Architects of Hope
This week has been a whirlwind for me. I woke up early Sunday morning in Washington, D.C., and got ready for my first Red Mass.
The chief celebrant was Robert Cardinal McElroy, Archbishop of Washington D.C. Concelebrating were: Cardinal Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States; Archbishop Timothy Broglio, Archbishop for the Military Services, USA and President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; Bishop Michael Burbidge and retired Bishop Paul Loverde of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia; Washington Auxiliary Bishops Roy Campbell Jr. and Juan Esposito; and twelve priests.
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and three other justices were also scheduled to attend. I was so excited until my Uber ride pulled up to the Cathedral of St. Matthew of the Apostle, and to my surprise there were Capital Police, Secret Service, and other law enforcement all around the Cathedral.
I wasn’t sure what was going on in the chaos outside, so I called Paula Gwynn Grant, our new National Senior Director of Communications. She told me that there had been a bomb threat.
As you can imagine, with all the recent attacks in our country, many thoughts were going through our minds – but we were there to represent the National Council, and I’m so glad we did!
We met Paula in the middle of the church, and she led us to our seats. As we passed pew after pew, we realized she was guiding us all the way to the very front – the first pew. There we were, seated front and center for this most important liturgy.
Unfortunately, due to the credible but contained threat, the Chief Justice and other justices were diverted from attending. So yes – we found ourselves sitting in their seats. Law enforcement assured us that we were safe, but still, there we were, front and center, just feet away from Cardinal McElroy and all the celebrants.
Cardinal McElroy gave a powerful homily with the theme, “Architects of Hope,” based on the Jubilee’s theme. In his Homily, the Cardinal shared that his father was an attorney for 40 years.
As I listened, I thought about how Blessed Frederic Ozanam would embrace the Cardinal’s call for all of us to become architects of hope. The Cardinal stated, “Hope. It is the conviction that in our moments of greatest suffering in our lives God will stand by us always. It represents an overwhelming impulse in the depths of the human heart that does not obscure the suffering of the present or past, but finds in them chapters of grace and, with courage, a foundation for a new future…
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that hope orients us to the order of justice, peace and charity, leading us away from selfishness. ‘It keeps the human person from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment; it opens up his heart in expectation of eternal (joy).’
Hope is not the belief that everything always comes out all right. That is merely optimism. True Christian hope is rooted in the intimate and caring accompaniment of our God, walking with us…
As this Red Mass invites us to reflect upon the realities of suffering and hope in our personal lives, so it calls us to recognize the landscape of adversity and hope that faces us in our nation today. And it invites us to do so precisely by affirming the mandate that men and women of the law are architects of hope by reason of their vocation.”
Cardinal McElroy continued saying, “Catholic social teaching underscores that healthy governmental, cultural, religious and economic institutions are essential for the accomplishment of the common good and the service for all in the world in which we live. Two elements are vital to accomplishing such health today…
The Scriptures point unswervingly to the need to keep the poor and the powerless at the forefront of our thoughts and actions. For in every social and economic system they are disproportionately shut out from the rights and privileges that are vital to their well-being.”
He concluded by challenging all in attendance to, “take up the challenge to be true architects of hope, in this land, at this moment, in God’s grace.”
This past Tuesday, National President John Berry, Paul “Korky” Korkemaz, Mid-Atlantic Region Vice President, Anthony Bosnick, Archdiocesan Council President of Washington, D.C., and I had a great meeting with Cardinal McElroy. We discussed our impact as architects of hope in our work in the Archdiocese and throughout the country.
In the meeting, the Cardinal shared with us his positive experiences in the past with the Society. He even shared a home visit that he made with Vincentians to a family that desperately needed us for the hope, love and care we provide – especially the children. He expressed his gratitude for our work and provided guidance on how we could expand our ministry.
Earlier today, our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV released the exhortation, “Dilexi te” (I Have Loved You). Our ministry and Vincentian vocation put into action the Holy Father’s vision of sharing Christ’s love and hope with those we are blessed to serve.
Thank you for your commitment and dedication to our Vincentian call to seek and find the forgotten, suffering, and deprived.
Best wishes in Christ,
Michael
What was Cardinal McElroy’s suggestion to expand our ministry?