Every five years, the Bishops of the world travel to Rome to give a full report on the pastoral life of the Archdiocese or Diocese in which they serve. This special visit is called the Ad Limina Apostolorum visit - which literally means going to the thresholds of the two great Apostles, Saints Peter and Paul, as well as to visit with the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II.

For almost a year prior to the Ad Limina visit, each Diocese prepares a comprehensive overview on the pastoral life of the Diocese since the last visit. This five-year report is termed the Quinquennial Report and follows an outline given to us by the Holy See. Sister Mary Elizabeth Galt, the Chancellor of our Archdiocese, is the one who helps coordinate the preparation and finalization of this Report.

Since our Holy Father did not receive Bishops on their Ad Limina visits during the very busy Millennium Year 2000, this visit for the Bishops of the United States occurred six years since our last visit - 1998.

These visits are carried out in rotation until all 14 of the Regions of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops visit Rome. From May 10 through May 15, the Bishops of the Provinces of Los Angeles and San Francisco [Region XI] were present in Rome for our visit. The Province of Los Angeles includes the Dioceses of San Diego, Orange, San Bernardino, Monterey, Fresno and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles was represented by Cardinal Roger M. Mahony; Bishops Thomas Curry, Gerald Wilkerson, Gabino Zavala, Edward Clark, Oscar Solis, Joseph Sartoris and Episcopal Vicar Monsignor Bernard Leheny; and members of the Archdiocesan Leadership Team - Sister of Charity Mary Elizabeth Galt, Chancellor; Monsignor Alexander Salazar, Vice-Chancellor; Randolph Steiner, Chief Finance Officer; and Tod Tamberg, Director of Media Relations.

Our week began with Mass at the Tomb of St. Peter in St. Peter's Basilica, a powerful spiritual experience that links our Archdiocese immediately to Peter, the Rock upon which Jesus Christ built his Church. The spiritual pilgrimage aspect of the visit is constantly present since one of our joyful duties is to pray for all the members of our Archdiocese day after day - to link all of us through prayer to the Apostles and to the Successor of Peter, Pope John Paul II. There is no spiritual experience as compelling for me as celebrating the Eucharist at the Tomb of St. Peter.

Immediately after this special Mass, our Holy Father received the Delegation from Los Angeles. He met with the Bishops first, and then received the other members of our Delegation. Pope John Paul was in very good spirits, very clear and engaging in our dialogue with him, asking questions about the Church in Los Angeles, and responding to our commentary on the Archdiocese. He appeared to be in remarkably good health, and was fully engaged in our dialogue together.

We highlighted several aspects of the pastoral life of our Archdiocese since 1998: the continuing growth of our Catholic population, the great diversity of the many ethnic groups who comprise the Archdiocese, the challenges we face with fewer priests to serve the growing population, the sad and difficult problem of clergy sexual misconduct, the need for continuing spiritual and pastoral outreach to victims of abuse, and the opening of the new Cathedral in 2002. The Pope concluded by offering his Apostolic Blessing to all the members of the Archdiocese.

The other members of our Los Angeles Delegation were then received, and each was able to meet the Pope, have a photograph taken, and gather for a group photo with the Pope. He was gracious and friendly to each of us.

Two other special Masses marked our week as well. The second was our special Mass at the Tomb of St. Paul, a similarly moving spiritual experience as once again we are reminded so vividly of the foundation of the Church upon those fearless and faith-filled Apostles. The third special Mass was at my Titular Church in Rome, I Santi Quattro Coronati, a fourth century Basilica which remains one of the oldest churches in Rome.

At all of these Masses, we prayed very specifically for all the members of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles - our wonderful Catholic laity, priests, deacons, women and men religious, seminarians, young people, families, those who are ill, those suffering from any difficulty, and those who have slept in death. Although many thousands of miles removed from Los Angeles, we felt and experienced very special bonds linking all of us to the successor of Peter, Pope John Paul II.

During the rest of the days, we paid visits to the various Roman Congregations, Councils, and Offices where we had exchanges with the officials of these groups. We presented our pastoral realities and experiences from Southern California, and entered into dialogue about how best to serve our vast Catholic populations. These exchanges were valuable in helping the officials of the Holy See understand the complexity of our own pastoral challenges.

Our evenings were spent in recounting the various events of that particular day, what we had experienced and learned, the times of prayer we had spent together, and with sharing a renewed enthusiasm for the service of our wonderful Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Our Ad Limina Visit 2004 was a superb blend of prayer, the celebration of the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ, time with our Holy Father, deepening our links with the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, and being supported by the love and prayer of Mary, Mother of the Church and Queen of the Apostles.