For the last ten years or so, it has been my custom to offer a Lenten Mission to parishes, which approach and ask me to do it. Last year because of my longer than expected recovery, I did not give any missions and I had promised Saint Catherine of Siena in Largo that I would. So this past weekend, I finally made good on my word and showed up. Let me begin by saying that I am not a “mission preacher” in the any sense of that word. Mission preachers do it about forty weeks of the year and travel throughout the country. They have a set presentation and a more generous approach than I am able to give. I preached at all the Masses this past weekend at St. Catherine to “warm” the congregation up and encourage them to attend the mission sessions on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Typical mission preachers will also give sessions in the morning as well as the evening. I am unable to do that because of the demands of my usual day job.

But in addition to the Sunday Masses, I did share some of my insights into our faith with the people who came on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights. At each parish they choose a different context in which I preached.  At St. Catherine of Siena on Monday night, Father Ken Malley the pastor asked if I would give the mission talk within the context of Mass, on Tuesday within the context of Evening Prayer, and on Wednesday night with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament following the talk. My evening talks usually run between thirty and forty minutes maximum so we try to have everyone in and out in just a little over an hour. The mind can only absorb what the “tush” can take.

For the past couple of years I have been using the triple themes of our Eucharistic Initiative, “gathered, nourished and sent” but within the context of the theological virtues of faith, hope and love. Or to put it another way, how can we live in Christ amid the challenges of daily living. The Gospel account of the Transfiguration was a great place to start this mission week off with the voice from the cloud saying so clearly, “listen to Him” (Jesus that is, not necessarily Lynch). Saint Catherine’s already had underway a parish commitment to “we believe, we remember, we celebrate” so I was also able to incorporate these ideas into my presentations as well.

On the final night of the mission, I offered myself to those who wish to stay at its conclusion and ask me any questions they might have: about the content of my talks, the Church in general, the diocese or the future of the faith. There has been good feedback from that opportunity to “Ask the Bishop.”

The attendance at the missions, which I already have given, has been quite good and I find that I often receive far more than I give to these occasions. Bishops are quite good at “one night stands”, like parish confirmations, but to be present and to share faith, hope and love for five days is a unique and, for me, very satisfying experience. Since this week was a “catch-up” experience from 2010, I will be giving a second parish (or the 2011) mission at St Ignatius of Antioch in Tarpon Springs, beginning on April 2, 2011 and in 2012 I will be at St. Cecilia in Clearwater and at St. Lawrence in Tampa in 2013, God willing.

At least the priests and deacons were listening! The two photos are through the kindness of parishioner Elaine Luker.

I was sorry last night to end my time with the faith community of St. Catherine of Siena who had received me so well.  As I said earlier, in the time just before the mission and as people were leaving, their stories of their faith journeys and the challenges of daily living would put my life to shame. There are a lot of holy people in this Church of ours. Thanks to Father Ken Malley and everyone at this wonderful parish in Largo for a great mission.

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Early reports about Thursday night’s THE LIGHT IS ON FOR YOU are that despite the heavy rain and strong wind throughout the five counties, many people still made use of the opportunity to approach the sacrament of reconciliation, including many who were returning to the sacrament after a long period away. In the Church in which I heard confessions, we were not busy or “slammed” and I thought perhaps that last year’s success was wearing off. But, when outside the sacrament, I would inquire what was the impetus for seeking the sacrament this night , many told me that they had seen the thirty-second spots on TV (especially ESPN) and decided to come home. Today, we have heard from a number of pastors that confessions last night in their Church were steady and extremely worthwhile.

Sunday is Laetare Sunday which is Latin for “rejoice”. We are at the halfway point in Lent and Holy Week and the reenactment Lord’s passion and resurrection are drawing near. It is also the Sunday when we take up in all the parishes and missions around the country the annual collection for Catholic Relief Services. CRS’s work and importance shown once again in their response to the earthquake in Haiti and no Church has a disaster and development program to rival our own CRS. Some of the money also goes to Migration and Refugee Services, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, the USCCB Committee for International Justice and Peace and to the Holy Father for his assistance to nation’s suffering from disasters, natural and manmade. Please be generous this week-end to one of the best causes for which special collections are taken in the United States.

This afternoon (Friday) I took the occasion to visit the Intensive Care Unit and the fifth floor of St. Anthony’s Hospital which took such great care of me in the days and weeks of my hospital confinement. The reason for my visit which was spontaneous on my part was to thank those wonderful, dedicated women and men (nurses, aids, cleaning people) who took care of me and take great care of all. I would say that they loved seeing me and a number commented that they seldom see people whom they have nursed back to good health after they leave the hospital upon discharge. Many could not believe how much weight I have lost. I had a great time telling of the lady who approached me at the Cathedral to ask if it was really Bishop Lynch standing before her and then commenting on my loss of weight asked me if it was “Weightwatchers” or “Jenny Craig.” Even the ST. PETERSBURG TIMES declared me healed. One could not ask for a better source on the subject!

The Diocesan Pastoral Council meets tomorrow (Saturday) at the Bethany Center and on Sunday I will be celebrating the 1030am Mass at St. Mary’s parish, Lutz, where the pastor has returned to the Philippines for kidney replacement surgery. I wish to assure the parishioners of my concern and prayers for their Father Jude Vera and my concern for them during this time without a shepherd.

Finally, it is not too late to get serious about Lent and preparing for Easter. Starting on Palm Sunday, this space will include a special reflection for each day of Holy Week. I will shut down for the week after Easter and return on “Low Sunday” – a term which I will attempt to explain when the day gets here.

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For a Lenten week-end, it has been kind of crazy. First, last night (Saturday night) Transfiguration parish in St. Petersburg celebrated its golden anniversary as a parish with a Mass and dinner. I celebrated the Mass and preached the homily. For a long time I could not figure out why a parish would choose a week-end in Lent to celebrate  an anniversary, until I started looking at the readings and discovered that the Gospel was Luke’s account of the Transfiguration of the Lord. However, even with that Lent is a time during which we all need to hear again and again the call to conversion and more radical discipleship. I left uncertain as to whether or not I had served the parish occasion or the scriptures well. Preaching is always a challenge for me though some would likely dispute it but when one is a bishop, the occasions often tend to suffocate the liturgical seasons. Congratulations to Transfiguration parish on five decades of existence and service to God’s people, to Monsignor Avellino Garcia, its pastor and to its tri-cultural community who respect one another’s traditions, language and style of worship (Anglo, Hispanic and a growing Tongan community).

Today I found myself still celebrating the Second Sunday of Lent but it was Marriage Jubilee Mass afternoon at the Cathedral of St. Jude. 390 couples from around the diocese gathered for this annual celebration representing 19,697 combined years of marriage. Here are the statistics:

• 60 parishes represented  with 54 couples celebrating twenty-fiver years of marriage sometime this year
• 138 celebrating fifty years
• 122 celebrating between fifty-one and fifty-nine years
• 75 married over 60 years.

Bishop Lynch Congratulating Charles and Barbara Wellen for their 71 years of married life. Photo credit: John Christian.

Charles and Barbara Wellen were present today as the longest married couple in the Cathedral, an amazing 71 years. They have four sons, fourteen grandchildren and thirty-five great grandchildren celebrating the occasion with them. When I asked the assembly to stand and to face each other, join their right hands and renew their wedding vows, they looked at one another with the same eyes and delight at they must have shown on the day of their wedding.

Marriage is another sacrament of the Church which is in some trouble. We notice less and less young people coming to Church for weddings and from time to time I will see that a certain graduate(s) of our Catholic high schools will have gotten married on the beach, at Disney World or some other secular place. Being married in a Catholic Church no longer carries for many of our baptized the reality of yet another sacramental encounter with Jesus and so it is abandoned or ignored. Granted, it is not always easy to get married in a Catholic Church. There is a lengthy period and program of preparation but those couples who still embrace the sacrament in Church often comment how beneficial the program was to them even if there was initial reluctance. One of my pastors once commented that there is less time on Saturday for marriage in most of our Churches since the advent of the Saturday Vigil Mass for Sunday. Where once there may have been two or three slots in the afternoons for weddings, there is now likely only one.

I also think sometimes that like many other things in society and our world today, the indissolubility of marriage which the Church proclaims leads some to just ignore sacramental marriage in the Catholic Church. It has become somewhat easy to  get out of most of our fiduciary responsibilities (via bankruptcy, abandonment, dissolution of prior promises) and perhaps Church weddings just do not seem that important any more, especially a Church which takes the vows of fidelity “until death do us part” so seriously.

The bishops of the United States addressed the issue of marriage in the Church in a document released this last Fall and have established “strengthening marriage” (http://www.foryourmarriage.org) as one of the five primary goals and objectives of USCCB activity.

Today in the Cathedral the fundamental and enduring grace of the sacrament of marriage was present for all to see. I know how tough it can be to endure “good times and bad, sickness and health. . .” but 390 couples came to Mass today to ask God’s help in strengthening their promises and providing abundant blessings until “death do them part.”

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Yesterday I presented the St. Jude the Apostle Award to over 70 recipients from most of the parishes and missions of our diocese. This annual award instituted some ten years ago is given to a person or couple who in the mind of their pastor, parish council or parish staff works tirelessly and quietly for their parishes throughout the years. I often say when I give these out, “If you wanted the award you probably should not have received it, but if you feel humbled and honored to receive something you never thought of, then this day and this medal is for you.” We award it during solemn evening prayer on the Solemnity of Jesus Christ our King who precisely as “king” came to serve and not to be served. Pilate never got it when he questioned Jesus about his “kingship” but all of those receiving the St. Jude award yesterday understand it perfectly. I list of this year’s recipients by parish and/or mission appears or soon will appear on the diocesan web-site. At the same time as the awards, there were 46 alleged “saints” on the field at Raymond James Stadium (all from New Orleans of all places) while I had 74 at St. Jude’s Cathedral. How sweet was that!

Saturday night I was fortunate enough to preside at the 50th Anniversary  Closing Mass for Tampa’s St. Lawrence parish. An almost full church for Mass and over 400 for dinner in Higgins Hall afterward indicates the special place this parish occupies in the hearts and minds of its parishioners. It has had only two pastors in its fifty year history, Monsignor Laurence Higgins and for the past three years, Father Thomas Morgan, a graduate of St. Lawrence elementary. Both men were greeted by long and sustained applause for their pastoral zeal. The Sisters of St. Clare who originally staffed the elementary school were represented at the Mass and were also warmly acknowledged. A great parish with a great history closing its first five decades with the prayerful hope for many more great years, Congratulations to them.

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Pope Benedict XVI celebrated the Solemnity of Corpus Christi (The Body of Christ) last Thursday in Rome on the traditional day. Many years ago the bishops of the United States moved the observance of this special day to the second Sunday after Pentecost so more Catholics would be in attendance and they combined it with the Solemnity of the Blood of Christ since both comprise the Eucharist we celebrate. The Holy Father quote Pope Leo the Great in his homily last Thursday who in turn quoted St. Augustine of Hippo that in approaching the Eucharist, “we are to become whom we receive.” A tall order under any circumstances, it remains true today centuries after these great leaders that it is the role and task of every Catholic Christian to take Christ whom we receive into ourselves out into our world, our home, our office, our school, our society, etc. The third and final year of our three year celebration of the Eucharist which we will begin on the First Sunday of Advent is entitled “Become whom you receive” and our speakers at the third and final Eucharistic convocation will reflect that theme in their presentations. We are honored to have Father J. Bryan Hehir, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Boston and former head of the USCCB Committee on International and Domestic Justice and Peace and the English former Dominican Master General, Father Timothy Radcliffe, O.P. among us for the pursuit of this theme. I hope you listened carefully to the readings today because they clearly draw the connection between between the Old Testament Covenant and its use of animal sacrifice with the New Testament Covenant and its unbloody sacrifice of the Mass through the horrific sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

Finally, today we celebrated the Golden Anniversary of Corpus Christi parish in Temple Terrace (Hillsborough County). Fifty years if a comparatively long time for parishes in this diocese and Corpus Christi has served its community well over the years. Among its ten former pastors are Fathers Jerome Carosella and  Nicholas McLaughlin of the Venice diocese, Father Paul Goudreau, Father Alan Weber, Father Brendan Lawlor (who served twice as pastor)  and for the last nine years, Father Joseph Waters who this summer will transfer to become Rector of the Cathedral of St. Jude. Many associate pastors have served these people well over the years. The parish community will begin its six decade with Father Robert Cadrecha as their pastor and everyone I spoke to looks forward to his arrival. It is a great day for the Church in the United States as we pause to reflect on the gift of the Eucharist and also in our parish of Corpus Christi. At the end of the ceremony Father Waters presented me with an award which they have been giving throughout the year to members of the parish who have been especially generous in serving the parish. My award was given not only to myself  but to all the bishops for the past fifty years starting with Archbishop Hurley of St. Augustine who started Corpus Christi parish, Bishop McLaughlin, Bishop Larkin and (Arch)Bishop Favalora. The Mass today was a very fitting conclusion to a year of celebration. Ad multos annos!

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On Monday I visited the city of Biloxi, Mississippi for the first time and it had nothing to do with gambling. A friend of mine, Auxiliary Bishop Roger P Morin of New Orleans was installed that afternoon as the third bishop of Biloxi. Bishop Morin and I became friends during the runup to the 1987 papal visit to New Orleans where he served as archdiocesan coordinator and helped me cope with the then archbishop, Philip Hannan who is still alive and was present at the installation at age 96. Visiting Biloxi reminded me of the incredible generosity of the people of this diocese in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I was able to send about $250,000 to then Bishop Thomas Rodi for use in getting the Church back up and running and over a million dollars collected to Catholic Charities USA who helped those affected by the storm rebuild their lives. Evidence is everywhere in Biloxi still of the power of storm surge and its devastating effects. St. Michael’s parish church which is located on the beachfront remains pretty much in shambles although rebuilding is beginning to take shape in earnest. I was both happy for my friend Bishop Morin and proud of the goodness of the people whom I am privileged to serve.

Today (Wednesday) I held my twice annual mandatory meetings of the clergy to discuss matters of special import and interest. The priests are great fun to get together and the Bethany Center is a perfect setting for these meetings. Also, at this time, there is a week-long seminar for priests whom we have identified as soon to become pastors. They are learning the “ropes” and enjoying the camaraderie at the same time. I had dinner with them and then shared my top ten list of things new pastors should NOT do. They are in class all day but seem to be getting a lot out of it.

Had a huge confirmation last night at St. Paul’s parish in Tampa (161 were confirmed) only two hours after getting off the plane from the Biloxi installation. Great story comes with this. After arriving at the Tampa Airport from New Orleans on Southwest, a gentleman approached me and said, “Pardon me, but would you happen to be…….?” “Bishop Lynch, in the flesh, I responded. He gave me his name and said that he was rushing back to attend his child’s confirmation at St. Paul’s. He further said that his wife had given him a hard time for scheduling a meeting in New Orleans on the day of their child’s confirmation and that when he saw me standing in line to board the flight in New Orleans, he text messaged his wife: “Don’t worry, honey, the bishop is on my plane!”

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The blog has been quiet most of the week due to my schedule resulting from the final of the two missions which I had committed myself to give this year. The mission at Holy Family concluded last night and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I hope those in attendance did as well.

Tomorrow I will celebrate the annual Mass of Recommitment with the Permanent Deacons of the diocese (aka “married deacons”). Since they are ordained into the clergy while still maintaining their marital responsibilities, they have chosen to gather one Saturday late in Lent each year to hear again the consecratory prayer from their ordination rite and to recommit to the promises made to the Church at that time. These generous servants of the Gospel now number in excess of 100 in the diocese, serving in many of our parishes, at the Port of Tampa, and in prison ministry. Their number will increase when in October the first class of new deacons will be ordained in slight over a decade – eighteen of them, I believe. Generous, desirous of serving, making time for prayer and service in their already busy lives, these men and the wives and families are edifying in their commitment to the Lord, to His Church, and to this diocese and their assignments. Say a prayer for them this week-end, that God who has begun His good work in them will see it through to its conclusion.

Sunday finds me at the Cathedral in the afternoon for the annual Altar Server Appreciation Mass. Many parishes send their servers to this Mass and one of them is selected by the pastor and others as the “Altar Server of the Year” from each parish.

I note with pride and satisfaction that Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico signed into law a statute which will prohibit the use of the death penalty in that state. Initially in favor of the death penalty, he came to the opposite conclusion and acted after going to Mass and receiving the Eucharist, meeting with a bishop representative of the Church in that state,visiting a prison and confronting for the first time in his life that he could not be absolutely sure in most cases that he would not be ordering the execution of an innocent man. Conversation with his Church in this instance led to conversion on a life issue. His position on abortion remains woefully wrong but perhaps the same patient consultation and conversation can turn him on this major issue of public life as well. I applaud the Governor for changing his mind and taking a position in favor of life and pray that he will now revisit his other positions and be consistent in defense of innocent human life.

Finally, Notre Dame University has created quite a stir by announcing that at the Spring Commencement ceremony they have invited President Barack Obama to give the graduation address and receive an honorary doctor of laws degree. It is a very prestigious platform to offer a President who is leading the battle for an expansion of abortion rights which may ultimately end up being unparalleled in recent history. Early “markers” are not encouraging in this regard but hope needs to spring eternal and while Notre Dame may have acted way too early and too generously, I am more alarmed that the rhetoric being employed is so uncivil and venomous that it weakens the case we place  before our fellow citizens, alienates young college-age students who believe the older generation is behaving like an angry child and they do not wish to be any part of that, and ill-serves the cause of life. Notre Dame has in the past and continues to give this local Church fine, professional and very Catholic women and men who both know and live out their faith. Most of them I know are ardently pro-life and like myself are probably disappointed with their alma mater. They and I will choose to convey our sadness to the Board of Trustees and Administration in a calm and dignified manner. I am especially sad for Bishop John D’Arcy, bishop of the diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend in which Notre Dame is located. For almost two decades he has supported the University and loved the University, even when he felt it necessary to correct the University privately which I can assure you he did. Now in the waning days of his tenure as bishop there, he is told of the invitation shortly before its public announcement and in words clearly laced with pain has had to announce that he will choose not attend the final commencement of his time as bishop. What sadness for this good man as well. I see Father Ted Hesburgh quoted as saying that “visits to campus of leaders has never changed the campus but has often changed the visitor.” One can only hope and pray for this outcome.

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I continue to hear from the priests what a pleasant surprise the response to THE LIGHT IS ON FOR YOU was. And, they mostly report that their experience was that a lot more people came back to the sacrament after being away a while than usually occurs, even at this time of year. Our Lady of Fatima in Inverness reported that they were very busy throughout the whole time period for the word of the opportunity spread also to the northern counties. It’s all good.

I am finally getting down to our college seminary, St. John Vianney in Miami, this afternoon to spend some time with the college seminarians studying for our diocese. I had to cancel an earlier visit so I am making good on my word to reschedule and visit. The overwhelming number of our seminarians are in the college program so I will be busy with my private interviews, a shared meal, and the Eucharist together before returning at midday tomorrow (Saturday).

The second and final mission for me this Lent begins tomorrow afternoon with the 500pm Vigil Mass at Holy Family parish in Northeast St. Petersburg. Territorially it is my parish but canonically the Cathedral is really where I am supposed to be pastor. Because it is less than ten minutes from my residence, my daily presentations on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will be held twice each day (I will celebrate the morning Mass each day at 730am and make my first presentation at 815am and then I will be back in the evening at 700pm. My mission talks last about 35-40 minutes and Holy Family is not planning to “wrap” them in any other form of prayer service. Remember that the first night of the mission will be Tuesday, not Monday as the parish had a previously scheduled commitment for Monday night. Their Mass schedule on Sunday is 730am, 900am and 1100am.

This week-end the second collection in all our parishes will be taken up for Catholic Relief Services. The gifts of the people of this country in this collection are also shared with the Migration and Refugee Services department of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, and to the Holy Father for his charitable work throughout the world. The generosity of American Catholics to the desperate throughout the world is no where better exemplified than in the work of Catholic Relief Services. Be generous and I know that hard times will not make for hard hearts.

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When I first arrived as bishop, my Diocesan Worship Commission suggested that I not administer the sacrament of confirmation during Lent. Their reasons were liturgically and theologically sound and focused on the importance of the catechumenate during this season as well as the need for the whole Church to center its focus on the nature and meaning of the season itself. So I annually receive a seven week reprieve from confirming during Lent. Being an obsessive-compulsive type of personality and because of that aware that my schedule abhors a vacuum, I began to think of other things I might do during Lent to sort of “fill up the time and calendar.” Well, I got the idea that I would try my hand at conducting parish missions, if invited to do so by the parishes of the diocese. I have now done this for seven years.

Let me begin by noting the obvious, I am not a “mission preacher.” They are a type onto themselves in the Church and most do a very fine job at giving missions throughout the United States. They do it almost every week, except time off for vacations and respites. They integrate into their talks stories that they know will grip the attention of the congregation while supporting their central themes. Because they do it every week, it is something akin to getting out of bed each day, they just do it and don’t worry about it. Well, not so this writer. I start tomorrow night (Saturday) and I am terrified at the thought of starting another one. Even though the next two weeks will be the ninth and tenth time I have attempted to preach a mission, I am still running scared. The normal, regular things I do in my life comprise my comfort zone and stepping outside of that challenges me every year – will they like it? will I be over their heads? is what I am saying practical enough and applicable to their lives of faith? Will they come back after the first night or even after the Sunday, “you all come” homily? And, I am very aware of what I am not. I am not a mission band preacher who just packs up and moves on after the closer, but I remain as bishop and they will see me again, in this instance in both parishes, in a few weeks for confirmation. Today, I find myself asking, “why did I ever agree to do this?”

To add to my anxiety, this year I am giving three entirely different presentations from the past so there is no reaching in the file and pulling out last year’s “jewels.” Neither parish is incorporating a penance service into the three nights which has been a regular of my past experiences and one parish has appropriately asked me to delay the mission evenings one additional night, starting on Tuesday instead of Monday because of an important scheduling conflict. “Oh, my God, will they even remember on Tuesday to come?”

Friday is the day I try to take to myself. Much of it is spent in thinking about the Sunday homily or other presentations which I must make in the coming week. Tomorrow morning I have a Diocesan Pastoral Council meeting and then I start, preaching at all and celebrating seven parish week-end Masses that end on Sunday night. Truth to tell, I am taking a break from outlining the first talk from the second as I write these words. Anxiety runs high. Prayers (I leave it to you as to whom to pray for – the preacher or the preached to) are requested. I will let you know how it turns out.

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