The Bishop Writes

(From the Aug. 3, 2000 edition of the Inland Register)

The Jubilee Year has been the occasion of the Church coming together for celebration and building community. In my last Inland Register column I wrote of our own Jubilee Pentecost celebration at the Spokane Arena. More than a month after that great occasion I am still hearing comments about the Eucharist we celebrated there as a diocesan family.

Several weeks ago, from July 6-9, the Encuentro 2000 took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The theme of the gathering was “Many Faces in God’s House.”

Approximately 5,000 people came from all over the U.S. for this four-day celebration, including about 17 from our diocese. I could attend only the Friday session and assisted with one of the workshops on community in our Church.

This was the fifth general Encuentro, the first being held around 1975. I was able to go to the second one in 1977 in Washington D.C. at Trinity College shortly after I was appointed Bishop of Yakima.

Originally, the Encuentros (the Spanish word means “meeting”) were for the Spanish-speaking throughout the U.S. My attendance at the gathering at Trinity College was the first exposure to the great diversity within the Spanish speaking community itself. Clearly there were significant differences — for example, between the ethnic backgrounds of the Puerto Rican and the Mexican communities which surfaced at that meeting.

As the planning proceeded for the preparation of the Encuentro 2000, the decision was made early on that this gathering would be not only for the Spanish-speaking within the Church, but would be opened up for everyone. The theme of the Encuentro focused on the rich diversity of peoples within the Church. Spontaneous language translations, made possible to everyone at the meeting through very small radio receivers, were available in Spanish, Korean, and Vietnamese.

The themes of the some of the major presentations give a sense of the focus on diversity: “I Have Called You Each by Name,” “Personal Witness to Encountering the Living Jesus Christ,” “Now Is the Moment, Now Is the Time — Conversion of Heart and Mind,” “Standing as One United in the Spirit,” “Renewing the Face of the Earth,” and “Seeking Forgiveness, Rebuilding Community: A Time for Atoning and Reconciling.”

This last was a non-sacramental reconciliation service, presided over by Cardinal Law of Boston. The reconciliation service began in the usual way with song, prayer, and Scripture reading. After the proclamation of the Word, six witness talks were given, each relatively brief but dramatically pointing out the pain and hurt in personal faith journeys.

The first sharing was given by Bishop Donald Pelotte of Gallup, N.M., a Native American originally from Maine, who shared the struggle and personal tragedies in his own family as a youth.

The second reflection was by the president of the National Council of Catholic Women, an African-America, who shared the story of her embarrassment several years ago when she, her husband and six children attended Mass while on vacation. After she and her family received from the cup at the beginning of communion time, no one else took communion from the same cup. Her tears while sharing brought everyone to a deep appreciation of the continued need for sensitivity and conversion in the Church.

During Encuentro 2000, the sensitivity to ethnic diversity in song, celebration, presentations, and presence was tremendously inspiring and encouraging. May we all in the diocese continue to work at appreciating that diversity amongst ourselves and give strong witness to a warm, hospitable and inviting community of faith.

Another important gathering in the Church will take place in Rome in mid-August. Approximately 100 youth of our diocese will be attending the World Youth Day in Rome from Aug. 14-20. I also plan to go. Several hundred thousand youth from around the globe are expected to attend. Although Rome has a tendency to be hot and muggy that time of the year, the event should be an unforgettable event for those who go. This will be an unusual opportunity for the youth from around the world to experience one another as Church in a way they never have before.

This Jubilee Year provides an important first step as we begin walking the road of this new millennium together. With renewed vision and constantly affirmed by the loving presence of our God, we as Church can be an ever increasingly vibrant sign of the presence of the Savior in our midst.

May God bless us and give us peace.

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