Archbishop Miller receives Pallium

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On Monday morning, June 29, Most. Reverend J. Michael Miller, C.S.B., Archbishop of Vancouver, received the pallium from Pope Benedict XVI during the Eucharistic celebration in St. Peter's Basilica for Solemn Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.

A text on the meaning of the pallium is found below. The photos attached are courtesy of the Servizio Fotografico of L'Osservatore Romano.

They are first of all shepherds…

A reflection on the pallium

Fr. Thomas Rosica, C.S.B.
L'Osservatore Romano English Edition
July 1, 2009

According to a well-established custom, on the day dedicated to the memory of the Apostles Peter and Paul, the Successor of Peter confers the pallium on the Metropolitan Archbishops appointed during the past year, as a sign of communion with the See of Peter.

The pallium is a small circular band in the form of a stole, marked with six crosses. It is woven of white wool from the shearing of lambs blessed every year on January 21, the feast of St Agnes. The pallium expresses the authority, which in communion with the Church of Rome, the Metropolitan acquires by law in his own Ecclesiastical Province.

This pallium rite dates to the early centuries of the Christian era and offers two meanings for our reflection. First is the special relationship of the Metropolitan Archbishops with the Successor of Peter and with Peter himself. It is from the Apostle's tomb that the pallium receives its power as a symbol: those who wear it must remind themselves and others of the intimate and profound bond with Peter and his mission. This should take place in all circumstances of life, from teaching to pastoral guidance, from the celebration of the sacraments to dialogue with the community. The new Archbishops are called to take a leading role in building up the Church's unity, which is expressed in the profession of the one faith and in fraternal charity. The sign of the Archbishop's authority is not a scepter or crown, but a circular stole made of lamb's wool, evoke the image that he is, first of all, a shepherd who leads by love.

Second, the conferral of the pallium emphasizes the important aspect of the lamb, which offered the wool used for making the pallium. The pallium symbolizes the Lamb of God who took upon himself the sins of the world and gave himself in ransom for humanity. As Lamb and Shepherd, Christ continues to watch over his flock and entrusts it to the care of those who sacramentally represent him. The whiteness of its wool is a call to innocence of life, and with its series of six crosses it reminds us of daily fidelity to the Lord, to the point of martyrdom if necessary. Those who wear the pallium must therefore live an extraordinary and constant communion with the Lord, marked by purity of intention and action and by generosity of service and witness.

In the very moving homily at his Inauguration of Petrine Ministry as Bishop of Rome on April 24, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI spoke these words about the pallium:

"This ancient sign, which the Bishops of Rome have worn since the fourth century, may be considered an image of the yoke of Christ, which the Bishop of this City, the Servant of the Servants of God, takes upon his shoulders. God's yoke is God's will, which we accept. And this will does not weigh down on us, oppressing us and taking away our freedom."

The Holy Father continued: "The symbolism of the pallium is even more concrete: the lamb's wool is meant to represent the lost, sick or weak sheep which the shepherd places on his shoulders and carries to the waters of life. For the Fathers of the Church, the parable of the lost sheep, which the shepherd seeks in the desert, was an image of the mystery of Christ and the Church."

Finally, Benedict summarized beautifully the significance of the pallium: "What the pallium indicates first and foremost is that we are all carried by Christ. …The pastor must be inspired by Christ's holy zeal: for him it is not a matter of indifference that so many people are living in the desert. And there are so many kinds of desert. There is the desert of poverty, the desert of hunger and thirst, the desert of abandonment, of loneliness, of destroyed love. There is the desert of God's darkness, the emptiness of souls no longer aware of their dignity or the goal of human life. The external deserts in the world are growing, because the internal deserts have become so vast."

"…The Church as a whole and all her Pastors, like Christ, must set out to lead people out of the desert, towards the place of life, towards friendship with the Son of God, towards the One who gives us life, and life in abundance."

On June 29, Feast of Peter and Paul, the two great shepherds and pastors of our Church, let us pray that the new Archbishops never forget who they really are: they are first and foremost shepherds. In Benedict's words at the beginning of his Petrine ministry: "The task of the shepherd, the task of the fisher of men, can often seem wearisome. But it is beautiful and wonderful, because it is truly a service to joy, to God's joy which longs to break into the world."

Let us beg the Good Shepherd to help the new Archbishops to grow each day in fidelity to the Gospel and be "examples to the flock" (I Peter 5:3).