And now I would like to give the blessing, but first - first I ask a favor of you: before the Bishop blesses his people, I ask you to pray to the Lord that he will bless me: the prayer of the people asking the blessing for their Bishop.

Each encounter with Jesus fills us with joy, with that deep joy which only God can give.

The Church's challenge is staying close to the people, close to the people of the United States, not being a detached Church from the people but close to them, close, close, and this is something that the Church in the United States has understood and understood well.

It grieves me when I see a priest or a nun with the latest model car.

The Cross isn't an ornament, mere symbol. It's the mystery of God's love, that He died for our sins.

And with the grace of Baptism and of Eucharistic Communion I can become an instrument of God's mercy, of that beautiful mercy of God.

We must always walk in the presence of the Lord, in the light of the Lord, always trying to live in an irreprehensible way.