 Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl succeeds Cardinal Adam J. Maida as President of the Corporate Board of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center Foundation and Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Pope John Paul II Cultural Center
On Saturday, April 10, His Eminence Adam Cardinal Maida said Mass in suffrage of the fifth anniversary of the death of the Venerable Pope John Paul II. Just before the end of Mass, Cardinal Maida publicly announced that he was sending a letter to the trustees of the Center. He read the following letter to the congregation:
Christ is risen, Alleluia! Truly He is risen, Alleluia!
This Easter proclamation summarizes our faith and the joy of the Easter season we now celebrate together. This great season of grace is a time of renewal and it pleases me to tell you that such renewal is taking place at The Pope John Paul II Cultural Center this very day.
Today at the Center I celebrated the fifth anniversary suffrage Mass for our late, beloved Holy Father, Pope John Paul II and preached the Homily I have enclosed with this letter. Also, the information provided below was released to the Catholic News Service at my request:
“Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl has been elected the chairman of The Pope John Paul II Cultural Center Foundation and chairman of its Board of Directors. He succeeds Cardinal Adam J. Maida, Archbishop Emeritus of Detroit, who celebrated his 80th birthday on March 18.
The announcement was made by Cardinal Maida during an April 10 Mass held at the Center to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the pontiff’s death. Located in Washington, DC adjacent to The Catholic University of America campus, the center houses the Intercultural Forum for Studies in Faith and Culture. Exhibits, lectures and other events are held throughout the year to promote the legacy of Pope John Paul II and to study the integration of Christian faith and human culture.”
Because you have been such an important part of my ministry at the Center, I wanted to contact you personally to inform you of this renewal of leadership and to assure you that I will continue to serve on the Corporation and Board of Directors, at the request of Archbishop Wuerl and the Corporate Members. In some aspects, now that I have celebrated my 80th (!) birthday and have retired from administrative duties in Detroit and Washington, I will be better able to devote myself to promoting the living legacy of the Venerable Pope John Paul II along with you. I should add that my retirement from leadership at the Center is consistent with the expectations of the Holy See regarding the administrative duties of members of the College of Cardinals who reach 80 years of age.
Know, please, that you remain in my prayers, especially during this wonderful time of grace which holds the promise of future glory.
Sincerely yours in the Lord,
Adam Cardinal Maida
Chairman emeritus,
The Pope John Paul II Cultural Center Foundation, Inc. |
