On September 6, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla visits Archbishop Bernardin, then the head of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. Cardinal Wojtyla stays overnight at the cathedral and celebrates Mass there. (Two years later Cardinal Wojtyla is elected pope and takes the name John Paul II.)
Lay Pastoral Ministry Program Launched
In the fall, the archdiocese launched the Lay Pastoral Ministry program. This program was designed to educate lay Catholics to be pastoral ministers in the Church. A branch of the Athenaeum of Ohio, it is now called Lay Ecclesial Ministry Formation.
Mother Teresa Visits
Mother Teresa, foundress of the Missionaries of Charity and now known as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, makes her first of three visits to the greater Cincinnati area. The other visits were in 1981 and 1982.
Renewal of The Vocation of Deacons
Fifty men enroll in the newly established permanent diaconate program. After the Second Vatican Council, the Church called for a renewal of the vocation of deacons in the ministry of the Church.
Joseph Bernardin Named Archbishop
Following the unexpected death of Archbishop Leibold, Joseph Bernardin is named Archbishop of Cincinnati. He worked to promote stewardship and centralized diocesan structures and took an active role in the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, serving as its general secretary and later its president.
Sixth Archdiocesan Synod
Following the Second Vatican Council, Archbishop Leibold launches the sixth archdiocesan synod (Synod ’71), involving, for the first time, a significant number of laity in planning for the Church’s future. After a year of preparation, over 3,000 delegates gathered in assembly and voted upon documents that provided new guidelines for the life of the archdiocese. The synod strengthened the role of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council and the Priests’ Senate.