El Mensajero (English)

"We are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem."

Since the announcement that Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, was to be made a cardinal of the church, many of you have expressed interest and asked questions about Archbishop Dolan, his new status and its implication for all of us.

As we enter the holy season of Lent on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22, I am especially mindful of Christ’s mandate that we assist the poor. As you know, almsgiving, along with fasting and prayer, is required of us as part of our Lenten discipline -- and never in recent times has the need to reach out as Christians to help our sisters and brothers in need been as pressing.

One of the greatest delights of the Christmas season was the Dec. 29 reunion at Becket Hall of the men studying for priesthood in the Diocese of Rochester. It gathered the current residents of Becket Hall and students home on vacation from the Theological College at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.; St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, Md.; and Blessed Pope John XXIII Seminary in Boston.

"When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem saying, 'Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage. '... They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

The decision of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, to declare a Year of Faith beginning on Oct. 11, 2012, is one I hope will bear much fruit in all of our lives.

In this column last month, I wrote to you about the process by which the ninth Bishop of Rochester will be chosen by Pope Benedict XVI, a process that will begin with the submission of my letter of resignation to the Holy See on my 75th birthday in July 2012, as provided for in the church’s canon law.

"A diocesan bishop who has completed his 75th year of age is requested to present his resignation from office to the Supreme Pontiff, who will make provisions after he has examined all the circumstances."