Pope Francis’ Ministry & Reconciliation

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Our Lady of Divine Providence Family,

Let us join together in prayer for the whole Church, especially the cardinals in the conclave, as we await a new Pope. Jesus has promised that He will not abandon His Church, and that the Holy Spirit will be with us to lead us and guide us in the person of the successor to St. Peter, our Holy Father. Please keep me in your prayers as well, that the Holy Spirit will guide and enlighten me. This past Thursday, I was installed as the Pastor of our Family of Parishes. I thank everyone who made the evening a success, by their assistance in planning and preparation, by their attendance, and their encouragement.

As I reflect upon the life and ministry of Pope Francis, many ideas come to mind. Some themes that I learned from him that I would like to emphasize here are:  the importance of encounter and relationship, the urgent need to spread the joy of the Gospel (especially at the margins), and the critical significance of the family.

I recently learned, albeit to my surprise, that Pope Francis more than any other Pope in Church history spoke about the nefarious influence of Satan as the enemy of the family. That’s a theme that the media didn’t report on as much as some others, but it is a very significant one for our time. Many families today are divided, and the evil spirit is the author of division. I know this pain personally, as my parents are divorced. Many families are broken. Most children and grandchildren today do not practice their faith.

Our mission is to evangelize with joy, to practice radical hospitality in light of the sacredness of every human life, created in the image of God, and to bring the margins to the Center, who is Christ. We must reconcile, be reconciled, and reconcile generations that have become separated.

The ministry of hospitality and reconciliation is ours. One practical way that I have decided to implement this in our parishes is to increase the opportunities for the sacrament of reconciliation. We are adding confession times on Monday mornings at St. Bartholomew, continuing the lunch hour adoration and confessions during the week at St. Vivian, adding Tuesday evening confessions at St. Bartholomew, and Saturday morning confessions at St. Clare.

Studies show that parishes where parishioners all go to confession dramatically increase their attendance. I think this is because reconciliation is the sacrament of God’s mercy and hospitality, and the more we receive, the more we can give.

Please stay tuned for more ways that our parishes will become mission-focused in the future, and please remember to pray for me, for the Church, and the new Holy Father, when he is elected.

Yours in Christ,
Fr. Henry