Welcoming Our New Bishop – Educational Packet Table of Contents
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Welcoming Our New Bishop – Educational Packet Table of Contents Topics The Three Degrees of the Sacrament of Holy Orders: Episcopate, Presbyterate, Diaconate The Nature and Role of the Bishop Brief History of the Diocese of Wilmington Biography of Bishop Malooly Frequently Asked Questions (possible bulletin insert) RCIA and Adult Small Group Discussion Adult Education Session Family Education Session High School/Youth Session Early Adolescent Session (Gr. 7-9) Intermediate Session (Gr. 3-6) Primary Session (Gr. 1-3) Preschool Session (Age 3-5) Glossary of Terms Curriculum Outcomes for Each Grade Level THE THREE DEGREES OF THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS Through the sacrament of Baptism, all are made sharers of the priesthood of Christ, which is nurtured and sustained within the community of faith. The community of all baptized persons acknowledges the divinity of Christ and lives in a way that conforms to the teachings of God for the good of all people. In 1947, Pope Pius XII stated the matter of Holy Orders was to be understood as the bishop’s imposition of hands over the priest – thus signifying clearly that ordination was the consecration of the whole person for a life of holiness and service to the Church, and not simply the assigning of and empowering for specific sacramental duties. “The divinely instituted ecclesiastical ministry is exercised in different degrees by those who even from ancient times have been called bishops, priests, and deacons.” Lumen Gentium states the three degrees are: episcopate, presbyterate and deaconate. These degrees are exercised by bishops, priests and deacons. (#32 ) St. Ignatius of Antioch said, Let everyone revere the deacons as Jesus Christ, the bishop as the image of the Father, and the presbyters as the senate of God, and the assembly of the apostles. For without them one cannot speak of the Church. Episcopate: Fullness of the Sacrament of Holy Orders The bishops receive the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders, which integrates them into the Episcopal college and makes them the visible heads of the particular churches entrusted to them. As successors of the apostles and members of the college, the bishops share in the apostolic responsibility and mission of the whole Church under the authority of the Pope, successor of St. Peter. (CCC1594) By virtue of Episcopal consecration, the bishops share in the sanctifying, teaching and ruling offices of the Church. In an eminent and visible manner, the bishops take the place of Christ himself, teacher and shepherd, and act as Christ’s representative. (CCC1558) Presbyterate: Ordained Co-Workers of the Episcopate The priest represents Christ to the community by his presence and his actions. He also presents the community to Christ expressing their wants, sufferings, needs and desires. The ministerial priest, by the sacred power that he has, forms and rules the priestly people; in the person of Christ he effects the Eucharistic sacrifice and offers it to God in the name of all the people (Lumen Gentium #10) Diaconate: Service Conferred by a Sacramental Act of Ordination Deacons share in Christ’s mission and grace in a special way. The Sacrament of Holy Orders marks them with an imprint (character) which cannot be removed and which configures them to Christ, who makes himself the “deacon” or servant of all. Among other tasks, it is the task of deacons to assist the bishop and priests in the celebration of the divine mysteries, above all the Eucharist, in the distribution of Holy Communion, in assisting at the blessing marriages, in the proclamation of the Gospel and preaching, in presiding over funerals, and in dedicating themselves to the various ministries of charity. (CCC1570) The Nature and Role of the Bishop There is a rather ancient theological adage: Lex orandi, lex credendi (the law of prayer is the law of belief.) This understanding is an appropriate starting point for considering the nature and role of the bishop in the Church. The actual rite for the ordination of a bishop contained in the Roman Pontifical is instructive in this regard. The nature of the Episcopal office is rather wonderfully expressed in the sample homily-instruction for the ordination of a bishop. There it notes that the principal consecrator addresses the bishop- elect in these words: You, dear brother, have been chosen by the Lord. Remember that you are chosen from among men and appointed to act for men and women in relation to God. The title of bishop is not one of honor but of function, and therefore a bishop should strive to serve rather than rule. Such is the counsel of the Master: the greater should behave as if he were the least, and the leader as if her were the one who serves. Among other things, the Trinitarian nature of the Episcopal ministry is the personification of the Father in the church and a sign of Christ as shepherd, teacher, priest and as a vehicle of the Holy Spirit who gives life to the Church and supports it even in its weakness. By definition, a bishop is one who enjoys “the fullness of the sacrament of order” (Decree on the Bishops’ Pastoral Office in the Church, 15) and the office of bishop is the primary pastoral office of the local Church, the diocese. The role of the bishop is a series of dynamic interrelationships. On the one hand, the bishop has the pastoral care of the particular church entrusted to him, while, at the same time, he is responsible with the other bishops for the apostolic mission of the Church (CCC1560). The bishop is both the sign of unity within a diocese as well as a minister of unity between the local church and the universal church under the authority of the Pope, successor of St. Peter. The Eucharist, celebrated by the bishop, witnesses, in a most significant way, to the Church gathered around the altar, with the one who represent Christ, the Good Shepherd and Head of his Church (CCC1561). As authentic teachers of the apostolic faith, the bishops echo the faith. As chief catechist in the diocese, the bishop is responsible for the total catechetical mission of the local church. All members of the community share the duty to bear witness to the faith. However, the bishop is assisted in his catechetical responsibilities by his diocesan staff, priests, deacons, religious and laity. Collaboration among the different roles allows for catechesis to be accomplished in an effective manner (NDC p. 218). The new bishop is solemnly received in the diocesan church by the people and the clergy of the local church within a Eucharistic celebration at which the new bishop presides for the first time with the priests and the deacons, as well as with the people of the diocese. The structure of the liturgy follows: Introductory Rites Reading of Apostolic Letter Greeting of the Bishop Celebration of Mass The bishop of the diocese is the heart of the mission of Jesus Christ. His is a dynamic and mutual relationship with all people. The leadership he offers is one of love, courage and eagerness for the spread of the Gospel. BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DIOCESE OF WILMINGTON It might be considered that the Diocese of Wilmington had its origin in the landing party from the Ark and Dove, which came ashore at St. Clements, now known as Blakiston Island on March 25, 1634. Of the 20 Catholic gentlemen and several hundred indentured servants, there were two Jesuit priests, John Altham and Andrew White, as well as a lay brother, Thomas Gervase. After landing, the group gathered to celebrate a Thanksgiving liturgy. They quickly established a mission at the tip of Kent Island to service the group of people who had come from across the waters. Within a year the founding priest died and this early mission was then serviced by the Jesuit priests from the western shore of Maryland. Between the years of 1634 and 1866, the area that would become known as the Diocese of Wilmington was serviced by Jesuits from Maryland and Pennsylvania. A strong nucleus of a Catholic presence developed at the head of the Little Bohemian River and this became the first permanent parish (St. Francis Xavier, Old Bohemia) in what would be the future Diocese of Wilmington. From this site priests traveled to care for the various Catholics in settlements in New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties. In 1772 the Jesuit community purchased a 200 acre farm in Mill Creek 100, near the stream of Coffee Run. This track of land is presently located on Lancaster Pike. Sometime between the years of 1785 and 1790, St. Mary of the Assumption at Coffee Run was erected. This log cabin chapel became the nucleus of the Catholic celebration in the area. As the years went on, the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 were fought and the country settled into the onslaught of the Civil War. All during this time people were coming from Western Europe to seek freedom and a better way of living. Finally, at the second Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1866, the American Bishops asked the Holy See to make a diocese of the Delmarva Peninsula. The Holy See responded on March 3, 1868, by creating a diocese comprised of the state of Delaware (from the Diocese of Philadelphia), and nine counties of Maryland and 2 in Virginia, east of the Chesapeake Bay. At its creation, the Diocese was approximately 6,211 square miles but only had a total Catholic population of 5,000, with 3,000 in the area of the cities of Wilmington and New Castle. The other 2,000 Catholics were scattered in small congregations mostly along the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where many of their forebears had continued to practice the faith after landing in the colony of Maryland.