Be Not Afraid - Diocese of New Ulm

Be Not Afraid
Bishop John M. LeVoir’s Monthly Column
for The Prairie Catholic
November 2009
Pilgrimage to the Tomb of St. Peter
From September 12-23, 2009, I participated in the Pilgrimage to the Tomb of St. Peter and
Conference for New Bishops. This event was sponsored by the Congregation for Bishops and the
Congregation for the Eastern Churches. It was held at the Regina Apostolorum Athenaeum of the
Legionaries of Christ, which is about four miles outside of Rome. The facility is only nine years
old, and is modern and spacious. The facility houses some of the seminarians of the Legionaries
of Christ. There were 350 seminarians from all parts of the world on campus.
Present for the conferences were 109 newly ordained bishops from all over the world. There
were eleven of us from the United States. A typical day included Morning Prayer and Mass,
three or four 90-minute conferences, Evening Prayer, and meals. Morning Prayer, Mass, and
Evening Prayer were celebrated in the large chapel on campus. All were in Latin, and
accompanied by the choir of seminarians of the Legionaries of Christ. The conferences were in a
large lecture hall and most were in Italian. As the talks were given, they were translated into
several different languages by translators. The bishops who did not understand Italian would
listen to the translations in their own language through headsets.
The talks were given by the heads of the various Vatican congregations or people from the
congregations. The topics were mostly theological in nature. The topics included the bishop as
teacher, sanctifier, and pastor; the bishop and his relationship to his priests; the bishop as a man
of prayer; the pastoral care of the family; the bishop as promoter of vocations; contemporary
culture; ecumenism; administration of a diocese; the Word of God and pastoral activity; the role
of the laity; social communications; the shortage of priests; marriage tribunals; bioethical
questions and the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death; canon law; and the
bishop and religious communities.
On one of the days, the bishops were given the opportunity to celebrate Mass at St. Peter’s
Basilica. We went by bus to the basilica. We vested in the basilica near the main entrance, and
then processed down the center isle of the basilica to the altar of the Chair of St. Peter, just
behind the main altar of the church. This was quite an experience. I never thought that I would
ever be in such a procession or celebrate Mass at the altar of the Chair of St. Peter. But, there I
found myself. What a blessing it was.
After Mass, we were able to venerate the tomb of St. Peter and to process by the tombs of Popes
John Paul II, John Paul I, and Paul VI. We were also given a private, directed tour of the newly
restored Sistine Chapel. We visited as well the St. Paul Chapel, recently restored for the Year of
St. Paul. This was an absorbing experience. There is much theology on the walls of these two
chapels.
A valuable portion of the event was to meet other bishops. I became acquainted with the bishops
from the United States and most of the English speaking bishops, especially the five from
Canada. The day before the conferences began, some of the United States bishops and the
Canadian bishops did some sightseeing and shopping in Rome. We also walked through the
Vatican Gardens, which were extraordinarily beautiful and well maintained.
On one of the evenings, four of us from the United States went into the city for dinner. We chose
a restaurant near St. Peter’s (Roberto’s). As we were ordering our meals, we were surprised to
see Cardinal Sean O’Malley (Archbishop of Boston) walk in. We introduced ourselves and
chatted for a bit. He was in Rome for a meeting. Accompanying him were a priest from the
Archdiocese of Boston (Vocations Director) and a seminarian from Boston studying in Rome.
The highlight of the trip was to meet Pope Benedict XVI personally. The meeting took place at
the Pope’s summer residence in Castel Gondolfo, just outside of Rome, on September 21. The
residence is situated in a mountainous region and is near a large lake. The bishops were escorted
to the "Hall of the Swiss" inside the residence.
The audience began precisely at noon and ended at 12:45 p.m. The Holy Father gave us a talk on
some aspects of the life of a bishop. The part of his talk that impressed me the most was on
prayer. The Holy Father said: "Today a priest's mission, and even more so that of a bishop,
entails a mountain of work that tends to absorb him continuously and totally. Difficulties
increase and his duties multiply, partly because he is faced by new situations and greater pastoral
demands."
"Yet, attention to everyday problems and initiatives that aim to lead people on God’s path must
never distract us from intimate and personal union with Christ. Being available to people must
not diminish or cloud our availability to the Lord. The time that priests and bishops dedicate to
God in prayer is always well spent, because prayer is the soul of pastoral activity, the ‘sap’ that
imbues them with strength, it is support in moments of uncertainty and discouragement and is the
inexhaustible source of missionary zeal and brotherly love for all."
"At the heart of priestly life is the Eucharist. … An advantageous way of extending the
mysterious sanctifying action of the Eucharist throughout the day is the devout recitation of the
Liturgy of the Hours, as well as Eucharistic Adoration, lectio divina, and the contemplative
prayer of the Rosary." After the Pope’s talk, each bishop was able to greet the Holy Father and to
exchange a few words. Upon meeting Pope Benedict, I sensed a peace, calm, and holiness
radiating from him. After greeting him, we were each given a beautiful pectoral cross as a gift
from the Holy Father.
All in all, it was a wonderful pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Peter. But, it is good to be back in the
Diocese of New Ulm. I returned with many good insights and memories, and with a special papal
blessing for the diocese. As the Holy Father said at the conclusion of his talk: "I wholeheartedly
impart a special Apostolic Blessing to you, to your priests, and to your diocesan communities."
(November 2009)
No Tengas Miedo
Peregrinación a la Tumba de San Pedro
por Obispo John M. LeVoir
Del 12 al 23 de septiembre del 2009, he participado en la peregrinación a la tumba de San Pedro y en la Conferencia
de nuevos obispos. Este evento fue patrocinado por la Congregación de Obispos y la Congregación de Iglesias
Orientales.
En las conferencias estuvieron presentes 109 obispos recién ordenados de todo el mundo. De los cuales once de
nosotros veníamos de los Estados Unidos. Un día típico incluía la Oración de la Mañana y la Misa y tres o cuatro
conferencias de 90 minutos. Las conferencias fueron en italiano. A medida que se dieron las charlas, estas fueron
traducidas a varios idiomas por traductores. Los obispos que no entendían el italiano pudieron escuchar las
traducciones en su propio idioma a través de auriculares.
Las charlas fueron dadas por las cabezas de las diferentes congregaciones del Vaticano o por las personas de las
congregaciones. Los temas eran en su mayoría de naturaleza teológica. Los temas incluyeron: El obispo como
maestro, santificador y pastor, el obispo y su relación con sus sacerdotes, el obispo como un hombre de oración, el
cuidado pastoral de la familia, el obispo como promotor de vocaciones, la cultura contemporánea, el ecumenismo, la
administración de una diócesis, la Palabra de Dios y la actividad pastoral, el rol de los laicos, las comunicaciones
sociales, la escasez de sacerdotes, los tribunales matrimoniales, las cuestiones de bioética y de la santidad de la vida
humana desde la concepción hasta la muerte natural, el derecho canónico, y el obispo y las comunidades religiosas.
Lo más destacado del viaje fue conocer personalmente al Papa Benedicto XVI. La reunión tuvo lugar en la
residencia de verano del Papa en Castel Gandolfo, en las afueras de Roma, el 21 de septiembre. La residencia está
situada en una región montañosa y está cerca de un gran lago.
El Santo Padre nos dio una charla sobre algunos aspectos de la vida de un obispo. La parte que más me impresionó
de su charla fue la oración. El Santo Padre dijo: "La misión de un sacerdote de hoy y más aún la de un obispo,
implica una montaña de trabajo que tiende a absorberlo en forma continua y totalmente. Las dificultades aumentan y
sus funciones se multiplican, en parte porque se enfrenta a situaciones nuevas y a mayores exigencias pastorales. "
"Sin embargo, la atención a los problemas cotidianos y las iniciativas que tienen por objeto llevar a la gente por el
camino de Dios no debe distraernos de la unión íntima y personal con Cristo. Estar a disposición de las personas no
debe disminuir o nublar nuestra disponibilidad para el Señor. El tiempo que los sacerdotes y obispos dedican a Dios
en oración es siempre bien empleado, porque la oración es el alma de la actividad pastoral, la ‘savia’ que los dota de
fuerza, es el apoyo en momentos de incertidumbre y desaliento y es la fuente inagotable de entusiasmo misionero y
amor fraternal para todos."
"En el corazón de la vida sacerdotal está la Eucaristía. ... Una forma conveniente de ampliar la acción misteriosa y
santificadora de la Eucaristía durante el día es la recitación devota de la Liturgia de las Horas, así como la Adoración
Eucarística, lectio divina y la oración contemplativa del Rosario." Después de la charla del Papa, cada obispo pudo
saludar al Santo Padre e intercambiar algunas palabras. Al encontrarme con el Papa Benedicto XVI, sentí una paz,
calma y santidad que irradian de él. Después de saludarlo, el Santo Padre nos dio como regalo a cada uno una
hermosa cruz pectoral.
En general, fue una maravillosa peregrinación a la tumba de San Pedro. Sin embargo, es bueno estar de vuelta en la
Diócesis de New Ulm. Volví con muchas buenas ideas y recuerdos y con una bendición especial del Papa para la
diócesis. Como dijo el Santo Padre en la conclusión de su discurso: "Os imparto de corazón una especial Bendición
Apostólica a vosotros, a vuestros sacerdotes y a sus comunidades diocesanas."