By Rose O’Connor | Correspondent

The parish community of Our Lady of Sorrows- St. Anthony, Hamilton, welcomed Archbishop Harry J. Flynn, archbishop emeritus of St. Paul and Minneapolis, MN, for a two-day Advent mini-retreat.

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The archbishop led the retreat Dec. 7 in St. Anthony Church and Dec. 8 in Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Mercerville, during which he celebrated Mass for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the beginning of the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

Archbishop Flynn is a native of Schenectady and a priest of the Diocese of Albany. He served for many years as Rector of Mount St. Mary's Seminary, Emmitsburg, Maryland. (He was my rector until he was recalled to serve as a pastor in his native diocese.) Shortly thereafter he was named by St. John Paul II to be Bishop of Lafayette, Louisiana (1986-1995), and subsequently was named as Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, where he ministered from 1995 until his retirement in 2007.”

 “I am delighted to be with you in this beautiful church,” Archbishop Flynn said as he welcomed the faithful to the evening Mass in Our Lady of Sorrows Church. “One thing we all have in common is we are all in need of the mercy of God.”

“This is a beautiful feast,” the archbishop said of the Solemntiy of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “Mary was overpowered by the Holy Spirit to deliver Jesus Christ to the whole world.”

Archbishop Flynn spoke of the responsibility Christians have to bring Jesus to the world and the responsibility we share to show forgiveness.

 “We are commanded to be forgiving, it is not an option, we are to forgive if we are going to bring Christ to the whole world,” he said.

Archbishop Flynn went on to offer “Six Steps to Forgiveness” including: affirming the hurt that has been done; turning in prayer to the spirit of Jesus Christ; expressing forgiveness; understanding that a person is not equal to the hurt that has been done letting go and turning the other page, and the understanding that forgiveness may take a while.

“If we are not able to forgive we are not able to deliver Jesus Christ; that is my mission, your mission and the mission of Mary, the Mother of God, who was filed with Jesus Christ,” he said.

Prior to the final blessing, Archbishop Flynn expressed his gratitude for those who came to the Mass and the mission, specifically thanking those who brought their children. He also acknowledged Msgr. Thomas N. Gervasio, pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish and diocesan vicar general and moderator of the curia, whom he describes as an “outstanding pastor and a good friend.”

A native of Schenectady and a priest of the Diocese of Albany, N.Y., Archbishop Flynn served for many years as rector of Mount St. Mary Seminary, Emmitsburg, Md., where Msgr. Gervasio had studied for the priesthood. Archbishop Flynn was named Bishop of Lafayette, La., by Pope John Paul II and served there from 1986-1995. He was subsequently named Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis where he ministered from 1995 until his retirement in 2007.

 “It was absolutely beautiful,” parishioner Tammy Gallaher said of the Mass that Archbishop Flynn celebrated and the homily he preached. “It was really refreshing.”

Fellow parishioner Mark Robotin concurred. “He brought so much energy with a fresh voice and he spoke to everyone; the young, the old.  He was a very sweet man.”

Terese Robotin echoed similar sentiments. “He offered practical and spiritual advice that every age could relate to,” she offered.

Chris Robotin, a sophomore in Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville, acknowledged how timely this advice is for young people who often “get mad over petty things” and lose sight of what is important- their family.

“Family is the most important,” he asserted.

“I thought it was wonderful,” stated parishioner Janice Glonek. “[The need to forgive] is not something you always think about it and we need to think about it.”

As the parish community of Our Lady of Sorrows-Saint Anthony joins the world and Pope Francis in commencing Jubilee Year of Mercy, Archbishop Flynn’s “Six Steps to Forgiveness” will no doubt provide the faithful with the means to prepare their minds and hearts during the season of Advent, but also for the upcoming holy year as well.