Bishop Wenski Preaches

As I mentioned as few weeks ago, Thomas Wenski, our bishop here in the Diocese of Orlando has been elevated to Archbishop and will soon be installed as the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Miami. This past Tuesday evening, the pastor of our parish, along with three deacons and their wives, drove to Orlando to join Archbishop Wenski as he celebrated a Mass of Farewell at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe, a beautiful church that I recommend visiting during your next Disney vacation. Mass was followed by a delightful dinner at a local hotel. It was a wonderful evening, and provided us with an opportunity to say goodbye to our shepherd.

Archbishop Wenski is a remarkable man. Fluent in Spanish, Creole, Polish, and probably a few other languages, he seems to be the perfect fit for the Archdiocese of Miami with its large Hispanic and Haitian populations. He was also born and raised in the Miami area, so this will be a homecoming for him. But what many folks don't know is that he also drives a Harley, a rather rare avocation for a bishop. The photo at left shows him about to tear up the highway. You gotta love a bishop biker.

The archbishop and I arrived here in Orlando at about the same time, and during the past few years I have heard him preach on numerous occasions. But I have especially enjoyed his homilies aimed at the young men and women who were about to be confirmed. Today while doing a little surfing on YouTube, I discovered that a video of one of these homilies is available online. Because of YouTube's 10-minute restriction, the homily is divided into three videos for a total of about 26 minutes. (Only a bishop can get away with a 26-minute homily in the Catholic Church.)

The homily was delivered at St. Paul's Parish in neighboring Leesburg, FL, and among the confirmandi were a number of young men and women from our parish. The videos are well worth watching, and provide a wonderful catechesis on how we, as Christians, must live in the world as witnesses of Jesus Christ. I have included all three segments below:




 




God's peace...

Good News: Bishop Thomas Wenski Named as Miami's Archbishop

Our bishop here in central Florida, Bishop Thomas Wenski of the Diocese of Orlando, has just announced that he has been named the new Archbishop of Miami by Pope Benedict XVI. (Click here to view his video announcement.) Bishop Wenski has been a good shepherd of our diocese and we will miss him; but at the same time we wish him well as he takes on the challenges of this large and diverse archdiocese. Keep him in your prayers and pray too for the man who will follow in his footsteps here in the Diocese of Orlando.

The above photo shows my current bishop, Bishop Thomas Wenski, with the bishop who ordained me when he was Bishop of Fall River, Cardinal Sean O'Malley, now Archbishop of Boston.

You might also like to see the announcement by the Archdiocese of Miami: click here.

Three Cheers for Bishop Wenski

Bishop Thomas Wenski, Bishop of the diocese of Orlando (and my bishop), has responded to the University of Notre Dame's decision to honor President Obama in about the best way possible. He celebrated a Mass of Reparation last week for the sins committed against the sacredness of human life. In his homily he specificaly mentioned the decision by Notre Dame. One can only hope that all our bishops would do likewise and storm heaven with the prayers of the Catholic Church in America.

If you would like to read Bishop Wenski's homily, click here. And to read the bishop's latest column on the same issue, click here.