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Most Reverend Salvatore R. Matano
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I'm very grateful to the Holy Father, Benedict the 16th, for his recognition in placing me now as the Bishop of Burlington. I'm very grateful to Bishop Angell who has given me a very warm welcome since I arrived on April 19th for my ordination. I am deeply grateful to the clergy, the religious and laity of the Diocese who also have given me a very warm welcome. I have thoroughly enjoyed my six months here and visiting our many parishes, institutions and agencies. In every occasion I have been deeply impressed by the wonderful faith of the people, their deep loyalty to the Church, their love for the Church, and in all of this I can only thank God for the leadership that Bishop Angell has given to create this wonderful spirit that we have in our Diocese. Do we have challenges and difficulties? Well, I know of no human institution that is without challenge and difficulties. To be human is to have challenges. To be human is to have the ups and downs which cross every life. If we did not have these, we would be walking with clouds under our feet, and for my feet, I find dirt underneath. So we are all people who along life's way face these different challenges. But it makes a big difference when you have wonderful people to walk with you along this path; and since I have come, I have received nothing but genuine support. When I first had a press conference here your faces were not familiar. Now they are very familiar, particularly the staff members who work here at the Chancery Office. You see me on a very regular basis, perhaps a little too regular for your liking, but nonetheless, we crisscross constantly in our different exchanges, always for the good and the mission of this Diocese. So I am very deeply grateful. Those are my immediate feelings: deep gratitude to God, to Bishop Angell, to our Holy Father, and to all of you. And I don't foresee any drastic change between what occurred yesterday and what occurs today and what will occur tomorrow, because I have tried to immerse my life, myself, into the life of the Diocese; and Bishop Angell has been very cordial, inviting me to participate in the life of this Diocese, to be a part of its many parishes and activities. So I will continue to do so, and I hope that my motto: In Unitatem Fidei…as we move toward a Unity in Faith…will be the hallmark of what I do here: to create unity among our people, to help us all work together in our love of God, in our love of the Church, in our love of the brothers and sisters in the human family. I ask for your prayers, I ask for your support, and I ask especially for your continued good work. I know I cannot do this alone, so at this time I have reappointed Monsignor Wendell Searles as the Vicar General. I have reappointed Father McDermott as our Diocesan Chancellor, Father Jordan as our Judicial Vicar. And all diocesan officials, and all consultative boards, councils and committees remain in effect for the present, until such time as they need to be reconstituted. As I said in my remarks at the Ordination on April 19th, I am not the only Catholic in Burlington. I am the Bishop of the Catholic Church in Burlington, which is made up of so many wonderful people. And because I am not the only Catholic, I rely upon your constant support, cooperation and consultation. I think all of us want what is good. Certainly in the life of the Church serious difficulties do emerge. But I do think it is the intent of all people of good will to do the best we can to help one another to know our Lord and to live in peace and in harmony. I know of no person who really enjoys tension or hardship or difficulty. I think all of us, in our lives, try to escape these difficult moments. And the only way we do escape them is with God's support, and with the support of each other. We are by nature relational beings. God gave us eyes to see the other, ears to hear the other, a heart to feel emotion for the other, arms to reach out to the other in benediction. God made us to relate one to the other. He did not make us to live in isolation. And he takes that relationship we enjoy on a human level and he gives it a wonderful dignity as we relate to him as sons and daughters. He gives us the reason why we seek peace, why we seek justice, why we seek communion among believers. These are just some of my thoughts as I approach my ministry here. One always has two options when you face a position like this: to look at all the difficulties, become pessimistic and overwhelmed or to look at all the positive elements and to move on with hope. Well, I firmly believe every diocese wants a bishop filled with hope, who can lead in hope, and know that, yes we might stumble along the way…we might even fall and get very muddy along the way, but we will pick ourselves up, we will go forward, we will do the best that we possibly can. So, together, let us work cooperatively, always conscious that God walks with us. He keeps his promise so faithfully: "Know I am with you always until the very end of time." And this Diocese is so blessed to be under the patronage of our Blessed Mother Mary, under the title of the Immaculate Conception. I invoke her intercession, the intercession of a mother who loves all her children so much, and constantly brings our concerns to the Lord. I was asked when I came here: "Do you think you've been called to lead a sinking ship?" Let me repeat: "The Bark of Peter has known turbulent waters, but in 2000 years it has yet to sink." Sometimes God allows us to suffer because through suffering we become more compassionate, through suffering we become more understanding, and through suffering we become people who really appreciate integrity. Maybe along the way, this Road to Calvary is necessary, but it does lead to the Light of the Resurrection. So God Bless us all. Pray for me as I pray for you, and tomorrow I'll still put on my shoes one shoe at a time. I'll still walk on the ground, and I'll still catch colds - and maybe the flu! I'll still be the person you met on April 19th. And for all the things you like about me, thank my wonderful parents in heaven. Anything you may not like about me, blame me. I did it myself. Because I always had the best of teachers - whether it was my parents, the Sisters and Brothers who taught me, the parish priests, the good example of the bishops that I served in Providence, and especially Bishop Angell, Bishop Gelineau and Archbishop Montalvo. I was here on November 9th in 1992. I accompanied then Archbishop Cacciavillan, who was the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, in what was my second tour of duty. And as I sat there during the course of the installation, I looked at Bishop Angell and I said to myself: "We just never know what life holds in store for us. I never thought you would be in Vermont as its Bishop, because coming from Rhode Island, if we had to travel from Providence to Warwick we thought: "well, maybe we should take out a hotel room and stay over night." But God brings us to different places, and now here I am in Vermont, and I have literally gone from one end of the state to the other, and you know, I do love it very much. A beautiful place - a magnificent landscape, only reflecting the beauty of the people who dwell here. So, what you see is what you get. God Bless. Most Reverend Salvatore R. Matano Becomes 9th Bishop of Burlington Text of Bishop Matano Press Conference Opening Remarks Video
Tape of Press Conference - 11/9/05 Bishop
Matano Curriculum Vitae Bishop
Angell Curriculum Vitae Bishop
Angell – Highlights of Ministry in |
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