The people of the Diocese of Harrisburg’s 98 parishes and missions, and 35 Catholic schools are welcomed and encouraged to meet Bishop Timothy Senior this summer as he begins his pastoral ministry with a series of Masses in each Deanery.
Installed as the Twelfth Bishop of Harrisburg on June 21, Bishop Senior is celebrating public Masses this summer in each Deanery of the Diocese. He began the summer pastoral visits on July 18 with the celebration of Mass at Holy Name of Jesus Church in Harrisburg.
The Mass was celebrated on the feast of St. Camillus, which offered an opportunity to reflect on the mission we have as Christians to actively build the faith and to live the Gospel in a way that attracts and evangelizes others simply by our actions, the bishop said.
“We heard St. John speak in the First Reading today something that we’re all familiar with, and that my mother – I don’t know how many times – said to me: ‘Actions speak louder than words,’” he said.
“What this letter of St. John is saying is, let us love, not in words or speech, but in deed,” the bishop said.
St. Camillus, a 16th-century saint, was a convert to the faith and “was brought to discover the presence of Jesus, particularly in the sick…. He was so moved by the presence of Jesus in a person who was ill that he would be asking forgiveness for his own sins because he saw Jesus present there,” Bishop Senior said.
“All of us are called, in one way or another, to live our faith in this way,” he remarked. “As Jesus says in the Gospel, ‘As the Father loves me, so I also love you.’ Remaining in that love of Jesus means living His Commandments…to lay down our life for others.”
He told the congregation that all the words in the world cannot persuade people to a deeper faith or to turn towards God like a powerful example can. “We must live our faith in a visible way, and to recognize Jesus in other people,” the bishop said.
The pastoral visits will continue weekly through the end of August. Families, individuals, clergy and religious are invited and welcomed to attend the Masses, and to greet the bishop following the liturgy.
All Masses will be celebrated at 7 p.m., and some will be available via livestream. See the list below for the schedule of Masses and livestream information.
Tuesday, July 25
St. Joseph Church, Danville
Mass will be live streamed at https://www.youtube.com/@StJosephChurchDanvillePA
Thursday, July 27
St. Joseph Church, York
Mass will be live streamed at https://www.facebook.com/St.Joseph.York/live_videos
Tuesday, August 1
St. Joseph Church, Hanover
Thursday, August 3
St. Joseph Church, Mechanicsburg
Mass will be ASL Interpreted
Mass will be live streamed at https://www.youtube.com/@stjosephmech/streams
Wednesday August 16
Corpus Christi Church, Chambersburg
Mass will be live streamed at https://www.facebook.com/corpuschristichambersburg
Thursday, August 17
St. Cecilia Church, Lebanon
Mass will be live streamed at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064446709455
Tuesday, August 22
Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Church, Elysburg
Mass will be live streamed at https://www.facebook.com/HolyRosaryElysburg
Thursday, August 24
Holy Trinity Church, Columbia
Tuesday, August 29
St. Leo the Great Church, Rohrerstown
Mass will be live streamed at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJpskZ2Iv87l6mNH_NMuPQg
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
