Filled to Capacity

St. Patrick's Cathedral in Fort Worth was filled to capacity and beyond for the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday evening and the celebration of the Passion of the Lord on Friday on Good Friday afternoon. On Holy Thursday evening, I reflected that just as one dimension of St. Patrick's Cathedral (the stained glass windows, the hand carved Stations of the Cross, the various periods in the Cathedral's history) cannot be fully understood apart from the entire story of St. Patrick's, neither can any aspect of the mystery of the Eucharist (the Passover, the Last Supper, the Real Presence of Christ, the command to love one another, to serve one another) be understood apart from the whole. The procession of the Blessed Sacrament at the end of the Mass went over to the St. Ignatius Building where a beautiful repository saw many people praying until late in the evening.

Good Friday began with the outdoor Stations of the Cross of Pope John Paul II, then on to  an Ecumenical Prayer Service at All Saints Baylor Hospital. After that was the Rosary for Life in front of Planned Parenthood attended by a good number of priests (Catholic and Episcopal), and about 500 or more people.  The Service of the Passion took place among an over capacity congregation.

Living Stations of the Cross at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Fort Worth

In the afternoon and the evening I visited the live stations of the Cross at St. George's Church in Fort Worth (noted in the rehearsal photos the evening before). These were done on the grounds of St. George church in front of a busy Friday afternoon Belknap street, so a visible and powerful testimony of Faith was given to the passers by. Later on that evening, I attended the same to a full Church at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Fort Worth. These live outdoor representations of the passion and death of Our Lord are a testimony of Faith of our Hispanic brothers and sisters harken back to the days of the Franciscan Friars who evangelized in this way in the New World.  The beauty and power of these events is that these are part of the lives and Faith of the Hispanic peoples, who hand them on to each succeeding generation. I am very grateful to the Lord for being able to be part of, and participate in, this sacred drama, this visible and powerful means of evangelizing and giving testimony to the Paschal Mystery of Our Lord.  

Seder Meal at St. George

Here are a few scenes from my visit to St. George earlier in the week.

La Cena Pascual

People gathered for the meal.

Meanwhile, practice for Good Friday's Via Crucis

Uncomplicated Faith

Homily

Chrism Mass 2011
St. Patrick's Cathedral
Fort Worth, Texas

   Today we gather as the Lord's family here in our Diocese of Fort Worth in this Chrism Mass and are called to bless the oils, which will be used in so many Sacramental celebrations throughout the year ahead;  and to recall how these oils teach us that we are truly bound and held together by the presence of the Lord Himself in our lives and the life of the Church.  In the central point for this Mass, the priests of our Diocese will renew their commitment they made on ordination day, to give their lives to the Lord and to priestly ministry: a ministry which is never functional, but essential and life giving to all who come our way.  I believe above all, it is a day to recognize, thank and encourage the priests of the Diocese who daily pour themselves out on behalf of so many across the vast expanse of our local Church.

   As I was reflecting on the readings for today, readings which we hear every year, I was also speaking to one of my classmates at about the time I read the words, "Faithful witness" and "forever I will sing the Goodness of the Lord."  Our conversation turned to a priest who had been a witness to us in the early years of our ministry.  His name was Father Chester Fabisiak, a Jesuit from the Warsaw province of the Society of Jesus. He had led quite a life and his later years found him at Blessed Sacrament in Springfield, Illinois where he had a profound impact on a number of us who were stationed with him as we were growing in our own priestly identity and ministry.  All priests present at this Mass today, myself included, are here as priests because of the faithful witness of priests before us.  Our call is to continue that life of witness.  I may have spoken about Chester with some of you, but I would like to briefly, on this day of priestly recommitment, reflect on what he taught me, and what he taught all who came his way.  

My first years at this parish were an adjustment, as I had just returned from Rome, and this was my first parish experience, my first pastoral assignment.  And, there were some challenges for me.  In the evening I used to visit with Chester at the Rectory and I can say honestly now that I probably complained to him about a number of things.  That is, until I found out what his first years of ministry were.  I asked him where he had been assigned, and he told me that it was in Dachau, in the concentration camp!  He was ordained in June of 1939, and in September of 1939 when Hitler invaded Poland, Chester was arrested along with a number of other Jesuits and religious.  He was sent to Dachau and remained their until 1945 when the Allies came to Dachau, and the American soldiers prayed the Lord's prayer with all the remaining survivors.  From the moment he told me where he had been his first five years of priestly ministry, believe me, I never complained again.

During our visit he related several incidents to me.  For example, he said that on one Christmas eve, after they had celebrated Mass in secret with the bare essentials, they went into separate corners of the barracks, just a few together.  There they exchanged gifts: a word of encouragement to each other!  On another occasion, Chester was before a firing squad, on another occasion, he told me that some of his priest friends refused to bury some of the Jewish prisoners alive, so the priests in turn were buried alive!  What sustained Chester through the darkness of all of this was what I would call his uncomplicated Faith.  He had Faith that the Lord was with him and his life showed me that both in Dachau and after he left there, he carried with him a spirit of gratitude. 

   After the war Chester was sent as a missionary to Argentina where he became a friend of Eva Perón.  He could speak Spanish better than English and taught me my first words in Spanish.  He also, at one point, when he was home visiting his many nieces and nephews in Poland, gave advice to Lech Walensa.  Later on, somehow, he ended up in Springfield, Illinois, where he taught eighth grade religion in the parish grade school for many years, and truly related to the eighth grade classes in every way.  The last class he taught there had a mural painted of him on one of the walls of the parish school which is there to this day.  These students, now adults, speak of how Father Chester impacted their lives and faith.  Chester also visited the hospitals and had a ministry to the elderly in two high rise apartment buildings, and would you believe it, had a ministry to prostitutes as well.  He oils were always with him, and these, and his priestly ministry brought us all together in the community of Faith.  He died suddenly on December 9, 1996.  He had a great devotion to the Blessed Mother and died on her feast day ... in a year in when the Feast of the Immaculate Conception had been transferred to Monday!  

   On this day of the Chrism Mass, I believe that Father Chester still teaches me, and gives me again the better perspective in life and faith and priestly ministry that I sometimes truly need, and I believe the wider community needs as well.

   Fr. Chester's witness teaches me that gratitude is an essential part of our lives: gratitude for the gift of the priesthood and for the priests in their lives.  I would hope that our people would take a moment to express that to our priests as well.  I would also ask you to join with our vocation director and priests to understand that the encouraging of vocations to the priesthood - be it religious or diocesan - is not just a matter left to the vocation director, but a work of the entire Diocese.  We have a significant increase in the number of our seminarians, but this prayer and work must continue.  

  That Fr. Chester could live this gift of gratitude in the midst of darkness is a reminder to me that in these days of  challenge and uncertainty, priestly ministry is a light in the darkness for so many that have lost their way and seek God again.  The holy oils which Chester carried with him and which brought so many together, teach and remind me of this:  that in their Sacramental ministry, which is bound up with the lives of priests, they too, bring and keep many people together in their Faith lives in the midst of life in this age, in which God often seems far away, or unnecessary.  Part of our calling, like that of Fr. Chester's, is acting in persona Christi.  It is a focal point for a spirituality of communion of Faith for many groups and for people who already live in a fractured and polarized world and at times, a fractured ecclesial environment.  

   The gift of encouragement that the priests in Dachau gave each other as a Christmas gift is a gift that we can give each other in daily life and ministry.

   And what I call the witness of Chester's uncomplicated Faith is a witness to each of us to remember that as we are configured to Christ in our Ordination, it is indeed He who leads us and calls us and never abandons us.  Fr. Chester knew that and lived that in all of the years of his priestly life and ministry.  That is why his life as a priest carried with it 1) gratitude, 2) an uncomplicated Faith through which he acknowledged that it was the Lord who was guiding him and 3) a spirit of humility, which explains why he could offer a word of encouragement to all, even in Dachau years ago.   

   The priests today are once again sent to proclaim and undertake the same tasks that Isaiah did.  Pope John Paul II once said that, "Priests exist and act in order to proclaim the Gospel to the world and to build up the Church in the name and the person of Christ the head and shepherd."

Seminarian Matthew Tatyrek leads the procession for the Chrism Mass

   

Advocacy Day at the Capitol in Austin

                                Texas Bishops Pray in Austin          photo:Diocese of Corpus Christi

April 6 found nearly 800 Catholics from around the State of Texas gather at the State Capitol in Austin for Advocacy Day, a time in we gathered to bring our voice and convictions about the dignity of the human person to the State Capitol during its legislative session.  The days were organized by the Texas Catholic Conference. We were welcome and greeted warmly by our Senators and Representatives and their staff. On Tuesday evening, April 5, we gathered at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Austin for Mass with a number of the priests and Bishops and legislators and parishioners. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo was the principal celebrant and homilist. The next morning, April 6, opened with a press Conference on the Steps of the Capitol which was opened by Cardinal DiNardo. There were nine Bishops present, and each spoke briefly on a pending bill in the legislature with a reflection on the position of the Bishops of the State. I spoke on the sonogram bill, Bishop Vasquez of Austin on pay day lending, Bishop Flores of Brownsville on immigration, Bishop Rodriquez of Lubbock on capital punishment, Bishop Mulvey of Corpus Christi on the budget and how it affects services those who need it most around our State, and Auxiliary  Bishop Seitz of Dallas on education.  

Texas State Capital

Almost all of our 15 Dioceses were represented, and our State senators, representatives and staff were visited by the Bishops and parish representatives from around the State. A resolution in both the House and Senate recognized the Catholics present this day, and the Bishops present in both chambers. The presence of so many Catholics - Bishops, priests, religious and lay leaders - in Austin reflected what is found in the "Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church" in No. 509 "The social doctrine of the Church is an organic development of the truth of the Gospel about the dignity of the human person and his social dimension offering principles for reflection, criteria for judgement, and norms and guidelines for action."  

Across Texas in the Spring

Texas Bluebonnets

The season of Spring brings out the wildflowers all over Texas. Many of the roadsides and fields are covered with bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush. The results are miles and miles of blue and red. This can find its way into art work, and sacred art work at that, as I recently noted  in the new stained glass windows of Holy Redeemer Church in Aledo, Texas. There the bluebonnets are found in the window that depicts and Sacrament of Baptism, and the reds of the Indian paint brush are found in the window where the Sacrament of Confirmation is celebrated.  Blue for the waters of baptism and red for the Holy Spirit at Confirmation. The wild flowers, as God's handiwork, also bloom and bring new life to the countryside of Texas as new and renewed life is evident in so many ways in the life of the Church here in North Texas and around our State with its 15 Dioceses and two Provinces! 

Praising Jesus

LET US GO FORTH IN PEACE, PRAISING JESUS OUR MESSIAH, AS DID THE 
CROWDS WHO WELCOMED HIM TO JERUSALEM

I began Palm Sunday celebrating the 10:00 AM Mass at one of our largest Hispanic parishes, Santo Nombre de Jesus. It was a beautiful day, and there were probably well over 2000 people in attendance. The Mass was beautiful, and all participated with great enthusiasm and joy. In fact, the crowds at the Masses at this parish are such that the parking lot, and traffic is always a challenge with many people leaving one Mass and others coming for the next. The help of the police is always necessary and welcome here in directing traffic.  

The next Mass that I celebrated was the 1:00 PM Mass in Spanish at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish in Keller, Texas. The Sunday Mass attendance at this parish probably averages around 8000 people! The attendance at the Spanish Mass was approximately 1250 in total. After Mass we had lunch, where the Hispanic community gave a presentation on all of their  their ministries and involvement in parish and community. There was not a Spanish Mass and Hispanic ministry here until about 1 and 1/2 years ago, when Fr. Isaac Orozco, with the help of Sister Laura and lay leaders in the parish, began to work with and organize the Hispanic community and ministry. It was a joyful afternoon.

I celebrated the 5:00 PM Mass at our Cathedral to a full Church, and confirmed about 14 young people, and received one into full communion with the Church.  Several others made their First Holy Communion. After Mass, I received two adults into the Church. All in all, it was a day of jubilation and joy for me and the people in these parish communities.  

In my Palm Sunday homily I said, "We are invited today to live and celebrate the truth, beauty and goodness of God, and to relive the events that gave us our salvation:  The life, suffering, passion, death and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Today is the joyful entry into Jerusalem: Thursday is the Last Supper and the Institution of the Eucharist and the Priesthood; Friday is the  Passion and Death of the Lord; and Saturday we wait in silent prayer and vigil at the tomb, so that on Sunday we can sing and say He is truly Risen, Alleluia!" 

After sorrow, passion and death is the new life of the Risen Christ; so, too, then for each one of us in our own personal lives the lives of our families, parishes, communities and nations this is true. We must remember that in the Risen Lord, and and His example, we can also overcome any trial or tribulation of any sort that threatens our peace of mind. We too, can rise above it all with the help of the Lord, as we hold fast to, and proclaim, our belief in all that is good, holy and true; as we hold on to our Lord Jesus Christ and His example of the greatest love, the Cross. So now, let us go forth in peace, praising Jesus our Messiah, as did the crowds who welcomed him into Jerusalem

Genesis 49 (Jacob's Blessing)

"The tethered donkey indicates the one to come" 

Youth 2000 & the Scouts

Photo from Youth 2000 at Nolan Catholic High School

On the weekend of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday April 8, 9, and 10, Youth 2000 was held again this year in Fort Worth. Thanks to the generosity of Nolan Catholic High School for hosting this youth catechetical/Eucharistic youth rally and retreat for around 1200 youth from North Texas and the area. Thanks to all of those who help organize this major event again this year, which started years ago with a dedicated group from St. Patrick's Cathedral here in Fort Worth. Many priests came to hear Confessions, even with this being an already busy weekend in Lent. The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal - those stationed in Fort Worth and visiting Friars - helped with catechesis, Mass, and Confessions as well. I celebrated the closing Mass on Sunday and Fr. Luke was the homilist. This encounter with the Lord, for all of the youth and adults present, reminded me of the words that soon to be Blessed Pope John Paul II proclaimed on October 16, 1978 at the beginning of his ministry as Bishop of Rome, and which he often repeated at World Youth Day gatherings:  "Do not be afraid. Open Wide the Doors to Christ."!

That same afternoon I presided at the annual Catholic Scouting awards at Good Shepherd parish in Colleyville, for around 250 girl and boy scouts of all ages and rank. Thanks to all of the Scout leaders and the dedication of their parents in this important part of community life, which brings parish and community together in a common goal of forming young people as future citizens, but most importantly as citizens of Faith. 

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Carmelite Heritage

Earlier in the week I traveled to the Carmelite Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Arlington, Texas for the election of the new Prioress. The election was presided over by Fr. Gregory OCD, and Msgr. Michael Olson and I as "tellers" of the votes. Msgr. Olson and I had a chance to visit ahead of time to catch up on Diocesan and local matters. Mother Anne Marie was elected the monastery prioress. The Community of the Discalced Carmelites numbers eleven professed members (including one newly professed) and one postulant. A visit to the monastery is always an occasion to reflect on the Carmelite Heritage and spirituality and Saints in the life of the Church, and to thank the Nuns for all of their prayers for all of us, and for taking all of our intentions, prayers, and concerns to the Lord. The Nuns are constantly being called for prayers. Last Saturday I also attended an afternoon luncheon and auction benefit for the Nuns sponsored by the Carmelite Auxiliary. Following in the footsteps of my sister MT, I tried my hand as an auctioneer, with the able help of Art Dickerson.

Bishop Vann and Msgr. Olson

Tellers of the Votes for Prioress

In My Sister MT's Footsteps as Auctioneer

On Laetare Sunday

In preaching on this Gospel - first to the Hispanic prayer group on Saturday night at the San Mateo Mission, then at the 8:00 AM Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Fort Worth, and then at 11:00 AM at Nolan High Catholic High School for the opening Mass for "Spirit Day",  - I called attention to three verbs at the end of this powerful account from St. John's Gospel:  I believe - I see - and I worship. The Man Born blind could see because he worshiped the Lord who healed him, and he believed! Faith is another sense which enables us to see, beyond the limits of our physical senses. We can see, if we believe, but to believe we must worship and pray. If any of this is lacking or blocked by the darkness of sin or neglect, or a failure to pray, then seeing, and therefore believing will not be possible.

Spirit Day at Nolan Catholic High School

"Spirit Day" at Nolan Catholic High School in Fort Worth began several years ago thanks to the faith and vision of Jim and Kathy Breen of St. Andrew's parish in Fort Worth, and the equal vision and faith of fellow parishioners. Jim and Kathy lost their son Stephen at a young age due to cancer not long before I arrived in Fort Worth. Steven's life, his memory after his death, and the Faith of his parents and their friends, led to the formation of the Stephen Breen Foundation. The results of the generosity of Stephen's family, friends and this community, has led to scholarships for students in Catholic schools in collaboration with the Bishop's Scholars fund that I established, to provide for a Catholic education for many students who would not otherwise be able to have a Catholic education. This is so that their faith might be strengthened and be important and life giving to them, just as it was to Stephen. A main event that supports this foundation is "Spirit Day" each Spring at about this time. The day starts with a Mass, which I celebrate. This year there there were around 1000 people present! After Mass there are various athletic and fun events held.  Thank you, Jim and Kathy and your friends for your generosity and faith. God bless you always.  

Travels Through Texas

Following the "Day of Communio" when we gathered at Most Blessed Sacrament Church in Arlington to reflect on, and study the Mass in the light of the introduction of the new Roman Missal later on this year, I traveled to Houston, Texas, at the invitation of the Family Life Ministry of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and Daniel Cardinal DiNardo. Both Bishop Daniel Flores and I spoke in the morning session, where Cardinal DiNardo welcomed all present.  Bishop Flores gave the keynote address entitled "Facing the Challenges of Family in the Modern Technological Age", and I spoke on "The Sacrament of Marriage:  A Great Untapped Life Spring."  The full text will soon be posted on our Diocesan Website and sent to the Family Life Office of Galveston-Houston. However, in summary, I used the image of the rising and setting of the sun in the windows of the Sacraments in the new Church of Holy Redeemer in Aledo, Texas, and spoke of couples whom I knew at the dawn of the marriages, at midday, at late afternoon and evening, and how the living out of the Sacrament became a well spring of grace and new life for all around them, in parish and community, and how lives were transformed in parish and community by the living examples of the Sacrament of Marriage - despite the current challenges of culture and society.

From Translation to Translation

Thursday, April 1, saw our annual Diocesan gathering of priests, religious, deacons, lay ministers and parish staff at Most Blessed Sacrament Church in Arlington. There were over 450 people present for this day.  In a Diocese as large and spread out as ours (25,000 square miles over 25 counties), such gatherings are graced time of prayer, support, and common reflection on the life of the local Church and the ministry we undertake in common in the name of the Lord. The gathering had previously been referred to as the "Ministerium", but several years ago, I changed the name to a "Day of Communio" to reflect this theme found often in the writings of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, in their current writings on the nature of the Church.

To help our Diocese welcome the new Missal later on this year, the Day of Communio this year featured a keynote address by Fr. Bruce Niele CSP, who is a friend of mine for many years and is well known to many in the Diocese from his years of ministry and service here in Texas.  He gave an opening address, reflecting on  this important moment in the life of the Church, and how especially the Liturgy had formed the life of such as Pope John Paul II, Sr. Thea Bowman, Dorothy Day, and others. There were breakout sessions on pastoral and practical matters relating to the revised Roman Missal, presented by Fr. Niele, Deacon Don Warner, Fr. Ray McDaniel, Fr. John Robert Skeldon, Sr. Yolanda Cruz SSMN, and others. The day was welcome and received very well by the many who attended.  What follows are my opening remarks that preceded Fr. Niele's keynote address. Thanks to Msgr. Joe Scantlin and the staff of Most Blessed Sacrament, Lucas Pollice and Deacon Don Warner, and all who helped for this day. I am very grateful to Fr. Niele for his engaging, enthusiastic, and theologically solid opening address.  Come back to Texas any time!



Day of Communio

31 March 2010

Dear Brothers and Sisters  gathered here today,

            Welcome today to this special day which has been a significant part of the life of our Church for many years. It is a gathering when all of us involved in ministry, can pray and study and reflect together. Before I turn this over To Fr. Bruce Neile, whom I have been privileged to know for many years, I would like to offer a brief reflection on the day, and the significance of the time of preparation for the revised Roman Missal that we are in. I believe this ia special time of grace, preparation and reflection that the Lord has given us.

            Just last week, I was able to be present at the transfer of the Cathedral in the Diocese of Amarillo, from St. Lawrence to the new and beautiful St. Mary's. I went for a number of reasons: Amarillo is our neighbor on the north and west, near Vernon, Quanah and Crowell;  Also some of you may remember that we have an important link to Amarillo with its third Bishop, Bishop Lawrence DeFalco. He was pastor of St. Patrick's Co-Cathedral, and his mother's name remains on one of the windows to this day. He was consecrated Bishop of Amarillo by Bishop Gorman in our Cathedral in 1963. This, I believe, is indeed a special bond and link for all of us here.  That is another reason why I went.

            A very moving part of the ceremony was Evening Prayer at St. Lawrence the night before the actual transfer of the Cathedral. The Cathedral had become too small for the growth of the Diocese, and somewhat dated in its architecture. There was not much light as well. At the close of Vespers, the Cathedral Chair was taken up and lifted out of the Cathedral.  The symbolism of this was dramatic, and the leave taking of the Cathedral, and the new time upon the Catholics of Amarillo was not lost upon those present. You could have heard a pin drop, and the reaction of change and loss to some was very evident. There was loss and mourning and I am sure, and above all, gratitude expressed by the people of St. Lawrence and the Diocese for all that had transpired there in the seventies up to now. Yet, the next day, the Cathedral of St. Mary's was bright, filled with music, light and color as a new day dawned, a new chapter in the life of the Church of Amarillo was present. The loss and transition was replaced by jubilation and joy, and will continue to be so over the next months and years. As a side note, an earlier time in the history of the Church in Amarillo was very much present, in that some of the stained glass windows and works of art from the first Cathedral of Amarillo, that os Sacred Heart, which preceded St. Lawrence, were used for the first time after many years, thus connecting the people of Amarillo with an even earlier time:  its first Cathedral, where the light of God once more streamed through windows that had seen the lives and presence of hte grandparents and ancestors in Faith.

            I believe that this image from the history of one of our sister Dioceses in Texas provides an teaching moment for us now.

            With the reception and implementation of the new Translation this Advent, we will be entering a new time in the life of the Body of Christ, especially in the English speaking world.  We are letting go of a time and vocabulary that formed many of us, myself included. And that involves change, transition, letting go, saying good bye and perhaps even mourning a definite time period in the life of the Church. The seventies and eighties are gone, no longer with us, and we have to let them go, and say goodbye...just as in fact the people of Amarillo said goodbye to their Cathedral which no longer fit their needs, and to the Chair of the Bishop which needed be taken out and moved to the new Church, which is indeed suited to now.  

            And, just as the new Cathedral welcomed so many more people, and lifted them up with light, more space, new music and the images of a previous time in their history [which connected them to their ancestors in Faith], so too will these new translations do the same for us, as the new Church year dawns upon us. We are leaving behind, but yes will be welcomed and embraced by our worship, as we embrace our Liturgical Life with opportunities of prayer, study and reflection as never had been offered before. This is historic. And, letting go and mourning, will give way to joy and new life for us...I am convinced.

            This new translation also comes at a graced moment for our local Church. We are one of the fastest growing Dioceses in the States. We are in a time of transition and growth from the mission Diocese that we once were. Now in many ways, it is we ourselves we are reaching out in mission. As we grow and transition, so to, in God's Providential Care, does our official prayer,  grow and change with us.

            I know that I can count on each and every one of you here in your care, cooperation, and love for the life of the Body of Christ, as we pray, worship, and believe...in a language, that like the earlier windows from Sacred Heart Cathedral in Amarillo, shine the light of God's light and love into our Sunday Worship and more. As we sing and pray, so we believe:  lex orandi lex credendi. Thank you very much.  As I celebrate this year my 30th anniversary as a priest and 60th birthday, I enter personally a new time in my life and ministry. A time of transition and letting go.  But, I am so grateful to the Lord that this time in the life of the Church, and my own life is with all of you.

  God bless you always.    

A Teaching Moment

On Thursday March 24th I flew to Amarillo for the ceremony to mark the transfer of the Cathedral Church from St. Lawrence to the new St. Mary's Church. Congratulations to Bishop Patrick Zurek and the Diocese for this most significant and necessary move. The Cathedral of St. Lawrence had grown too small for the needs of the Diocese and like St. Ann's in Burleson, St. Lawrence didn't reflect the nature of the Liturgy today, nor did it have room for all of the people who attended Cathedral functions there. St. Lawrence had served the Diocese well, but the time had arrived for a change to this most beautiful and new house of  God. There are several connections with the Diocese of Fort Worth and the Diocese of Amarillo. First of all, the Diocese of Amarillo borders Fort Worth on the North and the West. The north/western parishes of our Diocese - Holy Family in Vernon, St. Joseph in Crowell, and St. Mary's in Quanah - have as their neighbors on the West the territory and parishes of the Amarillo Diocese. Furthermore, the third Bishop of Amarillo, Bishop Lawrence De Falco, had been a pastor of St. Patrick's Co-Cathedral in Fort Worth, and had been ordained Bishop for Amarillo by Bishop Thomas Gorman in 1963 in St. Patrick's. We, then, have a historical and familial connection with the Church of Amarillo. Bishops from Texas were present (myself, Archbishop Gustavo Siller of San Antonio, Bishop Michael Pfeifer of San Angelo, Bishop Placido Rodriguez of Lubbock [another neighbor to the West], Cardinal DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Fiorenza of Galveston-Houston, and Archbishop Emeritus Eusebius Beltran of Oklahoma. With the presence of Bishop Fernando Isern of Pueblo, all of Amarillo's neighbors were present!

The Diocese of Amarillo's Cathedral

The new St. Mary's Cathedral is built on the site of the former St. Mary's Church, which had burnt down, but in fact is now near the sight of the original Sacred Heart Cathedral. In fact, the Cathedral incorporates stained glass windows and other elements from the first Sacred Heart Cathedral. The transfer of the Cathedral from St. Lawrence to St.Mary's was not only well done liturgically and musically, but the new Cathedral welcomed 1200 people with the light of God streaming down through the original windows of Sacred Heart Cathedral. Thus, in a rather transcendent way,  the past, present and the future of the Diocese of Amarillo was present for all who were in St. Mary's. It was a moment of "Time and Eternity" to be sure. Both Archbishop Gustavo (at Vespers the evening before at St. Lawrence) and Cardinal DiNardo [at the Mass of transfer], preached on the importance of the Cathedral church for a diocese.  This was a great teaching moment for all present, as too often, it seems, the symbolic nature and teaching function of a Cathedral Church can get lost in a culture like ours that has roots in Protestant Congregationalism. Congratulations Bishop Zurek and the Diocese from your neighbors to the East!  Ad multos annos!