The Call of the Whole Church to Holiness
by Bishop Schulte of New Orleans

In this Holy Year – the Great Jubilee Year of the Lord’s birth and our redemption – the Archdiocese of New Orleans gives thanks to God for the great gifts of the beatification of Father Francis Xavier Seelos, C.Ss.R., the canonization of Mother Katharine Drexel, S.B.S., and the introduction of the Cause for Sainthood for Mother Henriette Delille, S.S.F. As we celebrate the holiness of these women and this man who lived their lives in our community, it is most appropriate for us to reflect on the call to holiness that God gives to all of us. For this reason, I offer to you, my sisters and brothers in the Lord, this pastoral letter on what the fathers of the Second Vatican Council called “the call of the whole Church to holiness” (Lumen Gentium, Ch. V).

I. The Holiness of Time

The Psalmist writes: “... my trust is in you, O Lord... In your hands is all my time” (Ps 31:15-16). These profound words invite us into the mystery of God’s unbounded love and the mystery of time as well. For both God’s love for us and our earthly days are intimately related. Unlike some Eastern religions and secular views of history, Christian revelation teaches that time has an ultimate meaning in light of God’s plan. Our time on earth is a gift, a stewardship, through which we are to love God and one another. Time is not merely mathematical. Time contains within it the presence of grace and the truth about our lasting end -- life with God.

Each of us is a being in time. We experience the limitations time imposes: aging and death. But it is also in time that we experience the signs of grace: reconciliation and rebirth in the Spirit. The mystery of time, with its limitations and its possibilities for transcendence, serves as the stage on which we act out our primary vocation: the call to be holy. What does this mean? To allow God to lay hold of every part of our being. It is in time, in the everydayness of our existence, that we are called to be one with God. There is no area of our life that escapes the call to be holy. From the moment of our conception to our final breath on earth, our existence is to be an offering rising to our loving God. There is no daily task, no burden so trivial or deep, that is outside the providential hands of God.

The call to be holy in every aspect of our being and each moment of time requires our consecration in the truth. The truth of which we speak is not some abstract teaching but a living relationship with the Word made flesh – Jesus Christ. For it is Jesus who is the truth about the Father as Love and the truth about what it means to be human. Such a truth comes at a great price – the Cross. Jesus as the Truth is also the Way. It is the Cross that leads to that truth which sets us free.

It is the truth of the Cross that gives Eternal Life. Hence, to be consecrated in relationship with Jesus is to live our entire life in the Truth of Love, revealed by the Way of the Cross which alone offers Eternal Life.

It is within this understanding of the holiness of time and our vocation, our call by God to be holy, that we celebrate this Jubilee Year. The Holy Spirit is once again moving over the face of the earth. The Holy Spirit is turning hearts of stone to flesh. There is a renewed sense of hope, a new springtime of Christian life, that is bursting forth. In the words of Scripture: Do you not perceive it?

With utmost confidence in the Holy Spirit, it is my sincere hope that all of us in the Archdiocese of New Orleans will be renewed in this new springtime of Christian life. In order to cooperate in the work of the Holy Spirit, it is most fitting for us to consider prayerfully that which really matters, our call by God to a life of holiness.

In this Pastoral Letter I share with you my hopes for our collective growth in holiness. The life of holiness is one which is grounded in our relationship with God who is holiness itself. This relationship in holiness with God calls for us to be brother and sister to one another in justice and love. Our local faith community has been blessed with three special witnesses of holiness: Mother Katharine Drexel, Father Francis Xavier Seelos, and Mother Henriette Delille. Each of these genuinely holy persons serves as an inspiration in our personal quest to be holy. Finally, I will conclude with a special word to our young people, a word of hope and challenge to help build the civilization of life and love.

II. Holy Scripture: God Is Holy

The call to holiness draws us into the very being of God: “You should be holy, because I, the Lord, am Holy” (Lv. 19:2). The holiness of God is one of utter transcendence.

God is the Wholly Other who lives as the Ancient One in unapproachable light (Dn. 7:13). In thepresence of God who is holiness we experience our creatureliness, total dependence on God, and our unworthiness to be in the divine presence.

The contrast of God’s holiness and our sinfulness is profoundly proclaimed in the book of Isaiah. The prophet receives a vision of the Lord. The temple becomes filled with the Seraphim who cry out, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts... All the earth is filled with his glory!” (Is. 6:3). In the presence of the Lord who is holiness Isaiah proclaims, “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips” (Is. 6:5). One of the angels takes a burning coal and purifies his lips: “See now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged” (Is. 6:7). Isaiah, now purified, accepts the Lord’s invitation to proclaim God’s message to the people.

In the presence of the One who is holy we are filled with a deep sense of awe and fear, and at the same time we are drawn to this Absolute Mystery. Beyond our fear and trembling we also trust that this awesome power is one that can be trusted. Such basic trust is given beautiful voice by the Psalmist:

Under the shelter of those wings the frail children
of the earth will find confidence.
Their senses will be ravished with the
treasure of your house (Ps. 35:8-9).

Basic trust gives way to its perfection, union with the holy love of God.

O God, my whole soul longs for you,
as a deer for running water (Ps. 41:2).

The Old Testament understanding of God’s holiness is one which proclaims the divine transcendence all the while hinting that the Holy One comes to us in Love. The tension of this Otherness and Nearness of God, the God above and the God in our midst, reaches its zenith with the Word made flesh.

III. Jesus: The Beyond In Our Midst

The Holy One who dwells in unapproachable light becomes the Light of the world. The transcendent God who is beyond, in the words of John’s Gospel, now pitches his tent among us. The Eternal Word is spoken in space and time. Holiness takes on a human face in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. The Word becomes flesh and this “new genesis” reveals the truth about God as Suffering Love and the truth about what it means to be human. Holiness is not only the One who is beyond but is now the One who empties himself and takes on our human condition (Phil. 2:5-11).

What is the face of holiness revealed by Jesus? In a world of rebellion, self-promotion and grasping for one’s life, Jesus reveals holiness to be the way of self-donation, humble service in obedience to the Father’s will and the surrendering of life in order to be reborn. The face of holiness shining from the Crib and radiating from the Cross proclaims to the world the only reality which saves – that Love upon Love which prays: “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34).

The Father of all mercies is also the one who receives into His hands the spirit of Jesus (Lk. 34:46). Such a commendation of the Son to the Father does not signal the end but the new beginning of resurrected life: “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but he has beenraised” (Lk. 24:5-6). The disfiguration of Calvary has passed into the transfiguration of Easter with its message of joyful hope.

The crucified and risen Lord must return to the Father (Jn. 16:28). This departure is not to be a cause of grief but a necessary step in the drama of sanctification: “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning” (Jn. 15:26-27).

Jesus returns to the Father and sends the Paraclete to dwell in the hearts of the disciples. Those who live in union with the True Vine are called and sent to continue the work of holiness, the ministry of revealing the Father as Love, Jesus Christ as the True Son, and the living of a life of fraternal charity in the Spirit (Jn .15:1-10). The call to holiness will now be entrusted to the community of faith. Holiness will be the essential ministry of God’s Church: “... you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses... to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

IV. The Church: “One Heart and Mind”

As we leave the Gospels and venture into the balance of the New Testament the call to holiness continues with the church in Jerusalem as well as the various local churches founded by St. Paul.

From the beginning God chose for himself a people to be holy as he is holy. The call to holiness reaches a new level with the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-11). Again a people, a community of faith, is called to holiness. The thread that runs through both testaments of Scriptureis holiness. In First Peter we read: “Like obedient children, do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct, for it is written, ‘Be holy because I am holy’” (1 Pt. 1 :14-16).

The ecclesiastical or church dimension of holiness reveals itself in three interrelated promptings of the Holy Spirit: the preaching of the Gospel (kerygma); the ministry of service to the community (diakonia); and the community gathering in prayer to celebrate the Eucharist (koinonia).

After the descent of the Holy Spirit St. Peter goes forth to boldly proclaim the Gospel: “Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders and signs, which God worked through him in your midst... this man you killed... But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death...” (Acts 2:22-24).

The preaching of the Gospel challenges the community to be servants as Jesus was Servant. As the community grew there arose the need for members to serve within the community. Over time this service expanded to meet the needs of widows and orphans out of love for God (Acts 6:1-7).

The life of holiness is nourished through the supreme act of worship, the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The preaching of the Word and the life of service are completed in the church coming together “to eat this bread and drink the cup” as the sign of our unity in the Lord until he comes (1 Cor. 11:26).

V. Vatican II: The Call To Holiness

Down through the centuries the Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, continues its mission to sanctify. This mission to be holy and call others to holiness is the vocation of each baptized person. In the words of the Council: “Therefore all in the Church, whether they belong to the hierarchy or are cared for by it, are called to holiness, according to the apostle’s saying: ‘For this is the will of God, your sanctification.’ ” (I Th. 4:3; Eph. 1:4) (Lumen Gentium, No. 40).

The universal call to holiness for the whole People of God is one of the most profound developments of the Vatican Council. The specifics of this universal call to holiness finds its most definitive expression in the document Lumen Gentium (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church), Chapter V, “The Call To Holiness.” The Council Fathers highlight six major aspects of our call to holiness.

(1) The call to holiness is not abstract but personal. That is, the call to be holy is addressed to each member of the Church. The call to holiness comes to each person in the uniqueness of his or her personality and circumstance. The very foundation and unity of the Church is the call to be holy.

(2) The individual call to holiness does not isolate but joins together each member into a living community (communio). The Church as communio is governed by the “Law of the Gift.” That is, each member places himself at the service of the whole People of God. As we receive the gift of life so we are to place our gifts at the service of the living Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:1-31).

(3) The perfection of holiness within the communio is charity. We are called to love God with all our being and our neighbor as a living image and likeness of God. This love of God and neighbor extends beyond the Church so “a more human manner of life is fostered also in earthly society” (LG 40). The perfection of holiness in charity unites Church and society in fostering the truth about human dignity.

(4) The call to holiness is one, but the ways to sanctity are many. The call to holiness is not the exclusive obligation of the clergy and religious. Those who are married, single, or widowed are to be holy as God is holy. Each state in the Church carries with it a special set of obligations and opportunities for living service. “Each one... according to his own gifts and duties must steadfastly advance along the way of a living faith, which arouses hope and works through love” (LG 41).

(5) The perfection of holiness is love. And the supreme example of that holy love is martyrdom. The model for such a sacrifice is Jesus Christ. It is Jesus who lays down his life out of love for the disciples in obedience to the Father. Such a witness to love does not come to the majority of disciples in dramatic fashion. Yet “all however must be prepared to confess Christ before men and to follow him along the way of the cross amidst the persecutions which the Church never lacks” (LG 42).

(6) We must continually avail ourselves of the ordinary ways to holiness: “frequently partake of the sacraments, chiefly the Eucharist, and take part in the liturgy;.... prayer, self-denial, active brotherly service and the practice of all virtues” (LG 42). These ordinary means are not as dramatic as martyrdom but they are just as essential “if charity is to grow and fructify in the soul like a good seed...” (LG 42).

What emerges from these six dimensions of holiness is a rich tapestry in which the one call to holiness is diffused throughout the Church. This unity which celebrates diversity finds its way into every state of life. The Church as communio is the blending of the many gifts of the Holy Spirit for the common good. This loving self-donation takes both dramatic and ordinary means toward sanctification. Regardless, in each instance of taking up our cross we become one with Christ as we pass from death to eternal life.

VI. Faces of Holiness: Gifts to New Orleans

While the call to holiness is personal it is not private. We need others, the communio, to provide example, encouragement and the opportunity to grow in sanctity.

The church in New Orleans has been blessed with countless men and women outstanding in holiness. During this Jubilee Year I recommend for your special consideration three faces of holiness. Each are at various stages in the canonization process which involves four steps: Servant of God (a person’s cause for beatification has been approved by the Holy See for investigation); Venerable (the person has lived the cardinal and theological virtues to a heroic degree and private devotion is allowed); Blessed (the person’s life is heroic and there is present a certified miracle from God through this person’s intercession. Limited, local honoring in the liturgy is permitted); and Saint (a papal decree declaring the person lived an heroic Christian life, is now in heaven, and worthy ofimitation by all the faithful). Three faces of holiness for New Orleans are Mother Katharine Drexel, S.B.S.; Father Francis Xavier Seelos, C.Ss.R.; and Mother Henriette Delille, S.S.F.

(1) Mother Katharine Drexel, S.B.S. (1858-1955). Katharine Drexel was a Philadelphia-born banking heiress who used her vast fortune to build schools for native Americans and African-Americans. Much of her good work was done in our city and state. Katharine was a woman of power and privilege who devoted her life in imitation of Christ to the powerless and poor.

Katharine Drexel, under the influence of some missionaries working with Native Americans, responded to God’s call to religious life (in spite of the initial hesitancy of her bishop). In time Bishop O’Connor, the bishop of Pittsburgh, turned from discouragement to encouragement: “You have decided to become a religious. The next thing for you to determine is whether you shall establish a new order for the Indian and Colored people.”

Mother Katharine Drexel founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. At the center of this religious order is Mass and the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The Eucharist is the Sacrament which celebrates the Paschal Mystery of Jesus and the unity of all peoples. The various apostolates of the Sisters flow from this spiritual foundation: the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus celebrated in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This spiritual foundation served to unite all peoples into the one family of God.

The presence of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament has greatly blessed the City and Church in NewOrleans. To be specific, Xavier University was the first and only Catholic institution in the Western Hemisphere for the higher education of black people. Katharine’s legacy of educational and spiritual excellence has grown with the passage of time.

On Jan. 27, 2000, the canonization of Blessed Katharine Drexel drew closer to realization. Pope John Paul II declared that a healing through the intercession of Blessed Katharine was miraculous. This is the second such miraculous healing which meets the requirements set by the Church. Her canonization will take place this year on Oct. 1. Mother Drexel will be the fourth American saint (March 3 is her feast day).

A Philadelphia newspaper remembered Blessed Katharine in the following manner: “One of the most remarkable women in the history of America was called home to God yesterday... She belongs so truly to all America, but especially to the poor and forgotten people of the land – our Indians and Negroes. She was indeed a heroine of God.”

(2) Father Francis X. Seelos, C.Ss.R. (1819-1867). The second face of holiness for New Orleans came from a distant shore – Germany. Early on the young Francis wanted to be a priest. He was deeply moved by a series of stories which told of the spiritual needs of German immigrants in the United States. In order to respond to this need, Francis Seelos entered the Redemptorist community (Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer) and sought permission to serve as a missionary in America.

Father Seelos came under the influence of St. John Neumann, who became the Fourth Bishop of Philadelphia. St. John Neumann was the superior of one of the Redemptorist missions where Father Seelos served. It was St. John Neumann who introduced Father Seelos “to the active life” and “he guided me as spiritual director and confessor.”

Father Seelos gained a wide reputation as an understanding confessor and prudent spiritual director. He became known as “ The Cheerful Ascetic.” His profound biblical preaching and life of holiness attracted large numbers of people to the Church in many parts of the United States.

In 1865 Father Seelos came to St. Mary’s Assumption parish in New Orleans. In 1867 a yellow fever epidemic spread throughout the city. Father Seelos distinguished himself with his selfless ministry among the sick and dying. Father Seelos contracted yellow fever on Sept. 17, 1867 and died Oct. 4, 1867. Although he was only 48 years old, Father Seelos’ witness to holy love transcended the boundary of time. A huge crowd attended his funeral at St. Mary’s Assumption Church, where his remains will be reserved in an appropriate shrine for veneration by the faithful.

Father Francis X. Seelos, C.Ss.R. was declared “Blessed” by Pope John Paul II on April 9, 2000 in Rome. He moves a step closer to sainthood. The priestly example he left to our city and Church is one that can serve to inspire others to respond to the call to holiness in the vineyard of the Lord.

(3) Mother Henriette Delille, S.S.F. (1812-1862). Henriette Delille was born into a pious Catholic family the same year as the Battle of New Orleans. She was a free woman of color who descendedfrom slaves. Delille grew up in antebellum New Orleans in which that “peculiar institution” slavery was accepted. Those who attempted to help the slaves were considered dangerous, especially those who tried to bring education and spiritual formation.

Delille was able, with God’s grace, to transcend the moral blindness of the times. She saw, with the eyes of faith, fellow human beings in need of love. After gathering a large group of women around her, she began to lay the foundation of her life’s work in being “Servant of Slaves.” Henriette and her group of pious Catholic women went through various stages of recognition on the way to becoming a formal religious community. It was not until 1869 that the community obtained a formal religious rule of life. Long before, however, she had formed the Association of the Holy Family (1847).

The Sisters of the Holy Family, founded by Mother Henriette Delille, devoted themselves to the poor through various spiritual and corporal works of mercy: instruction, counsel, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and an enduring presence among the enslaved. Mother Delille and her Sisters brought Christ’s love which broke the chains of inhumanity.

At the present time Mother Delille is considered a “Servant of God.” The Vatican has formally approved an investigation into her cause for canonization and authorized a serious study of her life and virtue. The timeliness of her cause has been endorsed by all the American bishops. While the process goes forward, we in New Orleans continue to be blessed by the love and vision of Mother Henriette “whose obscure and retired life has nothing remarkable in the eyes of the word, but is full of merit before God” (Obituary notice, Nov. 16, 1862).

VII. To Our Youth: “Be Not Afraid”

To my young sisters and brothers in our Archdiocese I want to proclaim again those words of Jesus, words so loved by our Holy Father Pope John Paul II: “Be not afraid.” These were the first words spoken by the Pope after his election. A great work awaited him. A great work awaits you! Accept the call to grow in holiness and help renew the face of the earth. This may seem like a task too great for you. It is not. God’s grace working through you will accomplish more than you can ever imagine.

Last November at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. a massive marble art work covering the rear wall was unveiled entitled, “The Universal Call to Holiness.” Two major themes speak to us as we view this powerful portrayal. I believe that this great work speaks especially to young people as you try to rise above so much that would manipulate and control your lives.

(1) At the center of the sculpture is a dove representing the Holy Spirit. Massive wings outstretched with rays of light pouring out cover figures representing all the peoples of the earth. Today we are all too painfully aware of what divides us. The challenge God gives us is to acknowledge what unites us as the one family of God. God tells us that each of us is a living image of God. All of human life is deserving of respect. All women and men are called to holiness. Defend the holinessof human life from conception to natural death. Respect the dignity of all peoples. Be not afraid to help build a civilization of life and love. Turn away from the culture of death that pervades our society and which is such a snare and a delusion. Dare to be consecrated in the truth about the giftedness of all life. Yes there will be opposition. Yes, there will be the cross. But remember the words of the Polish poet Cyprian Neuroid: “Not with the Cross of the savior behind you, but with your own cross behind the Savior.”

(2) In the middle of the figures in the sculpture representing all humanity we find Mary. How appropriate! For Mary is the model for Christian holiness. She is the one who is totally open to the Word. It is through her “yes” of faith that God takes on a human face and the definitive act of salvation begins with that Word becoming flesh (Jn. 1:14). None of this was easy for Mary. St. Luke tells us that Mary was “deeply troubled at the angel’s words” (Lk. 1:29). But the angel Gabriel also told her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God” (Lk. 1:30). These words are for you. Yes, you too are called to bring the Word to the world. Bring forth the Word in your lives as the Word was enfleshed in Mary. You too have found favor with the God whose “mercy is from age to age ... has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant ... thrown down rulers ... but lifted up the lowly ... filled the hungry with good things ... the rich sent away empty ... and remembered his mercy, according to his promise...” (Lk. 1:47-55).

Young people, you are precious to the Lord. Therefore, you must be precious to this Archdiocese and a source of great hope for the Church and world. Open yourselves to that Someone who drives out all fear (1 Jn. 4:18). And who is that Someone? In the words of Pope John Paul II: “Someone exists who holds in His hands the destiny of this passing world, someone who holds the keys to death and the netherworld (Rev. 1:18), someone who is the Alpha and the Omega of human history (Rev. 22:13) ... And this Someone is Love (1Jn. 4:8,16) – Love that became man, Love crucified and risen, Love unceasingly present among men. It is Eucharistic Love. It is the infinite source of communion. He alone can give the ultimate assurance when He says ‘Be not afraid!’”

VIII. Commencement: Witness To Holiness

The call to holiness is as much an aspiration as a vocation, a present challenge as well as a future perfection in heaven with God and the full communion of saints. Since it is an aspiration, we must continue our earthly pilgrimage in faith, united in love, and moving ever closer to that hope which does not disappoint.

During this Jubilee Year, this time of grace, it is fitting that we as a holy, priestly, and prophetic people be renewed in the Holy Spirit. Our Archdiocese has been richly blessed by the Father who is the source of all that is good. It is only right that we who have been blessed share our blessings with others.

Let us as the People of God grow in that holiness which is forgiving, healing, generous, life giving, and ever faithful to the One who is holiness itself. In the everyday activities that structure our lives and within the relationships that help us to grow in our humanity, let us be instruments of God’s sanctifying grace. Let us be for each other rich gifts of encouragement in our common life of holiness.

My prayer for each of you during this Jubilee Year finds expression in the words of the Apostle Paul:

I ... urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace... (Eph. 4:1-3)

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