At the invitation of Sr. Marie Benedict and Sr. Mary Mercy, Bishop Loverde, former ordinary of the Diocese of Arlington and former auxiliary bishop in our own Archdiocese of Hartford Zoom “visited” a few Senior classes last Thursday showing and explaining the pectoral cross he received from Pope St. John Paul II during a visit. Bishop Loverde shared his own vocation journey (as a son of Connecticut, from the Norwich Diocese) and service to the Church.
- Bishop Loverde grew up in Pawcatuck, Connecticut.
- In his studies related to the priesthood, Bishop Loverde spent time at Saint Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, CT, studied philosophy at Saint Bernard’s Seminary in Rochester, NY, and completed his theological studies at The Gregorian University in Rome. He also received a Licentiate Degree in Theology from Gregorian University and later a Licentiate Degree in Canon Law from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.
- He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Norwich, CT on December 18, 1965, in Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. He was ordained Auxiliary Bishop of Hartford on April 12, 1988, in the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Hartford, was installed as the Eleventh Bishop of Ogdensburg, NY, on January 17, 1994, and became the Third Bishop of Arlington, VA, on March 25, 1999.
- While serving as Bishop of Arlington, Bishop Loverde invited the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist to establish a Center and begin serving in that diocese. This is how Sister Marie Benedict met her Community!
- As Bishop of Arlington, he authored five Pastoral Letters, including Bought with a Price, the letter on pornography which we featured in our “Addressing Sexual Addiction” work.
- Bishop Loverde has served on the Board of Trustees of Catholic Distance University (CDU), Mount Saint Mary’s University, The Divine Mercy University, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the Commissariat of the Holy Land, the Religious Alliance Against Pornography, and the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
Comments/Quotes from our Seniors after Bishop Loverde’s visit!
From Tessa: Thank you for taking the time to be with us yesterday, it was nice getting to know more about you!!
From Eric: I hope he comes back speaks with us again!
From Patrick: Thank you very much for meeting with us in your spare time. We understand that there are many others you could be speaking to and we appreciate being among them.
From Miranda: Thank you for sharing, and showing us an example of the Lord’s strong call to a vocation
From Laura: Thank you for joining us yesterday and helping us understand that God has a plan for each of us and we will know what is right.
From Matthew: Thank you for joining us in class yesterday and teaching us more about our faith and your life story.
From Thomas: It was unbelievable to be able to hear from a successor to the Apostles in our class, and your wisdom in discerning your vocation is a great aid to us in our journey. Thank you so much for your time with us yesterday!
From Walker: His description of his emotions before meeting the Pope was very interesting
From Julian: I thought it was interesting how he told us about his pectoral cross
From Natalie: I would like to thank Bishop Loverde for speaking to us. You could tell he was very passionate about his vocation and it was great to hear his story.
From Matthew: I thought Bishop Loverde’s description of his way of talking about philosophy and theology was very interesting.
From Erik: it was interesting to hear how he receive his calling
From Tucker: I enjoyed his description of how different it was for him culturally when he went to Italy
From Salem: He was very informative, like how he knew God’s call to become a priest
From Sebastian: how passionate and learned he was on his theology
From Kailyn: It was interesting to hear about where he was originally from, and his call to priesthood
From Raymond: When he talked about why he wanted to become a bishop was very interesting.
From Katie: It was interesting to hear his life story and experience with his vocation
From Kyuhyuk: I found this very interesting, telling us about his story.
From Cassie: Thank you very much for speaking to us. I thought it was very cool he met St. John Paul II and enjoyed him talking about him.
From Ethan: Thank you to Bishop Loverde for coming to speak to us. I found this experience to be very interesting and informative.
From Jeremy: I would like to say thank you to Bishop Loverde and that it was very interesting to learn about him and how he became the person he is today
From Nick: I found interesting that he wanted to be a part of the religious life after seeing one of his family members become a priest.
From Grace: Thank you for the time you spent with us yesterday. I enjoyed hearing about your vocation process and why you became a priest.
From Sam: It was nice to hear what he had to say about the Gospel and how he shared his response how we normally do.
From Lex: I found the information that Bishop Loverde shared about finding our vocation to be very inspiring.
From Nathan: It was great for him to want to be with us and share how he wanted to take after his pastor.
From David: I found It interesting how your family inspired you to devote yourself to the church.
From Maximilian: I really enjoyed learning about how he was young, he was positively influenced by a priest in his family which pushed him towards the priesthood
From Meg: Thank you for speaking with us, it was interesting to learn more about your life and path to becoming a Bishop.
From Ava: Thank you for answering all your questions and also giving your own gospel reflection. It was extremely insightful
From Liv: It was very kind of him to take the time to talk to us and it was very generous of him to answer all of our questions. Thank you!
From Haley: The way you explained the gospel was very helpful to my understanding
From Sarah: Thank you for taking the time to speak with our class, I appreciated your Zoom background very much.
From Michael: I thought it was very interesting about his insight and outlook on the currently worldwide situation.
From Paul: Thank you for an engaging and thought provoking message
From Kenzi: Thank you for taking the time to answer all our questions and talk to our class!
From Sydney: I was very thankful that he was able to speak to us about discernment and how he followed his path to God.
From Emily: I enjoyed how you mentioned that your parents were an important role model in your faith journey.
From Julianne: I thoroughly enjoyed class with you and I want to thank you for giving your time to share your thoughts and insights with us.
From Matthew: I enjoyed your explanation of how to live out our vocation and follow the plan God has for us.
From Connor: Thank you for spending your time talking to us and answering our questions.
From Celine: One thing that really resonated with me was when you talked about how your parents set the example of really living the faith and it in turn made think about the great example my parents have set for me.
From Priscilla: I found it very nice that he was able to accompany our class even though he did not physically visit us and I want to thank him for his amazing insight on the Gospel.
From Julia: Thank you for coming to see the senior class religion classes during this difficult time. I think I can speak for everyone and say how much we appreciated your prayers and your blessing.
From Lexi: I really valued all of the information you shared with us thank you for taking the time out of your day
From Alexis: I appreciated the fact that you tried your best to answer every ones questions, thank you spending time with us it was very insightful.
From Arya: it was nice to learn more about you and your take on the gospel was insightful. Thank you for coming our zoom class.
From Katharine: Thank you for visiting our class, it was very insightful.
From Lyndsey: he seems to a very intelligent man
From Nayeli: I enjoyed listening to Bishop Loverde and his path toward becoming a priest than bishop!
From Alexis: Bishop Loverde’s story of how he became a priest and bishop was interesting.
From Mary: I appreciated his taste in pizza
From Jack: he was very humorous and I enjoyed listening to his journey into the faith!
From Janessa: I thought it was interesting the several places he traveled to
From AJ: I like the way how he was uplifting
From Evan: He was interesting and very inspirational
From Zack: I enjoyed listening to his ideas after a long career as a successful Priest.
From Aidan: I really liked listing to his journey into faith and is travels around the world
From Derek: I thought it was interesting how he said he traveled one hour by train each day to get to his high school.
From Savannah: I really appreciated him for taking his time and talking to us, sharing his life and inspiring each of us to come closer with God.
From Casey: I just want to say thank you for his heartwarming words, thoughtful advice, and prayers. He was a pleasure to listen to, and I hope we can talk to him again soon!
From Josie: I thought his life was very interesting, especially all the places he lived.
From Kelsi: I thought it was a really cool experience to be able to hear from him and have him answer our questions to him and see his personality through that.
From Jill: I appreciated how he shared a spiritual message after we read the gospel and also how he participated in adding intentions before prayer.
From Stefania: I thought that it was interesting how he answered all the questions he was able to, and he did so in great detail, especially about his life.
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