Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Seeking holy leaders

In his recently-published book Light of the World, Pope Benedict XVI explains that leaders in the Church today must be men of prayer and men of conviction:  men of conviction who are able to explain the faith in all manner of situations, and who are not afraid to speak the truth even when to do so might mean that the words enunciated will not be accepted or believed, much less understood ... and men of prayer who alone can face the storm of criticism, since they are grounded in the sure and certain hope of God's love, made visible in his Son, and communicated to us in the discipline of quiet reflection before the Master.

Today, the Holy Father announced two new appointments of Bishops in Canada, both in the Maritimes.
  • His Excellency, Robert Anthony Daniels, who has most recently served as Auxiliary Bishop of London (Ontario) has been appointed as Bishop of Grand Falls, NF, succeeding Archbishop Martin Currie, who continues his service as Archbishop of Saint John's, but who is effectively retired from the responsibility for Grand Falls, effective today; and
  • His Excellency, Peter Joseph Hundt, until now Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto, has been appointed to succeed his confrere Martin Currie as Bishop of Corner Brook and Labrador, NF.
This brings the current total to five Shepherds currently serving in Atlantic Canada who can trace their roots to the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, and begs the question (at least in some minds) of when there will be an appointment of a Shepherd from the clergy of Atlantic Canada who may be sent to Upper Canada.  Would such an appointment not be just?

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