The Bishop Writes

(From the July 6, 2000 edition of the Inland Register)

Our jubilee celebration on Pentecost Sunday in the Spokane arena will be, I suspect, a celebration long remembered by those who came. Almost 8,000 from all over the diocese participated in the Eucharist.

Cardinal Edmund Szoka, the President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City and formerly Archbishop of Detroit, was able to be with us as a sign of the church universal of which we are all a part. A couple of days before his coming to Spokane, he had a chance to visit the Holy Father. Pope John Paul II extended greetings to us on the occasion of the jubilee celebration. In addition, the pope asked the cardinal to bring a personal gift: a beautiful red chasuble for the diocese. Cardinal Szoka presented it to me at the beginning of his homily, and I wore it for the remainder of the Mass. The chasuble will remain at the cathedral as a special remembrance of our celebration and of Pope John Paul II’s solicitude and love for us.

For me personally, this gathering in the arena has to be one of the great highlights in my life as a priest and bishop. The presence of so many from all over the diocese, the beautiful liturgy so carefully planned with broad participation and music sung well, are expressions of a diocesan family coming together to be the Body of Christ.

The Octet, a group of denominational leaders representing the mainline churches in Eastern Washington, as well as Gov. Gary Locke, were in attendance as well. Their presence reminded us that we live with and relate to our brothers and sisters in the larger community. We must consider everyone as a neighbor in the Lord Jesus and work together for the betterment of the human family.

Over the years, we haven’t had many such large gatherings of our diocesan family. The last one, in the old Coliseum, was Bishop Welch’s ordination in December 1978. In 1954, there was a Eucharist in the Coliseum which also drew a large number of people. Our Pentecost jubilee celebration is not the kind of gathering we would have annually, but especially in the Jubilee year it was appropriate to come together as a diocese to celebrate God’s goodness to us and thank God for many gifts and blessings. I pray that this event will be memorable and a source of inspiration for years to come as we continue to strengthen our faith community.

One parent told me that one of the more impressive moments for her children at the Mass was the offering of the prayers of intercession in several languages. Our diocese is becoming more diverse in its ethnic make-up. I would hope that this diversity in our family of faith could be more and more appreciated, and that the sign of welcome and hospitality would be a hallmark of every parish.

As our world evolves into a global village, we as Church should be able to give witness of solidarity in our church. Our universal church should be a sign of encouragement that we can live and work together to build up the human family and appreciate the gift of every culture. There really is no such thing as “our” church or “their” church in our church universal. We are church together everywhere, and we have a right to feel welcomed and accepted.

Gonzaga University played an important role in assisting with the music for the Jubilee Mass as well as recording the celebration on video. Last week, the three-hour event was rerun twice a day, all week, on channel 15 in Spokane. Many committees and much hard work in preparation for this jubilee event were expended under the leadership of the co-chairs: Ann Doherty and Father Darrin Connall. I am most grateful to them and to all who assisted in any way.

We now have begun our new millennium, and we journey in faith into the future. May we as a Catholic faith community in Eastern Washington be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and be faithful to God’s continuing call to be a holy people. Much peace to all of you and many blessings upon your summer!

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