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Less than a week before his official installation as the eighth archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Robert W. McElroy celebrated Ash Wednesday Mass on March 5 at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington. During the service, he encouraged attendees to "let God into the areas of our lives where we find it difficult to do so."
Cardinal McElroy emphasized the importance of Lent as a time for deeper conversion, stating, "Jesus calls us to deeper conversion during this period of time, and I think for most of us the great dilemma we face is not whether we open ourselves to God, but rather whether we reserve parts of our lives where we do not let God in."
This was Cardinal McElroy's first public Mass in the archdiocese since being appointed by Pope Francis on January 6 to succeed Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory. His installation is scheduled for March 11.
Cardinal Gregory, now serving as apostolic administrator for the Washington Archdiocese, concelebrated the liturgy with Cardinal McElroy. Addressing those present as "my dear sisters and brothers," Cardinal McElroy reminded them that Christ accompanies them on their Lenten journey.
He acknowledged that fully conforming to God's grace can be challenging but urged everyone to strive towards it during Lent. He stated, "Lent is the time to also understand that in our failures in life...it is Christ who stands by our sides."
Approximately 1,000 people attended the Mass at the cathedral. Cardinal McElroy reassured them that "God only asks us that we do the best we can in the circumstances in which we find ourselves." He recognized that while striving for conversion may sometimes lead to failure, "underneath that all is God’s abiding grace."
At the conclusion of Mass, Cardinal McElroy led a decade of the rosary for Pope Francis' intentions and wished everyone "a wonderful, prayerful Lent" before greeting attendees alongside Cardinal Gregory.
Richard Szczepanowski serves as managing editor of Catholic Standard.
