Vatican City, 27 September 2015 (VIS) –
Pope Francis arrived in Philadelphia for the last stage of his
apostolic trip yesterday at 9.30 a.m. local time (3.30 p.m. in Rome).
His first act in this history city, where the Declaration of
Independence was adopted and the United States Constitution was
signed, was the celebration of Holy Mass at the Cathedral of Sts.
Peter and Paul, a votive mass to the Virgin Mary, Mother of the
Church, attended by the bishops, clergy, and men and women religious
of the state of Pennsyvlania.
“This morning I learned something
about the history of this beautiful Cathedral: the story behind its
high walls and windows”, said the Pope in his homily. “I would
like to think, though, that the history of the Church in this city
and state is really a story not about building walls, but about
breaking them down. It is a story about generation after generation
of committed Catholics going out to the peripheries, and building
communities of worship, education, charity and service to the larger
society. … All of this is a great legacy which you have received,
and which you have been called to enrich and pass on”.
“Most of you know the story of Saint
Katharine Drexel, one of the great saints raised up by this local
Church”, he continued. “When she spoke to Pope Leo XIII of the
needs of the missions, the Pope … asked her pointedly: 'What about
you? What are you going to do?'. Those words changed Katharine’s
life, because they reminded her that, in the end, every Christian man
and woman, by virtue of baptism, has received a mission. Each one of
us has to respond, as best we can, to the Lord’s call to build up
his Body, the Church”.
Those words were addressed to a “a
young woman with high ideals, and they changed her life. They made
her think of the immense work that had to be done, and to realise
that she was being called to do her part. How many young people in
our parishes and schools have the same high ideals, generosity of
spirit, and love for Christ and the Church! … To find ways of
sharing their enthusiasm and gifts with our communities, above all in
works of mercy and concern for others?” asked the Pope.
“One of the great challenges facing
the Church in this generation is to foster in all the faithful a
sense of personal responsibility for the Church’s mission, and to
enable them to fulfil that responsibility as missionary disciples, as
a leaven of the Gospel in our world. This will require creativity in
adapting to changed situations, carrying forward the legacy of the
past not primarily by maintaining our structures and institutions,
which have served us well, but above all by being open to the
possibilities which the Spirit opens up to us and communicating the
joy of the Gospel, daily and in every season of our life”.
Francis remarked that “it is
significant that those words of the elderly Pope were also addressed
to a lay woman. We know that the future of the Church in a rapidly
changing society will call, and even now calls, for a much more
active engagement on the part of the laity. The Church in the United
States has always devoted immense effort to the work of catechesis
and education. Our challenge today is to build on those solid
foundations and to foster a sense of collaboration and shared
responsibility in planning for the future of our parishes and
institutions. This does not mean relinquishing the spiritual
authority with which we have been entrusted; rather, it means
discerning and employing wisely the manifold gifts which the Spirit
pours out upon the Church. In a particular way, it means valuing the
immense contribution which women, lay and religious, have made and
continue to make, to the life of our communities”.
“During these days of the World
Meeting of Families, I would ask you in a particular way to reflect
on our ministry to families, to couples preparing for marriage, and
to our young people”, he concluded. “I know how much is being
done in your local Churches to respond to the needs of families and
to support them in their journey of faith. I ask you to pray
fervently for them, and for the deliberations of the forthcoming
Synod on the Family”.
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