Solemnity of the Epiphany
St. John the Evangelist, Columbia
Installation of Pastor
January 5, 2025
Introduction
It is a joy and a pleasure for me personally to welcome the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the Archdiocese and to St. John the Evangelist Parish here in Columbia. I am grateful for the presence of the Provincial Superior, thank you, Fr. Andre for being with us today, together with your confreres. By now, dear friends, you have come to know Fr. Mel and Fr. Sonny. Perhaps we should let the Provincial know how grateful we are that he made possible their assignment to your parish!
We’ve gathered for this installation on the beautiful feast of the Epiphany. We celebrate that day when the Savior of the World was made manifest by a star that attracted the Magi from the East. It led them to the place where they encountered the Newborn King, together with Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds. They offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh: gold for a king, frankincense for one who is divine, and myrrh which foretold the death Jesus would undergo for all of us. This is the mystery that the Church sets before our eyes of faith today.
What light does this beautiful mystery shed on the installation of your pastor? What does it say about the mission of the pastor and those who work with him? What does this mystery reveal about your parish – its mission, its future? Let me suggest three points before offering a few words in Spanish.
Dimensions of the Mission
First, the Epiphany speaks to the dimensions of the mission entrusted to your pastor and to your parish, and indeed to every pastor and parish every throughout the world. The star manifests Christ as “the light of the world”, the One sent by the Father as Savior of every race and people and nation. The universality of the Church’s mission is symbolized by the Three Magi who came from afar to worship the Newborn King. So too, St. Paul, in today’s reading from Ephesians, exalts that the mystery made known to him by revelation is now made known to the Gentiles, that is to say, to men and women of every nation, language, and culture.
Fr. Mel and Fr. Sonny are missionaries and they are leading you in sharing in this world wide mission that began with the revelation of the Christ to all the world. They are leading you in the ongoing work of being a missionary church. Pope Francis continually tells us that parishes are to be mission centers, reaching out lovingly but also persistently – in season and out of season – to the great diversity of people within our communities. Surely this means reaching out to those who no longer practice the faith, to those who are searching, to those who are unchurched or semi-churched. But it also means reaching out to those who are newly or recently arrived, as well as to those who are struggling or marginalized.
The mission is evangelization, spreading the Gospel, proclaiming the person of Christ, manifesting the Christ we celebrate in our every-day lives. This is not something the pastor or his co-workers do alone. Rather it is a mission entrusted to the whole People of God. The pastor sets the tone, gives the example, sees to it that formation for missionary discipleship is in everyone’s reach. Our goal is not to proselytize or coerce but to invite and attract, just as the Magi were invited & attracted by the mysterious star they observed.
Gifts for the Sake of Mission
A second point is that we, like the Magi, have gifts to bring, perhaps not gold or frankincense, or myrrh – but gifts which the Holy Spirit bestows in abundance upon the baptized – natural talents, aptitudes for ministry, charisms of various sorts. These, of course, must be nurtured by prayer, reading Scripture, centering one’s life on the Eucharist, seeking forgiveness in Reconciliation, and by opening one’s mind and heart to the needs of those around us.
The pastor and his team, for their part, are not only to provide formation but also prayerfully to discern those gifts and charisms the Spirit bestows, and then to harvest and harmonize those gifts for the sake of mission entrusted to the Church. Let us be confident that the Lord will not withhold his favor from us, but rather bless this community with an abundance of such gifts as we look to the future with joy and hope.
Jubilee of Hope
One final point before I offer a few words in Spanish. At Christmas, Pope Francis inaugurated a holy year dedicated to hope— not mere optimism and surely not wishful thinking. Genuine, theological hope means that, in our present circumstances, we can grow in holiness and virtue as Christ’s light shines in us and through us. Hope impels us to place ourselves at the service of the mission of evangelization. Hope teaches us Christ remains the answer to which every life is a question, and that his light and life will guide and sustain us as together we journey into the future. Fr. Mel, Fr. Sonny, dear friends . . . let us rejoice and let us be glad on this great feast when we are drawn, not to a star, to Christ, the light of the world!
Es para mí una alegría y un placer darle la bienvenida a la Congregación del Inmaculado Corazón de María a la Arquidiócesis y a la Parroquia de San Juan Evangelista aquí en Columbia.
Nos hemos reunido para esta instalación en la hermosa fiesta de la Epifanía. Es oportuno preguntarnos, ¿Qué luz arroja esta fiesta sobre la instalación de su párroco? ¿Y sobre la misión del párroco y de aquellos que son sus colaboradores en la viña? ¿Qué revela sobre su parroquia?
En primer lugar, la Epifanía ilumina y anima la misión de la Iglesia. Difundir el Evangelio, proclamar la persona de Cristo, manifestar al Cristo que celebramos en nuestra vida cotidiana. Es la misión confiada no solo al párroco y su equipo pastoral sino a todo el Pueblo de Dios. La misión es de todos y para todos.
En segundo lugar, nosotros, como los Reyes Magos, tenemos dones que compartir. El Espíritu Santo concede en abundancia a los bautizados talentos naturales, aptitudes para el ministerio, varios carismas. Estos dones deben ser devueltos a Cristo y también a su Cuerpo, la Iglesia, por el bien de la misión.
Y finalmente, en Navidad, Papa Francisco inauguró un Año Santo dedicado a la Esperanza. En esto sabemos que Cristo sigue siendo la respuesta a la que toda vida es una pregunta. Su luz y su vida nos guiarán y sostendrán mientras juntos viajamos con confianza hacia el futuro.
¡Hoy, que esta celebración nos anima a todos a comprometernos nuevamente a la misión de Cristo y su Iglesia aquí la Parroquia San Juan Evangelista!
¡Feliz Fiesta de los Reyes Magos! ¡Que Dios los bendiga ricamente, y que Nuestra Madre María los tenga siempre bajo su cuidado! ¡Felices fiestas!