Aug 7, 2020 | Bishop Lucia
“As of today, my family has grown substantially! To the lay faithful, religious, deacons, and priests, and all women and men of good will in Central New York, the Mohawk Valley, and the Southern Tier, it is my humble privilege to be called to serve you and to walk...
Jul 22, 2020 | Bishop Lucia
Editor’s note: Below is the prepared text of Bishop Lucia’s homily for the July 20, 21, 22, and 23 ordination liturgies of the Diocese of Syracuse’s newest permanent deacons. Formed… Dedicated… Appointed… These three words, brothers and sisters, set the context for...
Jul 9, 2020 | Bishop Lucia
Editor’s note: Bishop Douglas J. Lucia issued the following letter to the faithful July 1. July 1, 2020 Month of the Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ Dear Diocesan Family, Here we are in the month of July! It seems nice to walk outside not all...
Jun 24, 2020 | Bishop Lucia
Editor’s note: On June 19 and 20, Bishop Lucia ordained three diocesan seminarians — Brendan Foley, Dennis Walker, and John Leo Oduor — to the transitional diaconate. An adapted version of the homily he delivered on those occasions appears below. St. John Vianney once...
Jun 17, 2020 | Bishop Lucia
Bishop Douglas J. Lucia celebrated the Diocese of Syracuse Catholic Schools Baccalaureate Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception June 11. An excerpt of the homily he preached on that occasion appears below. Dear brothers and sisters, it is so good to...
Jun 10, 2020 | Bishop Lucia
What a joy for me and for our whole diocesan family this past weekend on Trinity Sunday as we were able to welcome more of our parishioners back to public worship in our churches! Both priests and laity shared with me the profound moment of the faithful being able to...
Jun 3, 2020 | Bishop Lucia, Local
A year ago, on the first Tuesday of June (June 4 to be exact), I was here in Syracuse for the announcement of my appointment as the 11th Bishop of Syracuse and my first news conference. I remember beginning to read my prepared statement to the press assembled when the...
May 27, 2020 | Bishop Lucia
“There is cause for great rejoicing here…” So states the First Letter of Peter in chapter one, verse six, which was read on the Second Sunday of Easter. Those words entered my thoughts as I reflected upon the Scripture readings for the Ascension of our Lord, which we...
May 20, 2020 | Bishop Lucia
Five years ago, Pope Francis wrote an encyclical letter, a teaching, titled “Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home.” This document is particularly noteworthy because it is seen as a prophetic document not just for Roman Catholics, but for the entire world...
May 13, 2020 | Bishop Lucia
On Wednesday, May 13, the Church Universal celebrates the Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima. This year’s observance at the apparition site in Fatima, Portugal, will be a virtual pilgrimage. Yet, what a wonderful opportunity to participate in an event one might not have...
May 6, 2020 | Bishop Lucia
These days I have been thinking about the meaning of the word “virtue.” In common parlance, according to the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary, it signifies: 1 a: conformity to a standard of right : morality b: a particular moral excellence 2 a beneficial quality or...
Apr 29, 2020 | Bishop Lucia
One of my favorite childhood memories is my First Communion day. I know it was in May because we also had May Crowning on that same Sunday (which I learned when I became bishop was May 30, 1971). I can remember rehearsal on the day before and receiving the...
Apr 21, 2020 | Bishop Lucia, Coronavirus, Local
Bishop Douglas J. Lucia issued the following letter to clergy and the diocesan community April 21: Dear Diocesan Family, Peace be with you! The Easter season we have entered into celebrates the Resurrection of our Lord and all that this epochal moment in...
Apr 15, 2020 | Bishop Lucia
Bishop Douglas J. Lucia celebrated a Good Friday liturgy at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception April 10. The prepared text of his homily from that liturgy appears below. “It was about noon… “It is the central time of the day, the point that determines the...
Apr 8, 2020 | Bishop Lucia, Coronavirus
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, “Do not be afraid” and “Peace be with you.” These are greetings that Jesus used with his disciples on the first Easter Day. Today, in a chorus echoing through time and space, we are invited to pick up the new song that Jesus Christ...
Apr 1, 2020 | Bishop Lucia
In light of everything that has been transpiring in our world, I find it hard to believe that next week is Holy Week. It is my favorite week of the year and yet, I am getting ready to celebrate it in a way no one ever stopped to imagine — without a live congregation...
Mar 25, 2020 | Bishop Lucia
This morning as I write this column I am in my home office, drinking a cup of coffee. Snow covers everything and I attribute that to Bishop Cunningham putting away his snow shovel over the weekend! Although I must confess I told him that I thought it was safe to do so...
Mar 19, 2020 | Bishop Lucia, Coronavirus
Bishop Douglas J. Lucia offered this letter to the faithful March 16. Find it and more resources from the diocese at syrdio.org. Dear Diocesan Family, Peace be with you! I write to you at this time of national and worldwide emergency to encourage you in your own...
Mar 4, 2020 | Bishop Lucia
When we greet another person, you and I often will ask, “How are you?” or “How are you feeling?” These days such questions have a heightened significance because of the coronavirus that is affecting much of the world community. I admit that I just flew back from a...
Mar 11, 2020 | Bishop Lucia
I admit that this Lenten season is turning out to be one like no other that I have experienced in my lifetime of 57 years. Having lived in Italy for two years while obtaining my licentiate degree in Canon Law, I find it surreal to think that all public gatherings,...
Feb 26, 2020 | Bishop Lucia
Dear Diocesan Family, The holy season of Lent is once again upon us. It is a special time in the Church year when we are invited to stir into flame the gift of God in our lives. It is appropriate that this holy season always coincides with spring — as we experience...
Feb 21, 2020 | Bishop Lucia
As we prepare ourselves for the beginning of Lent next week on Ash Wednesday, I thought I would share with you my homily from this past Sunday from my pastoral visit to Christ the King and Pope John XXIII Parishes in Liverpool. In it, I reflect upon a possible roadmap...
Feb 12, 2020 | Bishop Lucia
It is hard to believe, but on February 8 I observed my six-month anniversary as Bishop of Syracuse. I don’t know where time has gone since August 8 and it certainly has been a time of adjustment with plenty to do. One thing I keep reminding myself is that I can’t do...
Feb 5, 2020 | Bishop Lucia
This past Friday at St. Rose of Lima Parish, at the conclusion of Catholic Schools Week, I had the great privilege of baptizing Adeline and Tatum. [Editor’s note: See photos on page 2.] It was a special joy for me to share this moment with the parishioners and...
Jan 29, 2020 | Bishop Lucia
It is hard to believe, but in the next week I will celebrate the sixth month anniversary of my Ordination and Installation as the Bishop of the Diocese of Syracuse. In the ensuing months, I have made pastoral visits to parish communities a priority. I have had the...
Jan 15, 2020 | Bishop Lucia
I am sitting at my desk on a snowy Wednesday after the Epiphany and have decided I better get next week’s Catholic Sun column done since I am on retreat next week. The snow has got me back in the Christmas spirit since the Christmas season doesn’t end until the Feast...
Jan 8, 2020 | Bishop Lucia
The brightness of my holiday celebrations was overshadowed by the sad news of the attacks at a Hanukkah celebration near New York City and at a church service in Texas, along with the ongoing unease in U.S. and Iran relations. These situations are beyond our immediate...
Dec 18, 2019 | Bishop Lucia
Here we are — eight shopping days to Christmas — or as noted in the Church’s liturgical calendar, the beginning of the Late Advent Weekdays which are meant to prepare us more directly for the celebration of the Lord’s birth. I don’t know about you, but I just don’t...
Dec 11, 2019 | Bishop Lucia
As I look out my office window, the snow is coming down quite steadily on this first Monday of December. This morning as I was returning from a workout, I came upon a car stuck and spinning its wheels on Montgomery Street. It was hard to get traction but another...
Dec 4, 2019 | Bishop Lucia
I have just returned from baking pies with the students at Blessed Sacrament School here in Syracuse. [See page 7 of this issue for more on this annual service event.] I was so impressed by the diligence and care with which the students not only made pies, but also...
