From Lincoln, Nebraska, a pastoral letter focused on local goals has universal resonance and an invitation we all need.
Bishop James Conley’s new pastoral letter, One Heart in Christ, draws its title from the Lincoln Dioceses' pastoral plan, but it carries deep personal resonance for the bishop. In college, he hitchhiked across Europe, visiting monasteries and shrines. He particularly longed to reach the Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Paray-le-Monial, France, associated with St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. There, he experienced Christ’s Heart calling him to the priesthood. That encounter made devotion to the Sacred Heart central to his life and vocation.
The title is more than poetic. Bishop Conley invites the faithful to reflect on each word as a guide for the diocese’s mission in a time of division. While it applies to his local Church, it is a lesson with universal appeal, for both the Church and society.
To the heights!
“One” speaks of unity, not isolation. “We are working together — in community as the ‘one’ body of Christ — to accomplish our one mission,” the bishop writes. This call to unity echoes Pope Leo XIV’s motto, drawn from St. Augustine: In Illo Uno Unum (“In Him we are one”). In a world — and even a Church — marked by polarization, true oneness is found only in Christ.
“Heart” points to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, wounded yet overflowing with love. It reveals both his humanity and divinity, and his personal love for each member of the Church. Drawing on Pope Francis’ encyclical on the Sacred Heart Dilexit Nos (He Loved Us), Bishop Conley urges Catholics to return to the Heart of Jesus amid worldly distractions. There, souls find rest and renewal.
“In” may be the smallest word, yet it is the most decisive. The plan succeeds only when lived in Christ. “We can’t do it without Jesus, by going around him or only involving him in a half-hearted manner,” the bishop emphasizes. Echoing the Doxology of the Eucharistic Prayer, everything must be done “through him, and with him, and in him.” Faith demands being all in.
“Christ” is the foundation and goal. “From the Greek christos, meaning 'anointed,' Christ is the Messiah, the Word made flesh, the Alpha and the Omega. He is where each of us began our journey and where we will end it. He is our destination. He is our purpose. He is our God.” Together, these words form a commitment: to live as one body, centered on the Sacred Heart, always abiding in Christ.
4 Pillars for the next 5 years
After broad consultation across the diocese, the Pastoral Plan identifies four pillars for the coming years: healthy parishes, education, religious vocations, and holy families. Each pillar includes concrete goals and is inspired by saints who lived the mission.
Abiding in him
Bishop Conley grounds the entire plan in Scripture: “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). He explains that the mission must flow organically from intimate union with Christ, never as a separate project. Only from this “one heart in Christ” can apostolic fruitfulness grow.
The bishop’s closing exhortation captures the spirit: “To the heights!” If the diocese unites as one, centers itself on the Sacred Heart, and lives fully in Christ, it will foster vibrant parishes, faithful education, generous vocations, and holy families — drawing souls closer to God.
"One Heart in Christ" is both a title and a summons — an invitation to deeper communion with the Lord and renewed missionary zeal for the Church today.
Read the letter here: https://www.lincolndiocese.org/oneheartinchrist
