By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami
Archbishop Thomas Wenski preached this homily at the 75th anniversary celebration for St. Joseph Parish, Miami Beach. The Mass took place Feb 12, 2017.
I am very happy to celebrate with you and with your pastor, Father Juan Sosa, the diamond anniversary of St. Joseph Parish. 75 years might not seem like a long time for a Church that is almost 2,000 years old; but here in this still young diocese, a diocese that is only 59 years old, 75 years is certainly something to celebrate.
The word, parish, is derived from the ancient Greek –pa-roi-ki-a -; the Spanish, parroquia, is much closer to the original Greek than its English equivalent. It meant a sojourn in a foreign land, or a community of sojourners. And so, when the Hebrew Scriptures were first translated into Greek, pa-roi-ki-a was used to describe the Israelites as they journeyed through the desert on their way to the Promised Land.
As Catholic Christians, to say that we are parishioners of this or that parish is to identify us as members of a pilgrim people called forth by God. To say that we are parishioners is to acknowledge that we sojourn in the way that his Son Jesus opens before us. We, Catholics, as members of the new People of God, the New Israel, established by Christ on the foundation of the 12 apostles, we know that here on this earth we have no lasting dwelling place, for our citizenship is in heaven, our true Promised Land. Our parishes, where the community of sojourners meet, are then like way stations along our pilgrim way.
St. Joseph, of course, is much more than just a simple way station or rest stop: it is truly an oasis. Here, in this parish community, you are fed, you are refreshed, and you are strengthened for your pilgrim journey. In other words, you are lifted up, you are raised up, as a community of faith, hope and love, and you join with your brothers and sisters – your fellow Catholics – to worship Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Our parish life is not therefore something merely incidental to us as we make our life’s journeys. Our parishes, ideally should be schools of prayer and schools of communion. They are the places where our love of God and neighbor come together and thus parishes – as way stations along our sojourn – keep us from becoming “of the world” and they enable us, as we sojourn in the world, to be always “for the world.”
For 75 years, St. Joseph Parish has welcomed God’s pilgrim people – and you have done so in variety of languages: English, Spanish, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Filipino Tagalog. If you ask a child what is a church, he might answer, the Church is the House of God. And he would be right; every church is a temple where God dwells, a house of God the Father. And all who call him Father, that is all of us who are his adoptive sons and daughters through baptism, should feel at home in their Father’s house. And the best way you make some feel like they are “at home” when they enter the Father’s house is to speak the Mother’s tongue. Here at St. Joseph you understand this.
Hoy día la globalización nos ha convertido a todos en vecinos – pero no nos ha convertido en hermanos y hermanas. Lo que nos puede convertir en hermanos y hermanas es nuestro encuentro con Jesucristo quien nos enseña lo que es la caridad fraternal y nos revela la verdad de nuestra vocación trascendente por medio de él hacia el Padre. Este encuentro nunca es solamente “entre Jesús y yo”. El Catolicismo es una religión comunitaria – somos salvos como miembros de una familia, de una comunidad, de un cuerpo – el Cuerpo de Cristo.
Over the years, thousands of people have met Christ here at St. Joseph’s in Word and Sacrament. For 75 years, here at St. Joseph the Lord has fed you and met your needs, lifting you up so that you can know him and serve him and love him in this life – and so, one day, be happy with him in the next. However, the history of this parish – like any history forged by fallen human beings – is full of lights and shadows. We should not be surprised that the Church which Christ founded to save sinners is – well – full of sinners.
Yet, the Church is holy – and she is holy not because of us but because of the Spirit that is given to her. Despite the shortcomings and foibles of her human members, the Church of God has continued to grow here in South Florida – and here at St. Joseph. 75 years have not been years of grace.
Many have come and gone – among them were some saints, and to be sure many sinners – and today we lift up in prayer those pioneers – priests and people – who were here at the beginning and have gone home to the Lord. We especially remember Father Noel Bennet, and Father Joe O’Shea; both pastors had long tenures here at St. Joseph and served God’s people well.
During these 75 years – with the help of God’s grace which is always more than enough against our own inadequacies – you have built more than buildings – you have built community, a community of faith, hope and love, a community where Christ is known, adored and encountered in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
The Church does not exist for herself; she is at the service of Jesus Christ; the Church exists so that the Good News is accessible to all. And, for 75 years, this has been your mission here at St. Joseph; this will be your mission for the next 75 years and beyond. You are called to be missionary disciples of Jesus; you are called to be a reconciled and reconciling community – so that the world may believe. So as we celebrate this diamond jubilee today, may we remember the past with gratitude, live the present with enthusiasm, and look forward to the future with confidence.
