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The Catholic landscape of Wales was altered this December, when Pope Francis formally combined the Diocese of Menevia with the Archdiocese of Cardiff to create the Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia. Now the only other diocese in Wales is the Diocese of Wrexham.
When the merger was announced in September, the Pillar noted that it would be more of a formality, as the Diocese of Menevia and the Archdiocese of Cardiff were both under the purview of Archbishop Mark O’Toole. When one bishop presides over multiple dioceses, then they are considered united in persona episcopi or “in the person of the bishop.”
The merger was made official on December 1, 2024, at the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. David. Archbishop O’Toole presided over the Mass, at which he received the papal bull that named him Archbishop of the newly minted Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia.
Centurion's confidence
In his homily, the archbishop remarked on the Gospel passage of the Centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant. The Centurion humbly admitted his unworthiness to ask such a thing of Christ, but he still sought his help in a phrase that we remember “before the moment of intense intimacy with the Lord, when we receive Him in Holy Communion”:
“Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, but only say the word, and I, and we shall be healed.”
Archbishop O’Toole explained that Jesus marveled at the confidence that this Centurion had in his divinity, and said that this is the confidence all Catholics should have in Christ. It was the humility with which the Centurion admitted his unworthiness that “makes possible the invitation to have Christ in his heart.”:
“This man whose faith made Jesus marvel was not a disciple, did no miracles, established no churches, had no academic degree, and no religious title. His spiritual résumé was unimpressive. The man whose faith Jesus marveled at, was a Centurion who knew who Jesus was, what he was able to do, and this gave him confidence. He asked Jesus humbly, and trusted that he would receive what he needed. He showed he really believed in Jesus.”
He reminded that “this is still the faith that makes Jesus marvel,” and added that such a faith can also inspire others. Archbishop O’Toole said that the archdiocese needs a “faith which amazes others” to pour forth from its priests, religious lay men and women, and even its archbishop to inspire it to greatness that will make our Lord marvel:
“Can we do something else, can we do something fresh and different? It could be something small or particular in our own personal lives. Or could it be something big and audacious, where we even interrupt Jesus, as the centurion did, and make Him marvel. God knows we need something unprecedented and new in our generation, in our society, in our Archdiocese.”
Read more from Archbishop O’Toole’s first homily to the Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.
