Bishop Tobin's teaching in Youngstown

Youngstown Bishop Teaches on the Eucharist
Bishop Thomas Tobin's promising initiatives and teachings

In the wake of devastating liturgical pastorals issued by Roger Cardinal Mahony, Archbishop Rembert Weakland and Bishop Donald Trautman, Youngstown Ohio bishop, Thomas J. Tobin, has issued a pastoral letter on the centrality of the Eucharist, calling for reaffirmation of the traditional Church teaching on the Eucharist in his diocese.

The Eucharist, he wrote, "is a sacrifice—the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross; it is a sacrament—the real presence of Christ under the forms of bread and wine; it is a meal—the same memorial meal Jesus shared with His apostles at the Last Supper."

He encouraged parishes to "seriously consider re-establishment of traditional practices that foster devotion to the presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament." Bishop Tobin’s pastoral, "The Eucharist: To Be Loved, To Be Lived," calls for priests to use special moments of the liturgical year to specifically address the topic from the pulpit. "We should be especially attentive to children, to be certain that they are receiving clear and direct teaching about the Catholic understanding of the Eucharist," he wrote.

"The celebration of the Mass is the center of the Eucharist," he added. "But it does not exhaust our devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. There are other legitimate devotions to the Eucharist that should be maintained and encouraged. Perhaps, in some ways over the years," he admits, "we have tended to neglect those."

In his letter Tobin emphasized that Mass, Communion, devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, and service to others should be mutually reinforcing. They "should not be exclusive of one another." While the gathering of the community for the Sunday Eucharist is at the center of the Church’s life, "we should not overlook the wonderful tradition of daily Mass, which is expected of our priests and which many of the faithful find to be a source of great comfort in their lives," he wrote.

He praised parishes that maintain Forty Hours devotions or Eucharistic days and commended those who have established a practice of perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. "Some have maintained that the promotion of the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will take away from the centrality of the Eucharistic celebration," he wrote. "In fact, proper devotion to the Blessed Sacrament will inevitably lead to a fuller participation of the Eucharistic celebration."

Tobin also asked parishes to review the way they handle the Eucharist: "Do we carry, receive, distribute and reserve the Eucharist with obvious reverence? Do we remember that ‘The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist?’ (Catechism #1377)... Is our use of language consistent with what we believe about the Eucharist?"

Tobin asked parishes that have the Blessed Sacrament reserved in a tabernacle in a separate chapel to make parishioners aware of the chapel and its purpose. "Visits to the Blessed Sacrament, before and after Mass and on other private occasions, should be encouraged as a way of preparing for the celebration of the Eucharist and of extending its meaning."

Tobin also encouraged parishes to maintain the practice of genuflection as an outward sign of our faith in the Eucharistic presence of Jesus Christ.

Without a doubt

Since his installation as the fourth bishop of Youngstown on February 2, 1996, Tobin, age 52, has proved to be a defender of the Faith with a sensitive yet straightforward and clear approach to teaching in his diocese. Since his arrival two years ago, Tobin has been writing a substantive column for his diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Exponent. His column, "Without a Doubt," has touched significantly upon many controversial issues, including the role of women in the Church, "Always Our Children," the Cardinal Mahony-Mother Angelica controversy and the role of the Eucharist in Catholic life.

Responding to what he sees as a "need for clarity" in Catholic teaching, Bishop Tobin wrote in a Without a Doubt column: "The misunderstanding of Cardinal Mahony’s letter by some reminds us also of the need to be very clear in teaching the Catholic Faith. [The cardinal] points out that the traditional Catholic doctrine about the Eucharist is contained in the very first footnote of the letter." But Tobin emphasized that "the fact that the primary teaching of the Church about the Eucharist has been relegated to a footnote is itself very disturbing to some… The faithful need and deserve a solid and unambiguous doctrinal foundation on which to build their Christian lives."

Bishop Tobin wondered what drives Mother Angelica and others to be so critical of bishops and cardinals of the Church. "Could it be that some members of the Church have become so outspoken, even defiant," he suggested, "because their legitimate complaints about abuses in the Church have not been taken seriously by Church leaders? Their concern about fuzzy teaching or liturgical aberrations have too often been neglected, sometimes even belittled… Church leaders need to address well-founded complaints seriously, or we will continue to see the marginalization of many good people who just care about the spiritual well-being of the Church."

While not as critical as some might want him to be on the homosexualist pastoral "Always Our Children," he pointed out clearly in a Without a Doubt column that the pastoral "is not presented as an official teaching of the Church. In fact, it isn’t even a statement of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, but of one of its committees only."

According to his column, Tobin sees the most flawed element of AOC to be the suggestion that parents adopt a ‘wait and see’ attitude when they learn about their child’s homosexual activity. "This approach has been rightly criticized by some experts," he writes, "who believe that a ‘wait and see’ attitude might be counterproductive, even harmful." Tobin quotes Fr. John Harvey, founder of Courage, who, in his critique of the document, stated "Given the epidemic of sexually transmitted disease, among male homosexuals, advising parents to adopt a ‘wait and see’ attitude to same-sex experimentation among adolescents is an invitation to tragedy."

Tobin believes that the AOC document is "far from perfect," and, he writes, "perhaps after some time and reflection and discussion, an amended version should be considered.

Last October, during the NCCB’s pro-life month, Tobin spoke of abortion as "the foundational issue, the unspeakable crime that paves the way for all the other sins against life." He lamented that after 25 years of prayer, debate and lobbying, our nation continues to allow the destruction of its own children. "Partial birth abortion is especially repugnant," he wrote, "for in this case a baby is killed even after it is viable, even as it is about to be born… It is simply unbelievable that our nation, because of the strident lobbying of just a few extremists, along with the moral blindness of our president, continues to allow this horrible practice."

Tobin also clearly taught that "assisted suicide" is a "practice that preys upon the vulnerability of the good people during the troubled times of their lives. Pain and suffering is an inevitable part of human existence." He reminds his faithful that from the point of view of our Faith, suffering "can also be redemptive."

We need to be alert to the growing acceptance of assisted suicide in our culture, he wrote, and oppose it vigorously. "The Church is most clear in teaching that ‘euthanasia is a grave violation of the law of God since it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human person."

On the subject of the ordination of women to the priesthood, Tobin was equally clear in spelling out the Church’s unequivocal "no!" He wrote, "It is a part of our Catholic Faith that ‘The Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women.’

Ordination to the priesthood is not a matter of "rights," wrote Tobin. No one, he reminds the faithful, has a "right" to any of the Church’s sacraments. "Holy orders, like all the sacraments of the Church, is instituted by Christ and mediated and regulated by the Church according to the will of Christ." This is a matter of Faith, he writes, definitively taught by the Church. "Catholics are obliged to understand and accept this teaching, as surely as we accept the teaching of the Church about the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, the Immaculate Conception and the Virgin Birth of our Blessed Mother… In promoting the dignity, rights and contributions of women, the time has come to move beyond the question of ordination to the priesthood or we will be forever gridlocked. The question serves only as a distraction."

The world and the Church should follow the example of Pope John Paul II, Tobin encouraged, in proclaiming and defending the dignity and equality of women.

Simple Resolutions

In a January 23 column this year Tobin provided a succinct list of proposed resolutions for Catholics of his diocese to adopt for the upcoming year.

"Let’s resolve to demonstrate our commitment to human life," headed the list. Tobin urged Youngstown Catholics to get actively involved in battling the steadily eroding respect for human life in our day.

"Let’s resolve to speak to at least one young person about a vocation to the priesthood or religious life": Tobin wondered how many seeds of religious vocations planted by the Lord have not grown because of our neglect. He wrote, "It is so very difficult for a young person to consider a vocation in the Church today. The world has created too many obstacles: secularism, materialism, the breakdown of stable family life, confusion about the teachings of the Church. In this spiritual desert, the Church needs to create an oasis where young men and women can hear clearly the voice of God… and respond with generosity."

"Let’s resolve to respect the liturgy": Although the liturgy is the source and summit of all activities in the Church, Tobin understands that "often… the liturgy doesn’t receive the respect it deserves. He pointed out that only the Holy See may determine the manner in which the liturgy is celebrated, and that "no other person, not even a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority." He added, "even bishops are not allowed to change the liturgy in any way, or to impose their own ideas on the public prayer of the Church.

"So let’s resolve to use the proper books vessels and vestments; let’s follow the rubrics and read the Scriptures and prayers as they’re written; let’s stand, kneel and sit when we’re supposed to; let’s not make up our own rites," wrote Tobin. "I truly believe that every abuse of the liturgy, even the smallest, is an injustice to the People of God."

"Let’s resolve to learn more about our Catholic Faith": Realizing that many adult Catholics "are unfamiliar with some of the most basic teachings and practices of the Faith," the bishop proposed that everyone develop a personal course of study based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the many pastoral letters of Pope John Paul II. Can you name the seven sacraments and the ten commandments? he challenged.

"Let’s resolve to spend more time in personal prayer": Tobin suggested meditating on the mysteries of the rosary, reading Scripture and the lives of the saints. Most valuable, however, wrote Tobin, is prayer before the Blessed Sacrament where we encounter the presence of Christ in an incomparable way."

Vocation Challenges

With candid honesty Tobin outlined the major challenges his diocese faces in his Quinquennial Report including "the alarmingly low number of vocations to the priesthood and religious life; the low number of Catholics attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days; the need for a clearer understanding of the Eucharist; strengthening the religious formation of catechists; and securing the financial stability of the Diocesan Church.

Acknowledging that nourishing vocations to the priesthood are of primary importance, Tobin asked that parishes offer a special vocations Mass at least once a month. According to the Quinquennial Report, out of a Catholic population of 260,541 only 202 diocesan priests serve the diocese, and the median age of all priests is 63. Nine seminarians are studying for the Diocese, up from six men five years ago.

The May 29 issue of The Catholic Exponent ran a bold full back-page ad with the headline: "Were you looking for coverage of the Diocese of Youngstown’s ordinations to the priesthood for 1998?" Beneath a silhouetted caricature of a priest bearing a question mark on his chest is the answer: "There are no ordinations to the priesthood in our diocese this year or next. Please pray for vocations!""

Further, Tobin has been encouraging all Youngstown parishes to hold a special Mass for vocations each month. And although he is a member of the Board of Trustees for Cincinnati’s Athenaeum of Ohio, he does not send his seminarians to the heretical center which trains priests alongside lay people, against the explicit norms of the Church (as reiterated by the Vatican’s recent instruction on the role of the laity in the collaboration with the sacred ministry of the priest).

Tobin also recently convened the religious of his diocese to examine the contents and implications of the Apostolic Exhortation, Vita Consecrata.

The apostolate of the laity

At a time when many bishops and priests busy themselves promoting lay ministry in the from pew to sanctuary, Tobin has been emphasizing the apostolate of the laity in the world, rather than in the church building. During his Chrism Mass homily, Tobin praised five effective lay apostolates he has seen in his diocese over the past two years: pro-life demonstrators who meet every Saturday morning at the local abortion mill; those who are involved in visiting the imprisoned; the couples who teach Natural Family Planning; the "good people who for many years have been a part of the Interracial Council" work for peace amongst the various races in his diocese; and the members of the St. Vincent de Paul Society who provide clothes, food and furniture for those in need.

[ St. Catherine Review ]