2018_03-30-eEdition

MARCH 30, 2018 THE CATHOLIC WEEK PAGE 3 he Annual Chrism Mass is celebrated on Tuesday of Holy Week. The priests from across the Archdiocese gather with Archbishop Rodi to renew their commitment to priestly ministry. Archbishop Rodi blesses and conse- crates the oils used by the archbishop and priests during the year for the celebration of the sacraments. This is the sermon given by Archbishop Rodi during the Chrism Mass. It is a joy to welcome so many to our cathedral.This church be- longs to each one of us in the Archdiocese of Mobile. Found- ed in 1703, the cathedral parish is the oldest congregation of any faith, any denomination, in the State of Alabama. This Chrism Mass is the an- nual Mass at which the oils used in the sacraments and other times of worship are blessed and consecrated. The word “chrism” means oil. From Chrism we get the word “Christ” which means the anointed one.The oils today will be used to anoint catechu- mens preparing for baptism, anoint those who are baptized, anoint those who are Con- firmed, anoint the sick, anoint the hands of priests at their or- dination, and anoint the head of a bishop at his ordination. As much as I am most pleased that all of you are pres- ent for this Mass, please un- derstand if my comments are directed mostly for my brother priests since at this Mass we priests renew our commitment to our priestly ministry. My brother priests, next Monday, April 2, is the tenth anniversary of the announce- ment of my appointment as Archbishop of Mobile. Ten years is a milestone and one which causes me to reflect upon what has transpired during this last decade. Upon arriving in Mobile to have the privilege and the bless- ing of serving as archbishop, I recall my first impressions of our archdiocese were very posi- tive, and continue to be so. It was obvious that my predeces- sor, Archbishop Lipscomb, had served ably as shepherd of this local church and that the Holy Spirit was powerfully present among the clergy, religious, and laity of our archdiocese. It has been my pleasure, ex- hausting at times, but always a blessing, to travel throughout the archdiocese visiting our churches, schools, and other ministries. I keep the mileage that I drive and in the past ten years I have driven the equiva- lent of driving 18 times around the circumference of the earth. I tell people, jokingly or not, that if you are not going to pray for me at least pray for my car. In my travels throughout our archdiocese I see great evidence of the power of the Holy Spirit working everywhere but I also see a tremendous hunger for Christ in the 28 counties which make up the archdiocese. Six years ago, I asked the clergy and laity of our arch- diocese to focus upon four pri- orities. Unless we have our eyes fixed upon what is important, we can become bogged down in the administration and minutiae which make up so much of daily parish life. Those four priorities are:  Evangelization  Strengthening Family Life  Serving the Needs of Neighbor, especially the poor  Fostering Vocations Today allow me to say a few remarks about only one of these priorities, Evangelization. The last words of Jesus to His disciples before His Ascension were: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you al- ways, until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20) This is our calling as follow- ers of Jesus, to go and bring the Good News to others. As priests, it is our duty to strive to bring the Good News to others and to empower others to do the same. It is for us to win minds and hearts for Christ. Although we may to do this in a variety of ways, in the final analysis it is not programs which will evan- gelize, it is disciples. The early Church did not spread because they had developed good pro- grams, but because they were disciples and witnessed to their commitment to Christ by their lives and their words. There is a desperate need for committed disciples in our world today.The increasing secularization of our society will make it imperative for people of faith to be strongly committed to following Christ. The challenges to living the faith will be too difficult for the luke- warm to maintain their faith. We must call our people to be disciples, first by our own ex- ample and then by our encour- agement. We must invite others to have a relationship with the Lord which is both personal and communal. We must invite others into our parish life and especially the Mass where we feast on what so many people are starv- ing for --- God’s gifts of word and Eucharist. We must make our parishes welcoming places for all. I wish to take this oppor- tunity to thank you, my brother priests, for the welcome you ex- tend to our brothers and sisters, especially in the Hispanic com- munity among whom many are recent arrivals in our country. In the past ten years there has been considerable growth in Hispan- ic ministry in our archdiocese. Thank you for welcoming all of God’s children into our parishes. We must also let our young people know that they are not merely the future of the Church, but are the Church here and now. Again, I thank my brother priests for youth ministry which has also considerably expanded Archbishop’s Schedule March 29 - April 15 Sermon from this year’s ChrismMass FROM THE ARCHBISHOP Most Reverend Thomas J. Rodi T Thu., Mar 29 5:15 p.m. Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper Fri., Mar 30 10:00 a.m. Living Way of the Cross through Downtown Mobile Beginning at Spanish Plaza and Ending at the Cathedral. 3:00 p.m. Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Good Friday Passion of Our Lord Service 6:00 p.m. Outdoor Way of the Cross, Spanish Plaza Sat., Mar 31 8:00 p.m. Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Easter Vigil Mass Sun., Apr 1 10:30 a.m. Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Easter Mass Tue., Apr 3 2:00 p.m. Atlanta Cathedral, Ordination of Bishop Konzen as Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Atlanta Wed., Apr 4 6:00 p.m. St. John the Evangelist Parish, Enterprise, Mass and Confirmation Fri., Apr 6 7:00 p.m. Visitation Monastery, Mobile, Mass with Hispanic Men’s Discernment Group, Hombres Por Christo y Para Christo Sat., Apr 7 5:00 p.m. St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Tallassee, Mass and Confirmation Sun., Apr 8 9:00 a.m. Resurrection Parish, Montgomery, Mass and Confirmation Mon., Apr 9 6:30 p.m. St. Rose of Lima Parish, Mon Luis Island, Mass and Confirmation Wed., Apr 11 11:30 a.m. St. Joseph Abbey, Covington, LA, Mass with Seminary Classmates Gathered for 40th Anniversary of Priesthood Ordination Sat., Apr 14 8:00 a.m. Sacred Heart Residence, Mobile, Admission to Candidacy for Ordination with Men Preparing for Ordination to the Permanent Diaconate Sun., Apr 15 9:00 a.m. St. John Mission, Bromley, Mass and Confirmation 2:00 p.m. St. Ignatius Parish, Mobile, Mass and Confirmation in our archdiocese over the past ten years. Our young people need to be strengthened in their faith and then empowered to evangelize their peers and fami- lies. We must prepare our people of all ages to bring the Good News to others by helping them both to grow spiritually in their relationship with Christ and to grow in their knowledge of scripture and the teachings of Jesus. I thank you, my brother priests, for the adult education and other opportunities to grow in spiritual life that you support in such ways as religious educa- tion,Men of St. Joseph,Daugh- ters of Mary, Be Prepared, Out- back,Cursillo,Archangel Radio, Catholic in America TV, parish missions, Legion of Mary, and many other ways.We Catholics are not known for evangeliza- tion, but we need to remember that Jesus’s command to teach all nations was meant for our ears and our hearts. As believers in Christ, we are called to share that belief with others. We are called to be modern disciples. The old saying is “Each one, reach one.” Our society would be transformed if each mem- ber of the Church brought one other person to belief in the Risen Lord who offers our lives purpose and meaning here and now and eternal life with Him. Our vocation to the priest- hood is a treasure which we could receive only from the infinite goodness of God and which we ourselves could never have earned. Let us now recom- mit ourselves to our priestly ministry mindful that we are called to “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations …” WJTC-Mobile/Pensacola/Ft. Walton/Wiregrass 11 am Sundays PROGRAM SCHEDULE www.catholicinamerica.com Check local listings April 1 ................................................. Religious Liberty / Angels April 8 ...........Christian Funeral / World’s Biggest Bible Study April 15............................................ Mary / Ways to help us Pray April 22............Doctor’s Perspective on Life / Life: Civil Right SEE DAILY READINGS ON PAGE 11