By John
Shaughnessy (Assistant Editor, The Criterion)
ST.
PETER’S SQUARE AT THE VATICAN—Father Andy Syberg’s face glows as he shares how
he felt concelebrating the Nov. 20 Mass that ended the Holy Year of Mercy with
Pope Francis, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin and hundreds of priests from around the
world.
“It was
pretty overwhelming,” said Father Syberg, associate pastor of St. Bartholomew
Parish in Columbus, about the outdoor Mass at St. Peter’s Square that drew hundreds
of thousands of people. “I’m sitting
here in St. Peter’s, and there’s the pope, Cardinal Tobin, my brother priests
and all these people celebrating mercy.”
Even more
importantly, Father Syberg said, that celebration of mercy should lead people
back to the source of all mercy.
“Even
though there was the closing of the Holy Door of Mercy, the one thing we should
be sure of is that God’s mercy is sufficient, it endures, and the calling of
the Year of Mercy is something the world needed. Hopefully, it can springboard
us into the future.”
Sunday’s
Mass at St. Peter’s also had an emotional impact on Kimmie Hamilton, who came
to Rome with her father and three of her adult siblings to witness Cardinal
Tobin become one of the 17 new cardinals installed by Pope Francis on Nov. 19.
“Walking
through the Holy Door at St. Peter’s on Saturday was such an incredible
experience, knowing all the graces you receive, knowing you can help other
people,” said Hamilton, a member of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Carmel,
Ind., in the Lafayette Diocese.
“It’s
such a gift to come here with my dad and some of my siblings. Coming here as a
family, especially knowing how important our Catholic faith is to our mom and
dad and our family, is so special. The Catholic faith is based on so many
traditions, and that’s one of the foundations of our family.”
Hamilton
made this trip to Rome—her first—with her father, Jerry Semler, and three of
her six siblings: Michael Semler of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Indianapolis,
Dori Dodson of St. Pius X Parish in Indianapolis, and Jeffrey Semler of Our
Lady of Mount Carmel.
“To see
the Holy Doors close, it was very moving,” said Jerry Semler, a member of St.
Pius X Parish.
Semler wished
that his wife of 56 years, Rosie, could have also made the trip, but a health
issue didn’t make that possible. And their three other children had previous
commitments. Still, it’s been a weekend to remember, especially considering
that it included seeing his close friend, Cardinal Tobin, become a cardinal.
“We’ve
just had a great relationship with Cardinal Tobin,” he said. “And to be here
with four of our kids has been quite an experience for me.”
Father
Jerry Byrd also seemed emotionally overwhelmed when he talked about the
weekend’s events.
“I feel
lucky to be here,” said Father Byrd, pastor of the parishes of St. Ann, St.
Joseph and St. Mary in Jennings County. “I feel real proud of Cardinal
Tobin—and honored to be part of the archdiocese—and to be a priest he inspired.
“To
witness his elevation as a cardinal and to concelebrate Mass with Pope Francis,
it’s all been very neat.”
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