Archbishop Chaput: Time to `refocus on the basics`
Transcription
Archbishop Chaput: Time to `refocus on the basics`
Archbishop Chaput: Time to ‘refocus on the basics’ of encouragement among parishioners, For all the opportunity the World Meetbut not everywhere. ing of Families presents to strengthen “It depends on where I go. People are families and invigorate the Archdiocese of genuinely and understandably upset about Philadelphia, Archbishop Charles Chaput losing parishes, and some people have not is looking forward to one thing in particuaccepted that yet in places where we’ve lar this September. found it necessary to (merge parishes),” “I’m looking forward to it being over he said. “Other places, I get a lot response with,” he said during a wide-ranging recent from people saying they’re happy we’ve interview in May. “I say that jokingly but made the decisions we have, in terms of I mean it. It’s an extra responsibility that trying to get some order in the chaos of requires a whole lot of my time. I haven’t Archbishop Charles Chaput discusses the our finances.” had a normal year yet as a bishop (of Phila- Philadelphia Archdiocese and the coming Identifying the crux of the issue for the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. 219 parishes of the archdiocese, the archdelphia).” Archbishop Chaput looked back over his (Photo by Sarah Webb) bishop said, “We have an excessive amount past four years leading the Philadelphia Archdiocese during perhaps of buildings for the number of practicing Catholics today. And it’s rethe most tumultuous period in its 200-year history, and ahead to the ally important that we don’t let all our resources go into maintaining historic World Meeting of Families and the visit of Pope Francis to unnecessary buildings. We have to make sure the resources are going the city this September. into preaching the Gospel, and new initiatives of evangelization and He recalled two crises since his 2011 installation as archbishop of re-evangelization.” Philadelphia: the fallout from the second Philadelphia grand jury reHe said the events coming this September hold promise for a port on sexual abuse of children by some priests and the revelations boost in Catholics’ confidence. of tens of millions in annual operating losses for the archdiocese’s “I think the World Meeting of Families does present us with a great central administration plus hundreds of millions in underfunded opportunity not only for the strengthening of family life, which is obligations to pensions, insurance and other funds. basic to all of us, but also in having confidence in ourself as a church,” Last year and this were consumed by planning for the Sept. 22-25 he said. families’ congress expected to draw at least 20,000 people from 150 “To pull this off, to be the host for the World Meeting of Families countries and up to 2 million for the papal Mass on Sept. 27. at a very important time in the history of the world regarding what “I’m looking forward to 2016 as an ordinary year in the life of a family means and what family life is all about, I think we’re going to bishop,” Archbishop Chaput said. “I hope that I can do the things do a great job and it’s going to give us confidence because we should bishops ordinarily do rather than handle specific kinds of crisis sitube grateful for the opportunity and proud of what we’re able to do.” ations.” He said he hopes the congress “convinces everybody in the diocese Among them, “I’d like to refocus on the basics,” he said. “We need ... that we need to focus on supporting and strengthening families. to reorganize our family life ministry and our marriage preparation Everything else — whether it’s schools, youth ministry, care for the ministry, and I want to give personal attention to those kinds of aged, helping poor families — all of it really flows from family life. things, not just delegate that to the Family Life Office.” “We have a great opportunity here to formally connect all those One of the stated goals of the World Meeting of Families is to rein our minds as well as our actions. It will be interesting to see what juvenate the Catholic community in the archdiocese. Besides the fihappens.” nancial crisis and the challenges to priestly morale over the past four He said he was “deeply grateful” for the enthusiasm of people in years, parishioners have endured painful parish mergers. All of these the archdiocese who “want to be part of this great adventure.” elements created an underlying crisis of confidence among many *** Catholics in the archdiocese. Read a longer version of this story and a full transcript of the interAs he travels among parishes Archbishop Chaput sees some signs view at CatholicPhilly.com. By Matthew Gambino NEWS BRIEFS See more Catholic news at our website, www.CatholicPhilly.com Archbishop ordains 7 new priests for archdiocese It was a joy-filled Mass for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Archbishop Charles J. Chaput ordained seven men to the priesthood at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul on Saturday, May 16. Five of the new priests, Fathers Daniel J. Arechabala, Alexander Gibbs, Steven W. Kiernan, Addisalem T. Mekonnen and Joseph S. Zaleski, received their formation at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. The other two, Fathers James J. Cardosi and Kevin T. Mulligan, studied at Pope St. John XXIII Seminary in Weston, Mass., a seminary for men age 30 years or older. All will begin their priestly life as parochial vicars in the archdiocese. The first two readings from Scripture at the liturgy centered on the role of the priest. The Gospel, taken from the Gospel of St. John, echoed the words of Jesus Christ, the High Priest: “…I am the Good Shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.” Basing his homily on Christ the Good Shepherd, Archbishop Charles Chaput said, “Like the shepherd, Jesus leads us, feeds us and protects us.” Priests, he told the men about to be ordained, “are chosen to carry out the ministry of the one Good Shepherd in the life of our Christian community. In other words you will be called to lead, to go before God’s people, to feed them with his word…. You will unite your lives and your wills to Jesus, so that your actions become one with his actions.” After the ordination Mass Archbishop Chaput thanked the parents for giving their sons to the church and issued a plea for the promotion of vocations to the priesthood, noting that every year more priests retire than are ordained. The archbishop also gave his newly ordained priests their first parish assignments as parochial vicars. Father Arechabala will serve at Mary Mother of the Redeemer, North Wales; Father Cardosi at St. Denis, Havertown; Father Gibbs at St. Mary Magdalen, Media; Father Kiernan at St. Anthony of Padua, Ambler; Father Mekonnen at Nativity of Our Lord Parish, Warminster; Father Mulligan at Our Lady of Calvary, Philadelphia and Father Zaleski at St. Katherine of Siena, Philadelphia. Some facts about the newly ordained: Three — Father Arechabala, Father Mekonnen and Father Zaleski — attended St. Charles Seminary for both college and theology while four received their bachelor’s degree from secular institutions, including Father Cardosi, the U.S. Naval Academy; Father Gibbs, Temple University; Father Kiernan, Penn State University and Father Mulligan, Slippery Rock State College. Two, Father Arechabala and Father Kiernan, celebrated their first Mass on May 17 at the same church — Mother of Divine Providence in King of Prussia. Two others celebrated in Norristown but at different churches: Father Cardosi at St. Titus and Father Mulligan at Visitation B.V.M. Father Gibbs celebrated at Mary, Mother of the Redeemer, North Wales. There were two Philadelphians — Father Mekonnen, who celebrated at St. Francis de Sales Church, and Father Zaleski, who celebrated at St. Martin of Tours Church. Father Zaleski is almost certainly the first priest in the history of the Philadelphia Archdiocese to have his own father preach the homily at his first Mass. His dad, Deacon Stanley Zaleski, is a permanent deacon assigned to St. Martin’s and a retired teacher at Father Judge High School. As to what he would tell his son in the homily, “I’ll tell him we love him,” Deacon Zaleski said after the ordination Mass. “That is something every priest needs to hear.” That was certainly the general sentiment of the families and friends who attended the ordination. “I feel so great, God has given me a great gift,” said Tsadu Mekonnen, the mother of Father Mekonnen. John Mulligan, the father of Father Mulligan, said his ordination was “a wonderful gift from God. I hope he is setting the example for more young or older men to become priests.” “I’m so happy and thrilled,” said Father Gibbs’ godmother, Diana Stricker. “Alex is going to be a wonderful priest because he is a wonderful fellow.” Stay connected at CatholicPhilly.com CatholicPhilly.com is the digital successor to The Catholic Standard and Times, and your online source for Catholic news and information. Visit CatholicPhilly.com and sign up for our free weekly email newsletter.