Cardinal William Levada, archbishop emeritus of San Francisco and prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, celebrated the 25th anniversary of his episcopal ordination this month in Rome. The cardinal celebrated his silver jubilee as a bishop with a Mass and reception at the Pontifical North American College in Rome in the chapel where he spent his years of preparation for the priesthood as a seminarian.
He was joined at an evening Mass on May 7 by about a dozen concelebrating cardinals including Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals.
A native of Long Beach, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1961 from St. John's seminary, Los Angeles. On May 12, 1983, he was ordained titular bishop of Capri and auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles by Cardinal Timothy Manning in the Cathedral of St. Vibiana in Los Angeles.
"As a classmate and long-time friend," said Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles, "I am delighted to offer my prayerful best wishes to Cardinal Levada as he celebrates the 25th anniversary of his episcopal ordination. All of us in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles are proud of this native Angeleno who has served the Church with such fidelity over these 25 years. May God continue to pour out grace and blessing upon Cardinal Levada as he continues his ministry of pastoral leadership in the Church."
Cardinal Levada was joined in these celebrations by members of his family from the United States, as well as by some friends and seminary classmates. Among family members who made the trip were his brother-in-law Jim Sartain and the Cardinal's nieces, Julianne Bancroft and Stephanie Herrera.
"I'm sure I speak for the Catholics of the Archdiocese of San Francisco in expressing our pride in Cardinal Levada's service to the Church as bishop, archbishop, and now as Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith," Archbishop George Niederauer told Catholic San Francisco. "It was my privilege two weeks ago to concelebrate with him his Mass of Thanksgiving in the Chapel of the North American College, where he worshipped 50 years ago as a young seminarian. We congratulate Cardinal Levada and we promise him our prayers for his continued well-being and service to the Church."
Archbishop John Vlazny, who succeeded Cardinal Levada in the Archdiocese of Portland, was also a concelebrant. At the Mass, Dominican Father J. Augustine DiNoia, undersecretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, read a letter from Pope Benedict XVI addressed to Cardinal Levada on the occasion of his anniversary: "Our Venerable Brother, since we have a longstanding acquaintance and singular closeness with you, it is appropriate that we communicate to you personally our sentiments of congratulation on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of your ordination as bishop.
"Even beyond what is for us a pleasant duty, we also wish to express this in writing, so that our sentiments for you will be more evidently apparent.
Having been thoroughly educated in the Sacred Disciplines, and filled with good resolutions, you began the exercise of the pastoral office. The evidence of your apostolic ministry is found in many places, both in the Church of the country of your birth, which you sought to enrich with your theological knowledge, and in your work with the Roman dicasteries, where you excelled in preserving Catholic doctrine firm and entire by your readiness and expertise. This indeed was also the case in the preparation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
"Our Venerable Predecessor himself found in you a faithful servant and diligent guardian of the Lord's flock, and therefore he named you auxiliary bishop in the renowned and large See of Los Angeles. Nor is it possible for us to overlook your work in the Churches of Portland [in Oregon] and then of San Francisco in California, where you increasingly demonstrated and put into practice the gifts of your solicitude and teaching. You also used the gifts of your apostolic soul for the benefit of the whole nation through various tasks.
"Not without reason therefore did we call you to our own former office of Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and President of the Pontifical Biblical Commission and of the International Theological Commission, being convinced also that once elected into the College of Cardinals, you would strive to apply the same fitting dispositions of mind to your future work.
We think that there is no need for more words to indicate to you our approval and gratitude, which we desire to confirm on this commemoration of your Episcopal ordination, the 12th day of the month of May.
"To you therefore personally, Venerable Brother, we confer our Apostolic Blessing with great affection, and we extend it fully to all those who are joined to you by bonds of family, friendship and work. From the Vatican Palace, on the 22nd of the month of April, in the year 2008, the 4th of our Pontificate, Benedict XVI."
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