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Solemnity of the Bishop John Barres St. Agnes Cathedral December 8, 2020

On this Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, we remember that in 1854 Blessed Pius IXth proclaimed in Ineffabilis Deus that “the most Blessed Mary, from the moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved from all stain of original sin.” This beautiful and unique grace granted to Mary, the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, the Woman of the Word of God and the Woman of the Eucharist, draws us even closer to her. Star of the Sea and Star of the New Evangelization, Mary leads us through the tumultuous waters of life and human history to holiness and Eternal Life. We also celebrate today the 150th Anniversary of Pope Blessed Pius IXth proclaiming on December 8, 1870 that St. is the Universal Patron of the . Go to Joseph! All the , in a special way like the Mystical St. Teresa of Avila, encourage us to go to St. Joseph as a critical intercessor for progress in mental prayer, the sanctification of daily work and holiness in family life. We celebrate this glorious anniversary of St. Joseph with a new Pastoral Letter entitled Go to Joseph! It is available on the diocesan website: drvc.org. My gratitude to Fr. John McCartney, our Co-Chancellor and Master of Ceremonies at this , for the fine research and writing which made this exceptional Pastoral Letter possible. Finally, we celebrate today that Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is the Patroness of the of America. In 1792, Bishop John Carroll of Baltimore, the first Catholic bishop of the United States, consecrated the United States to the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the of the Immaculate

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Conception. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC – with its beautiful art, architecture and history -- is one of the many ways Americans celebrate the special intercession of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. And so, as we anticipate on January 4, 2021 the Bicentennial of St. ’s death and her pioneering feminine genius role in the history of Catholic Evangelization and Catholic Education in America, we survey the horizon and panorama of the unique graces that flow through American Catholic Church history and the lives of great Catholic Americans. We give thanks for the intercession of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception for the United States of America. We celebrate today the holiness of so many current and future American saints. For instance, so many holy priests have helped to shape the history of the United States. Their heroism, evangelizing zeal, and pastoral charity are woven into our nation’s story. Looking to those priest Saints and Blesseds who labored in this part of God’s vineyard that is the land of the free and the home of the brave, we see a wide and beautiful American kaleidoscope of “holiness and mission” in the Catholic priesthood. Think of the New York Jesuit : Saints Jogues (1607-1646), Rene Goupil (1608-1642), and (d. 1646). Recall the Redemptorist (1811-1860), the Bishop of Philadelphia, and his confrere, Blessed Seelos (1819-1867). See the missionary hearts of Saint Juniper Serra (1713-1784) in California and Saint Damien of Molokai (1840-1889) in Hawaii. Call to mind the Capuchin Blessed (1870-1957), a mystical porter who opened the Doors of Christ to so many souls. Think, too, of Blessed (1935-1981), a priest-missionary from who died as a parish priest- in . Thanks be to God too for the October 31, 2020 of Father J. McGivney (1852-1890), parish priest and and founder of the Knights of Columbus.

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Spanning centuries, their priestly holiness has animated the life of the Church and contributed to our growth as one nation under God.1 On this Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, we also think of the great American women religious saints and their bold and courageous missionary spirit. Sebastian White, OP, the editor of Magnificat, gave this poetic tribute to the women religious saints of New York and the United States. He writes: “On the southern tip of Manhattan, just across the way from our national image of political Libertas, there is another statue: Mother Seton above the door at what was once the location of her family home, now a Catholic Church. Further north, Mother Cabrini has her arms cast wide, ready to embrace all who enter the portal of her shrine. And the figures of Jesus, Mary and the saints that adorn parishes and homes all across our country – these, too, are our statues of liberty, the liberty every person longs for, immigrant and native alike: liberty from sin, liberty from death. So in a way, then, every day is an Independence Day. For we look to the light of the lamp lifted and aglow beside the golden doors of our tabernacles and above the doors of our confessionals. We come in our tiredness, our poverty, our wretchedness, longing for a home, yearning to breathe free – and find that we can.”2 We think of great lay people of holiness such as St. (1656-1680), the hairdresser (1766-1853) who is buried in the crypt at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and his wife, Juliette Toussaint, and the Servant of God Founder of the Idente Missionaries, Fernando Rielo Pardal who evangelized New York and whose sons and daughters serve the Diocese of Rockville Centre so faithfully. One thing these saints and holy people of the United States have in common is their love for their Patroness, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. They lived the spirit of Our Lady at the Annunciation – “May it be done to me according to your word.” Their missionary efforts on American soil involved such uncertainty, such risk, and so often misunderstanding and opposition. But they forged ahead as we forge ahead. Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception interceded for them. Their fears and uncertainty about risk were turned into humility, boldness, fortitude and a relentless faith-filled Catholic missionary spirit.

1 Cf. Bishop Barres’ October 31, 2020 Homily celebrating the Beatification of Fr. Michael J. McGivney and delivered at St. Mary’s Church, New Haven, CT. 2 Fr. Sebastian White, OP, July 2019 Magnificat editorial, 5.

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Today, on this Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception in this year of 2020, we give thanks for Our Lady and her presence and intercession in American history. We draw on the faith, humility, courage and missionary spirit of the New York and American saints who went before us and we say in unison with them and in unison with Our Lady: “May it be done to me according to your word” for the Glory of God, for the Salvation of Souls and for the Kingdom of God.

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC