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Wednesday, July 8, 2009

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At a crossroads By STAFF WRITER ~ Nassau Guardian: Faithful Catholics are today at the crossroads, looking back with gratitude as they remember what God has accomplished in their rich Catholic heritage over the years, as they look forward with great hope, knowing that what God has begun will be seen through to the day of completion, according to Monsignor Alfred Culmer, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Nassau. In his homily, delivered at the opening mass for the Jubilee Year, at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, on Sunday as Catholics celebrate their 50th anniversary as a diocese, Culmer said that the rich history of the Diocese of Nassau shows that the missionaries who came to the Bahama islands followed in the footsteps of Paul, and worked tirelessly to build a foundation of faith upon these rocks. "Many priests, religious men and women and laity labored long and hard under very adverse conditions — a labor of love for the building up of the body of Christ in these islands," said Culmer who is pastor at St. Thomas More Church. He reminded the Catholics who gathered to celebrate that this year of favor from the Lord is not a celebration of Catholic presence in The Bahamas, which he said spans a much longer period. This year they are celebrating 120 years of Catholic education in the country. "The history of the Catholic Church in the [country] is grounded in the faith and commitment of the men and women who came to these islands to spread the good news and the response of individuals and families who embraced their teaching of the Catholic faith. Like Saint Paul, these missionaries were empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach the good news of salvation, to win souls for Christ and to tell of the wonderful story of the paschal mystery, the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord. Culmer said that when Jesus began his public ministry, Luke tells us that he was spirit-filled and spirit-led. This, he said was a defining moment in the public life and ministry of Jesus. "It was his inaugural address — the manifesto of his pastoral plan and the course of action His life would take. Having been identified at His baptism as the beloved son of God, the one upon whom the father's favor rests." He said Jesus them moved on to show how the message of the prophets would be fulfilled in him and how the father would accomplish the prophesies in his life, in his mission, in his ministry and most of all in his passion, death and resurrection. Moss told the Catholics who worshiped that following in the footsteps of Jesus his disciples are also spirit-filled and spirit-led, and that they are the foundation of the church, and are empowered by the Holy Spirit to continue the mission of Jesus Christ. "The missionaries who came to these islands understood this well. They did not set out to score points for their hard work and sacrifice, but rather they set out to sow the seed of faith rooted in the gospel and in the tradition of the one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic church. They took seriously the words of the great missionary Paul that it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. "Missionaries who came to these islands were willing to die to selfish pride and self-aggrandizement in order that the message of the gospel can be heard and lived. They did not put themselves in a position to detract from the word of God and the Blessed Eucharist but rather used these expressions of faith to celebrate the work that the Holy Spirit will accomplish in them." He said that in the Christian context to speak about death is also to proclaim life, and that death gives way to life, and that the missionaries had to die to self, to selfish desires, to self-seeking, to personal ambitions in order to become life givers and to plant the seeds of faith in the minds and hearts of families in the local community. He said that the early missionaries were not exactly greeted with open arms upon their arrival in The Bahamas but that they believed in their purpose for being here. And that they set out almost immediately in the work of education, church building, social welfare, feeding, clothing, and home visitations. "These missionaries set out to put into effect the message found in the Gospel Matthew Chapter 25 "For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you welcomed me; naked and you clothed me. I was ill and you comforted me; in prison and you came to visit me." The chancellor said the early missionaries put their faith in action building communities, establishing leaders, affirming local gifts and talents and allowing the Spirit to bring about the growth of the emerging local community of faith. "Over these almost 50 years we have come a long way. We build on the shoulders of those who came before us, of local community leaders whose faith grew and who passed on this faith and this rich Catholic heritage we so proudly celebrate today." He said that the greatest sign of Catholic growth as a local community is expressed in their very first local bishop/archbishop in Patrick Pinder. He said that appointment is the expression of how the local church has grown over the years and the confidence and trust placed in the local Catholic community and the extent to which they have matured as a local church over their years as a Diocese. He reminded Catholics that there is still much to be done, and that Archbishop Pinder has invited them to re-dedicate themselves to the message and mission of the church by becoming more active and involved during the course of this year, to participate in planned events and volunteer to assist in further planning through their various parishes. "This is a clarion call to spend more time in prayer and out of this prayer to find ways in the parish community to become more involved in the life and ministry of the church. A year of favor from the Lord begins with the renewal of our faith, a faith which calls us to action and to a deeper and richer sense of mission," he said. The priest said that as Catholics look back on their growth as a Diocese, they should thank God for the men and women who made sacrifices to bring them to this point in our history. "While we give thanks to God for all the missionaries who came to these islands to help us establish the local Catholic Church we also give thanks to God for all our local men and women upon whose shoulders we stand, and in whose footprints of faith we continue to walk." As Catholics celebrate 50 years of our establishment as a Diocese, on Sunday, July 5, they celebrate 10 years as the ecclesiastical Province of Nassau. The Diocese of Nassau was named the Metropolitan See and elevated to the dignity of Archdiocese of Nassau on July 5, 1999 and today is under the leadership of Archbishop Patrick C. Pinder. THE ROAD TO BECOMING A DIOCESE It was on July 5, 1960 that the Roman Catholic Vicariate Apostolic of the Bahama Islands was elevated and named the Diocese of Nassau. In just over a year, Catholics will observe their 50th anniversary as a Diocese. An Apostolic Vicariate is a form of territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church established in missionary regions and countries which do not have a diocese, and is for the most part provisional. The ultimate hope is that the region will generate sufficient numbers of Catholics and become stable enough for the Church to warrant it to be established as a diocese. An Apostolic Vicariate is led by a Vicar Apostolic. While such a territory can be classed as a particular church, according to the 1983 Latin Code of Canon Law, a vicar apostolic jurisdiction is an exercise of the jurisdiction of the pope. The territory comes directly under the pope as universal bishop and the pope exercises this authority through a vicar or delegate. This is unlike the jurisdiction of a diocesan bishop whose jurisdiction derives directly from his office as bishop. According to the 1983 Code of Canon Law, the definition of a diocese is as follows, "a diocese is a portion of the people of God which is entrusted to a bishop for him to shepherd with the cooperation of the presbyterate, so that, adhering to its proper pastor and gathered by him in the Holy Spirit through the gospel and the Eucharist, it constitutes a particular church in which the one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ is truly present and operative. Prior to July 5, 1960 The Bahamas had no diocesan bishop. Bishop John Bernard Kevenhoerster was made a Vicar Apostolic of the Bahama islands from 1941 to 1949. He was succeeded by Bishop Paul Leonard Hagarty who was made Vicar Apostolic of the from 1950 until he was appointed the bishop of newly elevated diocese of Nassau in 1960. On July 5, 1960, the Roman Catholic Vicariate Apostolic of the Bahama Islands was elevated and named the Diocese of Nassau. This was a clear indication that the Catholic population had grown and that the Catholic faith had been established and rooted. It also spoke to the kind of missionary zeal and faith formation that was rapidly taking place throughout the islands. Thursday, July 2, 2009