Although I
will not become pastor until mid-July, I visited my new parish this weekend to
celebrate First Holy Communion with eight children. I preached a special homily
for them, of course, but at the other Masses I gave the homily below. I will be
back to celebrate Confirmation at Pentecost, but otherwise generous replacement
priests will hold the fort in the meantime.
Catholics
in Toronto have something in common with the members of Holy Name of Jesus
Parish in Vancouver—they are both welcoming new shepherds. Of course, the new pastor
in Toronto is a bishop! But that’s not the only difference. Archbishop Frank
Leo is 24 years younger than his predecessor, while I am about that much older
than mine!
On
top of that, Toronto’s new shepherd has a great big head of curly black hair while
I have... well, you can see for yourself.
I
am mentioning this not only because the contrasts are fascinating, but because
I intend to shamelessly borrow from Archbishop Leo’s homily at his Mass of
installation in Toronto. That’s the bad news. The good news is that my homily
will only be one-quarter the length of his.
Archbishop
Leo’s first thought was the same as mine: gratitude. Gratitude to God for the
faith that unites us, the salvation that we celebrate, and the joy that we
share.
Gratitude
to Archbishop Miller who has entrusted this parish family to my care. And
gratitude to Father Rodney who in his time at Holy Name did much good. I
particularly wish him good health and spiritual blessings.
The
young archbishop went on to introduce himself to his new flock. I can’t really
introduce myself to you without making some reference to our first reading,
which tells about the call of the first deacons. Only once every three years do
we hear this reading on a Sunday, so today is very special for me, because
deacons are very special to me.
It
has been a great privilege for me to have served as the first Director of the
Permanent Diaconate Office in the Archdiocese, and to have implemented Archbishop
Miller’s vision for the ministry of permanent deacons from the very beginning.
My
new assignment as Vicar General means I must sadly give up the
diaconate this summer, but I will certainly never lose sight of the importance
of this ministry to the Church. I wasn’t completely convinced at the start, but
then I read what Saint Ignatius of Antioch, martyred in 107, wrote. He said “one
cannot speak of the Church” without the deacons, the bishop, and the priests (St.
Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Trall., 3,1).
The effective restoration of this order through the permanent diaconate is a tremendous gift
to the Church throughout the world and to our own Archdiocese. During my years at
Christ the Redeemer three parishioners applied to become deacons; one was
ordained and the other will be ordained in a year. I have every hope that Holy Name
will beat Christ the Redeemer’s record during the coming years.
I
also hope and pray it will be possible at some point that we will have the
support of a deacon in this parish, given my other responsibilities and the
importance of this ministry.
Archbishop
Leo said that there were certainly going to be many questions in the minds of
those he is called to lead and serve. “Who is he? What’s his story? What makes
him tick?” I can’t answer all that today, but you already know that I do have a
very significant time commitment to the Archdiocese, one that I have prepared
for during many years studying canon law, the law that guides the Church. So Holy
Name will need to share me with the Pastoral Centre, just as Christ the Redeemer
did with the Permanent Diaconate Office.
I
felt that the parishioners of Christ Redeemer were blessed by my dual role in
many ways and I am confident that the same will be true for you. God always
repays our generosity to His Church.
And
of course I want to know who you are! What your story is, and what makes
this community tick. You’ll need to be patient with me “as I strive in the
coming months, and hopefully years, to understand more deeply the strengths and
weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges” of this parish community.
So
that’s another way of saying that I don’t have an agenda! As Archbishop Leo
told Torontonians, I will take the necessary time to come to know you, and to
listen to you. I want to learn from you about the history of Holy Name, its diversity,
changing trends, and new challenges. I have already seen ministries which exist
and are thriving and I am filled with hope and gratitude.
But
even though I do not have a personal agenda, there are some aspects of parish
life that are already clear, and which will not change. We are called to
outreach—to concern for the poor and refugees; we are called to defend human
life at every stage from conception to natural death; to promote and strengthen
marriage and the family; to draw youth and young adults into the heart of
parish life; to cooperate with Catholic healthcare and education; to work for
reconciliation with indigenous communities; to protect children and vulnerable
adults and prevent all forms of abuse; and now, more than ever, to evangelize—to
proclaim the Gospel to those who have not heard it.
Although
by the time I become pastor the Easter season will be over, these days of
listening to the apostles preaching in the Acts of the Apostles have been a
wonderful reminder to me that we need to proclaim what we believe and not to
keep it to ourselves.
Cardinal
Raniero Cantalamessa, the preacher to the papal household, reminds us that two
occupations were central to the lives of the apostles. Jesus called them to be
shepherds, and showed them what a good shepherd looks like. But he also called them
to be fishers of men.
It’s
often easier to be shepherds rather than fisherman—to nourish and care for
those who already come to church rather than to go out in search of those who are
far away. The Cardinal says the parable of the lost sheep is reversed today: ninety-nine
have strayed and only one remains in the sheepfold. “The danger is that we
spend all our time nourishing the remaining one and have no time ... to go out
and search for the lost ones” (Raniero Cantalamessa,
Navigating the New Evangelization, pp. 49-50).
Not
surprisingly, Cardinal Cantalamessa says that the laity’s contribution to this
massive task is providential—and I would add, essential.
Holy
Name of Jesus is possibly the parish most filled with potential in the entire
Archdiocese. The development that has already happened up and down Cambie
Street, the massive Oakridge Park project eight blocks away, and the
development of the former RCMP property three blocks away will bring a surge of
new residents to our community—new residents, who will in many ways be
different from the old ones.
How
do we prepare for such a daunting task? Pope Francis makes it somewhat simple,
as he often does. He says there are three challenges to evangelizing today,
first, to make Jesus known; second, to witness to him; and third, fraternity.
As
I’ve already suggested, the first challenge requires that we return to the
initial proclamation of the Gospel—to communicate the core message of Jesus with
such programs as ALPHA. Archbishop Leo adds that this calls for “pastoral
creativity” that can reach people where they are living—not waiting for them to
come.
Proclaiming
the Gospel demands that we be credible. And there is the second challenge the Pope
gives us: witness. The Gospel is preached effectively when how we live and act
is in line with what we say. We must begin with ourselves, showing respect for
each and every individual. Effective witnesses are like living Gospels that all
can read.
And
finally the third challenge is fraternity, or, if you prefer, community. As
Jesus said, “by this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have
love for one another” (John 13:35). In the early Church, Tertullian tells us
how non-believers reacted to the witness of Christians. “See how they love one
another,” they would say. If our own community does not mirror the communion of
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, if it is not capable of quality relationships
and respectful dialogue, the words we preach to others and even to ourselves,
will ring hollow.
Toward
the end of his remarkable homily, Archbishop Leo called his appointment to
Toronto “an arranged marriage, with Pope Francis as the matchmaker.” Something
of the sort could be said of my impending arrival here, with Archbishop Miller
as our matchmaker.
With
arranged marriages it is hoped that in due time the spouses get to know each
other and then come to love one another. Archbishop Leo reminded the people of
Toronto that since he was 51 years old he had about a quarter of a century for
them to get to know one another and fall in love.
We
don’t have that much time! We’ll have to make the process move a little more
quickly. But what Archbishop Leo said about his situation is true of ours: “as
in all successful marriages, commitment, and patience, forgiveness and sacrifice
will be required.”
This
welcome chance to say hello to you is also something of a “goodbye for now”: until
my appointment here becomes effective in the middle of July I am still
responsible for Christ the Redeemer and the diaconate. I will be back on
Pentecost Sunday for the Confirmation of our young people, but other than that
my existing commitments require that I simply keep an eye on the parish while
generous replacement priests provide you with the pastoral care you need.
I know that you will continue to pray for me, and for one another, as I will for you, until the day when we are indeed a family together.
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