This morning, I awoke to the news that the Holy Father had appointed Bishop Thomas Wenski as the Archbishop-designate for the Archdiocese of Miami, accepting the resignation of Archbishop John C. Favalora eight months early. As most of you who are readers of Catholic blogs know, news of this appointment has been expected for some time now. However, this appointment is close to home for me. As a seminarian for the Diocese of Orlando, it was Bishop Wenski who accepted me and allowed me to be given this opportunity to journey so close with the Lord. For that, I will be forever appreciative to the Archbishop-designate.

In 1976, Wenski was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Miami. He began his priestly ministry working in a Hispanic parish in Miami and was given the opportunity to help start an outreach program for Haitian immigrants to the United States. Since that time, Bishop Wenski has become close to the people of Haiti. In recent weeks, following the devastating earthquakes in that country, Bishop Wenski has grown even closer to the people of Haiti, praying for them, crying with them, mourning with them. With Wenski now at the helm of the Archdiocese, the fraternity between the people of Miami and Haiti will only continue to grow.

This morning William Cardinal Keeler, retired Cardinal Archbishop of Baltimore, issued the following statement regarding the death of Archbishop William D. Borders.

Archbishop William Donald Borders was a good and gentle person whom I got to know very well over Saturday evening dinners following my installation as Archbishop of Baltimore. We would discuss all of the matters that were before us and I would share my viewpoint on activities in the Archdiocese. I was particularly grateful for his insights regarding the priests and people of the Archdiocese. When I told him recently that I had left the Archdiocese after the installation of my successor, he told me that he had done the same thing as a courtesy to me. I recalled that he made a long trip to the Midwest, probably to his relatives in Indiana, at the time that I had become the Archbishop here. These simple gestures indicate the kind of person Archbishop Borders was.

Early this afternoon, Bishop Thomas Wenski, fourth Bishop of Orlando, issued the following message regarding Archbishop Borders and his legacy to the Diocese of Orlando.

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Archbishop William D. Borders, first bishop of Orlando and 13th Archbishop of Baltimore, who died this morning (04/19) at 10:03. He was 96 years old. His legacy to the Diocese of Orlando will never be forgotten. As our first leader, charting new territory and responding with courage and vision to God’s call, we are grateful for his many dedicated years of service in the Lord’s name.

This morning it was announced that Archbishop William D. Borders, retired Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and first Bishop of the Diocese of Orlando, passed away at the age of 96. Below is the text of this morning’s press release.

“Archbishop Borders was a man of deep faith, great humility and great love for God, the Church and this Archdiocese,” Archbishop O’Brien said. “As a result, he was universally loved by the people of this local Church, by his brother bishops and priests, and by all who were blessed to call him Archbishop, Father, teacher, brother and friend.

“By any measure William Donald Borders served an extraordinary life. From the very date of his birth on October 9, 1913 in the middle of a flood so fierce it lifted his family home off its foundation and the doctor had to be transported to the home by boat, to his chaplaincy service during World War II in North Africa and Italy, which earned him the Bronze Star for Valor, the Archbishop’s quiet strength would guide him throughout his life of service.

“That strength would be called on throughout his tenure as the first-ever Bishop of Orlando and eventually the 13th Archbishop of the oldest Catholic diocese in the Nation, as he was forced to tackle a number of pressing issues, including the desegregation of public schools, housing for the poor, and the role of the laity in the Church.

This upcoming weekend, the seminary community will welcome 72 guests from all seven dioceses of Florida to the spring version of Vocation Awareness Weekend. The seminarians have all been busy the last few days getting everything prepared to make the weekend as prayerful and inspiring for the guests.

As one of the seminarians responsible for music throughout each week, I, along with the other “music guys,” have been tasked with getting the music ready for all of the liturgies. We have quite a few liturgies to plan for; here is a bit of a breakdown of the schedule for VAW.

Friday Night the seminarians will welcome the guests with a social in the Bishop Noonan Community Room. Following the arrival of the guests, we will all gather in the main chapel for an adjusted form of Night Prayer, with a formal welcoming and blessing ceremony.

Saturday is action packed with the guests being introduced to the “Pillars of Priestly Formation” with a video made by Fr. Alvarez. (That should be interesting to say the least.) To begin the day, we will all gather in the chapel for Morning Prayer. Later in the morning, after the video and seminarian panel, we will all gather in the chapel for Mass. The afternoon on Saturday is meant to be enjoyable; we usually set aside time for all of us to get some recreation, whether that be playing basketball, soccer, football…you get the point. Following the time for sports, we will gather in the chapel for Evening Prayer.

A short break from my usual posts to offer congratulations to Very Reverend Gregory Parkes, Chancellor of the Diocese of Orlando and Parochial Administrator of Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Celebration, Florida, who was named the Vicar General for the Diocese of Orlando last week. Below is the announcement from the Diocese of Orlando website.

Bishop Thomas Wenski is pleased to announce the appointment of Very Reverend Gregory Parkes, J.C.L. as Vicar General of the Diocese of Orlando. Father Parkes assumed this role on November 1. He serves along with Monsignor Patrick Caverly who has served as Vicar General of the Diocese of Orlando since 1992. Father Parkes will continue to serve as Diocesan Chancellor of Canonical Affairs and Parochial Administrator of Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Celebration.

A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general has executive power over the whole Diocese regarding administrative matters, except those matters the Bishop has reserved for himself.

Father Parkes was ordained to the priesthood on June 26, 1999 by Bishop Norbert Dorsey. He attended the North American College in Rome from 1996 – 2000 where he earned a Licentiate Degree in Canon Law from the Pontifical Gregorian University. After returning to the Diocese of Orlando, Father Parkes was assigned as Parochial Vicar of Holy Family Catholic Church in Orlando where he served from 2000 – 2004. In addition, he was appointed Defender of the Bond and served in the Marriage Tribunal during this same period. In December 2004, Bishop Thomas Wenski appointed him Chancellor of the diocese. Father Parkes was appointed Parochial Administrator of the newly formed Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Celebration in March 2005.

Father Parkes serves as a member of the Diocesan Finance Committee, Priest Placement Board, Presbyteral Council, Incardination Committee, College of Consultors, and is on the Board of Trustees of St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach. He has two brothers, Very Reverend Stephen Parkes who is Parochial Administrator of Most Precious Blood Catholic Church in Oviedo, and Christopher Parkes who is married and lives in Maryland.

PHOTO SOURCE: Diocese of Orlando