On Wednesday 23 April, the bishops of England and Wales gathered in St Peter’s Basilica to celebrate the Holy Mass as part of their Spring Plenary meeting, which took place at the English College’s Convento Palazzola just outside Rome.
The Mass was presided at by Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, and Archbishop Richard Moth, Archbishop of Westminster, preached the homily.
The Mass took place in the Choir Chapel of St Peter’s Basilica. The Relics of St. John Chrysostom are housed under the altar of the Choir Chapel, which can be found on the left side of the nave of the Basilica.
During the homily, Archbishop Moth reflected on this special moment of unity for the bishops.
“We celebrate this Mass ad limina, on the threshold of the Apostle Peter. With Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration, we can say that it is good for us to be here. It is good for us to be with Cardinal Arthur, in this silver jubilee year of his episcopal ordination, and it’s good for us to be with one another.”
This was a moment of unity which extended beyond the walls of the Basilica, and Archbishop Moth called to mind the Catholic population of England and Wales: “We’re united in prayer with all those whom we serve in our respective dioceses.”
Archbishop Moth described how this time together for the bishops had been an opportunity to reflect on how to overcome challenges and bring the Good News into our modern world.
“We face persecution always somewhere in the world, and close to home, the challenge of secularism and the denial of the value of human life. Yet there are so many signs of hope. A secularism that is perhaps showing signs of having run its course. The many fresh shoots across our dioceses.
“Just as in the early Church, just as we hear in today’s first reading, persecution brings a fresh harvest, and so there is much hope for us. One thing is certain: The Lord will never cast us out. As we come to him in prayer, in our reflection on the scriptures, and as in the Eucharist we come to him and receive him who is the bread of life, so he will never abandon us.”
Archbishop Moth turned again to Peter as an example for the service to which the bishops are called to give, and explained:
“Peter whose tomb is close to us, despite denials, was never abandoned by the Lord. Rather, he was called to continuing service, to leadership, to the triple self-giving of his martyrdom, that sharing of the cross that was the ultimate expression of his closeness to the Lord. With Peter, may we be all always open to the service the Lord has called us to give, confident in the Lord’s fidelity to all who come to him. Ever open to the Spirit, may the churches we serve bear the fruit that is nothing less than the encounter with the risen Lord.”
