Bishop welcomes eighth graders to cathedral for special Mass

Bishop Michael W. Fisher continued the tradition of inviting eighth grade students to St. Joseph Cathedral for a special Mass specifically for them. Twenty-four Catholic schools filled up the cathedral on Oct. 22, the feast day of St. John Paul II.

“My brothers and sisters, this is a day I look forward to every year. I welcome you to our cathedral, our mother church here in the Diocese of Buffalo,” Bishop Fisher said, promising to talk a little about the history of the church later.

In an act reminiscent of that day’s Gospel reading (John 21:15-17), Bishop Fisher asked Father Michael LaMarca, one of six priests concelebrating, if he loved Jesus … three times. Father Lamarca said he did, by the way.

The bishop then asked the students the same question one by one as he walked up the center aisle.

“I love this Gospel,” he told the students. “Today we celebrate this wonderful memorial of St. John Paul II. Some of us may remember St. John Paul II. … He was a pope who just loved the Lord and he loved the Church and he loved the people he was called to serve. His line goes all the way back to St. Peter, to whom Jesus asked the same question as always: Love Me. Feed my sheep. Take care of my lambs. In other words: love me, be of service to others and love them.”

The bishop explained that in English, Jesus asked if St. Peter loved Him, to which he said yes. But in Greek, Jesus asks about the agape form of love, “that kind of love that Jesus ultimately shows us when He dies on the cross and gives His life for us. It means I will give my all for you. I will give my everything, even my life,” he told the students. 

Peter replied with the term for brotherly love – phileo.

“Jesus tries to pull him into a deeper understanding of who He is and what He is about. … Ultimately we know that St. Peter will do this.”

 Fulfilling his promise to talk about the cathedral, Bishop Fisher told how Bishop John Timon founded St. Joseph Cathedral in 1851 so the people of Buffalo could come forth and express their love for God. He even opened the doors during its construction to house those displaced from their homes during a devastating storm.

“Bishop Timon invited them to come into these walls that weren’t finished yet, to provide shelter for them until they could get themselves back on their feet. We have our brothers and sisters in North Carolina and Georgia and Florida now who are going through the same thing. We hope that there are churches and good people of God, good people of love, taking care of them.”

He went on to detail the artwork that enhances the beauty of the cathedral, such as the stained glass windows depicting the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus, and statues of St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Anthony that sit on either side of the altar.

“There are some wonderful ways in the church that can draw us into prayer and help us to love Jesus the way He wants us to,” the bishop said.

Concluding the Mass, Bishop Fisher told the students, “This is your church. This is our mother church. So, you are always welcome here. … I hope to see you back here.”