Archbishop's Column

Earlier this month, I travelled to Baltimore for the Fall Plenary Assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. I went with a sense of anticipation and purpose.

As this issue of the Sooner Catholic reaches homes across the archdiocese, the bishops of the United States, myself included, will be gathering in Baltimore for our fall General Assembly.

In a previous issue of the Sooner Catholic we covered the beautiful ordination to the diaconate of two of our seminarians in Rome.

Through the prophet Jeremiah the Lord promises, “I will give you shepherds after my own heart” (Jer. 3:15). God keeps his promises. At this moment, we are all deeply aware of our need for good shepherds to lead, guide and protect the flock entrusted to their care.

The cascading reports of clergy abuse and coverups within our beloved Church have affected Catholics differently. It has caused righteous anger, visceral disgust as well as shame.