ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Bishop Adamec,
Brother Priests and Deacons;
Dear Religious, Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

I greet you warmly in the name of Jesus Christ on the occasion of this joyous anniversary. I express my gratitude to Bishop Adamec for inviting me to celebrate this liturgy with you, and to give thanks to almighty God for His blessings to the entire Church in the Metropolitan Province of Philadelphia. Today we thank God in particular for the vibrant and faithful witness of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. Your fidelity through the years—up to our own day—has made the Face of Jesus shine forth in the beautiful Allegheny area.

It is especially important to mark this celebration in this beautiful and historic Cathedral Church of Saint John Gualbert. This soaring edifice is both a tribute to the character of the Catholic people of this diocese, as well as a means of raising our eyes, our hearts and our minds to God, our merciful Father. In the words of Psalm 95, "Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us joyfully sing psalms to him" (Ps 95: 2). Here, in the presence of your Bishop, with so many priests, and such a great number of the faithful, the Church is truly present. As the Metropolitan Archbishop of this Province, I rejoice in the unity which we enjoy as members of the Church, the Body of Christ, in communion with our Holy Father. I also bring you the prayerful regards of the Church in Philadelphia. As we, too, mark a milestone anniversary—our Bicentennial—together, we give thanks to God for calling us to be His witnesses and collaborators in spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The Liturgy of the Word speaks well to our celebration. While the prophecy of Habakkuk strikes us as somewhat unsettling with its reference to violence, misery, destruction, strife and clamorous discord, the emphasis is on hope: "For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint" (Hb 2:3). In the midst of trial and hardship, the prophecy of Habakkuk offers security, stability, strength and joy to the person who remains righteous. Like the people of Judah so long ago, God calls us, in times of joy and in times of trial, to remain loyal, faithful and to place all of our hope in Him.

Saint Paul, in his Second Letter to Timothy, charges not only his young disciple, but all of us: "Bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God" (2 Tim 1: 8). This anniversary provides an opportunity to look upon the past and note well the beginnings of the growth of the Church across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. What was certainly a daunting task for the early missionaries, such as the Jesuits, the Franciscans and the Benedictines, has borne much fruit. History provides us with outstanding, yet humble, heroes who are enduring models of evangelization. We acknowledge with deep gratitude that we are beneficiaries and heirs of those who responded to the call to embrace and proclaim the Gospel, particularly the tireless shepherd, Saint John Neumann, and the zealous apostle of the Alleghenies, Prince Demetrius Gallitzin. Never shrinking from the task, they bore their share of the burden of the Gospel that many, especially Catholic immigrants, would receive spiritual and pastoral care. While we honor them for their missionary work, undoubtedly they would respond humbly, but emphatically, "we have done what we were obliged to do" (Lk 17: 10).

Vatican II, in Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, makes clear that all of us are obliged to bring Jesus to the world: "Incorporated into the Church by Baptism, the faithful are appointed by their baptismal character to Christian religious worship; reborn as children of God, they must profess before men the faith they have received from God through the Church. By the sacrament of Confirmation they are more perfectly bound to the Church and are endowed with the special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread the faith by word and deed. Taking part in the eucharistic sacrifice, the source and summit of the Christian life, they offer the divine victim to God and themselves along with it" (no. 11). Lumen Gentium, acknowledging the trials and hardships of the modern world, emphasized that "by the power of the risen Lord [the Church] is given strength to overcome, in patience and love, her sorrows and her difficulties, both those that are from within and those that are from without, so that she may reveal in the world, faithfully, however darkly, the mystery of her Lord until, in the consummation, it shall be manifested in full light" (no. 8).

Our celebration today marks a certain triumph, the triumph of the Gospel in this beautiful area of our Commonwealth. You know the hardships and tragedies which have been overcome and you rejoice in the gift of perseverance. Within the Church, however, triumph and celebration can only spur us on to further action. We must never rest while there are people who do not know Jesus or who are indifferent to Him. We can never be inactive as long as there is violence, hatred, abuse and poverty. We must never allow our young people to become absorbed in a culture of self-destruction. This Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown has an important mission to fulfill: Continue to make known the Face of Jesus! Let His voice be heard! Let His love be felt by all whom you encounter, especially the young, the despondent, the poor and the suffering. May the Name of Jesus be proclaimed anew to a world rent and sundered by violence, selfishness and sin!

In his Encyclical Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict XVI reminds us of the source of love within the Church: "Faith, which sees the love of God revealed in the pierced heart of Jesus on the Cross, gives rise to love. Love is the light—and in the end, the only light—that can always illuminate a world grown dim and give us the courage needed to keep living and working" (no. 39). Urged on by the love of Christ, the Church will never weaken in the task of spreading the Gospel.
Through the Holy Eucharist, we share deeply in the mystery of the Heart of Jesus. Both at Mass and through Eucharistic Adoration, we are drawn into the depths of the love of God, a love which is all-consuming and self-sacrificing. In Holy Communion, we are united to Jesus and to one another. In Eucharistic Adoration, our nearness to Jesus makes us long for Him that much more. This longing also enables us to seek His presence in those who are in need and to fulfil our obligations to make known the love of Jesus.

Always, we entrust our efforts to the Blessed Virgin Mary. On this day, October 7, and in this month dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, we have renewed recourse through that devotion which, as expressed by the Servant of God Pope John Paul II, enables us with Mary to contemplate the Face of Jesus. Our late beloved Holy Father wrote: "The Rosary is also a prayer for peace because of the fruits of charity which it produces. When prayed well in a truly meditative way, the Rosary leads to an encounter with Christ in his mysteries and so cannot fail to draw our attention to the face of Christ in others.... [H]ow could one possibly gaze upon the glory of the risen Christ or of Mary Queen of Heaven, without yearning to make this world more beautiful, more just, more closely conformed to God’s plan" (Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 40)?

Fervently, I entrust you, dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, to the intercession of Our Lady of the Rosary, who always grants victory to those who have recourse to her. Together with your zealous shepherd, Bishop Adamec, and with you and your clergy bear the burden of the Gospel with renewed zeal and vibrancy. May the Love of Jesus fill your hearts, the Name of Jesus be ever on your lips, and the Face of Jesus shine upon you always! Amen.