BISHOP OLMSTED

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix spelled out his thoughts about the Church in Arizona in his inaugural “State of the Catholic Church” address Sept. 23.

On this special edition of The Bishop's Hour, listen to Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted's remarks from the Sept. 23 "State of the Church" luncheon in downtown Phoenix.

A wedding banquet was not when we might have expected Jesus' first miracle. Usually, His miracles cured the sick, healed the leper, fed a hungry crowd of thousands, gave sight to the blind. So why did He work His first miracle at a wedding banquet?

On the 50th anniversary of his ordination as a priest, St. John Paul II published a memoir which offered a personal glimpse into his priestly heart. He focused on two words, two realities that were the most prominent in his life: mystery and gift — the mystery of Christ and the gift of believing in Him.

Members of consecrated life receive special charisms, not so much for their own good as for the good of others, to be integrated into the whole Body of Christ, the Church, and to be channeled into an evangelizing impulse at the service of the Lord. I pray that this may be one of the fruits of the Year of Consecrated Life.

Our state is also beautiful because of the rich cultural diversity of the people who live here, a diversity that has continued to grow over the years, and is seen in the fact that, in our diocese alone, Mass is celebrated in twelve languages each Sunday!

Nuestro estado también es hermoso debido a la rica diversidad cultural de la gente que vive aquí, una diversidad que ha seguido creciendo a través de los años, y se ve en el hecho de que, en nuestra diócesis, ¡la Misa se celebra en doce lenguas cada domingo!

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