Cardinal visits, blesses and thanks St. Thomas More

LINDA REEVES | FLORIDA CATHOLIC PALM BEACH BUREAU EDITOR

Posted: 10.20.09

LINDA REEVES | FC
Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez–Maradiaga talks about the poverty of his country, among the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, during the vigil Mass on Missionary Sunday at St. Thomas More Parish.

BOYNTON BEACH | Busy Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez-Maradiaga of Honduras visited St. Thomas More Oct. 16-18, but he was not on vacation, and he spent little time resting.

“Dear Father Julian (Harris, pastor). Dear sisters and brothers. Thank you so much for receiving me this Missionary Sunday,” he said during a vigil Mass Oct. 17. “I am archbishop in Honduras, a nation that has been in the press and recently because of political problems. I was invited to participate in a retreat with the women of this parish and also to make a missionary appeal.”

Cardinal Rodriguez-Maradiaga, a Salesian and archbishop of Tegucigalpa, spoke at a Friday evening gathering and vigil and Missionary Sunday Masses. He also accepted the role of spiritual guide for the parish’s women’s retreat weekend that included talks, fellowship, prayer and praise and worship.

Cardinal Rodriguez-Maradiaga, who speaks seven languages and holds advanced degrees in philosophy, theology and psychology, is an ardent voice and defender of Catholic social justice and human rights. He holds the title of president and global representative of Caritas Internationalis, a Vatican City-based humanitarian agency, which is an umbrella organization for some 160 Catholic groups that provide development, relief, and social services to the poor in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.

LINDA REEVES | FC
Singers perform on stage Oct. 17 as part of women’s retreat weekend at St. Thomas More Parish in Boynton Beach. Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez–Maradiaga, archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and president of Caritas Internationalis, a humanitarian agency of the Catholic Church, came to the parish and accepted the role of spiritual guide for the retreat.

Cardinal Rodriguez-Maradiaga talked about the poverty of his country, among the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, where according to government statistics nearly 97 percent of the 7 million residents are Catholic. Many have no water. A majority of the population is uneducated, and nearly a quarter of the people live on less than one dollar a day.

He thanked parishioners and Father Harris for the invitation to join the parish and for the parish’s outreach to Honduras over the years. Father Harris leads annual mission trips to the country, however this year due to the political upheaval and violent crisis there, the trip was canceled for the first time.

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