By Leela Ramdeen, chair, CCSJ (http://rcsocialjusticett.org) & Director, CREDI
“Just as the tabernacle lamp always remains lit in your majestic cathedrals or humble chapels, so your flock must always be able to see in your eyes the flame of the Risen Christ.” Pope Francis to Bishops, 2014
I share with you an extract from the message I sent to Msgr Clyde Harvey on June 23: “On behalf of members of CCSJ and on my own behalf, I congratulate you most sincerely on your appointment by the Holy Father as Bishop-elect for the Diocese of St George’s, Grenada.
“I thank God that your many gifts are being recognised in this way. Grenadians will benefit enormously from having you as their shepherd and Bishop, and the work of the AEC Bishops will be enhanced also as you share your gifts with your brother Bishops. God bless you, Monsignor, for working so faithfully in His vineyard. I know that you will serve with dedication, love and commitment. The four words you used to describe your approach as you start your new Ministry are inspiring and reflect the kind of leadership that is sorely lacking in our region and in our world today. Inter alia, you said that you will: Look, Listen, Learn, and Love – listening not only to what people will be saying to you, but to what God says to you. We could all benefit from your wisdom/discernment.
“We in our Archdiocese of Port of Spain will forever be grateful to you for your contribution to building a better T&T…We have some way to go to achieve our goals, but we will get there as we learn from icons like you. Be assured of our continued prayers as you embark on this important phase of your Ministry. May the Lord continue to journey with you as you take up your new Episcopal duties.”
What is the role of a bishop? It is worth reflecting on Pope Francis’ message to bishops appointed during the year prior to his meeting with them in September 2014. The Vatican website reports that the Holy Father said he saw bishops “as sentinels, able to awaken their Churches…men able to cultivate and ripen God’s fields and pastors able to restore unity, sow nets and overcome division. Engage in respectful dialogue with the great traditions in which you are immersed, without fear of getting lost and without feeling the need to defend your borders, because the Church’s identity is defined by the love of Christ which knows no boundaries. Do not waste energy in conflict and disagreement, but rather use it to build and to love.”
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He said the Church does not need “dull and pessimistic bishops who live independently having surrendered to the darkness of the world or the apparent defeat of good crying out in vain that the fort is under attack. Your vocation is not to watch over a failed mass of people, but to be guardians of the ‘Evangelii Gaudium’, as such, you cannot lack the only piece of wealth we really have to give and which the world cannot give to itself, and that is the joy and love of God.”
In September 2015, he reminded US bishops that they need to recognise that their greatest joy as shepherds comes from being “pastors with undivided hearts and selfless devotion…The heart of our identity is to be sought in constant prayer, in preaching and in shepherding the flock entrusted to our care.”
“Prayer”, he said, “nourishes the life of a pastor”. It helps him recognise his flock as “the ones whom you entrusted to me…Be pastors close to people, pastors who are neighbours and servants. Let this closeness be expressed in a special way towards your priests. Support them, so that they can continue to serve Christ with an undivided heart, for this alone can bring fulfilment to ministers of Christ…confront the challenges of our time…The innocent victim of abortion, children who die of hunger or from bombings, immigrants who drown in the search for a better tomorrow, the elderly or the sick who are considered a burden, the victims of terrorism, wars, violence and drug trafficking, the environment devastated by man’s predatory relationship with nature. It is wrong to look the other way or to remain silent” on these issues. But to be successful, “it is important that the church…also be a humble home, a family fire which attracts men and women through the attractive light and warmth of love.” (www.ncronline.org)
May the Lord guide our dear Msgr Harvey as he seeks to teach, govern and sanctify the faithful in the Diocese of St George’s, Grenada.
