By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami

Archbishop Thomas Wenski preached this homily while celebrating Mass at St. Mary Cathedral on the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the Archdiocese of Miami, Oct. 7, 2023.

Well, today, we celebrate 65 years since Pope Pius XII created this diocese on the feast of the Holy Rosary and sent us our first shepherd, Bishop Coleman Carroll. In a Church that is almost 2,000 years old, 65 years might not seem like a big deal. But here in South Florida, where everything seems to have been built the day before yesterday, 65 years is certainly worth celebrating!

As we listened to the words of the Scriptures today, we are all reminded of our duties and responsibilities, our calling, and our missions as God’s beloved people, as those whom He has chosen and called, to be His disciples, His followers, and trusted stewards. In the first reading, the Lord speaking through his prophet Isaiah, laments and shows some frustration at his people because of their many sins and wickedness. And certainly, the history of this local Church, like any history forged by fallen men and women, will have both its lights and it shadows. And, as Pope Benedict said once, “when the world reminds us of our sins, the proper response is not denial but repentance.”

And so, we beg God’s forgiveness for those shadows, our sins of commission and omission; but, at the same time, we cannot deny that, during these past 65 years, God’s grace has shone more brightly than any disgrace on our part. And, as a People of Faith, we look back on the past with humility but also with great gratitude.

How can we feel anything less than gratitude in remembering the great Church men and Church women who with great love for Jesus Christ and zeal for souls spent themselves in the service of this vineyard of the Lord which is the Archdiocese of Miami. We gratefully remember prelates of great vision and courage like Archbishop Coleman Carroll, Archbishop Edward McCarthy, and Bishop [Agustin] Roman, or exemplary priests like Mgrs. Bryan O. Walsh, Noel Fogarty, Jimmy Walsh, Emilio Vallina, Bill McKeever, and Gerard Darbouze?

How could we not remember with gratitude members of the faithful like Mary Lou Maytag McCahill, Joseph Fitzgerald, Edwin Tucker, Judge Clyde Atkins, Dr. Ben Sheppard, and Mrs. Athalie Range or religious sisters like Sister Lucia Ceccotti of the Marian Center, or Sister Jeanne O’Laughlin of Barry, or Sister Marie Schramko of Cardinal Gibbons? I could go on naming names – some of these names you recognize and others you might not. Each one of you could add to the list of those who, faithful to their baptism, contributed to the growth of this local Church. I do not mean to slight anyone, but I only mention a few of so many that could be highlighted to remind us how much we have to be grateful for. We express our gratitude with great humility for God always treats us better than we deserve.

So, we remember the past with gratitude. At the same time, we embrace the present with enthusiasm. Each and every one of us, in our various areas of responsibility and walks of life, has been entrusted with various gifts, talents, abilities, opportunities and all other things that help us to reach out to others all around us. How can we feel anything but enthusiasm as we dedicate new churches, like St. Agnes in Key Biscayne and St. Ann’s Mission in Naranja, and as we welcome more than 1,000 new students this year into our Catholic schools, along with initiatives like the Cristo Rey High School or the reopening of St. Malachy School in Tamarac and of the high school in Key West? We can take some holy pride in what the Archdiocese does today, what you, Christ’s faithful in the Archdiocese are doing – through our schools, yes, but also through our Catholic Charities, Catholic Health Services, and our outreach to newcomers through our Catholic Legal Services.

We are called to be missionary disciples. In a world of fragile peace and broken promises, we must witness to hope, the hope that does not disappoint and has a human face, Jesus Christ. We do this through our various parish ministries, through our apostolic and ecclesial movements.

South Florida is a very diverse community – and our Catholic Church reflects that diversity – in our clergy, our religious and our people. “Catholic” means “universal” – that describes us here. This is our present reality, and we embrace it! In embracing the present with enthusiasm, we commit ourselves to be a reconciled and reconciling community of faith, hope and love by living our lives so that we may indeed spread and proclaim the Good News of God, His truth and love through our everyday actions and example.

In our Gospel passage today, the Lord Jesus used the parable of the evil tenants in order to teach and reveal the truth to His disciples and followers, reminding them all of what each and every one of them had to do, and to be careful lest they ended up like those evil and wicked tenants who had disobeyed their master. When people stray from religious commitments, the vineyard – symbolizing the community of believers – falls into ruin. But when human and divine love align, the vineyard thrives.

We hope for salvation – through Jesus Christ’s passion, death, and Resurrection. Because of this, we can look to the future with confidence and great hope.

And today, 65 years after the founding of this diocese, now Archdiocese, we have reason for confidence. We see reasons for confidence because in our parishes and schools we continue to preach Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever; we look to the future with confidence because of the renewal of religious life in our Archdiocese – one example, among several, being the Servants of the Pierced Hearts, a community of both women and men religious, founded here in the Archdiocese of Miami; another being the cloistered Carmelite nuns who have recently moved into their new monastery in Homestead.

And another reason we can look forward to the future with confidence is because at St. John Vianney College Seminary in Westchester, at Redemptoris Mater Missionary Seminary in Hialeah and at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, we have almost 60 young men studying for the priesthood for this Archdiocese. (And you see them here today at Mass.)

La fe en la pasión, muerte y resurrección de Jesús nos da la fuerza interior para ejercer nuestro compromiso bautismal de vivir, de diferentes maneras, vidas de servicio y significado. Cristo, al resucitar de entre los muertos, salva todo lo que es verdaderamente humano, y por el don de su Espíritu hace posible que ya no vivamos para nosotros, sino para Él. Así, nosotros al conmemorar los 65 años de nuestra arquidiócesis, queremos recordar al pasado con gratitud, abrazar el presente con entusiasmo y mirar hacia el futuro con confianza.

Jodi a, n ap fete 65 rekòt kafe depi Achedyosèz Miyami te fonde. Nou di Bondye mèsi pou tou sa Achedyosèz la represante pou kominote ayisyen an. Epi, jan pwovèb la di, Di mèsi vle di: ban m ankò.

There is an old song entitled: “We have found the Christ who is all in all.” I won’t dare sing it, but the last two verses are:

We have found the local church, our home;
We are home and home indeed!
Nevermore in Babylon we roam;
In the church is all we need.

We have found that meeting with the saints
Is the greatest joy on earth;
’Tis by this our spirit never faints
And our lives are filled with worth.

Happy Birthday, Archdiocese of Miami!