July 3, 2005
St. Peter and His Successors
On the feast of Saints Peter & Paul, I attended a beautiful ceremony at St. Patrick’s Cathedral when Cardinal Egan ordained Archbishop Charles Balvo, the titular Archbishop of Castello. Archbishop Balvo was ordained because he has just been made Papal Nuncio or Ambassador to New Zealand and to a number of the Pacific Islands like Samoa. He has been a frequent visitor to Trinity Retreat and was here a week ago making his retreat in preparation for ordination to the Episcopate.
While I was sitting on the side at this beautiful ceremony, I had an opportunity to think about what it means for a person to receive holy orders by apostolic succession. Christ left His divine and sacramental power, including the ability to offer the Eucharist and forgive sins, to ordinary mortal men. He began this on Holy Thursday night at the Last Supper. This power is passed on by Holy Orders with the imposition of hands.
It was particularly moving to me to see that Archbishop Balvo, who I have known for many years as a priest from New York Archdiocese, accepted this holy order and the distinction of being apostolic nuncio with humility and in a very matter-of-fact but devout way. It was very impressive. As we talked the previous week it became clear to me that long ago he believed that he was called to serve Christ as a priest – and that is still exactly what he is doing. In the last eighteen years he served in diplomatic assignments for the Holy See in such diverse places as Jordan, Africa, South America and most recently in the Baltic States, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. It may sound rather impressive to be an apostolic nuncio or ambassador, but for the most part it means assignments in small countries, many times in countries that have small Catholic populations. I’ve learned myself from visiting apostolic nuncios when I was preaching in the missions that it can be for them and their staff a lonely assignment; but it represents a beautiful thing. It represents Christ sending His chosen representative to the most different parts of the world. The Church is not governed by apostolic nuncios or delegates, it’s governed by the local bishops under the Pope. However, the nuncios and the delegates fulfill the very important role of presenting immediately in the local situation the thoughts, authority and apostolic power of the Pope. An ambassador is always a representative of someone else. He does not speak for himself. This is particularly true of someone who is a nuncio, that is, an ambassador for the church.
The Archbishop was ordained by Cardinal Egan representing the Catholic Church in the New York Archdiocese, but also by two nuncios, Archbishop Montalvo, nuncio to the United States and Archbishop Migliore, nuncio at the United Nations. Like all the rest of the priests that were there that day, they are representatives of Christ. This is an extremely solemn and awesome responsibility. Every day it fills my mind with awe that I can represent Christ at the Holy Eucharist. Naturally, being human beings with original sin, no one does this perfectly and we’re very well aware how imperfectly we do it. The Holy Father has as his title both Vicar of Christ, meaning representative of Christ, and at the same time, Servant of the Servants of the Lord. How privileged Catholics should be that we have been given the grace to belong to the church, which is delegated by Christ to His apostles and their representatives.
Had you been at St. Patrick’s Cathedral this Wednesday you would have seen and been impressed by the handing-on of this delegation. Please pray not only for Archbishop Balvo, but also for all of the bishops, priests and deacons of the church that we may solemnly and seriously accept our responsibility. While you’re saying those prayers I would ask for special remembrance of my very dear friend Msgr. Kevin Vann who on July 13 th will be ordained a bishop in Fort Worth, Texas. Here is another modest and dedicated priest of great ability who is called upon to serve the church as a successor of the apostles.
Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR
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