The memory of a national leader in Catholic Education will now be “rooted” in his community.
The Dauphin County community in Lower Paxton Township gathered with members of the Harrisburg Diocese to memorialize the late Bishop of Harrisburg–Bishop Joseph McFadden — with a tree planting and plaque dedication at Bishop McDevitt High School.
The event was scheduled to mark McFadden’s birthday on May 22nd. He would have been 67-years-old this year.
Harrisburg’s current bishop says the tree planting holds a lot symbolism.
“If you pay attention the trees as the leaves come back on them they’ve been without them through the winter time. So it’s a natural sign in God’s creation of life and the return of life and of course in our Christian faith is that death isn’t what it seems to be. It’s not the end of everything, it’s a new beginning,” Bishop Gainer said.
McFadden was appointed the 10-th Bishop of Harrisburg in 2010, but passed away unexpectedly just three years later.