Tomorrow evening, the Vigil of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, we will begin a Holy Year or Jubilee commemorating the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Saint Paul. As I noted in this column on May 30, this Pauline year should be marked by special catechesis and prayer focused upon the life and particularly the letters of Saint Paul in the Holy Scriptures.
To assist the Christian faithful in their observance of this Jubilee Year our Holy Father has called for the promotion of devotion, prayer, penance, and pilgrimage. In a decree published by the Apostolic Penitentiary, indulgences have been offered to the Christian faithful who dedicate themselves to this devotion in honor of Saint Paul. The ideal is pilgrimage to the burial place of Saint Paul at the Basilica on the OstianWay in Rome, Italy. However, each Bishop has been encouraged to designate local sites at which the requirements for the plenary indulgence may be fulfilled.
I have designated several local churches as sites for pilgrimage in fulfillment for the plenary indulgence during this Holy Year. In addition to the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist, all of the churches dedicated to Saint Paul (St. Paul in Euclid, St. Paul (Croation) on East 40th Street, St. Paul Shrine on Euclid Avenue, and St. Paul in Akron), as well as both of the parish churches dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul (Ss. Peter and Paul in Doylestown, Ss. Peter and Paul in Garfield Heights) have been designated as pilgrimage sights.
The Christian faithful who visit any of these churches, having been reconciled through sacramental Confession, restored by Eucharistic Communion, and reciting the “Our Father” and the Creed, adding prayers in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Paul and uniting themselves with the intentions of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, and remembering Saint Peter the Prince of Apostles, may receive the plenary indulgence for themselves and/or for the beloved dead no more than once per day throughout this Holy Year which concludes on June 29. Those prevented by illness from making such a pilgrimage, may obtain this indulgence if they spiritually join in any Jubilee celebration in honor of Saint Paul offering their prayers and sufferings to God for Christian unity. My hope is that a great many of the faithful will observe this Holy Year and practice this devotion of pilgrimage, prayer, and penance.
Providentially, this Pauline Year coincides with the intense period of prayerful discernment we are undergoing in our Diocese through the clustering process of Vibrant Parish Life II. St. Paul, the great Apostle and the missionary founder of the Church, reflected so often in his writings on the calls to unity and evangelization which are born of faith, Baptism, and the Holy Spirit.
In fact, last June I reflected upon the clustering process and St. Paul’s theology of the Body of Christ when I wrote:
“How true this wisdom of the Apostle Paul is for us in this clustering phase. All the clusters of the Diocese have gifts, treasures, and liabilities. Some are rich in population, some are abundant in history, some have wealth in architecture, and others have an abundance of ministries or personnel. All have the challenge to more effectively preach the Gospel to all people and to gather more people for Sunday Mass. We are One Body in Christ—we have need of each other. My plea to all the members of the Church of Cleveland is that we maintain our unity of purpose, unity in faith, our unity in mission, our unity in Christ Jesus. We are One Body in Christ, our Head.” (U.B., June 15, 2007)
During these summer months as the proposed plans for clustering are circulated among the parishioners of every parish for consultation, the great Apostle and Saint, Paul of Tarsus, should offer us insight, courage, and hope. It is challenging to build up the Body of Christ. Saint Paul knew this from his vast experience and his lively and deep faith. As we recall St. Paul’s birth and ministry and dedicate ourselves with devotion to his memory, we ought to hear his powerful call to re-build the Church in every corner of our Diocese so that we might more vividly, equitably, and faithfully proclaim the love and salvation of Jesus Christ. In this Holy Year dedicated to St. Paul and in this important season of renewal within the Church of the Diocese of Cleveland, may the intercession of Saints Peter and Paul, princes of the Apostles, assist us in fulfilling our great commission of proclaiming the faith to all nations!