By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami
Archbishop Thomas Wenski addressed the following remarks to archdiocesan priests gathered for vespers at the start of their annual convocation, the evening of Sept. 17, 2019. The convocation is taking place Sept. 17-19, at the Hilton in downtown Miami.
This short reading – just one verse – from Colossians is a good summary of what we are about – or should be about – during this convocation. We want to allow the Word of Christ to dwell in us, we want to encourage each other (St. Paul puts it a little more directly: instruct and admonish one another), and through our liturgies we wish to offer a sacrifice of praise to our God in thanksgiving for the gift of faith and for our vocations to serve his people as his priests.
These convocations are important – hopefully, we come away having learned something useful to us in our ministry; also, this is an opportunity for us to get to know each other better. We have a large presbyterate, very diverse. As I’ve said before, I would bet that I would be able to recognize every priest in this room; but I don’t think anyone else here could. And there are a good number of new guys here, that weren’t here last year. Five newly ordained, and some externs that have joined us. There are about two or three still on their way.
That’s why we wear name tags. Wear them, it’s important to put a name with a face. This convocation affords us the opportunity to get know each other better. Our diocesan retreats do that, of course; as do, deanery meetings. But convocations do it on a big scale.
Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch Christian woman who hid Jews during World War II and herself was sent to a concentration camp as punishment, once wrote: If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed; if you look within, you’ll be depressed; but if you look at God, you will be at rest.
May these days of fraternity, of learning and of prayer, also afford us the opportunity to be “at rest.” May we follow St. Paul’s exhortation to the Colossians and “Let the word of Christ, rich as it is, dwell in (us).”
