year of faith pastoral letter 2013

7/30/2019 Year of Faith Pastoral Letter 2013

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Bishop

Thomas J. Olmsted

Auxiliary Bishop

Eduardo A. Nevares

Blest Are They Who BelieveA pastoral letter on the occasion o the Year o Faith.Promulgated on Sept. 14, 2012.

ntroductionThroughout the 2,000-year history o our Church,e unique and central proclamation o our aith hasen based on a personal encounter with the living

od – the God who created us in love and unoldeds plan or us throughout the narrative o salvationtory. In His Son, He took on our esh, sueredath or our sins, and rose rom the dead so that weght rise with Him to everlasting lie.1 Our Catholicth is a celebration o this unique encounter, demon-ated throughout the world by the victorious saintsheaven, and us pilgrims here on earth who seek toow, love, and serve our Lord Jesus Christ. In every e, the Church brings together the aithul, callingem to conversion, strengthening them through the

c 1 Cor 15:20

Sacraments, and sending them to serve in His vine- yard. But or every aithul pilgrim, it is always neces-sary to deepen and sometimes even to revitalize ourrelationship with God and His Church. It belongs toeach generation to “rediscover the journey o aith soas to shed ever clearer light on the joy and renewedenthusiasm o the encounter with Christ.”2 For thisreason the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI declaredthat the Universal Church will celebrate this “Year o Faith,” a year dedicated to renewed and concentratedeorts on proclaiming, teaching, and deending thetruth, beauty, and goodness o our aith in Christ. Aswe also commemorate the 50th anniversary o theopening o the Second Vatican Council, we will high-light the many conciliar and post-conciliar documents

2. Porta Fidei para 2

that “have lost nothing o their value oWe invite all the Catholic aithul, as welrated brothers and sisters in Christ, to the Year o Faith by an “authentic and rension to the Lord, the one Savior o the w

This Pastoral letter contains two distnected parts. Part I is addressed to all thoutlines the six principle ways in whichcan enter into this special year. Part II specifc ways that we invite the aithul various vocations to celebrate the Year our hope that you will prayerully read Pthe section in Part II that pertains to you

3. John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio In2001), 57: AAS 93 (2001)


Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

“Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to all creation,”

Jesus said, “The man who believes in it and accepts baptism will be

saved; the man who reuses to believe in it will be condemned”

(Mk 16:15). What a dierence it makes to believe in God. When aith is

absent, the Lord’s work is hampered: “Jesus did not work many mighty

deeds there because o their lack o aith” (Mt 13:58). When aith

it can move mountains, or nothing is impossible with God. Faith

opens the door o our heart to Christ, is a great git rom Him, a

sion on our part, and a major orce or shaping our individual live

indeed the history o the world.

art One:o All The Faithful

Throughout the Diocese o Phoenix, there willbe increased opportunities or all believers tocelebrate our aith during this important year.

union with the Holy Father, and in solidarity withholics throughout the world, we are calling each o aithul to participate in the Year o Faith in the ol-ng ways:

Sincere, personal proession o aith.

Renewed participation in the Liturgy.Increased study o Scripture and the Catechism.

Reection on the history o aith.

Intensifed witness o charity.

Fostering and promoting vocations to the priest-hood and consecrated lie.

special Diocesan website has been created to assistaithul in their celebration o this grace-flled(www.CatholicFamilyPrayer.org). You can alsothe unique sites created by the Vatican (www.

usidei.va/content/novaevangelizatio/en.html)the U. S. Conerence o Catholic Bishops (www.

cb.org/belies-and-teachings/how-we-teach/new-ngelization/year-o-aith) to help them ully engagehe Year o Faith.

1. The Profession of FaithIn their encounter with Christ, Christians seek to

conorm themselves to Him and grow in aith (c Rom12:2). The heart o evangelization, and the dynamism o the New Evangelization, is this personal encounter thatmakes Christians authentic witnesses to the love thatChrist has or each one o us. This personal relationshipwith Christ compels us to share Him with others: “It isthe love o Christ that flls our hearts and impels us toevangelize.”5 In this Year o Faith, Pope Benedict XVIcalls each o the aithul “to proess the aith in ullness

and with renewed conviction, with condence andhope,” rediscovering the content o aith that we cel-ebrate, live, and believe.6 Throughout the Diocese, theaithul and all those who serve our parishes and apos-tolates will be given opportunities to publicly proesstheir aith in the Risen Lord. This proession will meanwe are re-committing ourselves to a deeper relationshipwith Christ and His Church, as well as to the task o proclaiming the Good News in our “homes… amongour amilies… so that everyone may eel a strong needto know better and… transmit to uture generations theaith o all times.”7

5. Porta Fidei para 7 (c. 2 Cor 5:14)6. Porta Fidei para 9


2. Renewed Participationin the Sacraments

In a special way, all the aithul are callsense o awe o and increased participatmysteries.

▶ Our entrance into the aith throuwaters o Baptism should be ardently remembered throughout our pilgrim joEvery Catholic should know and celebtheir Baptism as their “birth into new should renew their eorts to educate per

about this oundational sacrament as weparents and uninitiated adults or entraning waters o Baptism.▶ The Sacrament o Confrmation

Baptism, perecting Baptismal grace, rodeeply in the Holy Spirit, and increasinship with God as His sons and daughpouring o the Holy Spirit in the sacrwith His gits o Wisdom, Knowledge, UCounsel, Piety, Fortitude, and Fear o ththis special Year, we must be more awato these gits, asking God to reawakenappreciation or the proound role o tin our lives.

8. CCC1277

9. c CCC1316



▶ The Sacrament o theEucharist has always been and

ains the “source and summit” o our aith. Throughparticipation in the Eucharist, we witness the

ound love o Christ, who suered and conqueredh or our sins to bring us to everlasting lie. His realsubstantial Presence in the Eucharist renews and

ngthens us so that we may aithully serve as Hiss and daughters. For this reason, the Year o Faith each one o us in a particular way to witness toist’s presence in the Eucharist and to receive Holy

mmunion more requently and worthily.

The Sacraments o Service – the vocations o riage and Holy Orders – are particularly importantur society, yet perhaps the most oten misunder-d. Married couples, priests, deacons, and conse-ed men and women are all called to witness the

o God in their particular vocation. During theo Faith, those who have received or are preparing

eceive these sacraments should reect upon anderstand with greater clarity how they reveal the love

God to the world.

The Sacraments o Healing – Reconciliation andAnointing o the Sick – remind us o the ever pres-need we have or God in our lives. In all believ-

the Year o Faith should bring orth a deepergnition o our need or God’s healing grace andeased desire to seek God’s mercy in the Sacramentonession. Pope Benedict XVI reminds us that, “the

w Evangelization begins in the conessional.”10 Inciety that oten conuses reedom with licentious-, recognizing the reality o our brokenness helps

not only to better understand the objective naturen that wounds our relationship with God and onether, but also to increase our confdence in God’scy and redemption. The authority given by Christl priests to orgive sins in His name (Jn 20: 22-23) is

eat treasure o the Church. During the Year o Faith,treasure o requent reception o the Sacrament o ession should be rediscovered with great joy and

nkulness. This year should also be an opportunity row in our understanding and appreciation o theinting o the Sick. In this sacrament, Christ theer makes His ever present grace particularly palpa-n the believer – a grace to strengthen, support, and

ourage those who have a serious illness, who havewn weak because o aging, or who are undergoing aous medical procedure. Scripture reveals the unique

o our belie in Christ’s willingness and ability tous. In this Year, all believers, and especially those have received or will receive the Sacrament, should

template the meaning o this grace given duringes o exceptional suering.

Study of Scripture and

Participation in CatechesisFaith is choosing to stand with the Lord so as towith Him. This ‘standing with Him’ points towardsunderstanding o the reasons or believing.”11

derstanding the aith requires reading, listening,praying with God’s word in Holy Scripture, as welltudying how God has revealed Himsel throughteachings o the Church. For this reason, the study Scripture and the participation in catechesis areeld as a necessary aspect o both “standing with

m” and “living with Him.” We call all Catholics toe deeply all in love with Christ by listening to Hise proclaimed through Scripture and Tradition. A

ewed and more ardent study o the aith “direct-

Papal Address on Sacrament o Conession March 12, 2012

Porta Fidei para 10

ed towards the love that never ends”12 is necessary

or a more enthusiastic and joy-flled aith in Christand His Church. The aithul should read the SacredScriptures, the Catechism, and the documents o theChurch’s Magisterium, both individually and as a am-ily, and they should seek out and participate in themany opportunities or Scripture study and catechesisthrough local parishes and the Diocese.

4. The History of our FaithScripture speaks o salvation as an ongoing, ever pres-

ent reality. St. Paul’s says, “or our salvation is nearernow than when we frst believed” (Rom 13:11). In thisway, we can say that we have been saved, that we arebeing saved, and that we will be saved through Christour Lord. In other words, the history o Salvation as

anticipated and perected in Sacred Scripture contin-ues through God’s saving plan or each o us today. By “retracing the history o our aith,” we can “highlightthe great contribution o men and women have made…through the witness o their lives,” and recognize thepersonal “continuing work o conversion” that is stillnecessary.13 During this Year o Faith, we must recallthe salvifc activity o Christ through:

1. His Church, in His apostles, “who earlessly pro-claimed to all the joy o the resurrection,”14 andin His disciples, “who ormed the frst community around the teaching o the Apostle,”15

2. in His Martyrs, who gave their lives in service o the Gospel,16

3. in His men and women consecrated, who leave allthings behind to be concrete signs o waiting orthe Lord,17

4. in people o aith throughout the centuries, “whohave conessed the beauty o ollowing the LordJesus herever they were called to bear witness,”18

5. and to us who live now or Christ and as His wit-nesses in the world.19

Improving our knowledge o the history o theCatholic aith comes through prayer and study, read-

12. CCC para 25


14. Porta Fidei para 13 E15. Porta Fidei para 13 F

16. Porta Fidei para 13 G

17. Porta Fidei para 13 H18. Porta Fidei para 13 I

19. Porta Fidei para 13 J

ing and learning rom the Magisterium,

solid teachers and texts about Scripture, the lives o the saints, and major fgures (past and present).

5. The Witness of Charity “Above all, put on love, which bin

together in perect harmony” (Col 3:14)charity support each other, the Year o Fdirected towards intensiying the witneThe evidence o our aith is ound in thlove as Christ loved, that we serve as Chraith must be witnessed and supported bThe Church’s concrete witness to charibeen and continues to be a vibrant lighworld that doubts we can “serve withoucost.”22 During this Year o Faith, indiviapostolates and movements are called tocharity in truth through service in Chris

6. Fostering VocationsIt is the call o each Christian to ard

master o the harvest to send out laborvest” (Mt 9:38). In addition to our prparents, extended amily, riends, teagroup leaders, etc. – are called to ostethe clergy and consecrated lie by helpindiscern their calling to a state in lie. Bolove witnessed in the amily and in ourmunities, youth and young adults gain listen or and accept God’s plan or tHoly Father Benedict XVI reminds us th

not only the privileged place or humanormation; they can also be “the primexcellent seed-bed o vocations to a lie oto the Kingdom o God.”23 It is our hopeand parish be places “where vocationdiscerned and their authenticity tested

young men and women are oered wspiritual direction.”24 During this Year renew our eorts to pray and oster vopriesthood and consecrated lie in our hish communities.


21. C. Jas 2:14-18

22. Prayer o St. Ignatius o Loyola.23. World Day o Prayer or Vocations, 2012

24. World Day o Prayer or Vocations, 2012

October 11, 2012 - November 24, 2013 • www.catholicfamilyprayer.org

J.D. Long-García/



art Two:o Specific Groups

R ecognizing the unique and varied roles o theaithul throughout the Diocese, we wish to iden-tiy some practical ways that each can participate

he Year o Faith, given their particular state o lie.

arriage and Family Life

To Married CouplesWe would like to address our mothers and athers,

leaders o the Domestic Church in our diocese,25

“frst and abiding catechists” in teaching the aith todren. A trustworthy tradition in the Church, derived

m the teaching o the great saint and Doctor o theurch, St. Augustine calls you the “regents” o yourle church” as husband and wie, ather and mother.are not called to a mediocre, passive existence in the

urch. Rather, you have an indispensable mission inNew Evangelization. The oten quiet and thanklesssion o prayerully building a home ull o love andand bringing up your children to “know, love ande God in this lie and to be happy with Him orever

he next”26

is not orgotten. It causes rejoicing inven, and in our own heart as your Bishops. We wishsegment o the Year o Faith Pastoral Letter to

ourage and challenge you personally.here is no greater concern to the Church than thelth and fourishing o her marriages and amilies.ch conusion in our time is spread daily about theure o marriage and the amily, which is the frstety created directly by God. In the frst chapter o esis, we see the beautiul image o God shown in thetion o man as “male and emale” (Gen 1:27). And

hear the blessing o God Himsel who calls them toruitul and multiply” (Gen 1:28) instituting the

manent, aithul, loving relationship o husbandwie. But this beautiul design instituted by GodHis plan or marriage is so attacked, so ridiculed,

undermined, and so manipulated by orces withinsociety. Why? We must see here nothing less thanasterul spiritual attack rom the “ather o lies”

hn 8:44), who deals in distortion, manipulation, andouragement. Make no mistake; the Church deendsriage and the amily, including its public defnitionw, not because she is somehow determined to orce“private opinion” on all members o society. She hasher power nor desire to do this. Rather, the Church

kes this lively and hope-flled deense in the humblefdence that she is deending God’s plan or His cre-n, and that no society can long survive the neglecthe amily or the erosion o marriage.

e Ultrasound our orld needs today We are convinced that while we ace difcult times in

Church, we are also on the cusp o a “new spring-e” or marriage and the amily. How so? Here weh to oer an analogy and a challenge. Much like theasound which gives a couple the privilege o seeingr child “knit in the mother’s womb” (Ps 139:13), the

mestic church oers a revelatory moment to society ut the truth and beauty o God’s plan or marriagethe amily. These truths about the dignity o humanand the sanctity o marriage are written on the

rt, and lies can never hold in the ace o the truth.ry human heart longs to know the truth, and many ond in respect and awe when the truth is revealed

Lumen Gentium, para 11

Baltimore Catechism Question #6.

in all its integrity and ullness. The ultrasound has giventhe pre-born human person his revelatory moment,much like the Domestic Church is called to witness insociety to God’s aithulness to His people, His abun-dant and ruitul love, and the goodness o His plan ormarriage and the amily.

In this Year o Faith, we need you, as the leaders o our domestic churches in the Diocese o Phoenix, tobe an ultrasound or the truth o marriage and theamily! As the “real presence” o the child on display inultrasound images preaches the Gospel o Lie clearly

and convincingly – yet without words – we urge you topray, to ask or God’s healing and miraculous interven-tion o peace and truth so that you and your amily willinspire aith and will become more and more an “icon”o love and lie in the world. You will in this way, littleby little, be ormed by our God, who is Love, into abeautiul, convincing work o art in the potter’s hands,radiating lie and love. Lies and distortions, with whichthe evil one begins his work o destruction, will simply all apart in the ace o more marriages alive in ChristJesus, radically open to the will o the Father, ueled by the Holy Spirit, and sacramentally saturated with gracein His Church.

In this Year o Faith, we urge you to reect upon andpray more or your mission in the Domestic Church,especially how living this mission inspires aith in both

your immediate and extended communities. Living thismission, you will be “caught up into Divine Love”27

and be inheritors o the prophetic promise called orin the Vatican II document Gaudium et Spes, that“authentic conjugal love will be more highly prized, andwholesome public opinion created about it i Christiancouples give outstanding witness to aithulness andharmony in their love, and to their concern or educat-ing their children.” In this way, the Domestic Church

will be or the “renewal on behal o marriage and theamily.”28

Even in times o great difculty and pain, in timeso separation and strie, Christ is present to strength-en, heal, and enrich the vocation o marriage. Eventremendous difculties o hurt, disillusionment, andeconomic hardships in marriage can, and indeed mustbe, embraced as Christ embraced the cross, out o cov-enantal love. This is the whole Christian dierence. Itis o vital and paradoxical signifcance that the altar atMass has a crucifx present, the image which the worldfnds hopeless and a sign o ailure. Yet in aith, we know our Lord’s crucifxion and death to be the moment o deepest victory. Your marriage, handling times o trialand suering with grace and perseverance, will be ormany the truest evidence o beauty, the real proo thatChristian marriage is indeed “caught up into DivineLove” because it is built on rock, not sand (c. Mat7:24-29). Particularly in this Year o Faith, your very existence as married couples and amilies, especially intimes o suering, is a powerul sign o aithul love tothe world.

Witnesses o the holiness and goodness o marriagemay seem lacking in today’s society, but in every gen-eration, heroic witnesses o marital and paternal fdelity shine brightly. Consider, or example, the love betweenLuis and Zélie Martin (the parents o St. Thérèse o Lisieux) whose witness o love modeled that o Christor His Church, nurturing a simple and beautiul piety in their daughters who are now celebrated and imitatedthroughout the world. Consider, too, the love o PierLuigi and Gianna Molla and the grace o the sacramento marriage which sustained them throughout theirtrials, preparing them to make the ultimate sacrifce inorder to bring their daughter into the world.

Every marriage will undergo difculties. Thereore,

27. Guadium et Spes, para 48

28. Guadium et Spes, para 49

we urge you to surround yourselves withcouples, who can afrm the sacredness oDuring this Year o Faith, reach out to

your neighborhood, parish, and/or schchildren. Seek help when difculties arrom your pastor, rom solid counselostand and deend the sacramental natuand rom programs provided at the diocelevels or the renewal and healing o ma

I you are not sacramentally married, move toward a remedy or this during thby contacting your parish, and perhapsmarriage preparation process. This prstrengthened in our Diocese, will help stand the richness and beauty o the camarriage, as well as your mission to bearworld through a joy-flled marriage. In ations, such as divorce and remarriage wment o the previous union, it may be vhear and act on what is needed to remPlease know that we are here or you,

you to take the steps necessary to avail riches God has prepared or you in thMarriage.

Three Fundamental Helpsto Parents

In this section, we wish to emphaswhich the “Giver o good gits” (c. Jas 1:leaders o the domestic church in ordethem in their weekly walk o aith. Likmust be unwrapped and used, and as theo your home, your mission is to assure tand the ull and proper use o the gitsdren. The parish is there to assist you, towith your work o evangelization and catchildren, but it is your own sacred honorchildren’s education in the aith. Nonegits is novel, and none will surprise, band water are essential to the body, therto the spiritual lie o the Catholic homgits are:

1. Keeping the Sabbath,

2. Establishing and protecting the Fam3. Family Prayer.

Keeping the Lord’s Day In many amilies today, there is a

rediscover the sanctity o Sunday and the Sabbath. The Catechism o the Cateaches, “The Sunday Eucharist is the confrmation o all Christian practice.”29

lar Sunday worship, our lie in Christ cvive, and our aith will suer on manthe beginning, God set aside one day odierent rom the others. He called it thhe intended it to be a day or rest and a

29. CCC #2181

Blest Are They Who BeIII

Saabi,



In his Apostolic Letter “TheDay o the Lord,” Blessed John

Paul II invited us to think moredeeply about time itsel in order to

reciate God’s git o the Lord’s Day. He wrote,o not be araid to give your time to Christ! …He isOne who knows the secret o time and the secret o nity, and He gives us ‘His day’ as an ever new git o love. The rediscovery o this day is a grace which wet implore, not only so that we may live the demands o

h to the ull, but also so that we may respond concretely

he deepest human yearnings. Time given to Christ ever time lost, but is rather time gained, so that our tionships and indeed our whole lie may become moreoundly human.30

nly the Maker o time can teach us time’s true mean-and fll every day with hope. He does this when wee the wisdom to place all our days, but especially ourdays, in His hands with boundless trust. The amily

he ideal place to learn the value and meaning o thed’s Day. What a dierence Sunday makes when weke it a day o rest, a day ree o unnecessary “busy-”, a day to accept Jesus’ invitation: “Come away…rest a while” (Mk 6:31).

When Sunday is orgotten, and we are let only with akend, events become strictly entertaining or just annsion o work. As one author has observed, we can

up “amusing ourselves to death.” We no longer resthe Lord’s presence, we no longer make the Eucharistcenter o our l ives; we just avoid boredom by inces-entertaining and a rat race o other activities. But

eed not be so, and the amily is the key to turningund the tragic loss o Sunday in society today.

When preserved as days o rest, Sundays bring athy rhythm to our lives, remind us o the value o

h work and leisure, and renew our eagerness ornding eternity with the Lord who made us. Evene than being a day o rest, Sunday is a day o wor-and joy. Our human need or rest is ar surpassed

our need or genuine joy that only God can give.re is something prooundly exhilarating aboutbrating the saving death and Resurrection o Jesusther with the parish amily on the day Christ rose

m the dead. During this Year o Faith, we pray thatilies throughout the Diocese will rediscover how toice in the Lord on each Sabbath, as well as to dis-er rich new ways to keep the Lord’s Day sacred andnt together as a amily.

mily Meal Timeis oten said that marriage and amily lie are hardk. This notion, while not untrue, can make amily seem like nothing but a burden. Keep in mind thate together is more undamental than “hard work.” all relationships, our relationship with God andrelationship with others, amily relationships only

ve when time is spent together. It should not sur-e us that social science points to the amily dinner

e as a key to amily unity and to children’s success.31very amily meal can help to strengthen the amily d. It is an opportunity or prayer and catechesis,

ewing the closeness o bonds, hearing stories o thediscussing important topics, sharing lie wisdom,

ning old traditions and making new ones, andply enjoying each others’ presence. A Doctor o the

urch rom the 4th century, St. John Chrysostom, whoached to parents in another challenging culture, saw amily table as an ideal setting or leading childrenhe aith and inviting the Holy Spirit in a deeper way:

When you go home rom here, lay out with your meal iritual meal as well… In short, that the household

Para #7Gibbs, Nancy; “The Magic o the Family Meal”; Time Magazine,

une 2006. Several studies cited.

might become a church, so that the devil is driven o and that evil spirit, the enemy o our salvation, takes to ight;the grace o the Holy Spirit would rest there instead, and all peace and harmony would surround the inhabitants.32

The cumulative eect o the daily meal over timebrings with it several long-term benefts. As you par-ticipate in the Year o Faith, we strongly urge you torediscover the joy and beauty o the amily meal, tomake every sacrifce necessary in order to share moremeals together as a amily, and to work towards makingthis a daily habit in your home.

Praying Together

Few statements are more true than the axiom, “Theamily that prays together stays together.” The am-ily that prays together learns how to weep together, torejoice together, to ace difculties together, to orgiveeach other, and to love one another. Since prayer directsour attention to God, it enables us to turn to God in allthe various moments o daily lie, both as individualsand as a amily.

During this Year o Faith, you are again invited tomake amily prayer a priority in your lives. The rewardso this are peace, unity, and joy that reach beyond thisworld. We encourage all amilies to use three simpleways to grow in prayer:

1. Attend Sunday Mass together as a amily, makingthis connection to the Church and her commu-nion an immovable element o your amily’s week,and where possible, Mass on other days during theweek.

2. Pray the Rosary with deeper devotion so that withMary, our Lord’s frst disciple and our spiritualmother, we will gaze with love upon her dear Son,our Lord Jesus Christ.

3. Adopt or continue mealtime prayer, beore andater meals.

For more inspiration and ideas on prayer and lie as adomestic church, we encourage you to visit the Year o Faith website: www.catholicamilyprayer.org

During this Year o Faith, we want to express ourgratitude to you as parents, and we want you to know

how grateul we are or your continued witness o aithin the Diocese o Phoenix. We applaud your eorts tobuild a domestic church in your home, your opennessto the git o lie in your marriages, your generosity o service to others in need when children do not naturally come, as in the painul case o inertility. Our prayerulsupport and collaboration are with you every day. Inthis Year o Faith, renew your trust in the Lord, lead

your amilies in the aith, and know “that the one whobegan a good work in you will continue to complete ituntil the day o Christ Jesus” (Phil 1:6).

2. To the Elderly In this Year o Faith, we remind our elder brothers

32. St. John Chrysostom Homily 2 on Genesis 13

and sisters in Christ o the tremendouto enrich their lives, deepen their love sharpen their awareness o God’s presenable to us. While lie in its later stages proten difcult challenges, the graces pnever diminish, nor does our call to pGod’s grace in the mystery o the Crostion or our salvation and the salvationLuke 9:23). In a particular way, these fnacloser to God, call us to be ever more grhave received, and challenge us to shar

has given us with great love and convictiWe remind each o you, that while th

old age may diminish our mental or pour dignity as a beloved son or daughtnever diminish. And as we enter the tlie, new and richer opportunities will crealize our dignity as persons. During thcontinue to be strong witnesses o aith, by accepting the challenges that may comnew opportunities to serve God more seprayer or others. When we retire and can commit even more time to praying riends, neighbors, and the Church, as up our suering or others. As we appo our earthly lie, we need not be araicourage and strength in knowing “that

or good or those who love God, who aring to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). Throuo Faith, we ask you in humility to remspecial prayers or the Bishops, priests,secrated religious, seminarians, engagecouples, amilies, as well as or vocationhood and consecrated lie, and to marrie

3. To the YouthIn this Year o Faith, we call on the You

lar way to take ownership o their aith, tand to be heroic witnesses o the truththe Good News o God’s incredible lovand amily. Youth brings with it a beautexpression o wonder and trust that shoas you enter into adulthood. The Sacremind us o the dignity and importplay in God’s plan o salvation. God spus these marvelous words: “Beore I orwomb I knew you, beore you were bo

you” (Jer 1:5). Trust in God’s unailing loHis plan or your happiness, ulfllmentthat can only come rom ollowing Hilie. Get to know or call to mind again tsaints, who modeled the love o Christ to others in both large and small ways. Tis in desperate need o youthul witnessgelical virtues, aith, hope, and charity,as Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, BlesseBadano, and St. Kateri Tekakwitha.

Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati is an excelaith because his love and deense o strengthened his intellect and characteraith not a rejection o reason, but a sio it and o both the physical and spirituencompass the human person. Listen agao wisdom:“To live without aith, withoto deend, without a steady struggle onot living, but existing.”33 Dear young on each o you in this Year o Faith not jtruly to live and to be authentic witness

Bl. Chiara Luce Badano is an exceptenduring hope because despite alling ill her youth, she maintained a joy and peaued through her suering until the very death at the young age o 18. Her simpl

33. Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, Letter to a riend Febru


J.D. Long-García/CATHOLIC SUN



ness to the love o Christ led to the conversion many er doctors and caregivers who ound in her joy a

ound proclamation o Christ’s victory over death.Paul tells us that “since we have such hope, we acty boldly,” (2 Cor 3:12) and in the ace o difculty

suering, we can be steadast in our trust o God’sand plan or each o us, serving as a beacon o hopel those who are yet to know Christ. Together, we cand with joy in Christ like Blessed Chiara, against theure o death while proclaiming a culture o lie in allay and do, among our riends, at our workplace, in

homes, and at school.. Kateri Tekakwitha is an unparalleled American

mple o courage and love or Christ which com-ed her to care or those in the most desperate o ditions. Her witness o charity, to the sick and dyingault Saint-Louis, Canada, was always in service totruth; the truth o our human dignity, the truthur redemption in Christ, and the truth that we are

d’s hands and eet in this world. She understood thatdeend the truth, to articulate it with humility andviction, and to bear witness to it in lie are thereorecting and indispensable orms o charity.”34

We urge you, dear young riends in Christ, to ardently dy our Catholic aith in this special Year, and to ask essential questions o lie so that you may “always bedy to give an explanation to anyone who asks you orason or your hope” (1 Peter 3:15). Do not hesitateope boldly in God’s plan or your lie, and to seek will or you daily in prayer and requent reception

he sacraments o Holy Communion and Conession.n’t be araid to love as Christ loved, to seek authentic

giving relationships with your peers and colleagues,to fnd ways to serve in Christ’s name.

e Clergy andonsecrated Life

To Priestsn this Year o Faith, the Church encourages hersts to oster a more passionate love or the Lord

ugh personal spiritual renewal and aithul serviceGod and His people, especially in the celebrationhe Sacraments. Following the example o Christ

msel, we have been called to give our very lives orsalvation o souls. This becomes possible only aterng a personal encounter with the living Christ andn continuing to cherish that treasure.he Year o Faith oers each o us an opportunity topen our longing or holiness o lie. This will takee through: increased prayer, Eucharistic adoration,

hully praying the Liturgy o the Hours, celebrat-the sacraments with greater attentiveness and carest especially the sacrifce o the Mass), and through

erously and more requently making ourselves avail-or hearing conessions. Let us enter into this Year

Faith with an increased desire to grow closer toist through our lie and ministry. Our mission tongelize and to heal the culture, to be ministers o rity and hope, depends upon an intimate closenesshe Lord, and our own aithulness to this relation-

will serve as powerul and inspiring examples dur-this Year o Faith.rother priests, who share with us the duty andor o serving Christ as priests in the 21st century,e are two priorities that the Holy Father has encour-

d us to address in the New Evangelization. Both areul or us to contemplate as we prepare ourselvesour diocese or the Year o Faith: First, promotion

he sacrament o Conession, and second, prayer ashool o hope.

Caritas in Veritate, para 1.

On the Sacrament o Conession, Pope Benedict,while meeting with priests and bishops in Rome, spokeabout “the close connection between holiness and theSacrament o Reconciliation,”35 recalling how our greatsaints in the Church bear witness to this sure path tosanctity. This Sacrament o mercy begins with a sincerelook at one’s actual condition in lie, ollowed by arecognition o our need or the love and orgiveness o Jesus, and then a liting o our eyes to the ace o Christand conession o our sins. I we are open to His grace,the Holy Spirit stirs up within each o us “a proound

desire: the desire or change, the desire or mercy and,ultimately, the desire or an encounter with Christ.”

Because o the deeply personal nature o theSacrament o Penance, it has the power to bring eacho us into a proound communion with the Lord Jesusin all His tenderness and compassion. This is why,Pope Benedict says, “The New Evangelization beginsin the Conessional.” Where else is despair so soundly deeated as in the sincere conession o our sins? Whereelse are our deepest ears overcome, our deepest doubtsdispelled, and our deepest thirsts quenched? The New Evangelization begins in the Conessional, because itbegins when, as St. Augustine said, “mercy meets mis-ery.” The conessional is where Christ meets us sinners.

Secondly, in his encyclical Spe Salvi, Pope Benedictwrites: “A frst essential setting or learning hope is

prayer.” Prayer truly is a school o hope. When wepriests pray with our people, when we continue topray in tragedy and in hardship, we help them and alsoourselves to be wiser than despair. The Holy Father alsotells us, “One who has hope lives dierently.” What adierence it makes to believe in the love o God. Whata dierence it makes to receive and to minister God’smercy in the Conessional. What a dierence it makesto be united in prayer in the Eucharist.

My brother priests, please join me in recommittingourselves during this Year o Faith, resolved once againto making the Eucharistic Sacrifce the center o every day, and to spending a generous portion o each week in the Conessional. With Christ alive in our hearts,we can bring glad tidings to the poor, be wiser thandespair, and be aithul witnesses to the Lord Jesus or

the people we have the privilege to serve. The ruits o this commitment will inspire, (re)awaken, and increasethe aith o our people who have been entrusted to ourcare and guidance.

5. To DeaconsIn the Acts o the Apostles (6:1-7), we see that with

a growing community, the Apostles needed helpersto assist them by taking care o the widows and theorphans. Here in the Diocese o Phoenix, we are very blessed with men o great aith who have responded sogenerously to God’s call to holiness and the Church’scall to serve as deacons. During this Year o Faith, weare newly grateul to God or our deacons engaged in

35. Ad Limina Visit March 9th 2012

a variety o pastoral settings: administvisiting the sick and the elderly, visitingworking among the outcasts and orgottecharity o Christ to our Native Peoples,Sacrament o Marriage, administering o Baptism, preaching the Word o Gocelebrations and Holy Mass, catechizinand many other roles o charitable servieorts and consistent dedication oer a in this Year o Faith.

During this special Year, we ask all De

out the Diocese to commit to renewed egelization o our culture and to outreachally poor and the poorly catechized. In ydeacons, strive to engage all persons and

with the same passion, love, and zeal o the early Church, bearing witness toword and deed.

We encourage you also to meditate onMysteries o the Rosary, and especially oseeking not to be served but to serve, bro aith, hope, and charity into the worlthis Year o Faith, contemplate urthecalled to be channels o the luminouChrist in today’s world. When you prayMysteries o the rosary, reect on the lion your own lie as a Deacon in service t

▶ The First Luminous Mystery, “The Jordan”: As you prepare amilies or baptcelebrate baptisms you are in a privileged

parents and children to discover anew ththat come rom Christ and His Gospel. timate the many graces that God poursBaptism through your sacred ministry.

▶ The Second Luminous Mystery, “TCana”: When you assist couples in their Holy Matrimony and when you ofciallriages in the name o the Church, rememworked His frst miracle at the Wedding Let this inspire you to help these couples lwedding ceremony and enter into a lie-in which the love o Christ or His Bride th

orth in mutual love.

▶ The Third Luminous Mystery, “JesuKingdom o God”: You are Heralds o tshare in the Church’s mission o proclaimio God. As Jesus brought new light into thHis preaching, so too do you bear witness tteaching, preaching and catechesis. Be eve

power o God’s word to transorm our livo those we serve.

▶ The Fourth Luminous Mystery, “The TWhen the frst disciples were tempted to d

Jesus took some o them up a mountain fgured beore them so that their aith migened. Your aith too is strengthened by with Christ through ordination. Stay alwaand you will fnd the grace to be beacons

especially or the least o the Kingdom. Rewhen serving those aected by loss and trthem to Christ, the source o our hope.

▶ The Fith Luminous Mystery, “The IEucharist”: As a deacon you are privileg

priest at the altar o the Eucharistic Sacrif public role you are witnesses o Christ’sHimsel. May this mystery inspire you to lEucharistic lie o generous service.

We are deeply grateul or you, our aith, who serve alongside the Bishops

your unique ministry o Word, AltarDuring this Year o Faith, may all o us counderstanding o your roles as servantsies o Christ and o your brothers and sihumble service always reect the light o

Blest Are They Who BeV

Vasily Fedosenko, Reuters/CNS



6. To Consecrated Women and Men

In this Year o Faith, we call onsecrated brothers and sisters to listen again to the

werul words rom Benedict XVI during his visit toUnited States:ou, dear men and women religious, both contempla-and apostolic, have devoted your lives to ollowing thene Master in generous love and complete devotion to

Gospel… .By your personal witness and your fdelity toministry or apostolate entrusted to you, you prepare ah or the Spirit. For the Spirit never ceases to pour out abundant gits to awaken new vocations and missions,to guide the Church, as Our Lord promised… into the

ness o truth.”(c. Jn 16:13)he Holy Father goes on to ask those in Consecratedto “be the frst to demonstrate the humility andty o heart which are required to approach thendor o God’s truth.” The tradition o this way o is to be the “frst riend o the poor, the homeless,stranger, the sick, and all who suer,”…to be…

acons o hope casting the light o Christ upon theld and encouraging young people to discover theuty o a lie given completely to the Lord and his

rch.” You are, in your daily lie and witness, beaconsope or our Diocese. Echoing the words o the Holy her in a special message given to new members in

secrated Lie, we too exhort you: “Never orget thatare called to carry on, with all the enthusiasm and

that the Spirit has given you, a work that others haveun, a legacy that one day you too will have to pass onnew generation. Work generously and joyully, or

whom you serve is the Lord!”36 hank you or your years o aithul service to thecese o Phoenix and beyond. During this Year o h, may you come to a greater understanding andewed enthusiasm or your indispensible witness toist. Through the many charisms and ministries o cation, pastoral care, prison, parish, and healthcare,

live out the words o Jesus ound in Matthew 1-46, and in you, we continue to see the ace o theng Christ.

e Church Engaginge World

To the Catholic Faithful workingin secular fieldss the Church marks with gratitude the 50th anniver-

o the Second Vatican Council, we remember theortant call o the Council athers or the laity to beaged in the temporal order or the sake o the Kingdom

God.37 As proessionals in health care, law, engineer-education, and other proessions, as laborers and

ed tradespeople, you make the Church present andrative through your service to others, working “or thetifcation o the world rom within as a leaven.”38 As

holics, your vocation directly advances the ministry he Church in the world: to heal the sick, to deendmost vulnerable, to educate and catechize the culturehe dignity o the human person. By living lives o onal and proessional integrity, you are called to bearess to the Gospel always; “In this way you may makeist known to others, especially by the testimony o a lie

All quotes taken rom the homily o Benedict XVI at St. Patrick’s

19, 2008.Lumen Gentium, para 31, Apostolicam Actuositatem 5.

resplendent in aith, hope and charity.”39 The zeal to bearwitness to Christ is born rom love, nurtured by prayerand requent reception o the sacraments, and propelledby cooperation with the Holy Spirit. You are called to cou-rageous virtue, and must prepare yourselves to be crediblewitnesses to Christ’s joy and peace that comes rom know-ing and living or Him. During this Year o Faith, may youhave a new awareness o your important role in renewingthe temporal order and joyully participate in witnessingChrist to the world. May you be ever more “conscious o

the dignity o human work which can never be in end toitsel” but always points to a participation in our redemp-tion.40 May you look to St. Joseph and our Blessed Motherand all the saints as models o strength and joy, and pray always or the grace and strength to persevere.

8. To Educators and CatechistsBl. John XXIII called Vatican II in order to strengthen

and deend the deposit o aith and the truth o the humanperson.41 Educators have a privileged place to orm youngminds in the discovery o the natural world and the study o God’s creation. Education in the Catholic tradition isnever just solely intellectual, nor solely spiritual. Seekingto orm the whole person, mind and soul, educators andcatechists play an essential role in the authentic develop-

ment o the human person. During this Year o Faith, weinvite educators to rediscover the joy o teaching, and tond with those you teach the blest excitement o discov-ering the truths o this world. We invite catechists to teachmore confdently the truths o our aith, especially thosemost oten misunderstood and rejected, as well as to seek or yourselves a deeper, more ervent knowledge, apprecia-tion, and love or the deposit o aith which you join us inproclaiming and deending. May you fnd resh energy orwitnessing to Christ through fdelity to daily prayer, devo-tion to the Mother o God, and renewed appreciation o the truth that Christ has entrusted to us in the Church.

9. To Non-BelieversIt is with an open and a humble heart that the Church

extends a special invitation in this Year o Faith to non-believers, and to all those who are seeking answers tothe questions inherent in the human experience, espe-cially those that touch on aith and the meaning o lie.

The undamental questions about identity (“Whoam I?”), about origin (“Where did I come rom?”),about destiny (“Where am I going?”), about purpose(“Why am I here?”), and about morality (“How amI to live?”) demand answers. It is precisely on thesequestions that the Catholic Church oers to the worlda uniquely holistic understanding o man made in theimage and likeness o God, both rational and ree. By seeking the prooundly important truths o our originand destiny, we can begin to understand our trajectory in lie and how we are to live. We also acknowledge,

however, that “although each individual has a right tobe respected in his own journey in search o the truth,there exists a prior moral obligation, and a grave oneat that, to seek the truth and to adhere to it once it isknown.”42 This obligation to seek the truth and adhereto it is the starting point o all authentic dialogue.Through her 2,000-year heritage, the Catholic aithulhave asked these questions and sought to answer themthrough a dialogue between aith and reason. Faith andreason are not mutually exclusive, nor should they beseparated. They are the “two wings on which the human

39. Ibid

40. Paul VI, Feast o the Holy Family Homily, Jan 5th 1964

41. Address o Pope John XXIII at the solemn opening o the SecondVatican Council, October 11, 1962. Council Daybook p. 25.

spirit rises to the contemplation o trutreason, we can observe the ordered woand posit the existence o a Creator. Throcan observe the intricate design o lie, anplan or its promotion and continuationson, we can observe the “how” and thephysical universe. However, we also seek that are demanded by reason. The “whycal and meta-physical universe are anignoring them, but answering them th

o aith. It is through this marriage o athat a complete holistic answer o the and our purpose on earth can be truly dChurch bears this constantly in mind, timeless truth which speaks to the heartperson and his place in God’s creation. Ftion, the Catholic Church has been chmission o bringing the good news o Jedialogue with all people, in all times and28:19-20). This mission is an essential conly o what the Church does, but o whor this reason it is our wish to embraeverywhere, the opportunity to enter dialogue with those o our ellow men anthough non-believers, are seeking ater t

We pray that in this Year o Faith, thincreased awareness o the importantplayed – and continues to play – in maor beauty, truth, and goodness. Throucial year, may all men and women o answers to these undamental questions the Church proess the Good News o Glove or His creation.

ConclusionWhat brought the greatest sorrow to t

Savior, especially when He returned to o Nazareth, was the people’s lack o aithour world to reveal the love o the Fathehope to a world weighed down by thburdened by sin. He came that we mighhave it to the ull ( Jn 10:10). But He willaccept His love and His git o hope. He us to open the door when He knocks, toaith all the many the gits o the Kingorever. You and I have received this greabeyond all imaginings, and we must not bushel basket. As our Holy Father says,”Tis a need or stronger ecclesial commevangelization in order to rediscover thing and the enthusiasm or communicatFaith grows when it is lived as an expreceived and when it is communicated ao grace and joy.”45 May this Year o Faithlike the Blessed Virgin Mary, o whom(Lk 1:45): “Blessed are you who believedspoken to you by the Lord would be ulf

Holy Mary, Mother o God, pray or uand at the hour o our death. Amen.

43. Fides et Ratio Introduction44. c. CCC, para. 849 and Redemptoris Missio, par


+Thomas J. OlmstedBishop o Phoenix

+ Eduardo A. NevaresAuxiliary Bishop o Phoenix

year of faith pastoral letter 2013

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