Posted on 05/16/2012 6:55:46 AM PDT by MDJohnPaul
Moments after praying silently at the tombs of eight of his predecessors, Archbishop William E. Lori said their legacies and the legacies of all those who "went before us in faith" put Catholics in touch with sacred tradition - a tradition "deeper, richer, more beautiful and coherent than anything any of us could conjure."
"To be sure, the tradition is not like a box of dead things and neither is it a storehouse of ready-made answers," said Archbishop Lori, speaking in a May 15 homily during a vespers service for women and men religious inside a packed Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore.
One day before his installation as the 16th archbishop of Baltimore, the former leader of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Conn., compared sacred tradition to a "river of life which flows from God through Christ onto us in the Church." It can continually refresh and renew at every stage of life, he said.
In his homily, Archbishop Lori referenced several of the former archbishops buried in the basilica's undercroft. Special mention was made of Archbishop John Carroll, the nation's first Catholic bishop who is buried in the nation's first Catholic cathedral. Archbishop Lori noted that Archbishop Carroll, working with architect Benjamin Latrobe, envisioned the basilica "as a place of great beauty that would embody the Catholic tradition while reflecting the distinctiveness of the American experiment of limited government, designed to recognize and protect religious freedom."
It was in the basilica where Archbishop Lori said the contours of the church in the United States began to take shape, including the parish system, Catholic schools, the establishment of the Baltimore Catechism, the founding of The Catholic University of America and a "spirited defense" against anti-Catholicism.
(Excerpt) Read more at catholicreview.org ...
Very nice!
We will miss him here in the Diocese of Bridgeport. His last official duty before leaving for Baltimore was to conduct confirmation services at my parish this past Sunday. Nobody wanted the service to end, and Father B. managed to stretch it out to well over 2 hours. :) Finally, Archbishop Lori looked at his watch, smiled, and bid us all adieu. A wonderful leader, a man of great principle, a gifted speaker and possessed of an excellent sense of humor. Baltimore will certainly benefit.
I am watching on Ewtn and The catholic Channel too. Praise be to God!
Very Nice indeed.
“Tradition...The River of Life”. The best thought I’ve heard expressed in a good while. Brings to mind “Duty-Honor-Country”.
Thank You.
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