Community joins Archbishop Wenski in giving thanks for a priesthood shaped by immigrant ministry and joyful service
By Tom Tracy - Florida Catholic
On May 15 at a Jubilee Mass of Thanksgiving and reception at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Miami on his 50th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood, Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski celebrates Mass. To his right is Cardinal Seán Patrick O'Malley OFM Cap, Archbishop Emeritus of Boston.
Photography: Tom Tracy
MIAMI | Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski joked that he became a priest “so that I would not have to listen to another priest preach,” drawing laughter from the congregation gathered May 15 at St. Mary’s Cathedral to celebrate his 50 years of priesthood.
But beneath the humor was a deeply personal reflection on five decades of ministry — from entering the seminary at age 13 to serving immigrant communities across South Florida and eventually leading the Archdiocese of Miami.
The cathedral was filled with clergy, religious, parishioners and civic leaders who gathered to honor the archbishop’s golden jubilee. Several bishops from Cuba joined local priests in concelebrating the Mass, while supporters from across South Florida packed the pews in thanksgiving for Archbishop Wenski’s decades of ministry.
After welcoming visiting clergy, bishops and guests from around the region and beyond, Archbishop Wenski presided over his Jubilee Mass of Thanksgiving May 15 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Miami.
On May 15 at a Jubilee Mass of Thanksgiving and reception at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Miami on his 50th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood, Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski greets clergy and fellow bishops from Florida and the region as he exits the Cathedral following Mass.
A priesthood rooted in gratitude
“Let me begin with gratitude to Almighty God who called me in spite of my flaws, my fears and my failures,” the archbishop said.
He also expressed gratitude to the priests and religious who inspired him throughout his vocation, as well as to the faithful of South Florida.
“With deep gratitude to you, the People of God, for your support of me over these 50 years, for your patience with me over these 50 years, and for your prayers for me over these 50 years,” he said.
Born into a middle-class Polish immigrant family in Florida, Archbishop Wenski reflected on a vocation that has become deeply intertwined with the multicultural identity of the Church in South Florida.
Over five decades, he became one of the most recognizable Catholic voices in the region through his advocacy for immigrants, Haitian Catholics and the poor, while helping shape the multicultural identity of the Archdiocese of Miami.
Serving Miami’s immigrant communities
The archbishop recalled his seminary years doing summer internships in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood, working with a Puerto Rican youth group in Wynwood, and learning Spanish while serving in Hialeah.
He was among the first fully bilingual seminarians in Florida, paving the way for future priests who would minister in both English and Spanish.
Later, while serving at Corpus Christi Parish in Miami, the future archbishop encountered the Haitian community and began learning Creole.
“When Archbishop (Edward) McCarthy found out that I was learning Creole, I was assigned to the Haitian ministry in 1979, where I worked for 18 years,” Archbishop Wenski recalled.
“It involved a circuit-riding ministry from Homestead to Fort Pierce, from Fort Lauderdale to Immokalee, besides Notre-Dame d’Haïti, until becoming auxiliary bishop of Miami in September 1997.”
On May 15 at a Jubilee Mass of Thanksgiving and reception at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Miami on his 50th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood, Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski greets well-wishers as he exits the Cathedral following Mass.
A shepherd shaped by Haitian ministry
Those years, he said, profoundly shaped his priesthood.
“Those 18 years were not easy, but perhaps they were the best years of my life,” Archbishop Wenski said. “I know that because today I still dream in Haitian Creole.”
Archbishop Wenski was ordained to the priesthood in 1976 and later served as Bishop of Orlando before being appointed Archbishop of Miami in 2010.
For Archbishop Wenski, however, the memories that remain closest to his heart appear to come from the years spent ministering among Haitian immigrants across South Florida.“Those 18 years were not easy, but perhaps they were the best years of my life,” he said.
“I know that because today I still dream in Haitian Creole.”