On the road

     Ever since his Ordination a little over a month ago, Bishop Ed Malesic has been "on the road", travelling the Diocese of Greensburg and using every opportunity to "meet and greet" the good faithful.  He is doing and outstanding job and is winning the praise and gratitude of people throughout the area.  Tonight he will be at my home parish of Saint Joseph in Uniontown, as part of a series of area wide Masses (eleven in all) where he meets for dinner with the local priests, celebrates a votive Mass of the Holy Spirit in one of the churches, and then attends a reception where he makes sure to greet everyone who wants to meet him.

    This Tuesday he was in our area at the neighboring parish of Saint Agnes where about ten priests shared the hospitality of Monsignor Paul Fitzmaurice before concelebrating a wonderful liturgy in a packed Saint Agnes Church (one of our larger ones).  The liturgy saw a combined choir from the three local parishes and shared ministries of lectors and servers.  The bishop's homily was very well received in his easy style, filled with humor and rooted in the message of Jesus as the center of our lives.
The Christian Mothers of Saint Agnes prepared the goodies for the reception, and from the end of Mass until eleven o'clock he greeted people, spoke to everyone and took a multitude of pictures.  It was a great evening.  I've enclosed some pictures from this visit and his previous ones to the parishes, compliments of the Diocesan facebook page.

 Mass at Saint Agnes on August 18th

 

Mass at Saint Agnes on August 18th

 

    The bishop began his visits at Saint Thomas More University Parish in Indiana, Pa on July 21st.

 

 

Saint Margaret Mary Church in Lower Burrell on July 23rd.

 

 

Saint Pius X in Mount Pleasant on August 4th.

 

Saint Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe in Kittanning

on August 11th.

 

 

and Saint Francis Parish at the Footedale site

on August 13th.

 

 Father Bill Berkey, Pastor

 

 

 

     In addition, he has been "everywhere" - Slovak Mass at Kennywood park, Mass for the Deacons and their wives on

their annual retreat, celebrant and homilist for the Annual Priests' Day celebration at Saint Vincent, Mass and visit at Saint Anne Home for the Elderly in Greensburg, dinner at the Catholic Charities Golf Outing this past Monday, and so many other opportunities.  On Wednesday he presided at the funeral of one of our priests, Monsignor Bill Charnoki before installing Father John Harrold as pastor in Ford City that evening.  He continues these area Masses and now begins the installation of other new pastors.   He is making his presence known and is bringing the warmth of the massage of Christ's love to the people of God.

 



Our "Cure of Ars"

     This past Tuesday, August 4th, the Church remembers and honors the Cure of Ars, the parish priest of the French town of Ars in the early 1800's - Saint Jean Baptiste Marie Vianney.  This holy man is recognized as the patron of parish priests, and is one of my favorite saints from my youth.  I guess what drew me to him was the fact that he was not a great student, and had special difficulty with Latin (not one of my favorite disciplines in school), and also the fact that he was a simple parish priest, which I was hoping to become as well.  But he was a man of deep personal faith and possessed a great and deep love of the people entrusted to his care.  In my high school days when I became a Third Order Franciscan with the local Friary in Uniontown, I chose the name Jean Marie.

 



     On this past Tuesday, I journeyed to Saint Pius X Church in Mount Pleasant for a regional mass and gathering of God's people with our new bishop, Edward Malesic.  Bishop Malesic has scheduled a number of masses and gatherings throughout the diocese (this was the third of these) and is using his first few weeks visiting parishes and communities in order the meet the people and pray with them.  I have to say that he brings with him the spirit of a pastor and a personal appeal that is refreshing.  About fourteen priests gathered for a relaxing dinner, followed by the mass, filled with prayer and song, warmth and laughter, and a great homily that affirmed our existence as Church. 

 

The bishop then meets every person who visits with him at the reception.  He has to be exhausted by the end of the day, but those who meet him come away with memories and a spirit of joy.  

Pictures courtesy of the Diocese of Greensburg Facebook page

 

It took Jean Marie Vianney a long time to win the trust and the acceptance of the people of Ars, but when he did, God worked great things there.  In our day things move more quickly, and the Bishop took very little time in winning the acceptance and trust of the people of the Greensburg Diocese as their Cure, or pastor.  What great things await us.  I look forward to his visit in our area on the 18th of August.

Another neat thing about the ordination

     Bishop Malesic continues to impress me with the personal choices that he made for his Ordination Liturgy.  He chose as Readers Sister Catherine Meinert, S.C., Provincial Superior/President of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill (the largest community of Women Religious in the Diocese whose members have and continue to serve and befriend the Diocese) and a lovely, humble person, and Justin Chovanec, a fourteen year old young man from the Diocese who did an outstanding job and was thrilled at the opportunity to be a part of the festivities. 

 

His story is interesting.  His mom, Toni, is Youth Minister in Mount Pleasant, and on the day of Bishop Malesic's announcement, ran into him at the Pastoral Center.  They spoke, she told him about herself and her family (she and her husband, Mike, have three boys), and she wished him well.  He made a point of calling her as preparations were getting underway to ask her permission to ask her son, Justin, to be a Reader.  She said yes, and he called Justin personally and spoke to him for awhile and made his request.  Justin, obviously, said yes.  I spoke to him before the Liturgy and told him not to be nervous.  He looked and acted anything but nervous.  The honor quite literally, made his day. It touched my heart, too, for I married his mom and dad and baptized Justin and his older brother.

     The selection of Gift Bearers also had a nice local touch: the new Bishop's Secretary, Lauretta Gordon (who is usually behind the scenes) and Sheila Murray, the Chief Financial Officer of the Diocese (who usually does not have a liturgical role in things).  He also chose two students from our Catholic High Schools - Kaylee Ermine, a recent graduate from Geibel and Romano Sebastiani, a representative from Central.

     Again, the choices in themselves are great, but the personal touch that he brings goes a long way and affirms the people of God in this local Church.

********************

     Last evening I went out to dinner in Greensburg and as I was arriving, Bishop Malesic and Msgr. Larry Kulick were leaving the restaurant.  They came over and we spoke for awhile in the parking lot by my car.  They were on their way home from a Mass for Slovak Day at Kennywood, a local amusement park near Pittsburgh.  As we were talking, a car stopped for the stop sign and the passenger lowered the window and yelled out "Hello!  Welcome to the Diocese!"  People are already responding.

Local Connections

     There were a number of "pointed hats" (bishops/abbots) with local ties in attendance at Bishop Malesic's Ordination on Monday.

     First of all, Archbishop Chaput began his homily at the Ordination with reference and gratitude for his ties with the Greensburg Diocese.  He was ordained as a priest in Kansas by the late Cyril J. Vogel, the Bishop of Salina, Kansas some forty-five years ago.  Bishop Vogel was a priest of our diocese who was consecrated (in those days it was a consecration) in Blessed Sacrament Cathedral before going to Kansas.  I was a young high school seminarian when I attended his consecration.  (Somewhere in my things I have a few black and white photos from outside the Cathedral).  The Archbishop, who is a Capuchin Franciscan, also remembered that long before his time, the Abbot of Saint Vincent encouraged the Franciscans to make the move to Kansas in order to minister to the faithful in that part of the country.

     Standing outside of the Cathedral this past Monday were two local boys who made good: Archabbot Douglas Nowicki, the Abbot of Saint Vincent Archabbey for the past twenty-five years and a native of South Greensburg with roots in Everson (on the right)... and Bishop Lawrence Persico, a priest of our diocese and native of Monessen before being named the Bishop of Erie (on the left).

 

     Also in attendance and recognized in his remarks by Bishop Malesic, was Bishop Gregory Mansour.  Bishop Mansour, before being named Bishop of the Eparchy of Saint Maron in Brooklyn, New York in 2004, served for many years as pastor of the Maronite Rite Catholic parish of Saint George in Uniontown, and often as a young priest attended our gatherings and is well known to our priests.  It was good to see him again.

 

 

     There were two others who have ties to the area that, I understand, wanted to be present but could not.  One is Cardinal Adam Maida, retired Archbishop of Detroit, who was a priest of Pittsburgh and was born in Vandergrift in our Diocese.  His plans changed and he could not attend.  And the other is Archbishop Joseph DeAndrea (seen below with our Holy Father), whose health prevented him from travelling from Rome.  The Archbishop, originally from Italy, was a priest of our Diocese for many years before entering the Vatican Diplomatic Corps.  He is now retired and is a Canon at Saint Peter's Basilica with residence in Vatican City.  He had wanted to be present to join in the festivities.

 

 

 

     We are grateful to all of the bishops for joining us on this wonderful occasion.









Joy and Sadness - the ordination

    

     The excitement on this past Monday afternoon at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg was palpable.   Laity from parishes within the Diocese of Greensburg and friends from the Diocese of Harrisburg joined with other guests, priests from both diocese and beyond as well as Archabbot Douglas Nowicki from Saint Vincent, Archbishop Vigano, the papal Nuncio and bishops from the Pennsylvania diocese gathered to welcome, ordain and install Bishop Edward Charles Malesic as the fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Greensburg.  The initial procession began at 2:00 pm with the entrance procession beginning at 2:30 pm and ending about three hours later.  The Rites of the Church, celebrated within the Eucharist, were a beautiful expression of Faith lived in fullness.

     Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M.Cap of Philadelphia was the main ordaining bishop, and he was joined by Bishop Emeritus Lawrence E. Brandt of Greensburg and Bishop Ronald W. Gainer of Harrisburg.  As mentioned, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States represented our Holy Father and read for us the letter from the Holy Father calling the Bishop-elect to the episcopal ministry and naming him the fifth Bishop of Greensburg.  Nearly twenty bishops, over two hundred priests, and laity and Religious filled our small Cathedral - upstairs and down.   The setting was grand, the service uplifting (though long), the music tremendous (in his comments the bishop said that he had heard that the choir was good ... and then said to them "And you are GOOD!") and the prayerful joy was contagious.

     Archbishop Chaput gave the homily.  He has an easy style, much like a good teacher.  He used the Church's homily on such and occasion, with his own comments interspersed.  He said that the bishop is "raised" by an act of the Church and of the Holy Spirit to the office of bishop.  This raising is not to set him higher than the rest of us but to be a sign of Christ before us.  He said that Edward Charles Malesic is presented as an example of the love of Jesus ... a crystal clear icon (image) of Christ to his Church.  As an aside, he pointed out that being "raised up" allows you to be open to be "shot down" - making you a target, and encouraged all present, especially the priests who at times can be super critical, to be patient and understanding, supportive and forgiving of our new bishop, who, like us, is not perfect.

     He pointed out that Jesus was sent by the Father to redeem the human race, and that Jesus sent the twelve into the world filled with the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel, to sanctify and govern the Church.  The Apostles chose helpers by the laying on of hands and sent them to help us find salvation and ourselves go forth and proclaim the Good News to the world.  He said that "Jesus chooses Edward to be his sacramental presence in the Church.

     He also mentioned that the title of bishop is one of servant ... with a good understanding coming from the Franciscan tradition that calls their leader a "guardian", caring for and protecting those under their care.  That is what a bishop should be.  He told Bishop Malesic to "love all who God places in your care".

     And in closing he said to him:  "You are a good man.  The Lord calls you to be a holy bishop.  in your weakness you have God's promise of the Holy Spirit.  He will make you strong and will make you clearly the presence of Jesus Christ in our midst.  May God bring to completion the good work he has begun today."

    Following the homily comes a series of questions of the Bishop-elect in regard to his duties, and the promises that he makes.   Then, as the bishop-elect lies prostrate on the floor, the Church prays the Litany of Supplication, invoking the saints of God for the man. 

 

Immediately follows "the" moment of ordination, when first Archbishop Chaput and then the other bishops present "lay their hands" on the head of the bishop and pray the Prayer of Ordination. 

 

The bishop's head is then anointed with the Sacred Chrism, used also in Baptism and Confirmation.

     The new bishop is presented with the Book of the Gospels as well as his signs of office: the ring, the miter (the hat) and the crosier (staff).  He is then led to the Cathedra (the chair) and is seated, to the applause of all, thus accepting his installation as our bishop. 

 

The other bishops present then share a sign of peace, before the liturgy proceeds.

     After Communion, to a hymn of praise , the new Bishop goes through the Church giving his first blessing as a bishop.  Bishop Malesic also went to the choir loft

Photos by Mary Seaman of the Diocesan Communication Office

 

where many from his parish in York Haven were seated (best seats in the house) and to the lower level where there were many following the celebration.  He gave brief remarks, filled thanksgiving, with teaching, and with humor.  These remarks led to the final blessing and dismissal.

     It was a glorious day, one that will be remembered in this Diocese, and one that gives us hope and confident assurance for the days ahead.  Our Shepherd is one of us, a pastor and fellow journeyer, and will walk with us on the road to salvation.  Together ... Let us Serve the Lord with Gladness.

    

Joy and sadness - part 1

  

   As I was leaving the Public Reception Monday evening following the Episcopal ordination of Bishop Edward Malesic, I spoke to a woman seated on a bench just outside of the Center where the reception was being held.  She looked a little tired and a little sad.  When I mentioned what a glorious day that it had been, she agreed but added how sad she was ... then telling me that she was from the Harrisburg Diocese.  Our gain is their loss.  I heard this repeatedly at the Evening Prayer and reception on Sunday evening and at the Ordination on Monday.  People from Holy Infant parish where the bishop has served for eleven years and those who know him from his days in the Harrisburg Diocese, shared their reluctance to "let him go".  I made it a point to thank them "for preparing him well" for his new role as our bishop, and to assure them that we are deeply grateful.

     A tremendous amount of hard work went into making these last few days memorable in the life of this local church.  The Diocese of Greensburg has been in existence since 1951, and this is only the fifth time that we have welcomed a new shepherd.  It is understandable then that our excitement and celebrations be expressive of our gratitude for the past, our joy in the moment, and our hope for the future.  I, for one, am deeply grateful to so many who served the task of making these transitional days a wonderful experience of Church at its finest.  And personally, I am humbled by the care shown to those of us who have some difficulty in getting around (I've been using a walker of late), and we were treated, as always, with wonderful care.

     The festivities began on Sunday evening with Evening Prayer and a public reception at Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensburg.  Retiring Bishop Lawrence Brandt was celebrant and Bishop-elect Malesic preached, before making his Profession of Faith and taking his Oath of Fidelity before a packed house.  Bishop Ronald Gainer of Harrisburg and Archabbot Douglas Nowicki of Saint Vincent were also present for prayer and fellowship.



     Bishop Malesic has an easy style and a great sense of humor, and his homily brought attentive listening as well as frequent laughter.  He spoke of how nervous he was after receiving the call from Archbishop Carlo Vigano regarding the Holy Father's choice of him as Bishop of Greensburg.  "Could I really do this?" he asked himself.  "Could I be a good bishop?"  He spoke of the confident reassurance that the many prayers and thoughts offered to him brought into his life, and his experience of the power of prayer that was so tangable.  He spoke clearly of our need to place our trust in Jesus.  He reminded us that Jesus wants our faith "stretched and strengthened", because faith leads to salvation.  When we can say "Jesus, I trust in you" we find the heart of our faith.  He said that the goal of faith is the salvation of souls, and that this is essential "stuff". [When I met with him at the reception I mentioned that I can't remember hearing an episcopal sermon referring to faith and salvation as "stuff" - how refreshing and down to earth.] 

 

When asked about his "vision" for the diocese, he message is right on point:  that the Lord invites us to "deepen our faith and share it ... live out our lives as faithful witnesses."  He asked for patience and forgiveness, understanding and prayer.  God will provide what we need despite ourselves.

     An excellent public reception was held in the parish hall, where the bishop greeted all present, including toward the end of the evening, yours truly.  He never showed a bit of tiredness or stress.  As I heard from many sources ... "We have a winner".

 

photos taken by Elisa Esasky of the Diocesan Communications Office

 

More on the Ordination in the next post.



Coat of Arms of Bishop Edward C. Malesic, J.C.L.

     In accordance with the heraldic tradition of the Roman Catholic Church, the coat of arms of a bishop is normally composed of the following elements:

1. a SHIELD with its charges (symbols) coming from family, geographic, religious and historical meanings and/or referred to the name of the bishop;
2. a GOLDEN PROCESSIONAL CROSS, with one traversal (cross) bar, to represent the rank of the bishop, "impaled" (placed) vertically behind the shield;
3. a GREEN HAT called a galero with 12 attached tassels (six on either side), ordered 1,2, and 3 from the top;
4. a SCROLL (banderole) with the motto, written in black, below the shield.

     The coat of arms of Bishop Malesic employs a GOTHIC shaped shield, frequently used in Roman Catholic heraldry, and a BOTONNY processional cross with FIVE RED STONES to represent the five wounds of Christ.

     For his episcopal MOTTO, Bishop Malesic has chosen a verse from Psalm 100, verse 2, a psalm of thanksgiving that invites all nations to praise God.

MOTTO

 

"Serve the Lord with Gladness"

 

INTERPRETATION

 

     From the point of view of the observer, the left side of the shield represents the COAT OF ARMS OF THE DIOCESE OF GREENSBURG.

 

     The GREEN SURFACE of the arms is charged with a "fess" or band across the center, the upper side crenellated gold (yellow), commemorating the Revolutionary War general, Nathaniel Greene (1742-1786) for whom the city was named.  The crenellated "fess" recalls the German word for "burg", meaning a fortified place, or walled city, and thus represents the See of Greensburg.

 

     The crenellated "fess" is charged with a BLUE, FIVE POINTED STAR from the arms of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and commemorates Bishop Hugh L. Lamb, who was an auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia prior to being appointed the first Bishop of Greensburg.  On either side of the star are two DOUBLE TRAVERSED CROSSES, tinctured (colored) red, derived from the arms of the Benedictines, whose members have labored for more than a century and half in what is now the Diocese of Greensburg.

 

     In the "chief" or upper portion of the shield are two YELLOW (gold) CROSSES.  The two sides of each limb are concave and the extremity convex, commemorating that portion of the Diocese of Pittsburgh that in 1951 became the Diocese of Greensburg.

 

     The base of the shield is charged with a GOLD (yellow) CHRISTOGRAM (Chi Rho) symbolizing the Holy Eucharist, the dedicatory title of the cathedral of the Diocese of Greensburg.  The first two letters of the Greek words for Christ (XP) are combined to form the Christogram.  It may be read as the Latin word for "Pax" (peace), a further allusion to the Benedictines' years of labor in the Diocese of Greensburg.

 

 

     Looking at the shield from the point of view of an observer, the RIGHT SIDE is occupied by the PERSONAL ARMS OF BISHOP MALESIC.

 

     This part of the shield is embossed in BLUE (azure), the color of the sky, which symbolizes the direction of the soul's ascent toward God and away from worldly values, therefore, the color represents the path set by the spiritual virtues, raising a person from the things of the earth toward the incorruptibility of heaven.

 

     The CHEVRON is a heraldic device best described as an inverted "V" and is one of the most ancient figures in heraldry.  Frequently, in Roman Catholic Church heraldry, it signifies the rafter which supports the roof of the church as a source of protection for the community of faith gathered under it.  The THREE SHAMROCKS represent the Cathedral in Harrisburg, dedicated to St. Patrick, where Bishop Malesic was ordained to the priesthood by the imposition of the hands of Cardinal William H. Keeler, at that time Bishop of Harrisburg.  The CHEVRON is in SILVER (argent), the color of transparency, also of truth and justice, fundamental requirements of the Bishop's pastoral service.

 

     The CROWN above the chevron is the symbol of Bishop Malesic's given name, after St. Edward "The Confessor" (d.1066), King of England who gave witness to his Catholic faith through his life.  The crown also recalls Mary, Queen of the Apostles, upon whose intercession Bishop Malesic relies.

 

     The LINDEN TREE below the chevron expresses the Slovenian heritage of Bishop Malesic's father.  The linden tree is considered the national tree of Slovenia and is also a symbol of joy and safety.  The community often gathered under the shade of the linden tree for fellowship and community discussions.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

The arms of the Diocese of Greensburg were devised at the time of its establishment in 1951

by William F. J. Ryan (1903-1981) of New York, N.Y., and West Chatham, Mass.

 

The personal arms of Bishop Malesic were devised by Renato Poletti of Rome, Italy,

in consultation with Bishop Malesic after his episcopal appointment on April 24, 2015. 

The impalement of the arms of the Diocese of Greensburg

with the personal arms of Bishop Malesic was undertaken by Mr. Poletti.