Cardinal Harvey Brings Spirit of St. Paul to LifeRead Time 9 min

With the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the ordination of His Eminence Cardinal James M. Harvey this summer, I would like to share my experience last fall with a visit to the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, a church which he serves in the role of archpriest. This story captures a number of the qualities that make Cardinal Harvey such an esteemed and beloved leader of the Catholic Church.

In September, I joined Fr. Jerry Herda, Pastor of St. Matthias, Milwaukee, in leading a seven-day pilgrimage of more than 70 members of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee to Assisi, Orvieto, Rome and Vatican City.

Our very first stop was one of the four Papal Basilicas of Rome, St. Paul Outside the Walls. This was not the original site that was scheduled as an initial visit. The timing was adjusted because the Archpriest of the Basilica, Cardinal James Harvey, was kind enough to change his calendar in order to be present to welcome us to Rome and to host our tour of the church that is entrusted to his care. It truly was a privilege and an honor to have the chance to spend some time with him, since he is a native of Milwaukee, a graduate of Saint Francis de Sales Seminary and a priest of the archdiocese.

There was a strong sense of anticipation and enthusiasm among the pilgrims, because it is not very common to have an opportunity to meet such a notable member of the Catholic hierarchy. And what made the meeting particularly memorable was that some of our group never expected such a high-ranking figure in the Church to be so humble, down-to-earth and unassuming. Cardinal Harvey greeted everyone with such warmth and geniality.

There was a generous amount of local guides provided to show us the sacred items and works of art, but Cardinal Harvey was helpful in highlighting some of the most essential elements: the Tomb of St. Paul the Apostle, the chains that were used to imprison him prior to his martyrdom, the painting by Vincenzo Camuccini depicting the conversion of St. Paul, a 13th century Byzantine-style apse mosaic of Christ as the Pantokrator (Almighty Ruler) and a series of portraits of all the popes in a frieze extending around the nave of the church.

Yet, just as meaningful as the historical and theological exposition of the Basilica was the manner in which Cardinal Harvey generously engaged in spending time in conversation with the pilgrims. Some members of the group had previously met His Eminence, and his ability to recall them and renew their acquaintance was exceptional. He also was quite adept at finding a means to bond with those he had not known before. Cardinal Harvey has great affection for his roots in Milwaukee and Wisconsin, so he can carry on discussions easily and engagingly about “home.” In addition, despite spending many years in ecclesial diplomatic settings and in the Vatican, he always has maintained a thorough knowledge of the priests and parishes of the archdiocese. Thus, he shared insightful anecdotes and observations that built a sense of rapport.

Cardinal Harvey also was gracious in offering to join our pilgrimage group in celebrating a Mass. He concelebrated the Eucharist and also offered a reflection after Holy Communion. In his message, he invited us to join him following the liturgy in renewing our commitment to carry on the mission of evangelization and to receive a blessing to help empower the fulfillment of that promise. He then called us together to join him in gathering before the front of the main Altar of the Church which contains below it the sarcophagus or tomb, of St. Paul.

As we gathered before the main altar and the tomb, Cardinal Harvey spoke about the Christians in the early centuries of the Church who would come to the burial place of St. Paul to venerate his remains and pray for the strength to give witness to the faith and carry out the work of evangelization despite the persecution that they were suffering. He then passed out special holy cards to each member of our pilgrimage group that contained a prayer that we would say together to rededicate ourselves to carrying out the mission that St. Paul had begun. It was titled “A Prayer for the Apostle Paul.”

“Glorious Saint Paul, Apostle full of zeal, Martyr for the love of Christ, grant us deep faith, an unshakable hope, an ardent love for the Lord so that we can say with you: ‘It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.’ Help us to become apostles who serve the Church with a pure conscience, witnesses of his truth and its beauty in the midst of the darkness of our time. With you we praise God our Father, ‘To him be the glory, in the Church and in Christ for ever and ever.’ Amen.”

After the completion of our visit and while walking toward our bus for the next stage of our pilgrimage, a quotation from the writings of St. Paul came to mind: “Clearly you are a letter of Christ which I have delivered, a letter written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh in the heart.” (2 Corinthians 3:3)

And, it struck me to ponder, I came to this stop on this pilgrimage thinking I simply was going to tour a building honoring St. Paul … a holy place indeed, but still a building. Yet, in the Pauline qualities I experienced through Cardinal Harvey — the hospitality, the building of a bond of community, the Paschal Mystery in the Eucharist, and the renewal and recommitment to the mission of evangelization — I felt the living spirit of St. Paul, written in my heart.