Archbishop Timothy Dolan told a gathering of clergy
and laypeople from across the country that the Catholic Church must be joyful
in revitalizing its mission.
 |
| Archbishop Timothy
Dolan of New York told delegates to the USCCB Convocation of Catholic Leaders that joy is the key to energizing the nation’s Catholics and attracting new members to the Church. |
“How we are tempted to concentrate on problems and worries
and gloomy news and scandals and darkness in the Church,” said Dolan, archbishop of New York. “Lord knows
we can’t ignore them, but neither can we be dominated by them. We cannot
become, in the folksy term of Pope Francis, a Church of sourpusses.”
Dolan was the presiding celebrant at the Mass that opened
the Convocation of Catholic Leaders in Orlando, Fla. The U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops organized the convocation that has drawn more than 3,000
clergy, religious, and lay leaders from every diocese in the country. It is the
first conference of its type for the U.S, Church since the World War I era.
The theme of the four-day session is taken from Pope Francis’
book Joy of the Gospel. The goal is to
discover, discuss, and share ways dioceses from across the country are
implementing the Vatican’s “new evangelization” initiative. The greater
emphasis on evangelization was a recommendation of the Second Vatican Council.
Dolan, in his homily, said joy is the key to successfully
spreading the word of God’s salvation.
“St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that joy flows from hope,” Dolan
said, “because if we trust that all is in God’s hands, it all works for the
good of those who believe, then no trial, no adversity, no setback – even though
God knows we got a bumper crop of all of them – nothing can crush us.”
Bishop John Noonan of Orlando, welcomed the gathering. Other
speakers include archbishops Wilton Gregory of Atlanta, Sean Patrick O’Malley
of Boston, and Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
The four-day convocation concludes July 4.
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