About 75 people turned out to hear Bishop Edward Malesic at the first in-person Theology on the Rocks West program in more than a year. The group gathered on Sept. 13 at the Doubletree Inn by Hilton in Westlake.
The program had additional significance because it marked not only the third anniversary of the group, but the first anniversary of Bishop Malesic’s installation as the 12th bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. A recording of the program is available here.
He opened with a humorous story, telling the group that levity is important as we continue to struggle with the pandemic.
The bishop said he finds the people of Cleveland to be friendly and “Ohio nice,” noting he received a warm welcome. Bishop Malesic said he continues to familiarize himself with the area and its landmarks. He mentioned the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cleveland Metroparks as among the favorite sites he’s visited.
He shared details about his youth near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, noting the people both here and there are “warm, caring and deeply faithful.” In the wake of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Bishop Malesic said that was a tough time that brought people together. The pandemic has not had the same affect he said, pointing out the divisiveness throughout the country.
The bishop thanked Father Don Oleksiak, vicar general and moderator of the curia, who served as diocesan administrator until his installation. He also noted that Archbishop Nelson Perez, his predecessor who was named archbishop of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in early 2020, stopped by for a visit recently and mentioned how much he missed Cleveland.
“I told him he can’t have it back,” the bishop quipped, drawing a laugh from the audience.
He touched on numerous topics, including the pandemic, Catholic schools, the Heart of a Shepherd campaign, the upcoming synod and his appointment of a vicar for evangelization.
The pandemic has had a major impact on our lives, Bishop Malesic said, including closing church buildings, but the work of the Church never stopped. “We continued to celebrate Mass, to use livestream, to pray and to do what we had to do.” He said it was important to find a balance with safety during the ongoing pandemic and to deal with difficult situations like this in a Christian way, by using kindness.
There is a silver lining to the pandemic, the bishop said, pointing out that more people were exposed to liturgies by livestreaming and broadcasting Masses. He shared the story of a father and his children who attended Mass regularly before the pandemic, but the man’s wife didn’t go with them. During the suspension of public Masses, the family watched televised Masses and the mother began joining them. When they returned to Mass in person, she began attending with them.
“God takes the bad and has a way of drawing something good from it,” he said.
“I also want to thank the men and women who continued to educate our 40,000 students in the Catholic schools, which remained largely open during the pandemic,” he said. “Parents put their trust in our school leaders. Our Catholic schoolteachers see this as a vocation, a ministry, not just a job. Thank you to the teachers for their caring, courage and kindness as they put the students’ needs first during the pandemic.”
He talked about the ongoing Keeping the Faith initiative, an effort to strengthen the Catholic schools, which the bishop called one of the greatest assets of the diocese. The Keeping the Faith task force will present recommendations to the bishop by May 2022, with an anticipated implementation of the plan during the following school year. The goal is to keep the Catholic schools “grounded in faith, academically excellent and affordable,” Bishop Malesic said, adding the schools are a great way to invite youth to become involved in the Church.
Regarding the Heart of a Shepherd campaign, he explained it will raise money to renovate the seminary, provide college debt relief for newly ordained priests and bolster the retirement fund for senior priests.
“The seminary is a great asset to the diocese,” he said, noting that seminarians get to know each other and develop a fraternal bond which will be beneficial during their years of ministry. Supporting Heart of a Shepherd shows a commitment to the priests who serve the faithful throughout the diocese, he added.
In addition, he encouraged people to be grateful. “As Catholics, gratitude is baked into everything we do and are because God so loved us that he gave us his only Son who died to save us,” he said, adding that Scripture is filled with reminders to live a life of gratitude.
Jesus sacrificed himself for us and we are asked to sacrifice ourselves for him, he said. The Eucharist is the summit of our faith and the bishop said he is praying for a Eucharistic revival. He appointed Father Damian Ference as the first vicar for evangelization to help reach people and stress the importance of having a personal relationship with Jesus – but not a private one. “Our faith is a gift and it must be shared,” he said.
Pope Francis called a synod, which will open next month in the diocese. He said it’s everyone’s job to share the faith.
“Let’s be known as a people who give thanks,” he added.
During the question and answer period, he said his greatest joy as a bishop was ordaining priests. He also enjoys being with people.
Another question asked about possibly having a day of Eucharistic processions, something the bishop said would be worth considering. “We need to do something big to get us out of our churches, to teach people to be evangelists,” he said.
When asked about how to bring people back in person to Mass, Bishop Malesic said he believes most people did come back. “People need to be together, they want to be together.” He said there would continue to be a need for vocations, but he also wants to draw more people to the pews. Buildings downtown are filled with young, upwardly mobile people who need to be invited to church.
The next program meets at 7 p.m. Oct. 11 at the Doubletree in Westlake. Miguel Chavez, who heads the diocesan Office of Missionary Discipleship, will speak on “Joy: How are we called to be missionary disciples?” Cost is $15 for light appetizers. There will be a cash bar. Click here for more information.