Pastor's Points: Our Growing Diocesan Church

Pastor's Points: Our Growing Diocesan Church

March 10 ^th was a historic day in the life of our diocesan church as the dome was placed atop Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral. You can view a video of the raising of the dome at www.holynamecathedralnc.org. The Cathedral is expected to be completed in 2017.

The need to build a 2,000 seat cathedral to replace our current 320 seat cathedral is a sign of a growing diocesan church. I have said before that we are blessed to live in a part of the country where the Catholic population is expanding. Over the years, we have seen that here in our own parish as the church and middle school were built in the late 90’s, and then the most recent building project completed on 2010. New buildings on a parish or diocesan campus are a sign of growth. Of course. it is the “living stones” of the people of God who bring these buildings to life. I imagine what liturgical events such as the Chrism Mass and Ordinations will be like in our new cathedral as we gather around our Bishop. We will go to the Mother Church, the home to all Catholics in the Diocese of Raleigh, to pray, to give thanks and to celebrate the important moments in the life of this local church. How far we have come from our humble beginnings as a diocese in 1924 to this day when we are raising a new cathedral church!

At the same time, our growing diocesan church also responds to the needs of the poor, the hungry, the sick and the immigrant. We continue to find new ways to expand our outreach through Catholic Charities to make sure that those most in need of seeing the face of Christ have what they need.

We have 29 seminarians in formation for the priesthood. That is a pretty good number for a diocese our size. More and more men are responding to the call to serve the Lord here in this local church. I know that some young men from our parish are thinking about this call. We will have an opportunity coming up on Friday, April 22 ^nd through the “St. Andrew’s Dinner” to hear Bishop Burbidge and many of my brother priests talk about their own vocation to the priesthood. Personal invitations will be sent to many young men in our parish, but if you have a son who is in 11 ^th grade or older, invite him to come on the 22 ^nd. The event will begin at 5:00pm with a discussion, followed by Evening Prayer at 5:45pm and dinner at 6:00pm. The night will conclude with a Holy Hour at 7:00pm and a light reception. All parishioners are invited to come for the Holy Hour. This growing church needs priests to serve the many pastoral and spiritual needs of all the faithful. Parents have the responsibility to foster vocations in the home! Pray for more vocations to the priesthood and religious life! Those young men interested in coming to St. Andrew’s Dinner can email me personally at [email protected].

We have much to be thankful for in this local church of Raleigh! I hope you are as excited as I am to be a part of this vibrant gathering of the people of God in eastern North Carolina!