As I begin to write this article I am sitting in the waiting area at Washington Reagan National Airport, after the semi-annual meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, waiting for my return flight to Syracuse. For the past several years, the bishops have held their fall meeting in Baltimore which was created as the first diocese in the U.S. in 1789.  I have always enjoyed history and am delighted that our meeting is held in The Premier See.  John Carroll, Baltimore’s first bishop, was consecrated a bishop in 1790 and presided over the growth and expansion of the Church in our country until his death in 1815.

The majority of Catholics in our country remember Baltimore for a meeting which took place in 1884.  The meeting was the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore which gave us the Baltimore Catechism, the parish school and the Catholic University of America.

I could not help think about those early years when Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Papal Nuncio (the Pope’s ambassador to the U.S.), spoke to us about his own life as a bishop and about the Church in the U.S. in our time. Currently there are 194 dioceses in the U.S. and 554 bishops, including diocesan, auxiliary and retired bishops. Obviously these numbers reflect the significant growth of the Church during the past 200 years due in large measure to the extensive immigration of people from various countries. Today the Church in the U.S. is blessed also with an increasing number of Hispanic Catholics who give a new dimension to the life and worship of the Church.

Approximately 400 bishops attended this meeting. Although they are always welcome, many retired bishops because of advancing age or ill health do not attend.

The first day of the meeting began with Mass concelebrated by all of the bishops followed by regional meetings, in my case, with the Bishops of New York State. When the full assembly gathered after the regional meetings, a telegram was sent to the Holy Father expressing our union with him and our prayers for him. The president of the Bishops’ Conference, Francis Cardinal George, then delivered his address which was followed by Archbishop Sambi’s address. This year Archbishop Sambi is celebrating 25 years as a bishop. He spoke to us about the privilege he has had to represent the Holy Father in the U.S. and in several other countries prior to his current appointment.

The sessions continued with reports or preliminary presentations from various committees. Certain action items were discussed in preparation for the voting that would take place the following day. We also heard reports on the Church in various areas of the world.  Three of our bishops, who participated in the recently completed Synod on the Eastern Church, spoke of the difficulties faced by Christians in the Holy Land and the surrounding countries. I was particularly moved by the description of the suffering of Chaldean Catholics in Iraq. You may recall that it was their Cathedral that was targeted a few weeks ago in which over 40 Catholics, including two priests, were killed. About two-thirds of the Christian population has fled Iraq over the past 10 years. May those who died find eternal peace! May those who continue to live there come to know true and lasting peace!

Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who had been serving as Chairman of Catholic Relief Services, gave a report on the contributions made to assist the humanitarian needs and the rebuilding of church structures in the devastated country of Haiti. Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti. From news reports, we all know that their great fear at the present time is the spread of cholera.

The plans for World Youth Day that will be held next August in Madrid were also a topic of discussion.  A number of young people from our diocese are looking forward to attending this great event.

On Tuesday morning, elections were held for the President and Vice-President of the conference.  Archbishop Dolan of New York was elected President for a three-year term and Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville was elected Vice-President. Various committee chairmen were also elected and votes were taken on a number of issues regarding various operational matters and initiatives to be taken by various committees.

After the election and voting session, we heard a long report on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.  Following the review of the campaign and the introduction of some new procedures, we gave our full support to this campaign which for more than 40 years has helped people in need in our country.  The Catholic Campaign for Human Development will continue and thousands will benefit from the programs which receive grants from it.

The implementation of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal continues to be on schedule. Over the next year, various educational programs will be held throughout our diocese to discuss the changes that will occur and to invite your wholehearted cooperation as we come to appreciate not only the changes but the rationale behind them. I hope that as these opportunities occur, you will take advantage of them.

The last morning of the conference was reserved for prayer and reflection.  During this time there was a holy hour, a presentation by one of the Bishops and the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Penance.

During my time in Baltimore, I also had the opportunity on Tuesday evening to meet and have dinner with our seminarians studying at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore and at Theological College in Washington. I am very encouraged by their love for the Church and their joy clearly evident during our time together. I commend these men to your prayers so that they will be good students and, God willing, someday holy priests. I also ask you to pray that other young men may join them in preparing for the priesthood so that we will continue to be able to serve all of the people in this great diocese.

If you have a particular intention that you would like me to remember in prayer, please send it to me at P.O.Box 511, Syracuse, N.Y. 13201.