Pastoral letter on the threshold of the Jubilee Year, the 150th Anniversary of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend

We stand on the threshold of our observance of the 150th anniversary of the founding of our diocese by Blessed Pope Pius IX. This presents to us an opportunity, a moment of grace and a pastoral challenge.

To read the history of our diocese is to note with reverence the struggle of every generation to follow Jesus Christ and build a Catholic culture: to honor the family; to foster vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life; to erect churches so hearts and spirits can be raised to God in a worthy manner. These were the goals of those who went before us in this place.

As one looks back over the years, one finds evidence everywhere of the life of faith and of prayer, which must always accompany growth in faith. This is shown in a variety of ways. From the earliest days we find devotion to the Blessed Sacrament; constant devotion to Our Lady and the erection of churches in her honor. Also, there is the building of schools and the establishment of catechetical programs for those in public schools so the young may meet Jesus Christ and so that the Catholic tradition of honoring faith and reason may be respected.

A particularly noteworthy part of the history of our diocese entails the establishment here of some of the great religious communities coming from Europe, followed by the flourishing of those congregations. This century and a half is especially marked by the presence of those priests, brothers and sisters in apostolates and ministries, which nourished the entire diocese.

It is also important to note the arrival of immigrants over several generations and the welcome that they received in our parishes; the response of the church’s leadership to the signs of the times and to the challenges brought by a secular culture ever more aggressive and challenging, and always there is the singular importance of the parish priest.

This has been a local church marked by a missionary spirit. Indeed, it was established by missionaries, men and women who came this way after a journey of great sacrifice. So, let us look to some of the characteristics, which can be found in those who came here in the early days to a rough and untamed land and to those who followed them. They possessed a spirit of sacrifice and a willingness to endure, and even embrace, suffering and hardship and to see it as a sharing in the cross of Christ. They had a strong and unwavering sense of the providence of God and an intimate relationship with the person of Jesus Christ, our savior, fostered by prayer and his presence in the Eucharist, evident in the letters they left behind and which still inspire us.

It seems appropriate to speak of four of these missionaries. First, there is Rev. Edward Sorin, the founder of several of our parishes in the South Bend area and of the University of Notre Dame. He came accompanied by several Brothers of Holy Cross. Listen to his assurance of the Lord’s presence accompanying him and his companions in the rough Indiana wilderness:

“This very evening we have hung up in our little chapel our sanctuary lamp only the second to be found in this vast diocese. It burns now before our modest altar … across the woods we see the lamp that lights up the mean dwelling where our good master resides, we know full well that we are not alone. Jesus Christ dwells in our midst and we take courage. We come to visit him and in the night as in the day our eyes are fixed upon the tabernacle.” — “Letter of Edward Sorin to Basil Moreau: Edward Sorin,” M O’Connell.

Then there is Mother Theodore Guerin, recently declared a saint, founder of the Sisters of Providence, and one of the founders of the Catholic school system in our diocese. On her arrival in Indiana, Mother Guerin expressed the deep desire of herself and her companions to experience the presence of Christ in the Eucharist before doing anything else:

“We had agreed among ourselves that our first visit would be made to the Blessed Sacrament, and that we would not speak to anyone before having satisfied the longing of our hearts.” — “Journals and Letters of Mother Theodore Guerin: Founder of the Sisters of Providence,” ed Sister Mary Theodesia.

We also learn of Angelique Campeau, a lay catechist who worked alongside Father Stephen Badin, the first priest ordained in what became the United States, in catechizing the Potawatomi Indians. She remains an inspiration to the many lay catechists now teaching in our diocese.

We also see in the history of our diocese the extraordinary witness of Msgr. Julian Benoit, the intrepid French missionary, the builder of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception who can be called the founder of the church in the Fort Wayne area.

I mention these few because they are typical of the early spiritual founders, and because we need to learn of their spirit so we might know more clearly from whence we came and also what it is that God is asking of us as we live together the challenge of this year of jubilee.

Sir, we want to see Jesus
As we look to the past for inspiration, we must realize that the year of the jubilee points ahead. As we look to the holy men and women who established the church here and preached the Gospel and lived it, we, like they, must face the questions that the times and the prevailing culture are putting to us as followers of Jesus Christ.

Pope John Paul II, who guided the church into the new millennium, turned to the Scriptures to find the question that is in the hearts of the men and women of this age. It is the question I wish to place before our diocese as we set forth on this jubilee; the question Pope John Paul II placed before the church as part of the observance of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. It remains fresh in our hearts and minds. We have made it the central theme of this jubilee year. It is a call to prayer, a call to holiness.

“ ‘We wish to see Jesus.’ (Jn 12:21) This request, addressed to the Apostle Philip by some Greeks who had made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover, echoes spiritually in our ears too during this jubilee year. Like those pilgrims of 2,000 years ago, the men and women of our day — often perhaps unconsciously — ask believers not only to ‘speak’ of Christ, but in a certain sense to ‘show’ him to them. And is it not the church’s task to reflect the light of Christ in every historical period, to make his face shine also before the generations of the new millennium?
Our witness, however, would be hopelessly inadequate if we ourselves had not first contemplated his face.” — “Novo Millennio Ineunte,” apostolic letter, Pope John Paul II

Our call then in this jubilee year, the call of every parish and of all our ministries and apostolates is first of all a call to prayer. When as individuals and parishes our habit of prayer grows strong, then we will be accompanied by Christ as we spread the word of God. Our evangelization, our outreach, risks becoming sterile if it is not rooted in prayer and the devout reception of the sacraments and openness to the Gospel of Christ.

Everywhere there is hunger for a faith which is alive and which helps others to believe. Pope Paul VI put it graphically in his beautiful reflection on evangelization.

“The world, in spite of the general opinion to the contrary, and although it gives every outward sign of denying God, is in fact seeking God by strange ways and is in desperate need of God. This world is looking for preachers of the Gospel to speak to it of God whom they know as being close to them, as though seeing him who is invisible. The world expects of us, and demands of us, a life of simplicity, the habit of prayer, charity towards all and especially towards children and the poor. It expects obedience and humility, forgetfulness of self and abnegation. If these signs of sanctity are wanting, our words will not reach the hearts of men in our time. There is a grave danger that they will be vain and sterile.” — “Evangelii Nuntiandi,” Pope Paul VI

How then can we meet this need, this hunger so evident in our times? What means can we take so that the people of our time are helped to contemplate the face of Christ and so that the spiritual hunger of our times can be met? In short, how can this year of jubilee help us to live our vocation to come to know Jesus Christ and help others to know him?

What I am asking of myself and of all of us is that we embrace this as a year for the pursuit of holiness. It is a year to be marked by prayer in the parish and by efforts of evangelization rooted in prayer.

What I pray for, under God’s grace, is that this year of prayer and outreach, of repentance and return, of sorrow for sin and hope in Jesus Christ will give light for the years that follow. The jubilee must be seen as a spiritual retreat. We are called to become a church that prays and prays more intensely.

Christ called the apostles to “come apart and rest” with him awhile before sending them out. So it must be with us. (cf Lk 6:12-16) This is the great apostolic paradox — to be with him, and also to be sent out by him. It must guide us still.

Pope John Paul emphasized again and again that there is no effective evangelization without contemplation. Our going forth will not bear fruit unless time is first spent with him. This is time for prayer. We must do both; not necessarily one first and the other second, but both together. Here are the means that I will ask each parish to employ, remembering always that we are beginning something, or rather renewing something that many did before us. What we do as a diocese this year will light the way for the years that follow.

The parish mission
This is a time of prayer and evangelization. I request every parish to have a mission, which will include outreach and invitation to Catholics who have left the practice of their faith. In order to make this possible, I ask every parish to schedule their mission between Jan. 1, 2006 and Dec. 1, 2008. Thus, we include the year just completed, and this gives parishes a full three-year period allowing time to schedule and prepare a truly parish-wide mission in every parish. It is recommended that the Office of Spiritual Development be used. In that program, priests, religious and laity from our diocese present the instructions on the word of God. When this happens, both the presenter and the listener are served spiritually. It is a more complete time of renewal. If a parish does choose another group of missionaries, they must use the preparation methods of evangelization as perfected by our diocesan office. This includes personal contact, a letter from the pastor as well as a phone call to each parishioner, and a time of intense intercessory prayer before and during the mission. This preparation involves the whole parish, led by the pastor, in prayer, outreach and preparation. The Office of Spiritual Development stands ready to give help to all parishes in the preparation, including those who might choose a missionary from outside the diocese. The mission must include opportunities for the sacrament of penance, as well as instruction on both penance and the holy Eucharist.

During Lent 2007, there will be several simultaneous efforts to draw people closer to Christ and his church.

The media
There will be extensive use of television, radio, billboards and other instruments made possible by a grant from Our Sunday Visitor, inviting everyone, but especially inactive Catholics, to “come home” to Christ and the church.

Mercy Day
Following a diocesan-wide effort, which will include a 1-800-MERCY4U phone number for those seeking counseling and help before returning to the sacrament of penance, all priests will make themselves available, on a particular day, for the sacrament of penance at a time and date to be announced.

Wells of Hope
This is an original instrument prepared for our diocese by our Office of Spiritual Development. It has already begun and will include the training of disciples to go two-by-two to visit people who might be interested in returning to the practice of their faith. This splendid effort can also be linked with the parish-wide mission. In the visit, people can be invited to attend the mission.

Expansion of eucharistic adoration
Every parish should consider increasing the hours of exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and should make clear intentions of prayer for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.

Intensified efforts to reach, love and serve the poor in each parish
The encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI, “Deus Caritas Est,” calls us to this effort.

“The church cannot neglect the service of charity any more than she can neglect the sacraments and the word of God.
“For the church charity is not a kind of welfare activity which could equally be left to others, but is a part of her nature, an indispensable reflection of her very being.” — “Deus Caritas Est,” Pope Benedict XVI.

Renewal of the sacrament of penance
This is to take place on the diocesan level through Mercy Day, which will be accompanied by extensive media efforts to call people back to this sacrament and to the full practice of their faith, and by a special telephone number through which people can receive counseling and discuss personal problems, which may have prevented them from returning to the practice of their faith. As valuable as this intense effort will be, our priests are well aware that efforts to draw people to Christ who awaits them in the sacrament of penance and in the celebration of the holy Eucharist must be ongoing throughout the year in every parish.

Family life
Parishes and pastors must look for ways, in collaboration with the diocesan Office of Family Life, to help parents form their families as communities of faith, prayer and service. Pope John Paul II set forth this beautiful vision for Catholic family life in the following way:

“Catholic parents must learn to form their family as a ‘domestic church,’ a church in the home, as it were, where God is honored, his law is respected, prayer is a normal event, virtue is transmitted by word and example, and everyone shares the hopes, the problems and sufferings of everyone else. All this is not to advocate a return to some outdated style of living: it is to return to the roots of human development and human happiness!” — “Homily at the Aqueduct Race Track,” New York, 1995

As part of this intensified effort to help build a Catholic culture in the home, the parish should look for opportunities to present to married couples and to couples preparing for marriage the beauty of the church’s teaching on marriage, family, sexuality and the human body.

Evangelization and
catechesis of young people
A recent study entitled Soul Searchers has examined the efforts of various churches and religious groups to reach young people with the message of the Gospel. The study found that when Catholics engage and educate young people, especially teenagers, there is strong response. Alas, it found, with some encouraging exceptions, that Catholics do not do this adequately. In great part, we have failed to show our young people the face of Christ. We have not heard and attended to their cry, the cry given to the Apostle Philip on the day of the great feast, “We want to see Jesus.” As part of the jubilee year, I ask every parish to assess the effort it is making for the sanctification and instruction of young people. I pledge to work with our Office of Youth Ministry, our Office of Catechesis, our Office of Young Adult Ministry and our parishes to enhance this effort. The following characteristics should be part of every parish effort to reach our young people.

1. Instruction on the holy Eucharist, a multifaceted mystery, and help to pray well at Mass, along with time for quiet prayer in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.
2. Instruction and catechesis presented in a way that is attractive, with exchange in conversations and questions and answers between young people and the priest, as well as between young people and their lay leaders. Young people today are growing in sophistication in many of the disciplines they study. They are highly technological and the Internet is part of their lives. The Internet itself brings about interesting and valuable information as well as dark and offensive images. Young people must be educated to know the difference and helped to have the grace and strength to make the right choices. As they become better and better educated at an early age, we cannot allow that the Catholic Church, which has always honored faith and reason, the church of the great universities, the church, which fosters education, should fail to instruct its young people.

“In our pastoral care we ask ourselves: How are we to reveal Jesus Christ, God made man, to the multitudes of children and young people, reveal him not just in the fascination of a first fleeting encounter but through an acquaintance growing deeper and clearer daily, with him, his message, the plan of God that he has revealed, the call he addresses to each person and the kingdom that he wishes to establish. ...” — “Catechesi Tradendae,” John Paul II, page 31

3. Service. Pope Benedict XVI has called the whole church to the ministry of charity and the element of service to those who are in need, including the disabled, must be a component of every parish in its work with our youth so that in their early years they may recognize Christ in their neighbor who is in need.

4. The training of adults who are to serve as teachers, core team members, organizers and mentors. They must work in close harmony with the priest. A program where the young people do not experience the close pastoral presence of the priest lacks an essential component. At the same time, a youth initiative which lacks the presence of lay people, including married couples, lacks a necessary vital presence. Many parishes take great advantage of programs provided by the diocese; many of them linked with the theology department at the University of Notre Dame for the training of catechists. Some parishes have not sent teachers to these programs. The parish council or other appointed committee should work closely with the pastor for constant training — year after year — of new catechists to teach our young people and to teach on the adult level as well.

The jubilee year. Not an end, but a beginning
Like those who went before us, we are called to do those things which will strengthen the church for decades to come. Our jubilee year, then, is not an end, but a beginning.

Our call is to establish strong foundations in certain key areas of pastoral life, to put in place a structure for faith and prayer, which will bring forth fruit in the years to come. It may be some time before this year of planting brings forth the desired fruit. That is the way of grace and the way of salvation. As Cardinal Ratzinger once said to me at an “ad limina” visit, “That is salvation history. One person sows and another reaps.”

But let us begin.
I ask each parish to initiate conversations and planning in the following areas.
1. A program of prayer and outreach including, but not limited to, a parish mission.
2. A program of prayer for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, which will include eucharistic adoration. The Office of Worship will be providing help to every parish.
3. An evaluation of the present parish youth ministry program to be conducted in close collaboration with our Office of Youth Ministry. As Pope Benedict XVI pointed out in conversation with parish priests in northern Italy, it may be that smaller parishes may have to be linked together. A program of youth ministry in the parish should include the four foundations, which are indicated above. Our Office of Youth Ministry is ready and eager to help.
4. The training of catechists. Many parishes take advantage of programs prepared by the diocese for the training of catechists and for adult religious education.
The catechetical program in a parish can only fully flourish when there are strong programs of adult education. A number of parishes have made great advances in this area and every parish is called to this. Many adult Catholics are hungry to know their faith.
5. Every parish should reflect on the ministry of charity, recognizing that service to the poor and those in need is closely linked to the Eucharist. The parish should search out the poor and see what needs are not being met. The parish council or committee appointed to this should read carefully “Deus Caritas Est” of Pope Benedict XVI, keeping in mind his words: “Within the community of believers, there can never be room for poverty that denies anyone what is needed for a dignified life.”

The events
The main event is the Eucharistic Congress to be conducted on Aug. 18 at the University of Notre Dame. It will include an ecumenical service; catecheses at different locations throughout the campus; eucharistic adoration; the rosary at regular intervals at the Notre Dame grotto; opportunity for the sacrament of penance; special programs for young people; and an exhibition of art. It will conclude late Saturday afternoon with the celebration of the Eucharist at the Joyce Center. The entire diocese will be called to attend this event. There will be no parish Masses that Saturday afternoon throughout the diocese, no weddings, funerals or athletic events and no parish confessions, as all the priests will be at Notre Dame where they will be hearing confessions and presenting catecheses.
There will be two diocesan regional confirmations in September — one in South Bend and one in Fort Wayne — showing the unity of our young people and of our families.

The Jubilee Pilgrim Cross will continue its pilgrimage through parishes and institutions, carried by our young people so that all may observe the instrument of our salvation and be drawn to him. “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” — Jn 12:32, New American Bible

A personal note
During this jubilee year, it will be my great privilege to celebrate 50 years as a priest. Filled with gratitude and also a great sense of unworthiness, We will celebrate this event on Sunday, April 15, 2007. I hope we can show forth the vocation of the priest and bishop in such a way that other young men will hear the call of Christ and respond. Let us approach this year with humility, with sorrow for sin, and with gratitude to Jesus Christ for his gifts to this diocese over a century and a half. Let us approach it also with a prayer of petition that the Most Holy Trinity will shower many gifts upon us in this year and, like those who went before us, the seeds to be planted may fall on good ground and bring forth a hundredfold. Let us make it a joyful year for joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

To contemplate the face of Christ and to contemplate it with Mary
On Dec. 8, we will celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the patronal feast of our diocese. On that day in the cathedral church dedicated to her under this title and in all the parish churches in the diocese, we will consecrate our diocese, our people and our future to her, knowing that her prayer of intercession will bring countless blessings and graces in the years to come. We will entrust this beloved diocese to her and pray for all those who come after us in this holy place.
The beautiful jubilee image, typical of many of the works of art in our diocese, also shows our theme: Behold the Face of Christ, and also the millennium admonition of Pope John Paul II: “Contemplate the Face of Christ and Contemplate It with Mary.”

Together, let us seek and behold the face of Christ. I call all in our diocese, our priests, our religious, all our parishes and all our people to seek the face of Christ in prayer; in reparation for sin, especially through the sacrament of penance; in outreach and evangelization; in improved ministry to and with our young people; in the training of catechists and programs of adult religious education; and through works of charity for those in need.

May God bless our journey, our jubilee year. I place it in the hands of Our Lady, our patroness.

Together, let us seek the face of Christ. His steadfast love endures forever.

Most Reverend
John M. D’Arcy
Jan. 1, 2007
Feast of the Mother of God