July 15, 2015 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

To be called to be a successor of the Apostles is a great honor, but also a great responsibility. During the week of July 5, the two Bishops-elect, James Massa and Witold Mroziewski, and I spent a week on retreat at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie.

This provided us with a time to reflect on the episcopal ministry by studying the lives of the Apostles. We know something about all of the Apostles. Obviously, we know more about Peter and Paul, who was an Apostle born out of time. However, the 12 do present a variety of persons who were called by Christ, Himself, to establish the primitive Church. They are all intercessors for the continued life of the Church.

During our conferences and discussions, we tried to understand better what the apostolic succession is about and how all of us are called to follow Christ as ministers of the Gospel.

Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.