Bishops' Schedules: Schedule of Bishop Robert C. Morlino Wednesday, September 24 - Thursday, September 25, 2003 Presentation to Priests of the Diocese of Hartford on the Occasion of their Convocation, Hartford, Conn. Friday, September 26, 2003 12:00 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Eucharist, St. Raphael Cathedral, Madison, followed by the Praying of the Rosary Saturday, September 27, 2003 5:00 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at the Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, St. Andrew Parish, Verona Sunday, September 28, 2003 10:00 a.m. -- Preside and Preach at the Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, Holy Redeemer Parish at St. Raphael Cathedral, Madison Sunday, September 28 - Tuesday, September 30, 2003 Presentation to Priests of the Diocese of Fargo on the Occasion of their Convocation, Fargo, N.D. Wednesday, October 1, 2003 Attend Installation of New Bishop of Scranton, Penn., Diocese of Birth of Bishop Morlino Schedule of Bishop George O. Wirz Thursday, September 25, 2003 3:00 p.m. -- Preside at Midday Prayer for Vocations, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, Madison Wednesday, October 1, 2003 7:30 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, St. Mary Help of Christians Parish, Sullivan, with the link of St. Mary Parish, Palmyra, at St. Mary Help of Christians Parish, Sullivan Thursday, October 2, 2003 5:30 p.m. -- Preside at Dedication and Blessing, Divine Savior Healthcare, Portage

Pope John Paul II: Celebrate his jubilee with great joy

		Under the Gospel Book + Bishop Robert C. Morlino

Dear Friends,

In about a month, October 16^th to be precise, we will celebrate with great joy the 25^th anniversary of Our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II as the Bishop of Rome and the direct successor of St. Peter. In the first place we should recall that our faith teaches us that each Bishop of Rome directly succeeds St. Peter and receives from Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit those very same gifts for the good of the universal Church which the Lord Jesus Himself entrusted to Peter. Pope John Paul II is not the successor of Pope John Paul I. He is the successor of St. Peter and in a mystical way for our day and age, he is Peter.

"I would hope in these days before and after the Holy Father's 25th anniversary on October 16th all of us will be looking for ways to support him with our love and prayers."

He has tirelessly preached the Gospel

The greatness of this gift is equaled by the profound and awesome responsibilities and burdens which accompany it. For 25 years, the Holy Father has had no life of his own - he has tirelessly preached the Gospel to the whole world by his unselfish example of service, even as his body has become weak and frail. With his keenly alert mind he has inspired countless numbers of senior citizens helping them to see, as he does, the burdens of old age as gifts which do not limit one's power to witness to Jesus Christ.

As he has inspired the elderly, he has inspired and continues to inspire the youth of the whole world. Even in his present frailty they love to be with him to dialogue with him and to listen to his loving expression of the Gospel as has happened at one World Day of Youth after another. For married couples he has enriched their understanding of the sacredness of marriage through his profound reflections on the sacredness of the human body, and the sacredness of sex within marriage as the highest expression of the truth of love through the language of the body.

For us priests he has done so much: he has renewed our conviction that mercy is above all of God's works and has moved us to be effective ministers of God's mercy through the Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation. He has renewed our sense of wonder at the Eucharist both through the celebration of Mass, the source and the summit of our life, and through a renewed appreciation for eucharistic devotion and adoration outside of Mass which can be called the Mass in meditation. He has called us anew to appreciate Mary as our mother, the mother of priests, given to us in a special way during Jesus' dying moments upon the cross when He told His beloved disciple, "behold your mother." The Holy Father has shown us in so many different ways and at so many different times frequently in person, all over the world, the wonder of our humanity redeemed in Christ.

He calls us to say, 'Do not be afraid'

And he has called us to speak to a world, which seemingly becomes increasingly Godless, those wonderful words of Scripture which he so often repeats, do not be afraid. Do not be afraid of holiness. Do not be afraid that a relationship with God will somehow crush your human freedom. Our human freedom can find fulfillment only in doing God's will - anything else is slavery to sin. And it is so true - we see it everyday on television and in the newspapers - that when people turn away from God, in the near future they turn against their fellow human being.

Our Holy Father has been a tireless advocate of peace in a troubled, violent world challenging all to allow the grace of God to lift us out of sin so that we do not seek the solution to human problems in war and violence and death. I believe that our Holy Father is already John Paul the Great, and that in due time he will be formally proclaimed so by our Church.

Support him with love and prayers

I say all of this because I would hope in these days before and after the Holy Father's 25^th anniversary on October 16^th all of us will be looking for ways to support him with our love and prayers. I am encouraging all of our priests to invite the wonderful members of their parish family to offer Masses, rosaries, Holy Hours of Eucharistic Adoration, and other prayers and acts of penance as would seem fitting for our Holy Father's continued adequate health and energy, for his continued wisdom, courage, and joy in service. The joy of the Lord truly is his strength and it should be so for all of us.

How wonderful it would be to have, in due time, perhaps by the end of October, a letter from each pastor indicating the offering of prayers and affection for the Holy Father from each parish. This would mean the number of Masses, rosaries, Hours of Eucharistic Adoration, etc., - what we commonly call a Spiritual Bouquet. I know that this would mean the world to our Holy Father. I will be offering my own Spiritual Bouquet to him on this occasion and I hope that many, many of you will join with me so that he knows that the love and the loyalty of the faithful in the Diocese of Madison are his without question.

Praised be Jesus Christ. Thank you for reading this and God bless each one of you.