In latest newsletter, Cardinal Tobin reflects on gratitude and the many gifts we receive

My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

November is often called Gratitude Month. It’s the time of year when we remember gratefully both the “next door saints” who generously share with us their selfless love, and those loved ones who have died. Saying thank you to women and men who have touched our lives and helped us be better persons is something we should do all year round, but it’s helpful to have a specific time during the year when we celebrate these special people (living and deceased) who are so important to us.

One of the many special people that I remember during Gratitude Month is my predecessor as Archbishop of Indianapolis, Daniel M. Buechlein, OSB, who served the Church in central and southern Indiana for nearly 20 years, when complications from a serious stroke forced him to take early retirement.

When I was appointed to succeed Archbishop Daniel about 13 months after he returned to Saint Meinrad Archabbey, his Benedictine monastery in southern Indiana, I was amazed at the solid foundation that he left me. Whenever we met, I tried to reassure him that my first priority was not to “screw it up.”

Back in 1987, when Archbishop Daniel began his service as a bishop in the Diocese of Memphis, Tennessee, he chose “Seek the Face of the Lord” for his episcopal motto. This motto likely came from the eighth verse of Psalm 27: ‘Come,’ says my heart, ‘seek his face.’ This verse expresses a desire. It was a desire that sprang from his heart, from the center of himself, from everything that made him who he was. He listened to that whispered invitation—seek his face—every day. This gave direction to his life. It also gave direction to his pastoral leadership of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis from 1992 to 2011.

I believe that Archbishop Daniel’s pursuit of the face of God invited the Archdiocese of Indianapolis always to turn its vision beyond itself, toward children, college students and young adults, the homeless, prisoners and even the dark despair of death row—many of the new ministries that Archbishop Daniel started, and it reflected the visits he made to inmates who had been sentenced to death at the federal prison in Terre Haut, Indiana, a few of whom he confirmed.

Continue reading Cardinal Joseph Tobin’s latest newsletter in English or Spanish.