40 Years – A Eucharistic People, Full Article
A very significant event has occurred in the life of our Diocese of Palm Beach. On Oct. 24, we celebrated 40 years from the foundation of our Diocese. It was then in 1984 that St. John Paul II created our Diocese from the area of the Archdiocese of Miami and that of the Diocese of Orlando. On the same day, he created the Diocese of Venice from the same territories. We have been a Diocese for 40 years and have grown and experienced much in that time. Forty years may not seem like a long period of time in contrast to the life of the Church for over 2,000 years. However, during our years, we have been part of the life of the Church as if from the very beginning.
We are a Diocese rich in territory, cultural diversity, faith and commitment. I have been privileged to be Bishop of this great Diocese for more than half of its history and have experienced its growth and its richness in so many different ways. In visiting all of our parishes from Sebastian to Boca Raton, I have the privilege of meeting the faithful who are native to Florida and this area, who came to this area from other countries and parts of our nation, and who have been here for a long period of time or who may have recently come. Each parish has its own personality which speaks loudly of the faith, hope and love of the people of God here in southern Florida. Being a native of Brooklyn, New York, where I was a priest and Auxiliary Bishop, and then being the Bishop of the Diocese of Ogdensburg, the most northern part of New York on the Canadian border, I felt very quickly at home in the Diocese of Palm Beach as someone who came here from another part of our country. Being here now for the length of time I have been, I feel a native of Palm Beach, Florida, and truly experience the depth of the life of the faith of our people. From my own experience, I can truly say how welcoming, blessed and vibrant we are in this Diocese of such diversity in every aspect.
On the occasion of our 25th anniversary, we celebrated that for 25 years we were a Eucharistic people. The same holds true for our 40th anniversary. We are now a Eucharistic people for 40 years and look forward to many more of those years to come in the life of the Church. The Church exists for the celebration of the Eucharist, and it is in the Eucharist that we encounter our true identity as the People of God, being fed with the Body and Blood of Christ. On every visit I make to our parishes to celebrate the Eucharist, no matter what the occasion may be, I truly experienced the living Church in the faith, hope and love of the people I encounter. I am inspired by the love of the Eucharist that is evident here in the Diocese of Palm Beach, not only in the celebration of the Eucharist, but in the many parishes with Eucharistic adoration and devotion. We are a Eucharistic people and will continue to be so. How fitting it is that we celebrate our 40th anniversary during the time of the Eucharistic Revival taking place within our country.
In addition to the wonderful people of our Diocese, I have been blessed to know the many priests who assist here in our parishes and various ministries. It has been my privilege to have ordained and incardinated many of them over the years and now to be assigning some of these as pastors of our churches. We love our priests because they feed us with the Eucharist and celebrate the sacraments for us so we can be part of a Eucharistic people. At this time of our 40th anniversary, we pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and the religious life within the Diocese of Palm Beach so very much needed for the growth and vitality of the Church.
As we look forward to the future of our Diocese, we do so with a great deal of hope. It is fitting that the upcoming Jubilee Year of 2025 will be based on the theme of hope, and as we enter that year we do so with hope. True hope is based in reality and not on a hope for a dream to come true. While we do not see the future that is before us, in faith we believe that the promise of God will be fulfilled. That will occur because of our faith in Christ’s presence among us in the Eucharist, and we will continue to grow in Florida as our population increases. We even look to places where there may be the hope for new parishes and schools. And we do so always in the context of the living hope and faith that has been realized here.
I congratulate and offer my prayerful best wishes to all of the faithful of our Diocese on this our 40th anniversary. May we continue to be a Eucharistic people always in the hope of the knowledge that the Lord is with us and will continue to strengthen our family through His Church. May God’s blessings continue to be upon us as is so evident in your goodness!
Happy 40th Anniversary!
Most Reverend Gerald M. Barbarito
