Welcome Bishop Bonello to Fort Worth!
In the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch years ago, the Dioceses of Texas and the Dioceses of Honduras formed various sorts of mission partnerships. These mission relationships not only were to help the Church in Honduras recover from the devastation of Hurricane Mitch, but also to help build relationships of mission and Faith between the respective Dioceses in Honduras and Texas, which would ultimately result in a lived experience of Ecclesia in America.
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| A statue of Hermano Pedro Betancort in Catacamas, Honduras |
The Diocese of Fort Worth partnered with the Diocese of Juticalpa, Honduras in the state of Olancho. Over the years many of our parishes, such as St. Vincent de Paul in Arlington, Holy Family in Fort Worth, Holy Redeemer in Aledo, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Keller, Good Shepherd in Colleyville and others, sponsored mission trips which were exchanges of Faith, friendship, prayer, and material help to progress in the parishes and towns and rural areas of Honduras. Bishop Delaney and Bishop Maurus Muldoon OFM, and the priests, religious and laity of the Diocese made many trips to build up the relationship of the two Dioceses. I have been privileged to be a part of that mission outreach and to continue it. With the Diocesan Mission Council, which is chaired by Father Tom Craig of St. Vincent de Paul, we work to sustain and build up mission relationships not only in Honduras, but many other countries as well. One of our most recent mission outreach has been in the construction of a Catholic Hospital near Catacamas which is called Hermano Pedro Hospital. This is in an area which up to now has had little or no access to medical care.
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| Bishop Bonello meets the Holy Father Credit:Malta Times |
Just this past weekend, we were visited by Bishop Joseph Bonello OFM, who is the recently ordained coadjutor BIshop of Juticalpa. He came to us to visit the parishes that have mission outreach in his Diocese, to visit with out Diocesan Mission Council and the priests whose parishes have relationships with parishes in the Diocese of Juticalpa. I was especially grateful to have the time to visit with him personally and get to know him. Over this past weekend he celebrated Mass, and visited at Holy Redeemer in Aledo, Good Shepherd in Colleyville, and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Keller. We are grateful for his visit, and the deep sense of spirituality, prayer, and Faith which he brings with him, and then to us! His visit reminds us that every one of us, in virtue of being a part of the Body of Christ, is called to live mission.
Welcome, Bishop Bonello! Bienvenido!