WASHINGTON – Cardinal-designate Donald W. Wuerl, the
archbishop of Washington, asked worshippers at an early
morning Mass Oct. 20 to pray for him “as a bishop, a teacher,
a servant of the church, now with this special tie to the
Holy Father, linking all of us together in that great body of
Christ.”
He was celebrating his first public Mass after being named to
the College of Cardinals by Pope Benedict XVI earlier in the
morning.
Speaking at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in
Washington, the cardinal-designate said his new title is a
recognition of the vitality of the faith of the people of the
Archdiocese of Washington and the importance of the Catholic
Church in the nation’s capital and in the five surrounding
Maryland counties.
After Communion, he told how he once explained to a nephew
what a cardinal does and what the cardinal’s red hat
signifies.
“You get a new hat. … If you look at the hat, it’s the same
size and shape as the one the bishop has,” he said, telling
his nephew that a cardinal still keeps the same basic job he
has as a bishop, “to be a teacher of the faith, shepherd the
flock and celebrate the sacraments. The color changes to show
this very special tie the bishop has with the Holy Father.”
Then he again asked those at Mass to pray for him, “that
whatever color the hat is, that I will wear it well, as a
servant of Christ, a servant of the church and a servant of
the people.”
Later, as Cardinal-designate Wuerl processed from the altar,
the small congregation applauded him, and they congratulated
him as they left the downtown cathedral.
In a news conference after the Mass, the cardinal-designate
praised the faith of the people of the archdiocese and of
U.S. Catholics. He noted how Pope Benedict, after his 2008
pastoral visit to Washington, told him: “I came to America to
confirm them in their faith, and they have confirmed me in my
faith.”
Cardinal-designate Wuerl said he takes “great hope” from the
witness of faith he has seen in his four years as archbishop
of Washington.
“One of the unique qualities of this church, which we
sometimes take for granted, is it’s such a cosmopolitan
church. When you look out at the congregation, you see a
slice of the world, the faith of the world, with people from
every ethnic background here. That’s one of the strengths of
the church of Washington and Maryland,” he said.
Their faith gives him hope, he said, because “when you see
people from every continent, every background, praying
together, working together, it says it can be done.” That
kind of faith and unity, he said, can build a better world.
The cardinal-designate recalled the preparation for Pope
Benedict’s visit, “when we were able to transform Nationals
Park into a church for one day. When the pope looked up from
the altar, we wanted him to see the face of the church of
America, all the diversity, all the backgrounds. It’s a great
gift, a witness to the world.”
On a personal note, the new cardinal said that no matter what
bloggers write or what the rumors are, “when you get that
call” from the papal nuncio about being named a cardinal,
“it’s a surprise.”
Earlier that morning, Washington’s new cardinal had called
his niece who has three children, and she reacted to the news
of his appointment by saying, “Wow!”
Cardinal-designate Wuerl smiled and added, “This is something
I feel as well, a great excitement, a great joy.”
Washington’s new cardinal paid tribute to the roots of his
faith in Pittsburgh, where he was born 69 years ago and where
he served as a priest and later as bishop for 18 years.
“I grew up there. The great love I have for Pittsburgh is
rooted in the fact I was born there, that’s the church that
nurtured my faith, saw me grow up and helped me appreciate
Jesus Christ,” he said, adding, “I say that in the context of
my new home, my new love.”
Cardinal-designate Wuerl, who is known as a teaching bishop,
said he hopes his new rank will give him a “wider platform”
to talk about the importance of faith, Catholic education,
bringing the Gospel to the public square, and especially
promoting the work of the new evangelization, the topic of
his recent pastoral letter.
He said he hopes to help inspire Catholics to deepen their
faith, and encourage them to bring Christ’s love to people
who have drifted from the faith or who haven’t heard Jesus’
good news.
“The message is a simple one, that God loves us and sent
Christ to us, to show it’s possible to love one another,” he
said.
Encouraging Catholics to take up that work of the new
evangelization and share Christ with others will be a key
goal of his as a cardinal, he said.
“I do look forward to having a wider platform, a bigger
pulpit, to proclaim the importance of the new
evangelization,” he said. He noted that the work of the first
disciples must now be undertaken by today’s Catholics, to
bring Christ to the world. “It’s our turn now, to tell the
story.”
