Before ascending into heaven, Jesus instructed His disciples saying, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt. 28:19). And, with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, they did just that. The disciples went out from Jerusalem and carried the message of the Gospel to all corners of the earth. The Church continues to follow Jesus’ command, and God calls each of us to share in that same mission.

The work of evangelization is not a responsibility belonging only to clergy or consecrated women and men. From the beginning, the Gospel has spread from person to person. Each of us has the opportunity to bring others to know Jesus and the Good News of our salvation through Him. In baptism we become partakers in God’s own divine life. Because of this, every aspect of our lives has the potential to be an avenue through which God’s grace can reach others. This means that we not only evangelize through our words; rather, all our actions and the decisions we make can also speak to the truths of the Gospel.

A life which radiates the Gospel is built upon prayer and virtue. We strive to follow the example of Jesus, staying united to the Father in the Holy Spirit and seeking to act as He did, fostering the qualities, attitudes and habits which He exemplified for His disciples. Jesus taught His disciples, and they took what they learned from Him and then went out and taught others. The disciples also brought their friends to Jesus so they could hear Him speak or, perhaps, be healed by Him. It was a work in which many took part.

The same is true today: evangelization happens through the prayers, work and sacrifices of many. I want to take advantage of this moment to reflect on the great gift the Center for the New Evangelization (CNE) is for our archdiocese. The many gifted individuals who form the CNE team assist parish leaders in fostering deeper communion and discernment of a renewed mission to bring the Gospel to all. They also seek to find ways to reach the lost, those who have drifted from Christ or perhaps have never known Him, and invite them to an encounter with the God who loves them. The CNE team provides spiritual resources and practical training in various areas of evangelization and discipleship: youth ministry, faith formation for adults of all ages, marriage and family life, and Hispanic ministry. In doing so, they assist people throughout our archdiocese and beyond its borders in learning to live a life which radiates the Gospel. Many of our parishes have benefited greatly from the retreats, workshops, conferences and one-on-one assistance the CNE team members provide. Through the guidance and resources of the CNE, parish ministries become more effective in forming disciples of Jesus Christ. This is made possible by your generous support of the annual Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA), for which I am deeply grateful.

None of us can reach heaven alone; we need each other. This is why Christ gives us the Church. Together we can bring more people to know, love and follow Jesus Christ, but that work begins with our own discipleship. We must first be with the Lord through prayer and virtuous living, and then go out and tell others what we have seen and heard (cf. Lk. 7:22).

February 28, 2023

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Peace be with you! As Catholics, we are committed to protecting the sanctity of human life no matter the circumstances or stage of development. We live this out by, among other things, accompanying the poor and needy, refugees and immigrants, prisoners on death row, young mothers, and children.

In Ohio, the dignity of life in its earliest stages is threatened by groups proposing an amendment to Ohio’s Constitution for the November 2023 ballot that would enshrine and expand abortion at the expense of protections for preborn children and women. The Church must not be silent and cannot remain on the sidelines when confronted with such a clear threat to human life. This proposal demands a response, and we strongly encourage Catholics and all people of good will in Ohio to work against including the proposed amendment for the November ballot and, if it appears on the ballot, vote against the amendment to prevent countless deaths of preborn, innocent children.

Our Holy Father Pope Francis reminds us that “Our defense of the innocent unborn … needs to be clear, firm and passionate, for at stake is the dignity of a human life, which is always sacred and demands love for each person, regardless of his or her stage of development” (Gaudete et Exsultate, no. 101). Our commitment to protecting and promoting life includes providing resources and accompanying women during and after pregnancy through our numerous social service agencies, schools, and parishes. This commitment also includes rejecting abortion expansion, which only perpetuates a throwaway culture that does not value human life.

The Catholic Conference of Ohio will be collaborating with statewide organizations, and diocesan respect life offices will be seeking volunteers to help coordinate a campaign at every parish. More information and materials will become available as we mobilize to oppose the proposed amendment on the November 2023 ballot.

We, the Catholic Bishops of Ohio, stand with you, our faithful, in our commitment in the name of the Lord of Life, to each human person from conception to natural death. Let us unite in fasting and offering this prayer:

God our loving Father, grant wisdom to those who govern us, compassion and courage to those who work to defend human life, and safety and care to every human being. For you alone who formed us in our mothers’ wombs, and who call us home to heaven, are God, for ever and ever. Amen.

With you in Christ Jesus,

Most Rev. Dennis M. Schnurr Archdiocese of Cincinnati

Most Rev. Edward C. Malesic Diocese of Cleveland

Most Rev. Michael G. Woost Diocese of Cleveland

Most Rev. Daniel E. Thomas Diocese of Toledo

Most Rev. Jeffrey M. Monforton Diocese of Steubenville

Most Rev. Earl K. Fernandes Diocese of Columbus

Most Rev. David J. Bonnar Diocese of Youngstown

Most Rev. J. Michael Botean Romanian Catholic Eparchy of St. George in Canton

Most Rev. Bohdan J. Danylo Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma

 

PDF of Letter available here: Ohio Bishops’ Letter on Ballot Amendment

On the eve of His passion and death, Jesus took ordinary bread and wine, blessed them, and gave them to His friends as His Body and Blood commanding, “Do this in memory of me.” The next day He offered Himself – Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity – to God the Father for our salvation. Jesus’ offering of Himself in the external form of bread and wine is the same offering He made to the Father on the Cross. The two actions are one single event: the center of salvation history.

The disciples took Jesus’ command to heart and carried out the same actions in His memory. From the earliest days of the Church, Christians have entered into the mystery of the Lord’s saving passion, death, resurrection and ascension each time the Eucharist is celebrated. The Church reminded us of the importance of sharing in the Eucharist at the Second Vatican Council, teaching that “all the faithful should be led to that full, conscious and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 14).

Such participation is not simply external. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said, “The active participation called for by the Council must be understood in more substantial terms, on the basis of a greater awareness of the mystery being celebrated and its relationship to daily life” (Sacramentum Caritatis, 52). He went on to state that the Council itself taught, “Offering the immaculate Victim, not only through the hands of the priest but also together with him, they should learn to make an offering of themselves” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 48).

We often pray at Mass, “May he make of us an eternal offering to you” (Eucharistic Prayer III), asking that the Holy Spirit transform our lives into a sacrifice to the Father. We give everything back to God: all we say, think and do; all for which we are grateful; all we suffer; in short, all that we are. We ask that our lives – through, with and in Christ – may be for the good of all the world.

When we spiritually place our lives on the altar and prayerfully unite ourselves to the offering of Jesus to His Father, our participation in Mass bears more fruit. The Word of God which He speaks to us through the readings has a greater effect on our lives, and the reception of our Lord in Holy Communion more deeply conforms our lives to His and to His Mystical Body, the Church. Our participation at Mass becomes a life-changing encounter with the Lord.

Pope Francis recently offered a beautiful reflection on the gift of such an encounter. “For us a vague memory of the Last Supper would do no good. We need to be present at that Supper, to be able to hear His voice, to eat His Body and to drink His Blood. We need Him. … The salvific power of the sacrifice of Jesus, His every word, His every gesture, glance and feeling reaches us through the celebration of the sacraments. I am Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman at the well, the man possessed by demons at Capernaum, the paralytic in the house of Peter, the sinful woman pardoned, the woman afflicted by hemorrhages, the daughter of Jairus, the blind man of Jericho, Zacchaeus, Lazarus, the thief and Peter both pardoned. The Lord Jesus who dies no more, who lives forever with the signs of His Passion continues to pardon us, to heal us, to save us with the power of the sacraments” (Desiderio Desideravi, 11).

May the Lord help each of us to enter more fully into this inexhaustible gift of the Eucharist every time we go to Mass!

January 24, 2023

Feast of St. Francis de Sales,

patron of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati

 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

The implementation of Beacons of Light marks a new chapter in the life of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. It is now just over six months since our 208 parishes were organized into 57 Families of Parishes, in several instances under new pastoral leadership. These changes, while necessary and infused with great hope, understandably have been a source of concern and anxiety for many of you, as well as for your priests. Please accept my heartfelt gratitude for your patience and fortitude during this time of transition. Your steadfast commitment to the work of the Church and your parish community is a great testament to the depth of your Catholic faith.

In any undertaking as complex as Beacons of Light, it can be easy to “lose the forest for the trees.” For that reason, it is important to pause from time to time and remind ourselves why we are doing this and what we hope to accomplish.

It all begins with the Great Commission given by Jesus to the apostles: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt. 28:19-20). The Catholic Church is Christ’s sacramental presence on earth, imbued with the Holy Spirit, given to us as a means for our salvation. All the resources of the Church – human, physical, financial – must be structured, as appropriate for the particular time and place, to proclaiming the Good News of salvation and making disciples.

This is the purpose of Beacons of Light, to enable the vital proclamation of the Gospel for the third century of our own archdiocese. The infrastructure and schedules that were essential to the work of the local Church in decades past may no longer best serve the mission today. Therefore, under the leadership of the pastor, each Family of Parishes will engage in intentional pastoral planning, rooted in sincere prayer and open collaboration, to discern the best configuration of its collective resources to pursue the evangelizing mission of the Church. This is not a project for the priest and parish leaders only, but for the entire parish community, and it will not come to fruition overnight. Patience and fortitude will be essential.

Our hope for this transformative undertaking is that our parishes truly become “beacons of light” – strong, joyful communities of evangelization and service centered on the Eucharist, together growing in faith and radiating the love of Christ to the world. We need to keep this vision in mind to avoid simply getting mired in the details. Every decision within a Family of Parishes should be made with the intent of moving the parish community closer to our desired outcome.

St. Francis de Sales, patron of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, once wrote, “Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” As we move forward, let us keep these comforting words top-of-mind, praying for, and confident of, the continued blessings of our loving God who has promised to never leave us.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr

Archbishop of Cincinnati

A PDF version of this letter is available: Letter to the Faithful 1-24-23

A PDF version of this letter in SPANISH is available here: Letter to the Faithful +DMS 1.24.23 SPANISH