Bishop Thomas' Message from Rome
During the past week, I have been in the Eternal City of Rome, in the company of Bishops from California, Hawaii and Nevada. The purpose of our visit was to fulfill the canonically required Ad Limina (to the threshold of the Apostles) visit, where each Bishop spends time with the Holy Father and celebrates Mass at the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul. The Ad Limina visit is designed to renew each Bishop’s union with the See of Peter and to deepen our communion with the Universal Church.
It was a blessed week indeed!
I
was deeply moved by the time I spent with our Holy Father Pope Francis.
Our regional Bishops spent three hours with him in fruitful dialogue
and candid conversation.
Having served as a Diocesan
Bishop himself, Pope Francis demonstrated particular sensitivity and
understanding regarding both the blessings and the challenges each
Bishop faces in his respective diocese.
The
Pope encouraged the Bishops, above all else, to be men of prayer,
missionary disciples who know intimately the mind and heart of Jesus and
to do all in our power to lead our people on the path of the Good
Shephard.
The
Holy Father expressed his deep affection for the youth and young adults
of our dioceses and encouraged us to do all in our power to welcome
them into the heart of the Church through patient listening, open arms,
substantial teaching, and welcoming hearts.
 Pope
Francis has a particular affinity for immigrants and migrants across
the entire globe, aware of the burdens they face and the struggles they
endure as they search for a better life for themselves and their
children. “In their faces,” he said “we see the suffering face of Jesus
Christ.” The Holy Father’s enthusiasm for the New Evangelization was
evident both in his voice and in his gestures. He encouraged the
Bishops to ensure that the people of our dioceses embrace their role as
“missionary disciples,” commissioned to work with the ordained to spread
the Good News of Jesus Christ in every portion of our local Churches.
Our
Holy Father expressed great delight upon learning that the Catholic
Church across the Southwest, including here in our own Diocese of Las
Vegas, is a Church marked by vigor, vitality, vibrancy, and exponential
growth.
As I described to him the growth of the Diocese of Las Vegas, he gave me a big thumbs up and a huge smile as I spoke.
As
I knelt in prayer before the tomb of St. Peter and closed my week at
the tomb of St. Paul, I presented all of your prayers and petitions to
the Lord. I asked Him to bless each of you abundantly, to hear your
prayers, to free your hearts from fear and anxiety, and to deepen your
love for Christ and strengthen your bond with the Church, which is “one,
holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.”
+Bishop George Leo Thomas, Ph.D.
Read Bishop Thomas' letter in Spanish.
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