Early autumn weather greeted more than 50 parish heads from around the Archdiocese of New York who journeyed to the Jersey Shore for the annual Pastors’ Week Meeting.

The voluntary four-day gathering from September 30 through October 3 provided a rare opportunity for camaraderie and reflection for the archdiocese’s pastors, who were joined by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Auxiliary Bishops Edmund J. Whalen, vicar for clergy, John S. Bonnici, Peter Byrne, and Joseph Espaillat, and Monsignor Joseph P. LaMorte, vicar .

Faith and Liturgy

On the second day of the meeting Father Bill Cleary, S.T.D. lectured about the “C” cycle of the liturgy, specifically the Gospel of Luke, and offered suggestions on how to offers homilies about it. The liturgy is read in three, one-year cycles, designated by the letters A, B, and C. “Luke is a school. When we read the Gospel of Luke, we are entering the school of Luke,” Father Cleary said, quoting the late Monsignor William Smith.

Now pastor of the Church of St. Joseph in Bronxville, Father Cleary mentioned the opportunities that a topic such as the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 raise for homily subjects. “God experiences loss, but He risks everything and is open to us coming back, for the hope that we come home. How have I been shown mercy in my life? Have I shown mercy?”

OCIA replaces RCIA

Among the liturgical matters addressed during the Pastors’ Week meeting was the transition from the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) to the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), as promulgated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). It was addressed both by Father Matthew Ernest, S.T.D., professor and director of Liturgy at Saint Joseph’s Seminary, and again by Oscar Cruz, director of catechumenate, family catechesis, and formation of adult Catechesis leaders for the archdiocese in a separate presentation.

Specifically, Father Ernest sought to clarify who may confirm adult Catholics, the sacrament of confirmation. “Priests can confirm adults when you are baptizing an adult or anyone over the age of reason; when welcoming a previously baptized but non-Catholic into the Church; and emergency and danger of death situations,” Father Ernest said. He noted that the permission for priests in the archdiocese to confirm others during the Easter season has been rescinded. For non-Catholics entering the Church through OCIA, they should receive confirmation from bishops, as successors to the original Apostles and as part of the apostolic tradition.

Father Ernest also called attention to issues relating to the selection of music for Catholic weddings and funerals, and that the Liturgy Office had produced a series of videos on the subject in cooperation with Catholic Faith Network. Those videos are available on their YouTube channel.

On October 2, Cardinal Timothy Dolan joined the group, arriving to hear his friend, the featured speaker, Rev. A.R. Bernard, CEO and pastor of the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn. Rev. Bernard told a deeply personal story about the loss of his eldest son, and the nature of the grieving process. “It wasn’t until a year and a half later that I had an opportunity to grieve,” he said. “I remember driving back from the office that evening, 18 months later, and it all hit me, and I had to pull to the side of the road, and I just sat there and I wept.” The event caused numerous seismic changes in their family, and how he and his family members managed the grieving process through faith. “I couldn’t just hand them Scripture; I couldn’t just throw a verse at them. I had to be the Living Word. I had to be the Word of God, the representative of Jesus in a way they could touch, they could feel, they could hear, they could see. It made demands on me that I never experienced before,” he said. Rev. Bernard emphasized the importance of embodying and living the Word of God as the ultimate way of preaching the Gospel.

After Rev. Bernard’s talk, Cardinal Dolan served as the principal celebrant of a midday Mass at nearby St. Margaret’s Church. In the afternoon, he presented a number of points and updates about the archdiocese, and answered questions from priests, along with John Cahill, chancellor of the archdiocese.

Each day of the gathering included Mass at the nearby Church of St. Margaret in Spring Lake, time for prayer, and opportunities for socializing and discussion among the attendees.

“This week offers the opportunity for the priests to be together, learn from each other, and appreciate the blessing of being able to serve their people,” Bishop Whalen told The Good Newsroom. “A lot of the newer pastors, a lot of pastors from religious orders, and a lot of pastors who are not native New Yorkers came. It was a good chance for all of us to get to know each other better,” Bishop Whalen said.

The event concluded with a presentation by the Archdiocese of New York Drug Abuse Prevention Program (ADAPP) on youth mental health.