U.S. bishops’ meeting had Catholic New Orleans flair

The Archdiocese of New Orleans hosted the General Assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops last week. How did the three-day meeting go?
Everything went extraordinarily well. I cannot count the number of bishops who came up to me and personally expressed gratitude for the warm hospitality that we offered to them. They were met individually at the airport and brought to the hotel where we held our meeting. The Mass at St. Louis Cathedral on Wednesday was a beautiful and profound experience of prayer. Our seminarians served the daily Masses, and local Catholics provided music for the Masses and our daily prayer services. We closed out the meeting in a very special way. Sixteen religious priests who serve in our archdiocese – Jesuits, Dominicans and Oblates – heard confessions of the bishops. The bishops were deeply grateful and truly impressed by the welcome and the strong spirit of Catholicism that exists among us in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. I want to thank the people who provided transportation, those who provided a warm welcome and those who provided for the liturgy. It really took the work of a lot of people, and it was certainly a moment when I was very proud to be the Archbishop of New Orleans and to let my brother bishops see the great spirit of faith and enthusiasm that exists among our Catholic people.

What did you take away from the meeting itself?
I thought the meeting was extremely positive. The National Review Board, which oversees the implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, gave a good report on our efforts to protect children from sexual abuse. We have made great strides in these protections, and this is an important priority for us.

We also received a report on the spiritual and financial aid that Catholics in the United States have sent to the Philippines in response to last year’s super typhoon. More than $21 million has been sent so far.
We received a report from the Subcommittee on the Catechism, which continues to review textbooks for religious education to make certain they are in conformity with the “Catechism of the Catholic Church.”

The bishops’ conference continued its efforts to promote marriage and family life. We also expressed concern that there are efforts in our world to redefine marriage and not to see it as a sacred union between a man and a woman.

Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, who is the conference president, gave a report on the upcoming synod on the family in Rome. He was very grateful for the response that we got from Catholics throughout the U.S. on suggestions for what should be included in the synod. Some of the themes of the feedback were that Catholics were happy to assist by being asked. We still have much to do in terms of catechesis on marriage. Parents feel the challenge of handing on the faith to their children. Attention must be given to the pastoral care of divorced and remarried Catholics. We need more formation on family life. We must reach out to families in crisis, especially through the parish community. There is a vibrant existence of many small faith groups that encourage marriage and family life. Pope Francis will be directly involved in the synod this October, and the work that begins in this year’s synod probably will be continued in the synod for 2015.

We also talked about the world meeting of families, which will be held in Philadelphia Sept. 22-27, 2015. I will be going to the meeting, and the Archdiocese of New Orleans will have official representatives at the meeting. Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the president of the Pontifical Council on the Family, addressed us on both the blessings and challenges of family life.

We approved the renewal of the National Directory for the Formation, Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons for an additional five years.

We also had a very good presentation from professor Helen Alvare on poverty and the new evangelization and a very insightful talk from professor Bradford Wilcox on marriage, family and the economy. He said education and an intact family are two major things that help give children stability as they mature.

Was there anything else that happened at the meeting that was particularly noteworthy?
During the meeting, we learned of the tragic murder of a young Phoenix priest at his rectory. His pastor, an older man, was brutally beaten and critically injured. We offer our prayers for the repose of the soul of Father Kenneth Walker, who was killed. Bishop Thomas Olmsted was at our meeting when he learned of the murder, and he asked us to pray for the priests, their families and their parishioners. I loved what Bishop Olmsted said: “We believe not only in the dignity of every person but also in the destiny of every person. We’re created in the image of God, but we’re made for eternity. At the moment we’re baptized, we’re already baptized into the mystery of death and resurrection. We need to keep in mind that we’re people of hope, because death is not the last word, ever. The second thing is that we need to draw closer to Christ and to one another and find our consolation in him.”

Questions for Archbishop Gregory Aymond may be sent to clarionherald@clarionherald.org.