Yesterday Bishop Keehner released a pastoral letter reflecting on the meaning of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for our world today. This letter, titled
Sic Deus Dilexit Mundum, God So Loved the World, helps prepare us for the consecration of our nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which our bishops will make next Friday, on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart.
This is a brief letter, and I encourage all of you to read it. It would be a great thing to read as a family or to discuss among friends. You can find it in English and Spanish at
https://www.scdiocese.org/letter. Along with the letter, there are prayers and devotions that we can pray—and again, I would suggest doing so with our families.
On the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, Friday, June 12, I will celebrate the noon Mass in English as we join our bishops spiritually in consecrating our nation to the Sacred Heart. I hope you will join us.
Magnifica HumanitasSpeaking of documents to read, Pope Leo released his first encyclical on May 25. This is a longer letter, and I did not have time to read it until late last week. The press has spoken a great deal about this encyclical, particularly about how it addresses the topic of artificial intelligence. Unfortunately, this may lead some people to think that the Church is anti-science or is meddling in areas where she does not belong, but that is not the case.
If you read the encyclical—and I hope you will—while it does address AI, its main point is the importance of safeguarding human dignity in a time when the human person is often seen as easily replaceable by technology, and when a person’s value seems to be measured solely by usefulness.
The encyclical, which you can find at
https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html, offers a beautiful presentation of what the Church has taught about the dignity of the human person in times of revolution and change—essentially, the social doctrine of the Church. It then addresses some of the concerns of the modern world, including AI, war, and other scourges of our time.
One of the ways Pope Leo speaks about our human dignity, and our responsibility to respect it, is by reminding us that God is Triune and therefore a communion of persons. Because we were created in His image, being in communion with others is essential to who we are. This was beautiful and timely to read in light of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, which we celebrated yesterday, and therefore I referenced this encyclical in my homily. If you read the encyclical, I would love to hear what you think—or even discuss it with you over coffee.
Together As OneThis week we were notified that the annual diocesan appeal, Together As One, will now begin during Lent instead of in the fall. This change is meant to connect it more closely to Lent, during which almsgiving is an essential practice.
Understanding that many people prefer to give throughout the year, the website
https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=ef6021 will remain active year-round. Here at the Cathedral parish, we will continue to take a monthly second collection at Masses in Spanish and send a monthly reminder through Lines of Faith.
As I said a few weeks ago, we have reached and surpassed our goal this year for the third year in a row, and I hope we will continue to do so.
Thank you for your generosity!