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Back in February, I had the great pleasure of saying my first "hello" to my new family, the people of the Diocese of Albany. I was not a bishop yet, and most of what I knew of Albany had to do with things I would read in the paper about political personalities and Legislature battles.

Just like when a priest is assigned to a new parish, I looked at portfolios with maps of metes and bounds, financial and demographic reports, organizational charts, job descriptions and personnel information - in short, all of the usual data by which institutions define and measure themselves.

Also, like any new pastor, I knew that these would only be outlines and sketches. To really get to know a parish, you have to walk around the neighborhoods and greet the people where they live. Just like a parish, a diocese is really about people, not just buildings and balance sheets, essential as they are to any organization.

In retrospect, I think it was no accident that the date was Feb. 11, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, who appeared to a 14-year-old peasant girl, Bernadette Soubirous, on that day in 1858.

Mary introduced herself as the "Immaculate Conception" - the title under which our own Diocese and its cathedral are blessed and dedicated. We are, literally, conceived in the heart of Mary. No one knows the Heart of Jesus better than Mary. So, if we want to learn where He is leading us, what He asks of us and how to grow in holiness, there is no better place to find out than by placing ourselves in the heart of His Mother.

That is exactly what I am inviting you and your family to do along with me on Oct. 5 at 2 p.m. at our Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany. On that day, we will pray the Rosary as a diocesan family.

That first Sunday of the month also happens to be Respect Life Sunday. The urgency of praying for peace and an end to violence against innocent life both near and far has never been more pressing.

Back in February, I said I wanted to get around the Diocese and spend most of my time listening. Wherever I go, in our towns or the countryside, I hear the same things: People are looking to strengthen their relationships and their roots. The pain and anxiety resulting from changes and the feared closures of schools and churches, the yearning for the personal presence of a pastor, the deep spiritual hunger of families - especially in times of great economic and societal pressures - all draw us to seek unity and stability that can only come from a life grounded in the Holy Spirit, who is the master of relationships.

Why the Rosary? It was Rev. Patrick Peyton, an immigrant from Ireland, who dedicated his life to bringing hope to families, beginning his worldwide Family Rosary crusade right here in Albany! His memorable words, "The family that prays together stays together," and, "A world at prayer is a world at peace," are personal invitations to us to let there be peace on earth and let it begin with you and me, here and now.

The blessings that Jesus wants to shower on us and our families in the Diocese of Albany, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, are just waiting for us to say yes to. October is the month of Mary and the Holy Rosary. Now is the time to start planning to take time to bring the practice of the Family Rosary into our homes with renewed vigor.

To learn more about the remarkable life of Father Peyton and the power of devotion to Mary through the Rosary, visit www.familyrosary.org and www.fatherpeyton.org. You have nothing to lose but your anxiety that the change your life is longing for will be for the better when you place your heart in the heart of Mary.

Last Aug. 15, I personally made a consecration of my life to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, following the examples of Pope St. John Paul II, Blessed Teresa of Kolkata, St. Maximilian Kolbe and St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein). I must confess that, while I say several Rosaries each day - while driving, waiting on lines, falling asleep - many thoughts and distractions go in and out of my mind, partly because I am praying alone. This does not happen as much when I can find one or more persons to pray with together.

In a future column, I will discuss the Marian consecration in more depth. Now, my hope and prayer is that you will join with me in bringing your family and friends to the heart of Mary as we entrust all of the people of our Diocese to our true spiritual foundation: the heart of Jesus through the heart of Mary.[[In-content Ad]]

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