Celebrating Our Birth

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Special to the Herald
(From the issue of 8/19/04)

The following homily was given by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde at the Mass celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Diocese of Arlington at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington on Aug. 13.

Thirty years ago today, a birth took place — the birth or beginning of this diocesan church. Amidst fervent prayer and much rejoicing, this Diocese of Arlington began her ecclesial life with Bishop Thomas J. Welsh as her founding shepherd. We look back and give thanks for the faith-filled vision and commitment those first ancestors in the faith possessed and then began to hand down to us.

Birth ushers in growth and development. Since 1974, this diocesan church has been growing and developing under the watchful care of God’s providence and the shepherds He has sent us. For nine years, until 1983, Bishop Welsh guided so faithfully this growing church. Then, for the next 15 years, from 1983 to 1998, Bishop John R. Keating carefully and lovingly continued to direct the ongoing development within our borders. So, as we look back, we continue to give thanks and rejoice. Our local household of faith has truly grown, from 136,000 Catholics in 1974 to nearly 400,000 at the present time — and this number does not reflect those Catholics who are not registered. In 1998, 15.4 percent of the total population within our diocese was Catholic; today, that number is 19.8 percent.

So many good works have been accomplished by our sisters and brothers throughout these 30 years, revealing our strong faith, unwavering hope and deep love. In recent months, for example, a young woman walking into an abortion facility accepted a rosary from an Arlington pro-life group. Once inside the clinic, she reconsidered and gave her child the opportunity to live! Or, in another example, 250 high school students from 20 parishes in our diocese participated in WorkCamp, traveling to the Northern Neck of Virginia and volunteering a week out of their summer vacation to assist families in need of more secure shelters. Yes, these and countless other unsung generous works illumine the life of our diocese these past 30 years.

Growth and development continue, so we look forward in hope as we move together from the present into the future, rooted in faith and in love. On this 30th anniversary of our birth as a diocesan church, we find a blueprint for our future journey in both today’s Opening Prayer and Scripture readings. "Through the Gospel and the Eucharist, bring your people together in the Holy Spirit and guide us in your love. Make us a sign of your love for all people and help us to show forth the living presence of Christ in the world" (Opening Prayer). "The Gospel and the Eucharist" reminds us that we are people formed by the Word and given life through the Sacraments, above all, by and in the celebration of the Eucharist, both Sacrament and Sacrifice. In these ways, we become Christ’s Mystical Body, a sign of God’s love and, thereby, show forth the living presence of Christ in the world. We become the instruments of evangelization, reconciliation, unity and service as we seek in daily living to proclaim the Truth of Christ and to live by His love, made present within us by the Holy Spirit.

Today’s Scripture readings likewise point to the blueprint provided in our Opening Prayer. The scene from Acts is really a snapshot of the early Church, giving us a clear model of how we should be as the Church today. Our ancestors in the faith "devoted themselves to the teaching of the Apostles," that is, to hearing and reflecting on God’s Word. This too we must do as we evangelize, catechize and teach the Catholic faith handed down to us in its integrity and fullness. They were "devoted to the breaking of the bread," that is, to the celebration of the Lord’s Dying and Rising, to the Mass. This too we must do as we become ever more renewed in our celebration of the Eucharist and in our adoration of the Lord truly present in the Tabernacle. How privileged we are to be observing the major part of our anniversary year during the Year of the Eucharist, which begins this October. "The Eucharist is the life of the Church" and my desire for us is that we become ever more a diocesan church whose heart is Eucharistic. The first Christians "devoted themselves to the communal life and to the prayers," to living in practice that love and compassion which was deepened in them through their authentic prayer life. This too we must do as we continually reach out to the poor and the needy among us, sharing our resources and, even more, our very lives for their well-being.

If the first reading is a snapshot of the early Church, the Gospel reading depicts for us Christ’s commissioning of the first disciples and us. "Go … and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them." Again, by both word and example, we are to evangelize, to catechize, to teach, to proclaim the Gospel of Life and to live in holiness in accord with our individual vocations.

This Anniversary of our birth leads us to commit ourselves to rebirth, to renewal rooted in God’s call to holiness. What lies before us is a future filled with both opportunity and challenge. We go forward in hope, because the promise of the Lord who commissions us echoes in our hearts: "And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." Surrounded by Our Blessed Mother and our diocesan patrons St. Thomas More and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, united with one another in faith, hope and love, we pledge to be the Church, alive and continually "growing in faith, holiness, charity and loving service" (cf. Closing Prayer) throughout our diocese — to the glory of God and for the salvation of our brothers and sisters!

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