ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

My dear People,

On Saturday, October 7, I will observe the third anniversary of my pastoral service as Archbishop of Philadelphia. With profound gratitude in my heart, I take this opportunity to reflect with you on the abundant graces and blessings which we have experienced together in this local Church. I rejoice in the dedicated collaboration of my brother Bishops, in the faithful ministry of my brother priests and deacons, in the witness of our many consecrated Religious sisters and brothers, and in the generous devotion and service of the laity. Together, we form a vibrant community of faith, hope and love, for which "we too give thanks to God unceasingly" (1 Thes 2: 13).

This vibrant community of faith is evidenced by the many parishes, schools, institutions and varied forms of ministry and service which have been an integral part of the history of our Archdiocese. From the very beginning of our Archdiocese almost two hundred years ago, the Holy Eucharist has been the heart of the life of this local Church. The entire history and indeed the very life of our Archdiocese presume that, if we are living the way in which we are supposed to live, then we must be a Eucharistic people.

As a people who are united, formed, nourished, sustained and sanctified by the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus Christ, we know that we need the Bread of Life, we need the Body and Blood of Christ. When we come together in the Sunday assembly to celebrate the Eucharist, we are aware that we are united—in prayer, in song, in charity—but also, most particularly, by the Holy Communion which we receive. In that encounter with our Eucharistic Lord, we recognize that we are brothers and sisters, we respond to Christ’s invitation to evangelization and service, and we set our hopes on the heavenly banquet where we shall see God face-to-face. It is during the Sunday Eucharistic celebration that we are more painfully aware of the absence of those who have drifted away from the practice of the faith, who do not understand or appreciate the wonder of the Eucharist.

The Second Vatican Council noted: "At all times the Church carries the responsibility of reading the signs of the time and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel, if it is to carry out its task" (Gaudium et Spes, 4). Our present time, riddled with confusion, wounded by violence, and misdirected by materialism and sensuality, urgently cries out for the witness and message of a people transformed by the Eucharist.

Of special concern is the trend of violence which has gripped the City of Philadelphia and has affected the entire metropolitan area. As I write this letter, I learned this morning that the homicide toll in the city has reached 295. These wanton killings, the tragic episodes of violence which scar our nation, and the precarious and volatile situation in so many parts of the world serve as a rallying call to all men and women of good will to strive for peace, to work for justice, and to live in harmony. Catholics, in a special way, understand that these can only be adequately achieved through reception of and devotion to the Most Holy Eucharist. As Pope John Paul II stated in his October 7, 2004 Apostolic Letter, Mane Nobiscum Domine, "The Eucharist is not merely an expression of communion in the Church’s life; it is also a project of solidarity for all of humanity ... More than ever, our troubled world, which began the new millennium with the specter of terrorism and the tragedy of war, demands that Christians learn to experience the Eucharist as a great school of peace, forming men and women who, at various levels of responsibility in social, cultural and political life, can become promoters of dialogue and communion" (no. 27).

One year ago, I wrote to you to join me in Eucharistic Adoration particularly through a weekly Holy Hour for Reparation and Renewal. These weekly Holy Hours celebrated in our parishes and institutions provided us opportunity to pray for healing and forgiveness for sins committed in our midst, for our own sins, and especially for sins committed against young people. These hours of prayer have not been without effect, as the Eucharistic Presence of Christ, Priest and Victim, offers consolation and strength, holiness and courage. Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament allows us to draw near to the Heart of Jesus in adoration, in supplication, and in thanksgiving. Within that Heart, which bears for the human race infinite love and mercy, we are able to cast all of our cares, repent of our sins, implore mercy for the sins of the world, and learn how to love truly. Mindful then of the transforming power of the Eucharist, I invite all of the priests and faithful of the Archdiocese to continue these weekly Holy Hours before the Most Holy Eucharist in reparation for sin, for renewal within the Church, for an end to violence, and for a true and lasting peace in our world. As Saint Paul declared, "Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more" (Rom 5: 20). Confronted with the evils and trials of our time, we pray before Christ in the Holy Eucharist that His grace will abound in the Church, in the world, and in our own community.

In the context of the renewal of all our people—our families, our priests, deacons and religious, our entire Archdiocese—I remind everyone of our need for more priests who are at the service of every vocation in the Church. Once again I ask everyone in this local Church to pray urgently before the Blessed Sacrament that God will grant an increase of vocations to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

On December 25, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI issued his first Encyclical, Deus Caritas Est. The Holy Father invites us to understand charity—authentic sacrificial love—by meditating upon Christ crucified: "By contemplating the pierced side of Christ (cf. Jn 19:37), we can understand the starting point of this Encyclical Letter: ‘God is love’ (1 Jn 4:8). It is there that this truth can be contemplated. It is from there that our definition of love must begin. In this contemplation the Christian discovers the path along which his life and love must move" (no. 12). Born from the wounded side of Christ, the Church has preached the message of love through two millennia and has demonstrated that message through the exercise of charity, the proclamation of justice, the encouragement of peace.

The days in which we live, though darkened by violence, have been brightened by the efforts of those who are committed to works of peace. Efforts in education, programs to protect children and youth, bonding through community and neighborhood outreach all have demonstrated that people of good will have a thirst for justice and a longing for security and peace. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia enthusiastically cooperates in these efforts to make safe and secure our neighborhoods and especially our children. The work of all those who are committed to ending violence in our community must be underlined and strengthened by the Eucharistic Sacrifice and through Eucharistic Adoration. Contemplation of the One who suffered on Calvary moves us to intensify our efforts to alleviate the sufferings of the innocent and to provide secure havens of hope and peace for all people, especially our children. I extend my deepest thanks to our parishes, schools and institutions which, on the local level, have provided or cooperate with these initiatives.

I am grateful for the efforts of our priests to make people more conscious of the centrality of the Eucharist in daily life. As parishes have made Eucharistic Adoration more available, people have come to realize that time spent in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament moves them to look forward to participation in the Mass and reception of Holy Communion. So, too, the Mass and Holy Communion stir the faithful to continue their adoration before Christ reposed in the Tabernacle or exposed in the Monstrance. I am pleased that there are not only Holy Hours, but also extended periods of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and, in some parishes, where possible, even Perpetual Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

The centrality of the Eucharist in the life of the Church is most clearly demonstrated by the location of the Tabernacle in the center of the Sanctuary. I express appreciation to those parishes which have restored the Tabernacle to this prominent location. I further encourage, as I have previously, that, if architecturally possible, the Most Blessed Sacrament be placed in the center of the Sanctuary in all of the parish churches of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

October 7, the anniversary of my Installation as Archbishop of Philadelphia, is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Within the parishes of this Archdiocese there is a tremendous devotion to Mary, Mother of God. This devotion is manifested especially in the many faithful who pray the Rosary. Whether the Rosary is prayed individually, with others in Church, within the family, in the classroom, or gathered with others in various homes, the prayers which are offered through the Rosary are a great source of blessing for the universal Church, for our Archdiocese, for our parishes and for our community.

Meditation on the mysteries of the Rosary invites us to enter into those significant moments in the lives of Jesus and Mary. Through the Rosary, Mary welcomes us to join her in contemplating Jesus. Pope John Paul II, in Rosarium Virginis Mariae, encouraged us: "Mary constantly sets before the faithful the ‘mysteries of her Son, with the desire that the contemplation of those mysteries will release their saving power. In the recitation of the Rosary, the Christian community enters into contact with the memories and the contemplative gaze of Mary" (no. 11).

The contemplation of the mysteries of the Rosary naturally leads us closer to Christ, our Eucharistic Lord. "Mary," wrote Pope John Paul II, "can guide us toward this most holy sacrament, because she herself has a profound relationship with it" (Mane Nobiscum Domine, 53). By contemplating Jesus in the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries, we have that desire to be near Jesus and, with Mary, the "Woman of the Eucharist," to learn from Him and to unite ourselves more closely with Him.

In 2008, we will celebrate the bicentennial of the establishment of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. This coming milestone provides for us further motivation for evangelization and service. Sustained by participation in the Mass, frequent reception of Holy Communion and of the Sacrament of Penance, regular Eucharistic Adoration, and contemplation of the mysteries of the Rosary, we will be strengthened for the work of evangelization and service. With a desire for an even more vibrant witness to the Faith and an ever deeper compassion for all those people of the Archdiocese suffering in various ways, we look once again to our own Saint John Neumann and Saint Katharine Drexel. They remain for us Eucharistic models of evangelization and service; impelled by the love of Christ, they set many hearts on fire. They lived the Eucharist. They emulated the mysteries of Christ. They labored to instill the Gospel in the minds and hearts of others, especially children. May we, nourished by the Eucharist and encouraged by the example of Mary, be a Eucharistic people who live in charity, justice and peace.

May the Lord Jesus Christ grant all of us His grace, mercy and peace!

Sincerely in Christ,

 

Cardinal Justin Rigali
Archbishop of Philadelphia

October 2, 2006
Feast of the Guardian Angels