{"id":25457,"date":"2023-09-27T17:08:32","date_gmt":"2023-09-27T21:08:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fallriverdiocese.org\/?p=25457"},"modified":"2023-11-07T19:33:57","modified_gmt":"2023-11-07T19:33:57","slug":"bishops-blog-coming-together-for-special-occasions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fallriverdiocese.org\/es\/bishops-blog\/bishops-blog-coming-together-for-special-occasions\/","title":{"rendered":"Coming Together for Special Occasions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\nLast Sunday, September 24, 2023, it was a joy for me to celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Mary’s Cathedral, observing several milestones in my life of ministry, including the 41st anniversary of my Priestly Ordination, the 20th anniversary of my Episcopal Ordination, and the 9th anniversary of my Installation as Bishop of Fall River. What a great blessing to have achieved this point in my life; for this day, and every day in which God allows me to continue to serve His Church, I am incredibly grateful.
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September 24, 2023, Mass of Thanksgiving: View Video Here.<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n


\nTo commemorate all of these important moments in my life, I spent time rereading the homilies I offered at the Masses, celebrating those events all those years ago. For my homily on Sunday, I selected certain phrases or thoughts that I felt exemplified a common thread between them all. I invite you to watch the entire homily in this video of Sunday\u2019s Liturgy <\/span>here on the Fall River Diocese YouTube<\/span><\/a> page. Don\u2019t worry; I didn\u2019t share them all in their entirety.  <\/span>
When I became a priest, on my remembrance card was written, \u201cIt is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me\u201d (Galatians 2:20). Then, during my first Mass of Thanksgiving in Brazil, I said the priesthood does not transform my littleness into greatness, it does not change my limitations into abundance, it does not super-nationalize or divinize my humanity, but it was in littleness and limitations that God called me to serve. It was in my yes to God that I found, and still do today, happiness, meaning, and fulfillment in life. <\/span>

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\nWhen I was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark twenty years ago, during my official announcement, I said, \u201cI want immigrants to know that I am one of them, one with them, and one for them. Just like St. Paul said, \u201cTo the weak, I became weak to win over the weak; I have become all things to all, to save at least some.\u201d Then, at the Ordination, during that ceremony in Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, I thought, what am I doing here? And then a voice from God within me said, \u201cI called you here, and I brought you here.\u201d It was clear to me, and I hoped all who were present there would also see that it was all God\u2019s doing; I was there because of Him. Also, on that day, we made history as I was the first Brazilian to become a bishop in the United States and the first Vocationist priest to become a bishop.
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\nNine years ago, in our Cathedral of St. Mary, I gave thanks to the Lord for the gift of the Diocese of Fall River, the gift of its faithful people. I thanked the Lord for the mission of leading his people on the journey of faith and the path of holiness. The motto for my ordination as a bishop is, \u201cMy grace is enough for you,\u201d as I referenced then and repeat now., I received a card right before my installation. The card read, \u201cLife isn\u2019t about waiting for the storm to pass; it is about learning to dance in the rain.\u201d We shall walk together in faith and hope, sharing our faith with each other, always entrusting in the Lord\u2019s words and the promise He made to us.\u201d I keep those words alive always in my mind and in my heart as I continue to accept God\u2019s call to lead the Diocese of Fall River; it is a continued partnership with God. St. Paul said, \u201cIt is by God\u2019s grace that I am what I am.\u201d I, too, by His grace alone, have been gratefully brought to this place in my life.
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Among those at the celebration were Liz and Russ Ruggiero of New Jersey. Our friendship goes back to my time at St. Nicholas Parish in Palisades Park, N.J., where in 1986 -during one Mass- I not only celebrated their wedding but also baptized Liz, celebrated her confirmation, and gave her First Holy Communion. It was a wonderful surprise to see them join me for this celebration in Fall River on Sunday.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n


\nThank you to all who were able to attend and to all who worked so hard to put together the beautiful Liturgy and wonderful reception, which the rainy weather could not dampen. I humbly ask for your continued prayers, and please know of mine for each of you. <\/span>

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Photo Source: Sister L\u00edria Grade, FSP (Facebook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

National Meeting of the Brazilian Apostolate<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Last week, the three regions of the National Brazilian Apostolate, of which I am the Episcopal Liaison, came together in Billerica for our first gathering in five years. It was truly wonderful to finally have this opportunity to be in person for three days of presentations, meetings, and worship as a community. The delegates in attendance from the 62 Brazilian communities across the United States were a combination of clergy and laypersons. Included in attendance were Bishop Adilson Pedro Busin, Bishop of the Diocese of Tubur\u00e3o, Brazil, who came to the United States for the PBE meeting, and Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski, C.Ss.R. from the Archdiocese of Baltimore.<\/span>
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Photo Source: Apostolado Brasileiro (Facebook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The fruit of our laborers generated three main priorities for the Apostolate:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n