Pope Benedict XVI is certainly doing his part to help us observe this historic year dedicated to the witness and teachings of St. Paul the Apostle. On Aug. 29, the pope’s second book of spiritual thoughts was published. It was entitled Saint Paul, a book featuring quotes and reflections about Paul from our Holy Father. It is part of a series of books which hopefully will help us Catholics become a little bit more acquainted with our chief shepherd and also return to the Bible as a source for our parish and personal renewal. This book is especially timely given the jubilee year of St. Paul which began this year on June 28 and will end next year on June 29, the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.

In Rome, of course, the center for pilgrims coming to honor St. Paul will be the major basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. Many events will take place there to mark this year of jubilee. There will be educational exhibitions about St. Paul’s journeys and preaching. Many large pilgrimages will be welcomed in the basilica. Christian unity week from Jan. 18 to 25, 2009 will be celebrated with a great spirit of ecumenism. The Benedictine monks who care for the basilica will regularly make available information sheets about the Letters of St. Paul. Special stamps have already been issued by the Vatican and commemorative medals are being minted at the Vatican to mark the bi-millennium of the birth of St. Paul.

In an earlier column this past summer I offered some suggestions about the way parishes might mark this year of jubilee. I also stated that there will be special observances here in the archdiocese whereby we will honor the memory of St. Paul and celebrate the jubilee together. It is my plan to be able to visit all three churches in the archdiocese named after St. Paul and to preside at special jubilee celebrations in these communities. These gatherings have now been arranged and I am pleased to inform you about them.

St. Paul was really the first great missionary of the church, bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to the non-Jewish peoples. Every October we remember and support the missionary activities of the church by our prayers, sacrifices and donations. On Sunday, Oct. 12, I shall be celebrating the 10 a.m. Mass at St. Paul Church in St. Paul. It is there that the seeds of the Catholic faith were first planted in Oregon by missionaries more than 170 years ago. We ourselves were once a missionary church. On that day we shall give thanks to God for missionaries who have come to work in Oregon in support of our own evangelizing mission and for the missionaries who we have sent to other nations to help spread the good news.

St. Paul’s journey to holiness led him on many detours in his early life. A beautiful painting by the Italian artist Caravaggio depicts St. Paul’s conversion on the way to Damascus. Interestingly, he was actually on his way to persecute more Christians when he fell to the ground dazzled by divine light. He quickly changed sides and followed Jesus without giving it a second thought. Every year the church celebrates the feast of his conversion on Jan. 25. It will be a Sunday in 2009 and I am asking all the parishes to celebrate the Mass of the feast instead of the Mass of the Sunday. United in prayer, we will acknowledge that for us true conversion is likewise necessary, one that is life-long and ongoing until the day we die.

Lent is always a special season of grace and renewal in the lives of Catholics. It is an intense time of preparation for those preparing to be received into the church at Easter. On March 15, the third Sunday of Lent, I shall journey to Silverton and celebrate the Eucharist with the people of St. Paul Church. Like Paul, we too have been called to be missionaries. But we will be successful only if we ourselves turn away from sin and are faithful to the gospel, as we are reminded every Ash Wednesday. I am asking that all our parishes will make the sacrament of Reconciliation generously available throughout Lent, before Holy Week, particularly during that third full week of Lent following my gathering with the Catholic parishioners of Silverton and their guests.

Finally, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul is observed each year on June 29. In 2009 this will occur on a Monday. I shall anticipate that feast with the people of St. Paul Church in Eugene on Sunday, June 28, at the 10:30 a.m. Mass. It will be the solemn closing of the Pauline Year for us in the archdiocese. It will give us an all an opportunity to thank God for having called Paul to be the apostle to the Gentiles and the teacher of all God’s people, especially ourselves.

Earlier, our Chancellor, Mary Jo Tully, announced the fact that Pope Benedict XVI has granted a plenary indulgence from temporal punishment for our sins on certain occasions during the Pauline year. To make oneself available for the indulgence the sacrament of Reconciliation must be received, Communion must be received and special prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father must be offered. Here in the archdiocese I grant permission for these indulgences to be received on the four Sundays cited above, namely, Oct. 12, Jan. 25, March 15 and June 28 in the three churches dedicated to St. Paul here in this archdiocese. On Jan. 25 and June 28 the indulgence may be received in all parishes where the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul and Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul are being observed.

It remains uncertain when the conversion of St. Paul actually took place. It would seem that it was a few years after the Lord’s resurrection and shortly after the founding of the first church in Jerusalem which had been set up around St. Peter with the other apostles. We do know that Paul traveled extensively throughout the world of his day. He was the one largely responsible for opening God’s covenant to people of all nations. With his death in Rome, the story did not end. We remain grateful for his own personal missionary activities and for the many missionaries who were inspired by his apostolic zeal. During this Year of Jubilee we pray that we too will be more effective in our call to be disciples in mission together, proclaiming the good news by word and deed and building the kingdom of God here in our own beautiful world of western Oregon.