AN EXCERPT FROM ARCHBISHOP HEBDA’S PASTORAL LETTER ‘YOU WILL BE MY WITNESSES’

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, it is with great gratitude to God, and to you, that I write this pastoral letter. The exhortation of our patron, St. Paul, to the early Christians in Thessalonica captures well what is in my heart: “We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father, knowing, brothers loved by God, how you were chosen” (1 Thes 1:2- 4).

I feel blessed to shepherd an Archdiocese in which the work of the Holy Spirit is so evident. I think, for example, of our:

• strong, vibrant parishes with rich liturgical traditions, inspiring social outreach, and Eucharistic devotion;

• talented and devoted clergy;

• long history of generous and insightful lay involvement at every level of Archdiocesan life;

• two strong seminaries, including programs for ongoing clergy formation, deacons, and lay leaders;

• plentiful vocations to the various forms of consecrated life, the permanent diaconate, and the priesthood;

• network of excellent Catholic schools with growth at every level;

• transformational ministries and apostolates that have arisen here and continue to call our Archdiocese home; and

• abundant ministries that demonstrate our commitment to Catholic Social Teaching, the sanctity of life, and the dignity of the human person.

It is clear to me that we have rich soil into which the seeds of the Synod have been sown.

Gratitude for the Synod I am also so grateful for how the Synod process itself has unfolded these past three years in ways that far exceeded my expectations. Undergirded with prayer and guided by the Holy Spirit, you, the faithful of this local church, have stepped forward to share your ideas and dreams for the future as well as your hurts and longings, past and present. A sign of hope for me was the dedicated work of the Synod Executive Committee, a group made up of women and men, laity and clergy, volunteers, Archdiocesan Catholic Center staff, and parish staff. Their work was evidence for me that the fruitful collaboration called for by Christ and his Church can be a reality; and that synodality can be an ordinary way of Church life. All of this leaves me ever more confident that the Holy Spirit desires to bring about a great renewal in our local church.

~Archbishop Bernard Hebda, from You Will Be My Witnesses

ARCHDIOCESAN EVANGELIZATION PRAYER
Holy Spirit, renew your wonders in our time,
as though in a new Pentecost,
and grant that this Archdiocese,
united in prayer around Mary, the Mother of Jesus,
and guided by St. Peter,
may spread the Kingdom of the divine Savior,
a Kingdom of truth, of justice, of love, and of peace. Amen.
Saint Paul, our great missionary patron, pray for us!