Bishop Kulick shares vision for Diocese in Pastoral Letter

GREENSBURG – On March 19, the Feast of Saint Joseph, The Most Reverend Larry J. Kulick, JCL, Bishop of Greensburg, promulgated his pastoral letter entitled “Donum Veritatis: The Gift of Truth.”  Bishop Kulick announced the document during the celebration of Mass at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral as part of a Diocesan wide Saint Joseph Day Pilgrimage in which he dedicated the Diocese of Greensburg to the protection and guardianship of Saint Joseph for the next three years.

In promulgating the pastoral letter, Bishop Kulick reflected on his visits to parishes, schools, celebrations and listening sessions across the Diocese that he says brought him closer to the faithful. During those interactions, Bishop Kulick said many shared their concerns about the Diocese, their parishes, families and the world.

“I have listened to parents and grandparents who have shared with me their worries about the continuation of our faith in their families. Teenagers tell me their desire to lead a more prayerful and faith-filled life despite the alternative choices today’s culture offers and ask me to provide them with instruction on how to pray,” Bishop Kulick wrote. “ I have spoken with young adults who feel the pressure of our fast-paced world and the many cultural obstacles to the sanctity of marriage or single life and raising their families in the faith. In all these discussions with you, the message is consistent. People today are finding it difficult to set aside time for prayer, to participate in the Eucharist, to engage in parish life, and to live our faith in an increasingly secular, and sometimes adversarial, culture.”

In his pastoral letter, Bishop Kulick writes that The Gift of Truth was given to us by God, who through the Holy Spirit sent us His Son, Jesus Christ. He writes that just as Mary accepted the will of God in her life,  Saint Joseph served as the custodian and guardian of God’s most precious treasure, His only Son.

“As a husband, father, worker, builder, and dreamer, Saint Joseph also had an important role as protector of the Holy Family. That is why he is the protector and guardian of the Universal Church,” Bishop Kulick wrote. “As your Bishop, one of my most important responsibilities is to serve as protector and guardian of the local Church.”

 
The pastoral letter allows Bishop Kulick, who enters his fourth year of his episcopacy, to share his vision for the Diocese of Greensburg. He outlines a regional approach to faith formation, calls for building a culture of all vocations including the establishment of a marriage catechumenate, partnering with parents to strengthen the domestic Church in our Diocese, forming a renewed understanding of Christian Anthropology including care for the body after death, our commitment to the legal immigration of Ukrainian refugees and others, the promotion of our region for economic prosperity through new and sustainable industries through partnerships with government and businesses, and the development of a Eucharistic culture through increased opportunities for Adoration, Reconciliation, and Discipleship Formation.

Bishop Kulick knows the plan is ambitious.

“This will be a new way of building up the Church and a new idea of being parish,” Bishop Kulick wrote.

“Keeping our parishes active and vibrant requires all of us embrace a new way of building up the Body of Christ through parish partnerships and removing the silos that isolate one parish from another. We must work together to keep all 78 of our parishes strong and vibrant.”

In dedicating the Diocese to Saint Joseph as guardian and protector, multiple opportunities will be available  for the faithful to celebrate the missionary year of the Eucharistic Revival in 2024, the Jubilee Year of the Universal Church in 2025, and the 75th anniversary of the formation of our Diocese in 2026 under the intercession of Saint Joseph.

The three years of dedication to Saint Joseph will conclude on March 19, 2027.

Bishop Kulick called on the faithful to remember that we are not alone in carrying out this vision.

“Saint Joseph repeatedly embraced the voice of the Holy Spirit that said, “Do not be afraid.”  He trusted in the Truth and allowed it to shape his mind, heart, and life,” Bishop Kulick wrote. “ Like Saint Joseph, let us also respond to God’s call to “Do not be afraid” as we move forward into the future of the Church of the Diocese of Greensburg.”