist is the heart of our vocation, but it must be an extension of everything we do with and for the community. When we come to the table of the Lord, all of us are transformed by the Scriptures and by the breaking of the bread. Some of the most important words in our Mass are the words at the end, when we are told to go in peace to love and serve the Lord, when we are sent out into the world to be Christ’s presence.

That is the goal for everyone, including the priest. All that the priest does during the day, from visiting the hospital or overseeing budgets, from youth work, counseling and other ministries, all of it leads to the Eucharist. From the Eucharist it is transformed and goes back out to the people to influence the world. So while the Eucharist is the highlight of our priesthood, just being a circuit rider alone without the other dimensions of community can be a suffering for priests.

Let me add one other thought. While I believe pastors must maintain oversight of every aspect of their parishes, I also agree that the gifts and vocations of lay people and deacons must increasingly be used for the day-to-day operational aspects of a parish. This frees priests for their spiritual role, and every priest I know wants that.

We have to give thanks to God for the priests who have been the extension of Christ and to continue his ministry and message in our midst. We thank all of our priests for answering Christ’s call to bring us the Lord’s Scriptures and sacraments. Too often we can take people for granted and fail to see the vital role that they play in our lives. When we talk about closing, merging and clustering parishes, it’s actually an occasion to give thanks for the leadership in that parish through the years, for the priest and for the lay leadership as well as for all that has gone on in that faith community. It’s a time to give thanks and praise to God and to recognize, maybe, what we have taken for granted.

Let us honestly recognize the realities of the movement of population and the decline in clergy and let us work together to build up vibrant faith communities. And when we are called to merge faith communities, we must do so with hope and trust in the Lord, who is the pastor of the church.

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Easter: a time to recharge and renew

How was that for a Super Bowl this year? Eli Manning’s game-winning pass to Plaxico Burress was spectacular, for Giants fans, at least. Who among us doesn’t want to be associated with a winner? I think too often, we Catholics can be very discouraged, disillusioned and not recognize that we are part of a winning army of Christ’s followers. We have achieved victory already through Christ. We are on the winning team. Christ is the winner. He’s conquered sin and death. And Easter is the time to celebrate that fact.

St. Paul put it well when he said that if Jesus did not rise, our faith is all in vain. We are grateful to the Lord for surrendering his life for us, for enduring the cross, for being the victim for our sins. But it is the resurrection, the new life he gives us, that propels us as Christ’s followers today. Jesus is risen and comes to us in our midst. He comes to us in the Scriptures, he comes to us in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist.

Easter is the crowning point of the Gospel story. It is a deep mystery for us, and we must ask ourselves: Do we want to be part of that risen Lord’s experience of church? Whenever I hold up the Eucharist at Mass, I say “This is the risen Jesus who calls us to his supper.” The risen Jesus is alive and in our midst. He didn’t just live on earth and return to heaven; he lives in our midst and he comes to us again in the sacraments and Scripture as the gift of the Father through the Holy Spirit.

We can be strong and have faith because of the risen Jesus. We have a chance to renew our faith and find strength at each Easter Vigil celebration as we welcome new candidates and catechumens into the fullness of the faith. I know you will enjoy reading Lee Armor’s story in this issue of FAITH magazine; he decided after 47 years of marriage, and a sincere involvement in St. Mary of Grace Parish in Meadville, to join his wife in the Catholic faith.

Whenever I speak to people who are preparing to become Catholic through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, I like to point to Josue Young, who was the second bishop of the Erie Diocese. He had a very interesting background. As a young man growing up in New England, he worked in a printing shop that was staffed by men who were all of the Protestant faith. All except for one young, Irish Catholic boy, that is. In those days, of course, there was great discrimination and bigotry against Catholics, so these men constantly poked fun at this Irish lad, calling him very derogatory terms.

But this teenager stood his ground and gave answers. Josue Young viewed all this and was impressed that this young boy knew so much about his faith and answered all the objections. He was intrigued, and because of the witness of that one person, Josue Young studied the Catholic faith and decided to become a Catholic. He was baptized into the faith at the age of 20. He then went into the seminary and eventually became our bishop. I find that to be an amazing story, one that gives great encouragement to those coming into the faith. They should feel at home knowing that background.

Studying to become Catholic through the RCIA allows people to enter into a time of new life. All of us can benefit from such study. Many times, cradle Catholics take all the wonderful sacraments the Lord has given us for granted. But talk to someone of another faith as I did recently, who had only recently fallen in love with the Catholic understanding of the Eucharist. What a joy! Those who are new to the sacrament of reconciliation and Eucharist are excited and enthused because they have found Christ in a new way. So we can all benefit from their strength and dedication. They’re in love with the faith and they have an energy they want to share with others. It’s a good reminder for the rest of us to take advantage of programs such as Why Catholic? in our parishes. We need to recharge ourselves from time to time, and to continue studying our faith.

I’d like to conclude with my deepest thanks to everyone in the Erie Diocese for helping to make a special Lenten effort a reality. You may or may not have heard of our efforts in opening a chapel at the largest shopping center in the diocese, the Millcreek Mall in Erie. This is something that has been a dream of mine for quite some time. I finally decided that this would be the year when we would use the season of Lent to give it a try. Using a grant from the endowment for evangelization and outreach that was created through your generosity as part of the 2001-2003 capital campaign held in the Erie Diocese, we rented a small storefront and established a Catholic chapel. It’s very simple, there is nothing ornate about it. It includes a few banners, some chairs, a tabernacle and some office partitions which are set up so that people can go to confession.

Beginning on Ash Wednesday, we started offering confessions twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I think it’s a unique way of taking the Gospel quite literally into the marketplace. This is where people are, and making the Lord available to them on their schedule has reminded of their obligation to be reconciled.

Through God’s grace, many, many people have come to our chapel at the mall. I have been there to hear confessions, and I think for those who have not come to confession in years, this was a neutral way to partake of the sacrament. They were not going to come up to a rectory, ring the doorbell and say, “I want to go to confession.” But here they were at the mall, in a moment of God’s grace. It was a transforming moment for many of the people. Some told me they wanted to come back to the church, they just didn’t know how to do it. And now, hopefully, they will be more comfortable returning to parish life.

This was a first step. I especially enjoyed the comments of some of the young people.  “Bishop, this is cool, this is cool!” they said. What a wonderful way to reenter and connect with their faith roots. We can only pray that they will continue to stay connected, bonded to the Lord. But it was a very good beginning, and a fine way to begin the Lenten journey by making a peace with God. So I thank you for your part in this, and may you all have a very blessed Easter season.

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Stir your love into flame!

I am deeply grateful to Frank and Debbie Kruise for being willing to share their story with the readers of FAITH magazine. They are a living testament to the fact that there is no shame in coming forth, in having the humility to say, “We are having trouble in our marriage,” and in seeking help. I support the Retrouvaille program for this very reason.

Frank and Debbie also show us that you don’t need to have a major calamity in your lives in order for your marriage to weaken. It’s not always about alcoholism or an affair or something more dramatic. A marriage can grow cold because communication skills cease, people suffer and commitments lose strength. I am happy to tell you I know many people who have gone through Retrouvaille and are now very strong in their marriage. Many have also taken advantage of all that counseling has to offer.

When I hear of couples who are struggling, I always wish they could take a look at all the good things in the marriage rather than the bad things. Obviously they were once madly in love, and they need to know, as impossible as it might seem, that love can be revived. I tell people that on their anniversary they should get out the albums from their wedding and look at the pictures and reignite those happy feelings.

Those who want to keep their marriage strong not only need to continually reconnect with each other, but also need to stay connected to the Lord. So often when a marriage is hurting, people begin to take the church and the Lord and the sacraments for granted. Maybe they have stopped going to church, stopped praying for each other and put God further and further out of the marriage. So that’s a good place to begin reexamining what’s going on. It’s important we recognize that a couple wedded together has promised something to the Lord. The Lord brought them together and blessed their union. They have made a promise to God, just as a priest makes a promise to God at ordination. So when people are falling out of love, one or the other may also be falling out of a relationship with the Lord. The need for humility, for the ability to say, “I’m sorry,” and “I forgive,” is great.

I also think we can learn from couples right here in our diocese. Each summer I celebrate Masses with couples marking 25, 50, 60 and sometimes even 65 years of married life. I can still see the twinkle in their eyes—the love, sensitivity and joy is there. These couples can tell us about successful marriage. Have they had difficult moments in communicating? To be sure. But their love and commitment conquered their problems. The church is always a big factor in their lives, too. When a woman and a man vow to be true in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, they are confirming, with God’s help, a permanent decision to care for one another “until death do us part.” It really is a pledge of fidelity. This decision to love is one they make over and over again. When it feels good and when it doesn’t feel good. It mirrors Christ’s own faithfulness to us. The Lord never gives up on us, never abandons us.

I am very happy to report on the major marriage initiative the U.S. bishops have launched. We have had an ad agency create a series of entertaining radio and television spots asking, “What have you done for your marriage today?” I just viewed them at our annual meeting in Washington, D.C. and was quite impressed. The responses range from humorous to poignant.
Of course it takes much more than advertising to truly meet the needs of married couples, and the bishops are taking a comprehensive approach. Visit www.ForYourMarriage.org, which is a wonderful resource including helpful, practical tips for nurturing marriage.

I reiterate that there is no shame in recognizing trouble in a marriage. I see it as a sign of strength when a couple can talk about their relationship and discuss ways they can respond.
In my experience, this can sometimes be more difficult for husbands than wives. We hear all the time about how men don’t like to ask for directions when they’re lost, and I think that holds true when they lose their way in their marriages. It can be difficult to consider telling a counselor about your personal relationship, but I think Debbie’s comments in the cover story are helpful here. She knew she would never be able to face her children or herself with her head held high if she hadn’t done everything in her power to save her marriage.

Retrouvaille and counseling are two instruments the Lord has provided in his church that can strengthen us and renew our commitment to our God-given vocations. The Lord tells us we are to love one another as he has loved us. Many times we consider that Scripture verse in terms of caring for the poor in our society. But it pertains to the family as well. How has the Lord loved us? With great forgiveness and mercy, overlooking our faults and going the extra mile with us when we weren’t so likeable. Can we follow his example?

St. Paul tells us to “stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.” He is referring to ordination, but we can apply it to marriage as well. Stir into flames the graces the Lord gave you when you exchanged vows and promised love and loyalty to each other. When the light grows dim, reach out for help through opportunities such as Retrouvaille, Cursillo and the sacrament of reconciliation.

I would also like to propose that couples seriously consider how they are spending their time, not only together, but as individuals. When I talk to young couples, I know that they are so busy transporting their children all over the place for various activities. It’s hard not to feel the pressure to keep up, but I want to encourage these moms and dads to make sure quality time with each other remains a priority.

To that end, you’ll soon be reading more about a new program our Family Life Office plans to introduce to parishes called Ten Great Dates. It’s an outstanding marriage enrichment program that involves having couples watch a short DVD with a few thought-provoking ideas, and then going out on a date with their spouses. What a wonderful way to stir up that flame and bring back some of the good feelings experienced early in the relationship.

I do want to reach out to those who have experienced divorce. I want to underscore the fact that while circumstances within your families have changed, God’s love for you is ever present. It does not come to an end, and I encourage you to extend your hands to others whom you meet on the road to healing. We are all aware of the storm breaking upon the family. The image of the family portrayed by the entertainment industry is false and degrading, not the Christian image of the family. Families are the mirror of the church, but what happens when that mirror becomes cracked? Not all families are pictures of happiness and holiness. Many are hurting through no fault of their own, due to issues such as poverty or sickness.

To live faithfully in marriage requires humility, trust, compromise and communication. So again, remember Christ’s words: Love one another as I have loved you. The family that lives these words will truly stay together.

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A light has come into the darkness

Thanksgiving Day is among the finest American traditions. It’s a day when we thank God as a nation for our blessings. Historically, it’s a day of thanks built around a successful crop, not necessarily abundant, but sufficient.

The pilgrims came together in prayer and festivity to thank God because God had sustained them, protected them and aided them in their difficult new life in America. Life had been hard for them. Many of their number died through sickness. Discouragement came to many trying to live in the wilderness against impossible odds. And yet these pilgrims endured and they kept their faith in God.

And that’s a point I hope we will keep in mind today. In adversity, tested by a hard, difficult existence, through sickness and failure, they trusted in God. They prayed and God delivered them. They persevered and kept the faith.

Today, many Americans are in adversity: tested by lack of jobs, sickness and other difficulties. We need to pay attention to the lesson of our pilgrim forefathers, who never forgot their dependence on God. They thanked God, recognizing his bountiful love and care. And they shared their gifts. Tradition tells us they shared a meal of thanks and I think it’s an important reminder that we continue to share with those around us who are in need.

We see an extension of the meaning of Thanksgiving Day year-round in our own diocese. It is heartening to read how the Sisters of Saint Joseph gave so selflessly in order that many hundreds of children would know the meaning of a loving home. That legacy continues in so many ways today as the proceeds of last year’s Catholic Charities Ball are being used to bring hope to those in need. Our lives are a continuing act of thanksgiving, which includes the sharing of our faith.

So this year on Thanksgiving Day, let’s look back and see with grateful hearts what God has done for us. This will serve as a source of hope and confidence. Gratitude enables us to look forward to the future, a future in which God has promised us we will share his glory. Although we have not yet begun celebrating Advent this year, I trust you will allow me to share a few Christmas thoughts with you, as the next issue of FAITH will not be published until the New Year.

I like to remind people that at Christmastime, no one is without a gift. Did not the angel tell the shepherds, a savior has been born to you? So we are all recipients of this divine gift, the gift of Jesus our savior. Each of us has reason to rejoice and give thanks. In turn, we must be gifts of love to others. We need to live new lives and to give ourselves in service, in kindness and in love of reaching out to others. The gift giving continues.

It’s a simple thought but it captures the heart of the season. If we could only understand and embrace that idea, it might change the way we go out and give ourselves to others. We have each been so richly endowed with our savior, who came as light of the world. What made this light so bright that no earthly power, no army, no ideology, no sin, no scandal has ever been able to extinguish it? On Calvary, people tried to snuff out that light, but it came back on Easter morning brighter than ever. So the risen Jesus is our savior.

But does the world want a savior? Do we want a savior? We have but one life from God and we need to seek the Lord while he may be found. Let us accept the divine rescue by accepting Jesus, the way, the truth and the life. Without the Lord, lives are so fragile, so empty and unfulfilled.

Look for the light that has come to us at Christmas.

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Why we make retreats

I rejoice each year when we publish the special teen edition of FAITH magazine. I love reading about the generous young people in our diocese who are committed to living Gospel values. I commend all of you and I look forward to sharing Mass and a picnic lunch with the young people who were nominated for our Teen of the Year Awards—as well as their families—just before this issue is published.

It is not easy to be a disciple of Jesus Christ in this day and age, but I think you might be surprised to know there are thousands of young people in this diocese who are trying very hard to follow that path. I am impressed with the programs we have available to nurture your spiritual growth such as To Encounter Christ (TEC) and the Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI). We have also been sending people to the ND Vision program at the University of Notre Dame for the past two summers, and they have been coming back with rave reviews. We’re listing information about all of these offerings right here with this column. I know how full your schedules are, so now is the time to think about incorporating one of them into your summer next year.

Part of the success of programs like TEC and CLI is they are essentially retreat experiences. So I’d like to talk to you a little bit about why I think it’s important to make retreats from time to time.

If you are in high school, you probably know that a parish-sponsored retreat is one of the requirements we incorporate into the preparation for all those who are confirmed in their junior year. Making a retreat helps bring us into a closer intimacy with the Lord. We shed the things the world tells us are important and discover that many of the material things around us really are empty. We discover that without all the clutter and noise in our lives, we’re able to focus, to find peace and tranquility and to evaluate the purpose of our lives more clearly. I think of the words of St. Augustine, who said, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in God.”  When we step out of our everyday lives for a period of time, our soul really begins to find fulfillment. We begin to really discover who we are meant to be.

I know teens experience enormous pressures. There is a great deal of competition at every level: academically, athletically, financially, socially. In my judgment, that’s an unfortunate aspect of our culture. I wish young people were a little freer to enjoy their youth without all the stresses society places on them. Everyone wants to be the best, to score the highest, to get into the right college.

That’s another reason I believe making a retreat is valuable. It is a time when young people are accepted for who they are. It can be a great eye opener. They often tell me they didn’t realize many of the kids they go to school with have the same values because they rarely talk about their religion with each other. On a retreat they engage in meaningful conversations, and they’re encouraged when they find out there are other teenagers who have the same values. Vocations to the priesthood and religious life as well as courtships often begin in this wonderful environment.

Another requirement on the way to confirmation is that students write a letter to me, so I can learn about their spiritual journey and desire for the sacrament. It is not unusual for young people to tell me in their letters that they did not want to make their confirmation retreat. They find it stressful to take a whole weekend away from their studies, their work schedules and their social lives. They readily admit they only go because they know they have to do it in order to be confirmed. The boys, particularly, tell me they fight it.

But time and again, these same young people speak very honestly about the new life they begin to experience because of the retreat. I am always impressed with their genuine candor. What they go through is a conversion experience. They enjoy reconnecting with many of the friends they haven’t seen since elementary school, but so often, they tell me they encounter God in a new way during their retreat. They come to appreciate the value of time for silence and introspection.

The letters are very moving and I always read them. Those of us who have been working with youth for a long time know that sometimes, using a little authority to insist on something like a retreat goes a long way and helps form good habits.

Once young people get a taste of this kind of experience, they become eager for more. I certainly see that reflected with TEC and CLI. They become terrific advertisements for the programs because they reflect a new attitude in their lives. They’ve found a new level of peace, they’ve bonded to their faith, to each other and to their church in a new way. It is a success story of God’s grace at work with our young people.
           
I think it’s good for you to know I do not ask you to do something I am not willing to do myself. I make a retreat with all of the bishops of Pennsylvania each year. Some time ago, I made a week-long retreat on my own up in Guelph, Ontario. I was going to work under the direction of one priest on an individual basis for a whole week.

At that time, I was teaching at the seminary, and when I arrived, the retreat master saw me carrying a number of books into the facility from my car. He said, “You look exhausted, what are you doing with all those books?” I told him I planned to read them during the retreat.

“Take them back to the car,” he said. “Go to bed and rest for 24 hours and then come and we’ll make the retreat.” Remember how I said sometimes it’s important to use a little authority to help someone form good habits? I know that from first-hand experience!

But it was sound, good, practical Jesuit advice. We need to discover Jesus’s words: “All you who are tired and burdened, come to me and I will refresh you.” Take the Lord at his word and you will discover peace.

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