Bishop Nelson Perez touched on a variety of topics during his Feb. 2 address to the First Friday Forum of Lorain County, including his recent trip to the Holy Land, the development of evangelism in the Catholic Church, the role of missionary disciples and more.
During a question and answer session following his remarks, he addressed several other issues, including discovering his vocation, the Super Bowl score, staffing parishes as the number of priests declines and the role of women in the Church today.
In his presentation, which was attended by 300 people at Lorain County Community College?s Spitzer Conference Center, he talked about visiting the Holy Land, where so many religions have a presence. He recalled being awakened at 5 a.m. daily by a Muslim call to prayer from a minaret.
When visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, he said ?in the midst of that chaotic environment, you get a sense that something cosmic happened there.? He also talked about the throngs of people who reach out to touch the stone at the burial site of Jesus.
Bishop Perez connected the history of the Holy Land, where Jesus walked, lived, suffered and died, with our faith today. The message of salvation travelled down to us through the disciples, he said.
?The life of a little Jewish boy from Nazareth intersected with our lives,? he said, illustrating the sense of connection we have with the Holy Land. ?Whoever you are, whatever you believe as Christians today, travelled to us from back in Jesus? day.?
After six months in the Diocese of Cleveland, the bishop said people still ask him what plans he has for the diocese. ?I don?t have to do much. The Church of Cleveland has been here for 170 years,? he said. ?It?s like opening a series of boxes. You open one and there?s another one inside it. I?m seeing Cleveland unfold. I continue to speak about the plan the Church has. This isn?t about me. Someday, I?ll just be a picture on the wall,? he said.
The bishop told the crowd that the Holy Father has given the Church something to think and pray about. ?He?s shaking some cages in Rome and shaping our hearts,? he said. Although the Church can move slowly
