Bishop Kevin Farrell

The Chief Shepherd of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas

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Pope Francis speaks to families in Philadelphia

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Pope Francis speaks to families in Philadelphia

God scatters the seeds of His presence throughout the world through families, Pope Francis told hundreds of thousands of Catholic families jamming Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway on his last evening in the United Stated before returning to the Vatican.

Those seeds are “the quiet things done by mothers and grandmothers, by fathers and grandfathers, by children,” the Holy Father explained. “They are little signs of tenderness, affection and compassion. Like the warm supper we look forward to at night, the early lunch awaiting someone who gets up early to go to work. Homely gestures. Like a blessing before we go to bed or a hug after we return from a hard day’s work. Love is shown by little things, by attention to small daily signs which make us feel at home. Faith grows when it is lived and shaped by love.”

Referring to them as “little miracles” he said we should encourage them and scatter them as seeds of God’s love. These little gestures, the Pope said, “are those we learn at home, in the family; they get lost amid all the other things we do, yet they do make each day different. That is why our families, our homes, are true domestic churches. They are the right place for faith to become life, and life to become faith.”

No family stands alone. Each is a part of the great human family that shares our common home on this planet. “We might ask ourselves,” Pope Francis suggested, “What kind of world do we want to leave to our children?” (cf. Laudato Si’, 160) “We cannot answer these questions alone, by ourselves. It is the Spirit who challenges us to respond as part of the great human family. Our common house can no longer tolerate sterile divisions … may our children find in us men and women capable of joining others in bringing to full flower all the good seeds which the Father has sown!”

“Our Father will not be outdone in generosity.” The Holy Father assures us, “and he continues to scatter seeds.” He scatters the seeds of his presence in our world, for “love consists in this, not that we have loved God but that he loved us first.” (1 Jn 4:10) “That love gives us a profound certainty: we are sought by God; he waits for us.”

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Image Credit: Screencap courtesy of Vatican on YouTube.com

Sunday in Klyde Warren Park with Pope Francis

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unday in Klyde Warren Park with Pope Francis

Sharing with you what I consider the core message of Pope Francis’ many talks and homilies during his visit to our nation has been very important, but I want to return briefly to the event that occurred at Klyde Warren Park on Sunday, September 27, when more than 3,500 people assembled here in Dallas to share in the celebration of the Holy Father’s closing Mass on Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia.

Although I was privileged to be present for part of the Pope’s visit, my early return enabled me to be part of our wonderful Dallas celebration. What made the afternoon so special is that it was our own celebration of faith. It had all the elements of a family picnic, children playing, families spread out on quilts and chairs and even a couple of tents. Brightly colored umbrellas and happy music prior to the Mass gave it a very festive air.

Yet, once the papal Mass began on the giant screen, a respectful hush fell over the crowd with many people responding to Mass prayers and kneeling at the consecration. The sound was excellent and the colors on the screen were crisp and bright. I particularly noticed that when Mass and the closing ceremonies ended there was no mad rush to leave. People seemed to want to linger and savor the moment.

We are indeed grateful to Father Rudy Garcia, rector of the Cathedral which sponsored the event, The Catholic Foundation, Mr. Raul Estrada and all those whose efforts and generosity made it happen. I am sure many others will join me in cherishing the memory of that September afternoon in the park with Pope Francis.

Pope Francis at Independence Hall: Religious Liberty

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Pope Francis at Independence Hall: Religious Liberty

In giving his speech on the north side of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pope Francis stood in the shadow of a statue of George Washington. It was also on the very spot where Abraham Lincoln, en route to Washington for his inauguration in 1861, delivered an address. Had the ceremony been on the south side of the building, the Pope would have stood in the shadow of a statue of Commodore John Barry, Catholic hero of the Revolutionary War and Father of the U.S. Navy.

Knowing the historic significance of the location, the Holy Father, remarked, “One of the highlights of my visit is to stand here, before Independence Hall, the birthplace of the United States of America. It was here that the freedoms which define this country were first proclaimed. The Declaration of Independence stated that all men and women are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, and that governments exist to protect and defend those rights. Those ringing words continue to inspire us today, even as they have inspired peoples throughout the world to fight for the freedom to live in accordance with their dignity.”

Recalling a number of events that helped realize the promise of the Declaration of Independence, Pope Francis mentioned; the abolition of slavery, extension of voting rights, the civil rights movement and the struggles to realize full equality for all citizens. Noting that these events show, “that, when a country is determined to remain true to its founding principles, based on respect for human dignity, it is strengthened and renewed.”

Interestingly, the Holy Father stood only blocks away from a shrine to religious freedom, when he stated, “In this place which is symbolic of the American way, I would like to reflect with you on the right to religious freedom. It is a fundamental right which shapes the way we interact socially and personally with our neighbors whose religious views differ from our own.”

In the mid-18th Century, Old St. Joseph Church in Philadelphia was the only place in the English speaking world where Catholic Mass could be legally celebrated, thanks to an exemption to the anti-Catholic English Penal Laws granted to William Penn’s colony by the King of England.

Against this background the Pope noted that, “Religious liberty, by its nature, transcends places of worship and the private sphere of individuals and families. Our various religious traditions serve society primarily by the message they proclaim. They call individuals and communities to worship God, the source of all life, liberty and happiness.”

William Penn’s Quaker religion was the reason he fought for and gained true religious liberty for his colony. The Pope recalled that, “The Quakers who founded Philadelphia were inspired by a profound evangelical sense of the dignity of each individual and the ideal of a community united by brotherly love. This conviction led them to found a colony which would be a haven of religious freedom and tolerance. That sense of fraternal concern for the dignity of all, especially the weak and the vulnerable, became an essential part of the American spirit.”

In closing, noting the large number of Hispanics present, Pope Francis said, “I greet all of you with particular affection! Many of you have immigrated to this country at great personal cost, but in the hope of building a new life. Do not be discouraged by whatever challenges and hardships you face. I ask you not to forget that, like those who came here before you, you bring many gifts to your new nation. You should never be ashamed of your traditions.”

Pope Francis to Congress: Seek the Common Good

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Pope Francis to Congress: Seek the Common Good

In his message to Congress during his visit to the U.S., Pope Francis clearly identified the common good as his overarching theme at the outset, reminding Congress that, “tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good … is the chief aim of all politics,” quickly adding that, “A political society endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk.”

Over two thousand years ago the concept of the common good or common advantage was articulated by the ancient philosophers; the Greeks, Plato and Aristotle, and Cicero the Roman. Later it was taken up by Barnabas, an early Christian writer and St. Augustine in his City of God, whose understanding was further developed by St. Thomas Aquinas who argued that a just government exists to work for the “common good” of all. Seeking and promoting the common good is a basic concept of Catholic social teaching.

Speaking to the senators and congressmen (and the justices and members of the cabinet), the Holy Father said, “Legislative activity is always based on care for the people. To this you have been invited, called and convened by those who elected you,” reminding the lawmakers who are deeply divided by partisan political conflicts that “Building a future of freedom requires love of the common good and cooperation in a spirit of subsidiarity and solidarity.”

“The antithesis of the common good is the exaggerated individualism that so colors and polarizes our society. This means,” he added, “that we must be especially attentive to every type of fundamentalism, whether religious or of any other kind. A delicate balance is required to combat violence perpetrated in the name of a religion, an ideology or an economic system, while also safeguarding religious freedom, intellectual freedom and individual freedoms. But there is another temptation which we must especially guard against: the simplistic reductionism which sees only good or evil; or, if you will, the righteous.”

“Our efforts,” the Holy a Father noted, “must aim at restoring hope, righting wrongs, maintaining commitments, and thus promoting the well-being of individuals and of peoples. We must move forward together, as one, in a renewed spirit of fraternity and solidarity, cooperating generously for the common good.”

Cautioning the political leaders against over-reaction to chaotic situations plaguing the world today, Pope Francis continued, “We know that in the attempt to be freed of the enemy without, we can be tempted to feed the enemy within. To imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place. That is something which you, as a people, reject.”

The Holy Father recalled that, “This common good also includes the earth, a central theme of the encyclical which I recently wrote in order to “enter into dialogue with all people about our common home” (Laudato Si’, 3). “We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all” (ibid., 14).

Politics is, he pointed out, “an expression of our compelling need to live as one, in order to build as one the greatest common good: that of a community which sacrifices particular interests in order to share, in justice and peace, its goods, its interests, its social life. I do not underestimate the difficulty that this involves, but I encourage you in this effort.”

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Image Credit: Screencap courtesy of Vatican on YouTube.com

Pope Francis at Madison Square Garden: God in the City

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Pope Francis at Madison Square Garden: God in the City
“God in the city” was a well-chosen theme for Pope Francis’ homily at Madison Square Garden in the heart of America’s great metropolis, observing that, “We are in … a place synonymous with this city … which represents both the variety and the common interests of so many different people.”

Basing his remarks on reading from the Liturgy, Isaiah 9:1, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light,” Pope Francis likened the great light to the Light of Christ that brings hope to people “caught up in their activities and routines, amid their successes and failures, their worries and expectations – with all their joys and hopes, their disappointments and regrets.”

A special quality of God’s people, the pope pointed out, “is their ability to see, to contemplate, even in ‘moments of darkness,’ the light which Christ brings. God’s faithful people can see, discern and contemplate his living presence in the midst of life, in the midst of the city. Together with the prophet Isaiah, we can say: ‘The people who walk, breathe and live in the midst of smog, have seen a great light, have experienced a breath of fresh air.’”

Unfortunately, hidden in the busy city’s darkness, the Holy Father continued, “are those people who don’t appear to belong, or are second-class citizens. In big cities, beneath the roar of traffic, beneath ‘the rapid pace of change,’ so many faces pass by unnoticed because they have no ‘right’ to be there, no right to be part of the city. They are the foreigners, the children who go without schooling, those deprived of medical insurance, the homeless, the forgotten elderly.”

It is the Light of Christ that is the “hope which makes us see, even in the midst of smog, the presence of God as he continues to walk the streets of our city … He keeps telling his disciples to go, to go out. He urges them to go out and meet others where they really are, not where we think they should be.”

God is living in our cities, Pope Francis declared, “the Church is living in our cities, and she wants to be like yeast in the dough. She wants to relate to everyone, to stand at everyone’s side, as she proclaims … ‘The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light’. And we ourselves are witnesses of that light.”

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Image Credit: Screencap courtesy of Vatican on YouTube.com

Pope Francis: A shepherd speaking to shepherds

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A shepherd speaking to shepherds

When Pope Francis met with the bishops at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew in Washington, D.C. , I was fortunate to be in the front row, I even had a chance to chat briefly with the Holy Father in Spanish and he said he was pleased to speak his native language after struggling with English at the White House and in his address to Congress.

At St. Matthew, he spoke to us as “brother to brother,” assuring us of his support and pledging to be at our side in difficult moments, recalling that, “From the birth of this nation, when, following the American Revolution, the first diocese was erected in Baltimore. The Church of Rome has always been close to you; you have never lacked its constant assistance and encouragement.”

He spoke of the bishops’ role as shepherds as “ones appointed by God to feed His flock,” called to be selfless with undivided hearts finding our identity in constant prayer, preaching and shepherding the flock entrusted to our care, recalling the three roles of a bishop; to sanctify, to teach and to govern.

Bishops, he told us, are not to preach “complicated doctrines, but to joyfully proclaim Christ” so that those who hear should also feel that the message we preach is for them and find in our words that “taste of eternity which they seek in vain in the things of this world.”

Dialogue should be our method, the Pope suggested; dialogue among ourselves, dialogue with lay persons, dialogue with families, dialogue with society. He challenged us to dialogue fearlessly and boldly. Otherwise, we will fail to understand the thinking of others or the depth of their need.

Our mission as bishops, Pope Francis declared, “is first and foremost to solidify unity.” He added that “the world is already so torn and divided, brokenness is now everywhere.” Consequently, the Church, “the seamless garment of the Lord” cannot allow herself to be rent, broken or fought over.”

At the end of his talk, the Holy Father offered two recommendations to us as bishops. First, he urged us to be close to our priests, support and encourage them so that they may serve Christ with an undivided heart and see to their spiritual growth so that they not grow tired or discouraged. Secondly, he encouraged us to continue our nation’s tradition of welcoming immigrants, “Know that they also possess resources meant to be shared. So do not be afraid to welcome them. Offer them the warmth of the love of Christ and you will unlock the mystery of their heart. I am certain that, as so often in the past, these people will enrich America and its Church.”

At St. Matthews we experienced a pastor sharing with other pastors to aid and encourage us to become better shepherds of God’s flock.

Pope Francis’ visit to the United States

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Pope Francis’ visit to the United States

Pope Francis’ visit to the United States beginning Sept. 22, is a truly unique event and one of great significance. There have been many other visits by popes; St. John Paul II visited the U.S. seven times, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Paul VI each made one visit.

What makes this papal visit unique is that for the first time a pope has been invited to address the United States Congress. Indeed, Pope Francis will make history when he speaks to a Joint Meeting of the U.S. Congress on Thursday, Sept. 24. Pope Francis will be the third Pope to meet with a U.S. President. He will also meet with Speaker of the House John Boehner.

His Washington, D.C., visit is significant because he is expected to address the hot-button issues of immigration, climate change, and income and racial inequality.The original purpose of his visit is to participate in the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. The Washington, D.C., visit and his canonization of Blessed Junipero Serra in the nation’s capitol were later additions to the schedule.

Papal addresses to the United Nations General Assembly have become quite regular.His will be the fifth, having been preceded by addresses by Pope Paul VI, St. John Paul II, and Pope Benedict. Again, the Holy Father is expected to address the worldwide issues of war, refugees, migration, poverty and the ecological crisis.

After spending Tuesday and Wednesday in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, the Pope will fly to New York City for his UN address Friday morning and a Mass at Madison Square Garden that evening. Saturday he will arrive in Philadelphia where he will participate in several activities of the World Meeting of Families and visit Independence Mall following Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul. Sunday he will travel to a correctional institution to visit with prisoners who made the chair he will use at the afternoon Mass closing the World Meeting of Families.

That Mass will be shown live on big screens at Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, as an outreach of the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe. I invite and encourage all to join in this celebration on Sunday Sept. 27 as we come together to watch and listen as Pope Francis celebrates this historic Mass.

A number of us will travel to Washington, New York and Philadelphia to see the pope. I will be tweeting and all of the events will be fully covered by The Texas Catholic and on diocese social media accounts.

You will all be in my prayers during this holy and joyful time.   I ask that you please pray that our Holy Father will be met with open hearts and minds and that his visit to our great country will be safe, happy and fruitful.