Archbishop Chaput Calls For Renewed Zeal To Address Local Challenges

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia encouraged the people of his archdiocese to allow their hearts to burn with love for Christ as they work to renew the Church in the coming year.

“Building or rebuilding anything of value always takes effort,” he said in a Jan. 5 online column.

The archbishop’s remarks will become a weekly feature on the site Catholicphilly.com, which he said will allow him to discuss “the life we share as a Church in a more direct, immediate way.”

Archbishop Chaput said that the greatest challenge faced by the archdiocese in 2012 will not be legal or financial, but pastoral.

Noting that the Catholic faith should never be a mere habit, he warned against spiritual problems such as a lukewarm faith that is void of zeal and a desire to fit in and live comfortably.

These “shadows” affect everyone, he said, and they can draw us away from Christ.

The archbishop asked the people of Philadelphia to renew their love for Christ as they seek to address the challenges of the new year.

Among the difficulties faced by the archdiocese is the need to restructure the education system in order to provide greater strength and stability.

After a year of examining Catholic education in Philadelphia – a process that was begun under the archbishop’s predecessor, Cardinal Justin F. Rigali – a Blue Ribbon Commission report was released on Jan. 6 indicating that more than 40 schools in the archdiocese cannot be financially sustained and will likely need to be closed or merged. [More]

SOURCE

CNA