Tying up the Loose Ends of 2021 – Bishop Lucia

Dear Co-workers in the Lord’s Vineyard,
On this last day of 2021, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your laboring in the portion of the Lord’s Vineyard known as the Diocese of Syracuse. The circumstances surrounding us during the past year have not been easy, but I appreciate all who have dedicated themselves to the service of the People of God here in Central New York.
As we prepare to cross the threshold into 2022, I wish to again encourage you “to put on Christ” (Rm 13:14) in all that you do. Let us remember how he went out of his way to care for others, especially those cast aside by society or looked down upon. Jesus didn’t worry whether they attended the same synagogue as he did or their membership, but he met fellow pilgrims on the road of life wherever they were at. My collaborators in ministry, I beg you please do the same! So many people feel rejected by the Catholic Church today because they don’t feel they are listened to – whether women, young people, LGBTQ+, the divorced and remarried outside the Church, the abused and exploited, or persons of different creeds or races. I am sure you could add to the list.
In saying this I am not saying we don’t need to preach the truth of God’s Word, but we do it with great love as Jesus did to the woman caught in adultery or the rich young man or the Samaritan woman. Consider how do we help those who come to us to become the saints God has created them to be?! Jesus did not come to preach “a leaner Church is a better Church”. He preached that, “the Kingdom of God was at hand” (Mt 4:17) and invited all whom he encountered to follow him (cf Mt 4:19).
These ideas correspond to my own New Year’s resolution that the Church of Syracuse become known for the kindness found in its churches. One immediate act of kindness is the need for all of us clergy and laity to wear masks in church, especially when greeting people.
Again, thank you for your service to our diocesan family and be assured of my continued prayers.
Happy New Year!
In the Name of Jesus,
Bishop Douglas J. Lucia