Dear Disciples of Christ at Holy Spirit, St. Helen’s, and St. Mary’s,

Yep, this Sunday is another example of important liturgical celebrations that supersede the regular Ordinary Time Sunday liturgy. Last week it was All Souls. This week we celebrate the Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome which is the Cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church. Why you might ask? There is good reason and that reason may also be a good reminder about ourselves in the midst of this process of restructuring and revitalizing our churches across the Diocese of Gary.

Being the Cathedral of Rome it is the seat of unity among all Catholic Churches. Just like the Cathedral of any Diocese is the seat of unity among the parishes within that Diocese. We are essentially One Catholic Church with a variety of worship sites we generally call parishes. By celebrating the dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica, we acknowledge our unity with the Church in Rome and our unity among Catholics around the world. Surely, you recall what we all say at every Sunday and Solemnity Mass when we recite the Nicene Creed. “I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church…” This Creed states the belief in one God, the Father, one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and one holy catholic and apostolic church. There is clarity of union and unification that takes place within our faith.

Liturgies like the one this Sunday draw our attention to the realities of who we believe we are and help us to practice those realities. This Sunday we are practicing our awareness of being One and affirming our oneness pervades all that we are called to be and to do.

St. Paul ran into a situation where one of the communities he helped to establish began squabbling about who they belonged to. They formed divisions among the community based on those that helped them to know and practice their faith. So, Paul wrote a letter of correction to remind them that they are one faith community, not several divided. In First Corinthians chapter one beginning with verse 10 writes, “Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you…For I have been informed concerning you brethren by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you…that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I am of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.” From there Paul launches into a deep reflect that they are one because of Jesus Christ who died and rose for them and for all.

As we enter the final phase of the Pastoral Plan process with a recommendation to be given to Bishop McClory, we would be wise to remember that ultimately, we are one catholic family as the Diocese of Gary. Our first responsibility is to respect the gift of unity. God has worked hard, sent his Son who died on the cross for us, and given us His Spirit that we might be one in the Lord. Union with God is our calling. Unity is the path laid out for us. We are being reminded this weekend that we are a “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.” Yes, we all have a fondness for our individual parishes and rightly so, however, they do not actually define us. They assist us to become “One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.” Let there be no divisions among us, any of us. Let us strive the unity that best unites us with god.

Fr. Tom