E hiki mai kou aupuni
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The Peace of the Lord! I am writing you on my flight home from Rome, where I have just completed the weeklong formation course which the Vatican offers every year for recently ordained bishops.
The course is informally called “Baby Bishops School,” and it has been truly wonderful. As one would imagine, the experience of meeting new bishops from all over the world imparts a profound experience of the catholicity, i.e. the universality, of the Church.
Whether simply listening together to the inspiring talks given by leaders of the Vatican’s “dicasteries” (departments, e.g. of education, evangelization and divine worship), or meeting in small groups to share our experiences of our dioceses, or visiting the tomb of St. Francis on a day pilgrimage to Assisi, or just going out for a pizza, we bonded at a level and with a joy that I suspect exceeded all our expectations.
I was especially grateful for the opportunity to spend quality time with the other recently named U.S. bishops and to form friendships with bishops from all over which I am sure will endure.
If I were to identify the common thread running through the presentations made to us by the prefects and secretaries representing the various Vatican dicasteries, I would say it was their stress on the importance of listening. In this way, they highlighted the synodal model of the Church promoted by Pope Francis and Pope Leo, which acknowledges that every member of the Body of Christ has a voice worthy of being heard.
Such an understanding of the Church does not mean that her structure of authority is changed, but rather that, when ecclesial authority is exercised with attentiveness to the voices of even the least among us, the Holy Spirit graces the Church with discernment and guides her to the best possible outcome for all.
As Cardinal Michael Czerny, the outgoing prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, expressed it, we should listen “not only to what people say, but also to what they see.” In other words, we should be open to seeing perspectives on the Church and the world different from our own, yet born of the faithful’s real experience, so that, whatever path of action is ultimately decided upon, the future is marked by mutual understanding and collaboration.
As I prepare for upcoming visits to the deaneries, parishes, schools and social ministries that gather and serve our faithful, I find myself inspired by this vision of the listening Church.
On the last morning of our course, after our celebration of Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, met us at the Paul VI Audience Hall of the Vatican to address us and offer his encouragement.
After his remarks, he engaged in a lively give-and-take with us and even met for a few precious moments with each of us individually. By his words and by his amiable manner, he showed us what it is to be a shepherd who listens to, accompanies and loves his flock. How blessed we are to have such a vicar of Christ on earth!
And now, as I depart Rome and fly across two continents and two oceans, the crowning joy is the thought of coming home to Hawaii. Often during these days of presentations and group sharings, I have reflected that the demands of discipleship — the worship of God’s majesty and, deriving from the incarnation of his Son, the respect for the dignity of every human being — are themselves naturally “at home” among our people.
We are not perfect, but by the grace of God, the values that Christ teaches in the Gospel abide in our hearts and are spread by the good works of our island diocese.
May our thoughts and intentions, strengthened by the prayers of His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, and of the universal Church, and ennobled by the powerful intercession of our patron saints, help us welcome ever more fully the reign of God into our midst.
Devotedly in Christ,
Bishop Michael
