Columns 2021

Since Christ accomplished his work of human redemption and of the perfect glorification of God principally through his Paschal Mystery, in which by dying he has destroyed our death, and by rising restored our life, the sacred Paschal Triduum of the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord shines forth as the high point of the entire liturgical year. Therefore, the pre-eminence that Sunday has in the week, the Solemnity of Easter has in the liturgical year.

On March 25 of most years, nine months before Christmas, we celebrate the liturgical Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, the moment when Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel and it was announced to her that she was chosen to be the “Mother of God.” We learn of this encounter in Luke’s Gospel (1:26–38). It is also recounted in a beautiful prayer, known as the Angelus, which unfortunately does not seem to be as popular as it was in years (and centuries) gone by.

I have received numerous requests in the past few weeks for guidance and/or a statement on the Equality Act of 2021, also known as H.R. 5, a Bill that was passed by the House of Representatives and apparently will soon be considered by the Senate.

I grew up in a parish that, I would come to learn, was similar to many other parishes in New York City, as well as many others in Long Island, Westchester, other parts of the tristate area, and many other parts of the North­eastern United States. One thing that many of those parishes had in common, in addition to all that made us Catholic, was that in February and early March there would be announcements and invitations to join in the parish’s “St. Patrick’s — St. Joseph’s Day” Party — or Dance or Celebration. I believe that, in some parishes with a larger number of Italian families, it may have been advertised as the “St. Joseph’s — St. Patrick’s Day” celebration. These celebrations were also held in the seminary, which led to some “healthy competition” and more or less friendly rivalries between the Irish-American and Italian-American seminarians. It was only in hindsight that I realized that the rest of the seminarians, who were neither of Italian or Irish ancestry, were left a little bewildered or asking themselves, “What are these guys getting themselves all worked up about?”

As I finish my eighth month as Bishop, I am still experiencing many “firsts.” I suppose that this will continue, at least for the next four months. This past Sunday, I experienced my first Rite of Election as Bishop. The Rite of Election is a ceremony that takes place in most Catholic Dioceses each year usually on the First Sunday of Lent, when the adults who are preparing to receive the Easter Sacraments (Baptism, Communion, and Confirmation) are presented to the Bishop to be formally enrolled in the Book of the Elect. The “Elect” are officially accepted as candidates who will be fully initiated as members of the Church at the Easter Vigil. They are usually accompanied by their Godparents (sponsors) and representatives of their parish communities. This year we have 75 “Elect” from 22 parishes, as well as schools and ecclesial communities. The numbers of “Elect” and those accompanying them were significantly less than the previous year, due to the pandemic and restrictions. At the same time, the gathering of these candidates is a very clear sign that the Church in the Diocese is alive and growing.