Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

As we celebrate the bicentennial anniversary of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, we give thanks to our generous God for the many blessings He has bestowed on us and look forward with expectant faith to what is to come.

Much has changed in our archdiocese and in the United States over the past 200 years. For instance, we are an increasingly mobile society, no longer traveling to work or church on foot or horseback. Compared to earlier eras in our country’s history, when waves of European Catholic immigrants faced scorn and discrimination, Catholics have made tremendous progress in educational level, social acceptance, career achievement and affluence. Catholics can now be found in the highest tiers of every profession and public office in this country.

Unfortunately, not all change over the past two centuries has been for the better. American assimilation has brought with it a certain diminishment of distinctive Catholic culture. Religious practice among Catholics, following the overall U.S. trend, is in serious decline. One need only look at the empty pews of an average Sunday Mass to know this. Catholic families are generally not as large as they used to be and fewer parents encourage their children to consider a religious vocation. Here in our own archdiocese, while we have been blessed these past few years with an increase in the number of men ordained to the priesthood and in seminary formation, we have even more in active ministry who are at or beyond retirement age.

Despite these discouragements, our mission – Christ’s great commission to proclaim the Good News of salvation and make disciples of all nations – remains. We are called to be God’s joyful witnesses, to radiate Christ in all we do, so that all people might know, love and follow Jesus through this life and into the next.

As Church, together we always have the responsibility to look ahead and make the best use of all the Lord has provided us. If we are to be the Church as Christ intends, we must understand that “status quo” can have no place in our vocabulary. We must prayerfully ask ourselves, “What in God’s plan must we do next?” Are our resources properly and most effectively aligned with our God-given mission? Is each of our parishes a strong, vital community of evangelization, centered on the Eucharist, that continuously draws its parishioners and attracts new members into a more intimate relationship with Jesus … or is it just struggling to survive? If the latter, why is that? And what might we do about it?

To address these questions, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati has launched Beacons of Light, a process of comprehensive pastoral planning for our third century of faith in this archdiocese. Under the leadership of Father Jan Schmidt, Director of Pastoral Vitality, and in collaboration with our priests and experienced consultants, we are studying every aspect of our archdiocese and parishes to determine how to best array our resources – human, physical and financial – to spread the Gospel far and wide.

This process will naturally bring with it much anxiety and trepidation as you wonder about the future of your beloved parish. This is a testament to the deep affection parishioners have for their parishes, for which I am very grateful. Beacons of Light will challenge each of us to place the best interests of the Church and our future generations at the forefront of our planning. It will require us to be open to solutions with which we may not immediately feel comfortable.

Our local Church is a part of the Lord’s plan for His people, and that plan cannot fail. God’s love is too powerful for that. It is up to us to rely on that love and respond to it, both as individuals and as members of the one Church. As we look to the future, we can be certain that the Gospel will continue to be preached, the sacraments will continue to be celebrated, and the Lord will always be with His people.

The Beacons of Light plan will be finished by the end of this year, but the actual implementation will take several years. You will have an opportunity to comment on the plan in October before it is finalized, and you will be invited to assist your pastor with the implementation at the parish level. I urge you to stay engaged with this initiative by signing up for the free Beacons Update newsletter at CatholicAOC.org/Beacons.

As we embark on this challenging but necessary endeavor, let us together ask for the intercession of our Blessed Mother that God continue to bless us with His presence and His love, as He has our first 200 years.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr

Archbishop of Cincinnati

We all know the old expression “charity begins at home.” So does faith. One of the greatest responsibilities Catholic parents have is to pass the faith on to their children, primarily by example. This is what is meant by calling the family the “domestic church,” as many popes and Church documents have done. A child ideally first encounters a loving community of faith in his or her own home.

At the same time, a child’s relationship to the broader Church begins at baptism. Through water and the Spirit (John 3:5), the baptized are incorporated into the Body of Christ. This does not simply mean membership in a 2,000-year-old organization, although that is certainly important. “Baptism is the sacrament of faith,” the sacrament that makes all the others possible. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, however, makes this important qualifier: “But faith needs the community of believers. It is only within the faith of the Church that each of the faithful can believe” (CCC 1253).

In the earliest years of a young person’s life, when the habits and attitudes of a lifetime are formed, that community of believers is primarily represented by parents, grandparents and godparents. This responsibility can seem like a monumental challenge. That is why, in this issue of The Catholic Telegraph, you will read about how to encourage and strengthen your children’s faith.  A few practices are essential:

You are encouraged to talk about your faith in a very personal way with your children. Share your experiences and invite their questions. Say grace together before meals. Pray together in the evening. Engage in charitable service as a family, teaching respect and care for every person made in the image and likeness of God. Offer up any family difficulties or sorrows to our Lord, showing how faithful suffering can be a source of grace. Most importantly, let your children see you living your faith through active and whole-hearted participation with them at Mass, even when on vacation, and through daily efforts to grow closer to God.

In my pastoral letter, Radiate Christ, I note the need for each of us to make space and time in our lives to seek the face of the Lord, be converted to Him, and allow Jesus to work through us so that we can radiate Christ to the rest to the world. That is a highly personal endeavor. It is not, however, private. Our never-ending journey of faith takes place in the context of the community of believers. That is perhaps most obvious in the Eucharist, where we come together in communion as God’s holy people.

Participation in the Mass on Sundays and Holy Days is an obligation for Catholics – the first of the seven precepts of the Church. It is not a burdensome obligation. It is an opportunity. What does it mean to say “The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life” (Lumen Gentium 11)? It means this is where we are nourished by God’s Word and the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ, as well as where we are given the strength to be His joyful witnesses in our daily lives.

When the dispensation from the Mass obligation was lifted because of the improving COVID-19 situation, I referred to a statement from all the bishops of Ohio, noting that the Mass is “a gift to the faithful for their spiritual well-being, eternal salvation and formation in our relationship to God and one another . . . The Eucharist is the great gift Christ left to the Church – the gift of Himself.”

We must not take this great gift for granted, but enthusiastically share the wonder of the Eucharist and our faith with our children from their earliest years.