Archbishop-elect Carlson’s first St. Louis homily
St. Louis Archbishop-elect Robert Carlson gives his first St. Louis homily at the Cathedral Basilica at an evening prayer service June 9. Courtesy of the St. Louis Archdiocese.
Archbishop-elect Robert Carlson will be installed Wednesday, but Tuesday evening, he gave his first St. Louis homily homily at an evening prayer service at the St. Louis Cathedral Basilica.
Carlson first asked the 1,000 in attendance to “welcome back” his predecessors - Cardinal Justin Rigali, now of Philadelphia, and Archbishop Raymond Burke, now the supreme justice of the Vatican’s highest court. The faithful did so, to rousing and sustained applause.
Dressed in regal, gold vestments, Carlson spoke of the need for the Roman Catholic church to work with the civic community and other Christian churches to help change the status quo.
“If the civic and business communities provide the body of that engagement, the Church needs to be its soul,” Carlson said.
His installment is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday at the cathedral.
Tim Townsend has been the religion reporter at the Post-Dispatch since June 2004. He previously covered personal finance and consumer news for The Wall Street Journal. He holds master's degrees from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and Yale Divinity School. In 2005 he won the Templeton Religion Reporter of the Year Award, given by the Religion Newswriters Association. 
Heard NPR interview; what a nice and smart man; I often worshipped at new cathedral even under Burke, cause it’s between God and I, dont have to go through Burke, but still comfortable there even if not technically Catholic; more catholic small “c”, same god for everyone kind of guy; but will be even more comfortable there under Carlson. I bet he’ll settle St. Stanislaus controversy (been to mass there, too) if Rome will let him; that dispute about land and money not dogma and doctrine.
“The Church needs to be its soul.” I wonder if that is a proposal to the civic and business communities or a condition for participation.
The church should be and can be the soul if an only if it proclaims the gospel of Christ through words and deeds. I applaud the Archbishop for his commitment to this and to life…my prayer is he has at least an equal committment to the gospel which is the power of God unto salvation… I’m happy to discuss more…see my blog at http://hisgloryisourjoy.blogspot.com/