Meetings with pope and Vatican leaders, visits to sacred sites top ‘ad limina’ highlights for Bishop Bootkoski
By Rayanne Damiano
Editor-in-Chief
Spiritually stimulating, steeped in tradition and chock full of one meeting and activity after another, Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski’s recent ad limina visit to Rome and Castel Gandolfo, Italy, was a reflection of the experience of Church itself.
In its most pragmatic
sense, the ad limina visit,
which is required of all
bishops every five years,
was like “reporting in to
headquarters,” Bishop
Bootkoski shared in a
recent interview with The
Catholic Spirit. The
heads of seven New
Jersey and eight Pennsylvania
dioceses (including
Eastern rite eparchies)
met with the Holy Father and representatives
of several curial offices in the
Vatican and together addressed important
issues and problems. Each brought with
them a copy of their quinquennial report,
which updates the Vatican on the status of
each diocese.
At the same time, ad limina, which literally means “to the steps”, was an exercise in the tradition that has long been observed in service to the unity that binds the world’s Catholics. Every five years, each bishop is to visit the steps of the tombs of Sts. Peter and Paul, where they sign a registry certifying their visit.
Perhaps most importantly, it is through these visits that many bishops are renewed in spirit and sense of mission, bolstered by their personal meeting with the Holy Father, their shared celebration of daily Eucharist and their experience of the heart of the Church as it works to live the Gospel mandate.
While Bishop Bootkoski had participated in the ad limina in his previous role as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Newark, it was his first time as the ordinary of a diocese. He commented that his meeting with Pope John Paul II was“thrilling,” adding that the pope was “very warm and most gracious.”
The bishop stated, “You know you’re in the presence of a holy man; I automatically felt an incredible sense of awe and respect.
“It’s clear that he is suffering, that he is in real pain. He really does offer an example to all people who are aged and infirm, that life can still be fulfilling – that you have to enter into it as best you can,” Bishop Bootkoski stated.
In his discussion with the pope, Bishop Bootkoski remarked that it had been the Holy Father who established the Diocese of Metuchen. “I asked for his prayers that we might have more vocations, that we might be a holy Church and that we might live the Gospel message here in Metuchen,” the bishop explained.
For his part, the pope wanted to know about the programs in place to work with youth; what the diocese was doing to foster vocations, and what measures were in place to support women in ministry.
During the curial visits, the 33 bishops in attendance from the region met with the congregations for the laity, the clergy and worship and Sacraments. Bishop Bootkoski recalled that among the top concerns addressed was the way that the Church in the United States was handling clergy sex abuse cases. “They offered us their support and insight,” the bishop remarked.
Setting this ad limina visit apart from those made by other regions’ delegates was the inclusion of leaders from several Eastern rite churches, including those of the Ruthenian, Ukrainian, Romanian and Syrian rites. “It was a very rich experience to spend time with them,” the bishop said, recalling the pope’s description for the Eastern and Western churches as the“two lungs of the Body of Christ.”
Adding to the experience, according to the bishop, was the ability to spend time in Assisi the week before the official visit. Traveling with Msgr. William Benwell, vicar general and moderator of the curia; Lori Brower, chancellor, and Msgr. Michael J. Alliegro, director, Office of Worship, the bishop made his third visit to the home of St. Francis.
During that week the group took day trips, including visits to Florence and Norsia, the birthplace of St. Benedict.
The bishop, who has a special devotion to St. Benedict, stated, “It was wonderful to experience the place where Benedict was born.”
One of the most significant impressions that Bishop Bootkoski came away with was the affirmation of how unique the Catholic Church is among the religions of the world.
Unlike many churches, he said,“We do not have a caste system. In our worship, you can have a man with tattered clothes standing beside the most elegantly dressed person, and we’re all one family.”
The bishop added, “When you’re there, at the heart of it all, and you know that every bishop of every diocese around the world makes this same visit, it really moves you. There is no other church that is so international in scope.”
Considering the challenges that a bishop of one diocese has in ministering to all of the clergy, religious and laity that make up his flock, the bishop observed, it is truly a sign of God’s grace that the Church and the Holy Father are able to keep this worldwide family together.
Bishop Bootkoski stated, “In the
past two and one-half years, there have
been moments of frustration for me in
trying to reach all of our local communities.
It sometimes felt like I was trying
to keep a machine with 108 wheels rolling.
You have such extremes in people
and you have to work hard at listening to
all of them.
*The attached/referenced article was originally published in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and is protected under U.S. and international copyright law