Archbishop Wenski's Coat of Arms

Word on the street is that Archbishop-Designate Thomas Wenski packed up his car on Saturday and headed down south to Miami. Tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 p.m., the Most Reverend Thomas G. Wenski will be installed as the fourth Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Miami. Because of the limitations in seating capacity at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Miami, attendance at the Installation Mass is by ticket-only. For those of us who are unable to be in attendance, the Mass of Installation will be aired live on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) and CatholicTV.  Coverage begins on both channels at 2:00 p.m. For those of you who will be away from a television at that time, there are several other ways to view or listen to the Mass.

Catholica Omnia will have full coverage tomorrow. Coverage will be included on my Twitter and Facebook pages: for those of you on Twitter, please follow @thomaspringle; for those of you on Facebook, “like” Catholica Omnia.

Simply put, tomorrow is going to be awesome for the people of the Province of Miami. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: At the Mass of Installation of Archbishop Wenski, Sean Cardinal O’Malley and some 40+ other bishops. There will be a delegation from the Catholic hierarchy of Cuba and most of the bishops from Haiti. There is expected to be over 400 priests in attendance for the Mass, including most, if not all, of the priests from the Archdiocese of Miami and a delegation from the Diocese of Orlando.

PHOTO SOURCE: Archdiocese of Miami

Well everyone, the last couple of days have been, to say the least, quite interesting for this seminarian who tries to keep all of you informed on the important news affecting the Catholic Church in the United States. My only hope for this site is that it can reach someone and develop in them a deep love for the Church, a love that, for me, grows more intensely every day.

Yesterday, with my Bishop appointed as the Archbishop of Miami, I have not even truly begun to think about the implications this has for my own Diocese of Orlando. We will be vacant beginning June 1, 2010 and we could be vacant for some time. With the diocese in the midst of a $150 million capital campaign project to fund the outcome of the first ever diocesan synod that was called by Bishop Wenski back in 2004-2005, my prayer is that the Holy Father will send us a new ordinary as soon as possible.

I have also not even begun to think of the implications the appointment of the Most Rev. Thomas G. Wenski as the new Metropolitan Archbishop of Miami has for the Province of Miami (Catholic Church of Florida). Archbishop-elect will have a good fifteen to sixteen years at the helm here in Florida. With his qualifications and his enduring work for the poor and less-fortunate, Wenski has now been given a platform to bring a message to the whole of the United States. Let me tell you, that message needs to be heard now more than ever.

Please keep Archbishop-Designate Wenski, Archbishop Favalora, the future Bishop of Orlando (whoever that may be), the people of the Archdiocese of Miami, and the people of the Diocese of Orlando (clergy, consecrated religious, and laity) in your prayers over the next few weeks.

Time for a little breather. Final exams are next week and I haven’t started studying for them yet and, well, academics reign supreme over the next few days. Do not expect to see a post until the beginning of May, folks.

Thank you for reading! Peace to all of you!

PHOTO: cartoonworks.net

This morning the Holy Father appointed Bishop Thomas Wenski, fourth Bishop of Orlando, as Archbishop of Miami. More to come on this later, but for now, I have to run to the chapel for Morning Prayer and Mass.

PHOTO: Tom Pringle

This afternoon, as I was putting off writing a homily for my Catechism class, I was visiting the Catholic blogs that I read everyday when I came upon this bit of interesting news regarding the next Archbishop of Miami. Thomas Peters, the American Papist, writes on CatholicVote Action the following regarding the next major appointment to come stateside: (emphasis and comments mine)

The chatter is starting to heat up in South Florida that Archbishop John Favalora, due to retire this December, may have a coadjutor appointed to his Archdiocese of Miami before then.

I am even hearing some sources (like our own Josh Mercer) speculate that Miami, as the unofficial “Capital of Latin America” [TRUE] and the seat of the Metropolitan of Florida, may be next in line for a Red Hat. [That means a Cardinal folks!!]

The name I most commonly hear for this episcopal role is Bishop Thomas Wenski of Orlando. He was ordained as a priest in Miami, is active in immigration issues, and has excellent Spanish-language skills as well.

If this all comes to fruition, it will be sad to see Bishop Wenski leave the Diocese of Orlando. However, because of his ability to speak Spanish and Creole, his role on speaking out for immigration reform, and the close relationship he has with the people of Haiti, our Bishop would be one of the top choices to be appointed to be Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Miami. Please pray for Bishop Wenski over the next few weeks–he will need them more than usual.

I would like to personally thank Bishop Wenski for accepting me as a seminarian for the Diocese of Orlando. I am so grateful for being given the opportunity to take this journey, which has allowed me to grow in love for Christ and His church. More than ever, stay tuned!

SOURCE: CatholicVote Action | Thomas Peters

PHOTO: Getty Images

This week, Bishop Thomas Wenski, Bishop of the Diocese of Orlando, has been visiting Haiti on behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to assess the recovery efforts that are currently underway in the earthquake stricken country. Throughout his visit, Bishop Wenski has been writing brief reflections about the progress that is being made as a result of the efforts of the Catholic Church. Below are the reflections as they appeared on the Diocese of Orlando website.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Thursday after Mass in Leogann where once a parish church stood we traveled across the mountains to Jacmel on Haiti’s Southeast coast. The city is known for its art and was a popular tourist destination for Haitians from Port-au-Prince.

The city’s cathedral was built in the 1840′s and part of the cultural patrimony of the nation did not collapse. However it sustained sufficient damage to render it unusable.

Other parishes in the Jacmel area were completely demolished. At the school run by Christian brothers since the 1880′s makeshift classrooms set up in the school courtyard now serve four different schools through a multiple shift schedule.