11-28-2015 Anniversary Reflection: Bishop Guided by the Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary
TYLER – On the occasion of the third anniversary of his elevation to the episcopate, which occurred on November 28, 2012, Bishop Joseph E. Strickland has offered this reflection.As I celebrate my third anniversary as Bishop of the Diocese of Tyler, I continue to be in awe of the call I have been given. It goes without saying that I will never be worthy to be your apostle but I do take this call to heart in a powerful way. I am deeply grateful for the wonderful support of the priests, deacons, religious and lay faithful of the diocese. I believe we have taken some significant steps in regard to the mission of Our Lord among us, but of course there is always much more to be done.
As I speak of taking this daunting call to heart, my reflection moves to the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart. My earliest memories include images of the Sacred Heart and you may remember that I dedicated my episcopacy to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart if Mary. I deeply believe that this dedication was inspired by the Holy Spirit and any good I have done in these three years has been inspired and guided by these Holy Hearts.
There are numerous writings regarding these Hearts, from St. Margaret Mary Alacoque to several popes including Pope Leo XIII who consecrated the world to the Sacred Heart. These writings and mystical reflections are beautiful and valuable for deepening our faith. I tend to go back to the image of Mary at the foot of the cross of her divine Son. This scene depicts the Divine Heart of Christ and the sinless human heart of Mary engaged in the saving mystery of salvation that continues to reverberate through the world. It is the scene of love, the greatest power in the world, offering hope to humanity for all time.
On a personal note, I want to share with you some simple prayers that have become part of the rhythm of my life: “O Sacred Heart of Jesus I place my trust in thee.” “O Sacred Heart of Jesus have mercy on me a sinner.” “Immaculate Heart of Mary I ask you pray for me” I offer these simple prayers in the car, in the office, on a plane and on a run, basically anywhere I am. I share them with you with the hope they might become a blessing for you as they have been for me.
Let us pray that these Holy Hearts will guide me as your bishop and guide the mission of the diocese for many years to come.
Let us pray that these Holy Hearts will guide me as your bishop and guide the mission of the diocese for many years to come.
– Bishop Strickland
10-13-2015 Sanctity of Life Banquet: "Love Never Fails"
TYLER – Passionately stressing the value of human life in all stages and underscoring how the love of God can even be seen when the dignity of life is not respected, Bishop Joseph E. Strickland served as the keynote speaker at the first East Texas Sanctity of Life Banquet on Oct. 12 at the Holiday Inn in Tyler.
Almost 300 people of all faith traditions from across East Texas
attended the event. State Representative Matt Schaefer of Tyler
introduced Bishop Strickland.
Bishop Strickland’s complete address can be viewed below.
08-28-2015 Bishop Corrada to visit Diocese of Tyler in September
TYLER – Bishop Álvaro Corrada, SJ, of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, third bishop of Tyler, will visit the diocese in September. Bishop Corrada will celebrate Mass Sept. 11 at 6 p.m. in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Everyone is welcome, and a reception will follow in the Cathedral Center.
Bishop Corrada also will be main celebrant Sept. 13 at the 10 a.m. Mass, at which the Herzig Award will be presented. The award, given to individuals in the diocese for service to others, is named for Bishop Charles E. Herzig, founding bishop of Tyler.
Bishop Corrada was bishop of Tyler from 2001-2011. Born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, on May 3, 1942, he joined the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1960, and was ordained a priest July 6, 1974. He served in parishes in Puerto Rico and New York City, and was pastoral director of the Northeast Pastoral Center in New York.
He was named auxiliary bishop of Washington, D.C., in 1985. In 1997, while still an auxiliary bishop there, he was appointed apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Caguas, Puerto Rico, and served in that position until his appointment to Tyler.
Bishop Corrada brought his Jesuit tendencies with him to East Texas. As bishop, he focused on formation, both spiritual and intellectual, and gave to the diocese his “three processes” of Christian Initiation, Liturgical Renewal and Call to Holiness.
He also began Catholic Charities of East Texas as a response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 and the streams of people who took refuge from the storms in the diocese.
Also under Bishop Corrada, the Diocese of Tyler became a vocations powerhouse, often leading much larger, wealthier archdioceses like New York, Chicago and Biston in numbers of seminarians and ordinations.
He was named bishop of Mayagüez July 6, 2011, and was succeeded as bishop of Tyler by Bishop Joseph E. Strickland, who had been vicar general and judicial vicar under Bishop Corrada.
Article courtesy of Diocese of Tyler website.
08-15-2015 Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel
An invitation from Bishop Strickland to offer the Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel
Our world today is certainly in great need of heavenly assistance in
the face of grave evils like terrorism, pornography, attempts to
redefine marriage and human sexuality, advancing relativistic and
secular ideology, and, perhaps most egregiously, the killing and
dismemberment of unborn children. Whether intentional or not, the very
foundation of the home as the Domestic Church is being aggressively
besieged. In many places around the globe, Christians are targets of
persecution and even martyrdom. Religious liberty is becoming more and
more threatened not only here in the United States, but internationally
as well.
With these dark shadows in mind, I ask that the prayer to St. Michael
the Archangel be prayed regularly by all the baptized in the course of
their daily lives as they engage in the battle for their eternal
salvation. I particularly desire that this powerful prayer be recited
in the Domestic Church, the family, by the entire household when
possible. Such prayer, propagated across the 33 counties of our diocese
and spread throughout each day will certainly help our world, provide
greater spiritual protection of our homes and communities, and
strengthen us for living as Christian disciples.
The history of the Prayer to St. Michael
is long and rich. Pope Francis blessed a statue of St. Michael in the
Vatican garden and placed the Vatican under the protection of St.
Michael. The power of this particular prayer was also emphasized by
Pope St. John Paul II:
Even if today this prayer is no longer recited at the end of the Eucharistic celebration, I invite all to not forget it, but to recite it in order to obtain help in the battle against the forces of darkness and the spirit of this world.The prayer can fortify us for that spiritual battle about which the Letter to the Ephesians speaks [of]: "Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power."(Ephesians 6:10). And to this same battle that the Book of the Apocalypse refers [to], recalling in front of our eyes the image of St. Michael the Archangel (cf. Revelations 12:7). Surely, this scene was very present to Pope Leo XIII, when, at the end of the previous century, he introduced to the entire Church a special prayer to St. Michael: ‘St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil… ’
I thank you for your prayerful response to this request. May God in
His infinite mercy, and through the intercession of Blessed Michael the
Archangel, deliver us from all evil.
Given at the Diocesan Chancery on August 15, 2015, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Most Reverend Joseph Strickland
Bishop of Tyler
Complete letter in English & Spanish (PDF) / La carta completa en Inglés y Español (PDF)
Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel
Saint Michael, the Archangel,
defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and
snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O
prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into Hell, Satan
and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world, seeking the ruin of
souls. Amen.
