Blog
MAKING CONNECTIONS — A pastoral plan to go forward, together
The preparation for my ad limina visit to the Holy See is well under way.
-Catholic Missourian
In July, I submitted to Rome a 137-page report, which covers the activity of the Diocese of Jefferson City since the last report by Bishop John Gaydos in 2010.
The Latin phrase “ad limina” refers to one of the primary reasons for the visit, to pray at the tombs (the “thresholds”) of Saints Peter and Paul.
The other primary purpose for the trip is to honor the Holy Father’s responsibility of calling us to be in union with the Pope and the rest of the Church.
To do that, I will be meeting with the heads of various offices in the Holy See and Pope Francis in January to report on the state of our diocese.
While my report includes quite a bit of statistics, it is also informed by the four listening sessions we conducted in the diocese last April and May.
In reflecting on those listening sessions and in reviewing the material compiled by the diocesan staff, I will be reporting several key observations to Pope Francis and his officials.