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Come Holy Spirit fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of Your love.” This prayer calls upon the Holy Spirit to be present in the hearts of the faithful, kindle in them the fire of God’s love and to work through each disciple transformed to be God’s love for all. We celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost, the conclusion of the Easter season on May 24.

The Fourth Sunday of Easter is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday. Jesus is our Good Shepherd, and we are called to be His faithful and loving flock. We are blessed to have such a shepherd, and we are blessed to be His flock, His disciples, His Church.

Recently, I received a letter from a Confirmation candidate. She shared why she chose her Confirmation patron saint, St. Dymphna—the patron saint of mental health. This candidate has a brother who is affected by mental illness. In her loving concern and care for him, she is discerning a health care profession to assist others who also suffer from mental illness.

El cuarto domingo de Pascua también se conoce como el Domingo del Buen Pastor. Jesús es nuestro Buen Pastor, y estamos llamados a ser su rebaño fiel y amoroso. Somos bendecidos por tener un pastor así, y somos bendecidos por ser su rebaño, sus discípulos, Su Iglesia.

April is designated as Child Abuse Prevention Month, serving as a vital reminder for everyone in the Archdiocese of Mobile to prioritize the protection and well-being of our youth. As Archbishop, I assure you that we as an archdiocese are vigilant in this priority. I have served on the USCCB Child and Youth Protection Committee, met with victim-survivors and their families, and collaborated with our own archdiocesan Office for the Protection of Minors and Adults (OPMA) to ensure that our parishes are in compliance with child and youth protection training. The OPMA is also audited each year for compliance by an independent firm hired by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Last year, a total of 7,877 minors were trained, and 1,302 background checks were conducted on new employees and volunteers. Additionally, the archdiocese conducted 303 group training sessions.

Abril ha sido designado como el Mes de la Prevención del Abuso Infantil, lo que sirve como un recordatorio fundamental para que todos en la Arquidiócesis de Mobile den prioridad a la protección y el bienestar de nuestros jóvenes. Como arzobispo, les aseguro que nosotros, como arquidiócesis, estamos atentos a esta prioridad. He formado parte del Comité de Protección de Niños y Jóvenes de la USCCB, me he reunido con víctimas y sobrevivientes y sus familias, y he colaborado con nuestra propia Oficina Arquidiocesana para la Protección de Menores y Adultos (OPMA) para garantizar que nuestras parroquias cumplan con la capacitación en materia de protección de niños y jóvenes. La OPMA también es auditada cada año por una firma independiente contratada por la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de los Estados Unidos (USCCB) para verificar su cumplimiento. El año pasado, se capacitó a un total de 7.877 menores y se realizaron 1.302 verificaciones de antecedentes de nuevos empleados y voluntarios. Además, la arquidiócesis llevó a cabo 303 sesiones de capacitación grupal.

This past January, I was blessed to participate in Project Homeless Connect. I was present, not only to support our own Catholic Social Services, but also to become more aware of other resources provided to assist the homeless.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Recently, I was with my brother bishops on retreat. Within the retreat schedule, there is always time set aside to celebrate the Sacrament of Confession. One of the bishops mentioned, “He stopped going in the mirror for confession, because he was far too hard on himself with his penances.” Of course, we as bishops do not go to ourselves for the celebration of the sacrament. We need, like you, to also go to a bishop or a priest to celebrate this wonderous sacrament of love and mercy. I truly appreciate the opportunity to celebrate this sacrament in my own life.

The Church celebrates the Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes on Feb. 11. Pope St. John Paul II declared this feast day as World Day of the Sick. He stated that this World Day of the Sick is “a special time of prayers and sharing, of offering one’s suffering for the good of the Church and of reminding us to see in our sick brothers and sisters the face of Christ who, by suffering, dying and rising, achieved the salvation of humankind.”

I was honored to participate in the closing liturgy and ceremony for Sr. Thea Bowman’s Cause for Canonization in the Diocese of Jackson, Miss. on Feb. 9. This was the end of the diocesan phase of collecting the documentation and narrative of the life of the Servant of God, Sr. Thea. The multiple boxes of materials were sealed and are to be sent to Rome, continuing the process of this Servant of God on the path to becoming a canonized saint.

“Even now says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart” (Joel 2:12). On Ash Wednesday, we will hear this Word of God and His Lenten challenge to each one of us. We are to be intentional in acting upon the daily graces of this sacred season and to live the Lenten challenge, “return to the Lord with your whole heart.”

The Church celebrated World Day for Consecrated Life on Feb.1. The World Day for Consecrated Life is celebrated near the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, on which many who are professed members of consecrated life, renew their commitment of consecrated love for Jesus in service to the Church.

Last month, I was blessed to celebrate Mass at Catholic Social Services. Besides staff members, children and adults with disabilities and their parents also attended. They were having a retreat day and participating in a service project to help those in need.

As we celebrate a new year, we may be resolved to live New Year’s Resolutions. How often I have found myself and others making New Year’s Resolutions of having a better diet, exercising daily or managing time better. The list could go on and on.

During the Christmas season, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. A tradition in my immediate family was to have in one’s name, the name of Jesus, Mary or Joseph. I had one last chance to do this when I received the Sacrament of Confirmation. I chose St. Joseph as my Confirmation patron saint and always appreciated this family tradition of honoring one of the members of the Holy Family as a beautiful personal connection with the Holy Family.

Hope does not disappoint” (Rom. 5:5). This Word of God is proclaimed by St. Paul in his epistle to the Romans. We are called to reflect more fully upon living and practicing the Christian virtue of hope in this Jubilee Year of Hope. The late Pope Francis addressed the entire Church, “For everyone, may the Jubilee be a moment of genuine, personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, the ‘door’ of our salvation, whom the Church is proclaimed always, everywhere and to all as ‘our hope.’”

During December, we celebrate our archdiocesan patronal feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Dec. 8) and the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec. 12). As a Church, we celebrate Mary as the mother of Jesus and our mother, as well as a model disciple of the Lord.

The first Sunday after I was installed as Archbishop, I celebrated a Confirmation Mass at Prince of Peace Parish in Mobile. The Mass and reception were beautiful experiences of those who were confirmed being lifted up in love and prayer.

October was Respect Life Month. This month heightened our awareness to respect the sacred value and dignity of all human life, from conception to natural death, as well as to advocate for human life, at every stage, to be protected and safeguarded.

I recently was with my brother priests at our annual convocation. We meet yearly so we may have time together to discuss relevant issues and foster priestly support and collaborate on how we can be more effective in ministering to the people of the archdiocese of Mobile. As I stated previously, I cannot shepherd this archdiocese alone. I am blessed by the help of our generous and dedicated priests. They serve with Christ’s priestly heart and live His pastoral care of love and compassion for those they serve.