By BISHOP HOWARD J. HUBBARD
Every five years, the so-called spring meeting of the National Catholic Conference of Bishops is termed a special assembly, which means that instead of a business agenda, the session takes on a retreat-workshop format.
In fact, no business can be conducted during the five-day assembly, so any committee meetings must take place either before or after the assembly itself.
This year, the special assembly was conducted in Tucson, Arizona, at a resort in the scenic Sonoran Desert surrounded by five sensational mountain ranges. Since this area boasts 300 days of sunshine per year, with extremely low humidity, we encountered absolutely no rain, lush blue skies with an occasional cirrus cloud floating by, pleasant breezes, spectacular sunsets and a daily temperature that ranged between 75 and 105. Thank God for air conditioning!
Tuesday, June 15
I serve on four committees, which met three days prior to the assembly itself. The Catholic Campaign for Human Development Committee oversees the efforts of our Bishops' Conference:
* to address the root causes of poverty and social injustice,
* to fund projects designed to educate people about the social teachings of our Church and their applicability to the realities of poverty in our nation,
* to empower the poor to help themselves, and
* to promote economic development for low-income individuals and families.
A major task of this meeting was to renew and approve the allocations to be made from the annual Catholic Campaign for Human Development collection taken up in the parishes of our country each November. This year, we approved some 306 projects, including:
* a job creation program for 350 low-income persons in Camden, New Jersey,
* a low-income senior citizen housing project in Albuquerque, New Mexico,
* a Latino co-op market in Minneapolis, Minnesota,
* a domestic violence treatment and prevention program in Wheeling, West Virginia,
* a home daycare incubator in Chicago,
* a Native American crafts association in Tulsa, Oklahoma,
* an organization to improve working conditions for migrant workers in the mid-Hudson Valley of New York,
* an anti-acid rain project in the mining area of Pennsylvania,
* an interfaith, anti-drug program in the multi-ethnic neighborhoods of New Orleans,
* a home ownership project for low-income people in Birmingham, Alabama,
* a living wage project in Austin, Texas,
* a leadership empowerment program among Bosnians, Vietnamese and Ethiopians in St. Louis,
* a program to address trailer park eviction in San Bernardino, California,
* a healthcare initiative for the poor in Billings, Montana,
* the development of a Head Start program in Boise, Idaho,
* a program to assess the impact of NAFTA on immigrants in El Paso, Texas,
* a career development program for minority youth in Des Moines, Iowa.
Those give you just the flavor of what the Catholic Campaign for Human Development is doing to combat poverty and promote self-sufficiency across the United States. The average grant this year was $33,000; the total funds allocated exceeded the $10,000,000 mark for the first time in the Campaign's 30-year history.
Initiatives
This year, our committee also approved three exciting initiatives:
* a welfare-to-work initiative, which is a joint effort on the part of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the Catholic Health Association and Catholic Charities USA to promote worker-owned cooperatives in the fields of paraprofessional health care and day care;
* a labor-religion initiative to foster regional interfaith groups to be supportive of organizing and advocacy efforts to benefit workers, especially low-income workers; and
* an education initiative to help dioceses and parishes in focusing on religious values, Catholic social teaching and the economy.
I am very proud of the fact our Diocese, with its collection of $151,682, is one of the leading contributors to this Campaign, and we can be assured that our generosity is making a difference in the lives of thousands of poor people across our United States.
Wednesday, June 16
The Diaconate Committee met for seven hours. This committee, composed of bishops, theologians and representatives of the diaconate community, oversees the promotion of the development of the restored diaconate encouraged by the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council.
The major task confronting our committee is to develop a national directory for the Formation, Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States. This will ensure that our guidelines and norms for the diaconate are in conformity with the recent general directory on the diaconate issued by the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education. Our task is to develop a draft document, which will need the adoption by our entire Bishops' Conference and, then, ratification by the Holy See.
The committee has been wrestling with such issues as the process for screening candidates, the length of formation and the scope of the curriculum, the age of candidates, the nature of the involvement by spouses in formation and post-ordination programs, and the responsibility for providing pastoral, educational and spiritual support for deacons.
Forging such a document, quite frankly, is a rather tedious and arduous task; but, hopefully, our efforts will result in a better understanding of the role of the diaconate in our contemporary Church, appropriate formation for candidates and adequate ongoing support for those exercising this promising restored ministry.
Thursday, June 17
I serve on an ad-hoc committee of the conference to develop a pastoral letter to commemorate the fact that Our Holy Father Pope John Paul II has designated 1999 as the year of charity in preparation for the celebration of the Great Jubilee 2000. This letter must be completed in final draft by August 1; it will then be submitted to the entire Bishops' Conference for action at our November meeting in Washington, D.C.
Today, we conducted a hearing, wherein bishops had the opportunity to comment on the content of our work to date and to offer suggestions for modification, deletions or additions. We received some very constructive input and will be revising our document over the next month to take into account the advice we have received.
Whatever the final product, I can say without fear of contradiction that our labor will celebrate the great contribution Catholic Charities has made historically -- and continues to make to date.
Contents
The pastoral letter will address the negative connotation that the word "charity" has in some circles, wherein charity and charitable activities are identified with the actions of well-meaning do-gooders who foster dependency and who treat the recipients of their charity in a rather demeaning fashion.
It will also challenge the false dichotomy some pose between charity and justice, pointing out that love is the foundation of both charity and justice, and that these two virtues are not in opposition to each other but complement each other.
Pope John Paul II made this point well when he stated: "Justice can reduce differences, eliminate discrimination and ensure the conditions necessary for respect for the dignity of the person. Justice, however, needs a soul. And the soul of justice is charity, a charity which places itself at the service of every person. One cannot ignore the demands of either charity or justice in the practice of the faith. Our Catholic teaching and tradition tell us that both of these virtues are complementary, interdependent and divinely inspired."
Together in prayer
By Thursday evening, most of the bishops had arrived, and we gathered for a concelebrated Mass. Bishop Joseph Perry, an auxiliary to the Archbishop of Chicago and one of six Afro-American bishops in our Conference, presided and delivered the homily.
As the theme of the liturgy was peace and justice, Bishop Perry took the opportunity to reflect upon the crisis in Kosovo, and to raise some critical, moral and ethical questions which the Gospel and Catholic social teaching pose for all sides in this tragedy.
Following the liturgy, we were treated to a buffet supper and serenaded by a wonderful mariachi band composed of youth from the Diocese of Tucson.
Friday, June 18
The day began with a homily and morning prayer delivered by Cardinal Cahal Daly, the retired Archbishop of Armagh, Ireland. At these special assemblies, it is customary to have someone serve as our spiritual director. His role is to deliver the homilies at our morning and evening prayer as well as at the liturgy, and to conduct a penance service and a Sunday Day of Recollection.
Cardinal Daly, a theologian and philosopher, is a courageous leader who challenged the tactics of the IRA and worked for a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Northern Ireland. He has labored tirelessly in advocating for civil rights and employment opportunities for Catholics in the north of Ireland.
In his opening reflection, he thanked the United States bishops and the people of our nation for their prayers and support during Ireland's long nightmare. Picking up on the theme of our meeting, Cardinal Daly underscored the need for bishops to take occasions such as this to bond and to grow in affective collegiality.
Based upon his own episcopal experience, he stated that the mission of the bishop is truly an impossible task. He reminded the bishops that we are weak and vulnerable; but with God's grace and the Spirit's guidance, we, like the Apostle Paul, can be instruments for bringing about God's plan of life in our day.
In the chair
As a member of the special Assembly Committee that planned and conducts this gathering, it was my role to chair the opening session. This became a bittersweet task, because yesterday we received word that the scheduled presenter I was to introduce, Cardinal Basil Hume of Westminster, England, had passed away.
Cardinal Hume had served as the spiritual director for our first special assembly in 1982. All who were present for that meeting will never forget his wisdom, wit, integrity, humility and candor. Thus, we had invited him to exercise the same role at this gathering.
In early April, however, we learned that the Cardinal had been diagnosed with cancer and wouldn't be able to join us. Since he had already prepared his opening presentation, he made arrangements with the British Broadcasting Company to videotape his talk, which I was privileged to introduce.
What is a bishop?
Cardinal Hume's topic was "The Relationship of the Bishop to the Universal Church and to his Fellow Bishops." He offered a clear, concise, eloquent and insightful overview of the bishop's role in the Church, pointing out that a bishop is first a successor of the Apostles and a member of the College of Bishops, roles which precede his being appointed to govern a particular diocese. Hence, the bishop shares a collective responsibility with his brother bishops to be solicitous for the entire Church, not just his own diocese.
Cardinal Hume dispelled the mistaken notion, in vogue in some circles, which casts the Pope in the role of the chief executive of the entire Church and the other bishops as branch managers. Rather, the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, is a member of the College of Bishops, and the bishops are his brothers in ministry. In his diocese, the bishop is the Vicar of Christ for his people, but he must affirm and acknowledge that the Pope has universal power and jurisdiction over the Church.
The Cardinal addressed, as well, the tension that sometimes arises between local Bishops and the Roman Curia. While it is true that members of the Curia (the various Vatican congregations) speak in the Pope's name, the Cardinal questioned whether they always act with his knowledge and authority. Therefore, Cardinal Hume suggested that every two years, it would be good for the Pope to call together the presidents of the Bishops' Conferences from around the world, so that the Holy Father could hear directly their concerns and receive their collegial advice.
Consensus
With regard to Bishops' Conferences, Cardinal Hume believed it is critically important for the members of the conference to work diligently to achieve consensus in fundamental matters of faith, even when this may mean the subordination of a bishop's own opinion for the sake of the greater good.
Cardinal Hume recognized that, at times, to achieve such consensus might be difficult; but if the issue calls for the bishops to speak with a single voice, then, it must be done. Indeed, such action on the part of bishops can serve as a tremendous witness to a Church often divided on how to achieve unity.
Cardinal Hume's presentation was well received by the bishops and sparked some lively discussion, which I was privileged to facilitate.
More sessions
Our morning session concluded with Mass. Bishop Joseph Fiorenza, our Conference president, presided and preached. He reiterated some of the themes sounded by Cardinal Hume, and noted that despite the many challenges our Church faces in the United States, by any standard the Roman Catholic community in the United States is more alive and vibrant than in most any other nation. This is a source of great blessing and a tribute to the deep faith of our people.
The afternoon session consisted of four concurrent workshops, permitting each bishop to attend two. Bishop Thomas Dorn, a former judge of the Roman Rota, offered a presentation on understanding the Roman Curia; and Msgr. Timothy Dolan, rector of the North American College, gave an historical overview of the relationships between the Church in the United States and the Holy See.
Unfortunately, I was unable to attend those workshops; however, I heard glowing reports about their content.
Bishops' body
I was facilitating the workshop conducted by Archbishop John Quinn, the retired Archbishop of San Francisco, titled "The Future of our Episcopal Conference." The Archbishop, who is a former president of our Conference, traced its history from the founding of the National Catholic Welfare Conference (the first conference of all the bishops in the United States) in 1919 until the present.
Archbishop Quinn noted that episcopal conferences are a relatively new entity in the life of the Church and that the tensions which were present in 1919 still remain and are not fully resolved: namely,
* from the bishop's perspective, the concern that the Conference may undermine his authority in his diocese or become a powerful intermediate body between the bishop and the Pope; and
* from the perspective of the Vatican, the concern that the Conference might become too nationalistic or might adopt different positions from other episcopal conferences on various issues, or that these conferences might undermine the supreme authority of the Holy Father in the life of the Church.
Resolving tensions
Archbishop Quinn noted that while these tensions remain, both the Second Vatican Council and documents issued by the Vatican during the Pontificate of Pope John Paul II have clarified certain matters.
For example, the Vatican Council stated that episcopal conferences enjoy a certain collegiality as pastoral gatherings of bishops and have at least some teaching authority. Indeed, they are not to be considered mere administrative conveniences but are in the line of the ancient patriarchates and have come into being under divine providence.
More recently, the Motu Propio "Apostolos Suos" states that national bishops' conferences have certain teaching authority, but it is limited. These conferences can teach in a binding way in matters of faith only if there is unanimous support on a given matter or if at least two-thirds support the proposed teaching and it then receives ratification by the Holy See.
Popes and bishops
Archbishop Quinn suggests for the future that it might be healthy on disputed points that minority reports also be adopted by our Episcopal Conferences. He reaffirmed the point made in the morning by Cardinal Hume that the bishops are not simply legates of the Pope and the individual bishop cannot perceive himself as separate from his brother bishops in the Episcopal College and united only with the Pope.
Archbishop Quinn concluded his presentation by lauding the Papal Encyclical "Ut Unum Sint" ("That All May Be One") in which Pope John Paul asks the bishops to enter into dialogue with him about how the exercise of the primacy of the pope can be more suited to the demands of the times and more recognized as a service of love, not of power.
The Archbishop urged that we accept the challenge of our Holy Father and give serious attention to this critical issue.
Resolving disputes
The second workshop I attended, titled "Disagreements and Dialogue, Civility and Solutions," was led by Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb, the chair of the Catholic Common Ground Initiative. He laid down the fundamental principles for resolving disputes in the Church.
He reminded us that one of the names used historically to describe a bishop is pontifex, literally a "bridge builder." In the face of conflicts and disputes, therefore, bishops must serve as bridges. He noted that bridges always and bridge-builders sometimes get walked on. This is a reality that bishops must be prepared to accept in their role as unifiers.
No matter how contentious the disagreement, bishops need to engage in careful and respective dialogue, presuming good faith on the part of the parties to a dispute and recognizing that those who may be upset must be looked upon not as adversaries to be defeated but as persons worthy of reverence and respect.
Bishops and all in the Church must appreciate the sterling insight of the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council that "the bonds which unite the faithful are mightier than anything dividing them. Hence, let there be unity in what is necessary, freedom in what is unsettled and charity in any case" ("Gaudium et Spes").
At evening prayer, Cardinal Daly emphasized the importance of abandoning ourselves to God's providence, and submitting our own expectations and desires to those of the Lord.
After a delightful buffet supper of traditional Mexican fare, Bishop Fiorenza reported on his recent journey to Rome to discuss various items of mutual concern between our Conference and the Holy See.
Saturday, June 19
Cardinal Daly's morning reflection centered on the spiritual riches which the Liturgy of the Hours accords priests each day. These daily prayers provide us with a structured opportunity to praise and worship the Lord, to thank God for our blessings, to find a resonance with our joys, hopes, sorrows and struggles, and to pray for the needs of the people entrusted to our care, as well as for the concerns of the universal Church.
The topic for this day was "Affective Collegiality," namely the fraternity or bond that bishops share as members of the College of Bishops. The keynote presenter was our native son, Archbishop Harry Flynn of St. Paul-Minneapolis.
Watching him deliver his talk reminded me of my proudest and most joyful day as a bishop: June 24, 1986, when I was privileged to ordain Harry to the Episcopal Order in our Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany.
With a rich background as a teacher at Catholic Central High School in Troy; rector of Mt. St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland; director of our Office for Continuing Clergy Education in Albany; and pastor of St. Ambrose parish in Latham, Archbishop Flynn has gone forth from our midst to be a gentle, compassionate and caring shepherd for God's people in Lafayette, Louisiana, and now in the prestigious see of St. Paul-Minneapolis.
That he is held in high regard by his brother bishops is evidenced in the bishops' retreats he is asked to conduct throughout the United States and in the fact that he has been elected an officer of our Bishops' Conference. We in the Diocese of Albany can be tremendously proud of this gift our local Church has provided for the wider Catholic community.
Common mission
Archbishop Flynn stressed that the fraternal affection bishops should have for one another must stem from a deep sense of our being called by Jesus Christ to make His name known and loved among the nations. We as bishops, then, have a mutual need to support one another in our mission of proclaiming Jesus.
He spoke at some length about the loneliness that the bishop often experiences by virtue of his office: making decisions which are often misunderstood or which confidentiality demands he cannot defend; called to be always gentle, calm, kind, understanding and never harsh but also assertive, decisive and authoritative; expected to attend every meeting, mediate every conflict and be always pleasant and upbeat; and to be firm and unbending, as well as flexible, pastoral and collegial.
The only way to work through these contradictory demands and expectations, the Archbishop said, is through our friendship with Jesus, and through the support and encouragement we give one another, especially when a brother bishop is being attacked from the left or the right.
Of course, what the Archbishop says of the bond that bishops should have with one another is equally applicable, if not more so, to the bonds that a bishop needs to forge with his priests. If every bishop did this as well as Archbishop Flynn, we would be a far better Church.
More to do
At our noon hour Eucharist, Cardinal Daly continued with his theme of prayer, admonishing us to be careful lest the work of the Lord separate us from the Lord of the work. Jesus must always be the anchor of our soul!
The afternoon workshops dealt with practical aspects of episcopal ministry. Bishop John Ricard, a trained psychologist, offered a presentation on self-care for the caregiver. He pointed out that self-care is not selfishness or self-indulgence, but the fulfillment of the command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Through self-care, one discovers the image of God and self-esteem. This discovery enhances our capacity to love and serve others.
Bishop Ricard challenged us to resist the temptation so common among males and clerics, in particular, to mask our true feelings. Rather, we must understand and appreciate our weaknesses as well as our strengths. If we do not have a healthy self-awareness, we will burden our ministry with destructive patterns.
Support system
Bishop Ricard especially encouraged bishops to become part of support groups, either with fellow bishops or with brother priests.
I was reminded of how fortunate I have been to belong to a priest support group for the past 19 years. Each month, we gather for lunch, two hours of personal sharing, prayer and an evening of socialization. The composition of our group has changed over the years, but it has been a constant source of hope, encouragement and affirmation.
Currently, the group consists of Fathers Jack Varno, Tony Diacetis, Peter Sullivan, Jack Molyn and Vince Ciotoli. We are able to lay before one another our struggles, hurts and pain, but also our blessings, triumphs and strides in ministry. I thank God for this wonderful resource in my life and ministry, and urge all my brother priests to find such spiritual, emotional and fraternal support.
Spirituality
The second workshop was conducted by Bishop Al Hughes of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who has a doctorate in spiritual theology from the Gregorian University in Rome. He addressed the topic, "Toward a Spirituality of Episcopal Ministry."
Bishop Hughes described the administrative, organizational and cultural challenges which can undercut the bishop's spiritual growth. While the bishop shares the universal call to holiness given to all Christians and the spirituality of the ordained, the bishop's particular spirituality, Bishop Hughes suggests, must arise out of the special responsibility he has to evangelize and to proclaim the Word of God with personal integrity and in conformity with the teaching and tradition of the Church.
The bishop, by reason of his episcopal ordination, must ensure right teaching and confront those fads, movements or influences that would subvert or undermine the apostolic faith. This is both a challenge, and a source of anxiety and stress in a culture that so often promotes values and priorities which are contrary to the Gospel message.
Reconciliation
After a barbecue supper poolside, we gathered to celebrate the Rite of Reconciliation. This service centered around Luke's story of the Prodigal Son, which was made all the more moving by the beautiful Rembrandt painting depicting this Gospel event that was positioned immediately adjacent to the pulpit.
In his homily, Cardinal Daly called attention to something I had never noticed before: that in this magnificent work of art, the arms of the father embracing the errant son do not match; one is that of a man, the other of a woman, representing the paternal and maternal dimensions of God's compassionate and unconditional love.
In the silence of the chapel, with the opportunity for individual confession, I was both struck by how healing and consoling this great sacrament is, and saddened by its present state of neglect. If only more people would avail themselves of this instrument of healing, forgiveness and peace, how much happier and more humane and forgiving they would be themselves.
Hopefully, the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 will provide an opportunity to do more catechesis about this marvelous vehicle God has offered us to experience the Lord's redeeming love.
Sunday, June 20
The entire day is designated for recollection and recreation. Following morning prayer, Cardinal Daly delivered an hour's meditation on the Trinity. Utilizing the Icon of the Holy Trinity from the Monastery of St. Sergius, which was mounted on an easel by the podium, Cardinal Daly pointed out that this image, created by the renowned Rublev in 1492, is not merely a majestic work of art to be written about or lectured upon but also a truly sacred object to pray about.
The icon pictures three persons gathered in a circular arrangement around a table engaged in a dialogue of intimacy and love. This divine circle of love captures the mutual indwelling of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in one another and the equality of each:
* The Father is the source of all life, creation and generativity.
* The Son is the Redeemer, who through His Incarnation becomes the human face of God and the divine face of humankind. Jesus, in other words, is the visible face of the invisible Father. The Son's love toward the Father moves the Father to send for the Spirit.
* The Spirit, the Sanctifier, looks to the Father and Son as a source of inspiration for the establishment of the Church and its movement down through the course of history. And we, the members of the Church, are called ultimately to make our home with these three divine persons.
Triune God
Cardinal Daly brought out very insightfully how this icon of the Trinity also recalls the Eucharist wherein Jesus offers His Body and Blood to the Father as an everlasting act of love and praise.
The mystery of the Eucharist is at the heart or the Trinity. It is our offering up of the Body given for us and the Blood shed for us.
Conversely, the mystery of the Trinity is at the heart of the Eucharist. All the prayers of the Eucharist are directed to the Father through the Son and by the action of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit changes the elements of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, and changes the whole assembly into the Body of Christ. In the Eucharist, then, the Trinity is working to change us into a people of communion and solidarity.
Granted, both the Trinity and the Eucharist are the great mysteries of our faith, but Cardinal Daly's reflection shed new light upon them and has given me much food for thought.
Celebrating together
At our midday Eucharist, I was more conscious than on previous days of how uplifting the liturgy is when everyone participates fully through singing, attentive listening and observing the precious moments of silence.
In his homily, Cardinal Daly recalled his visit to Auschwitz. Walking about that place of death, the epitome of man's inhumanity to man, the Cardinal was filled not so much with anger at those who had precipitated this atrocity, but by an awareness of the fact that there but for the grace of God he, too, might have been a torturer and a killer.
Such is the capacity we human beings have for evil. Yes, there is a solidarity in sin. But, praise God, there is also a solidarity in Christ. And because of this solidarity, we can overcome our base instincts. Even in our darkest moments, with all of our grief, struggles and pain, we need not be afraid because we are Christ and Christ is God's -- and nothing else really matters.
Time to relax
The schedule called for a free afternoon. Four group options were available for the bishops who wanted a change of scenery:
* a golf outing (which I never considered since I don't golf; besides, only madmen and Englishmen would go out in the sun with a temperature of 105);
* a trip to the Desert Museum in the Sabino Canyon (three-fourths of the museum is outdoors, hence to be shunned by fair-skinned Irishmen like myself);
* a jeep tour of rugged Mt. Lemmon; and
* a visit to the historic Mission of San Xavier.
I chose the latter. Not, however, before taking my daily jog. Fortunately, the treadmill in the air-conditioned fitness room made this exercise bearable.
Into the past
The San Xavier Mission is located nine miles south of Tucson in the Santa Cruz valley. The Mission itself rises brilliantly white from the desert floor of dusty green mesquite and sage. The celebrated Jesuit missionary and explorer, Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, first visited this area in 1692.
In those days, this territory belonged to Mexico. Eight years later, in 1700, Father Kino laid the foundations of the first church, some two miles north of the site of the present Mission. He named it San Xavier in honor of his chosen patron, St. Francis Xavier, the illustrious Jesuit "Apostle of the Indies."
In 1767, when the Jesuits were expelled from Mexico, the Mission was turned over to the Franciscans. In 1768, Father Francisco Garces, a man of outstanding personality and prodigious accomplishments among the missionaries in Arizona, established his headquarters at San Xavier. From here, this intrepid Franciscan friar set forth on his many far-flung missionary explorations.
Growth through time
The original church was built in 1746 in the form of a shoe box. The Franciscans erected the present structure, beginning in 1783, with 7,000 pesos borrowed from a local rancher.
The Mission was located in the northern outpost of the Spanish colony, and of all the sculpture and artwork was done in guild workshops in Mexico and than transported 1,500 miles to the Mission. This great undertaking required 14 years of intermittent labor and stopped in 1797 when the money ran out. Hence, one of the towers was never completed.
It has been acclaimed by experts as the finest example of mission architecture in the United States. It is a graceful blending of Moorish, Byzantine and late Mexico Renaissance. So well do the diverse elements fuse, that it is almost impossible to point out where one style begins and the other ends.
Restoration
Between 1992 and 1997, the interior of the church was restored under the direction of two international curators, using special methods developed in Europe.
This has brought back the brightness of the original paintings. Indeed, once the restoration was completed, it was discovered that a central figure over the main altar, believed to be a fresco of Christ the Good Shepherd, was actually Mary the Good Shepherdess, to whom there was much popular devotion in 18th-century Spain, which was then translated to the New World. One of the curators, Paul Swartzbaum, became a convert to Catholicism during the course of his work on this restoration project.
Another interesting fresco is that of San Juan Capistrano, who is depicted participating in the battle of Belgrade between the Christians and the Turks in 1496, before he became a missionary to the New World. In light of the current crisis in Kosovo, it reminded one of how little things have changed in the past 500 years.
History lesson
The Mission of San Xavier is the most historic site in southern Arizona, revered by all people as part of their cultural heritage. Father Kino is to Arizona as Father Junipero Serra is to California: the father of the territory.
It was only in 1854 that Arizona was purchased by the United States. A civic committee composed of a broad cross-section of the greater Tucson community has been largely responsible for the restoration of this exquisite historic, cultural, artistic and religious site.
Visiting the Mission, which is still staffed by the Franciscan Friars, was a strong reminder to me of the Spanish roots of Catholicism in the New World, a reality too often ignored by many Catholics of European origin.
Our evening was free which gave me a chance to enjoy a leisurely supper with my good friend and native of our Diocese, Bishop Matt Clark. After the strain of his health problems and difficulties within the Diocese of Rochester, it was good to see him relaxed and feeling well. He has completed a cardiac rehab program and says his health is fine.
Monday, June 21
The theme for today is evangelization. In his homily at morning prayer, Cardinal Daly emphasized that everything planned in the Church must have Christ and in His Gospel as a starting point.
Our challenge as we face the new millennium is not all that different from that of the Apostle Paul, whose letter we read in the context of our prayer service. Paul was called upon to evangelize at a time when Christianity was regarded as a strange and peculiar sect. In our day, we, too, must evangelize, proclaiming the truth of the Gospel in a skeptical and cynical age where the forces of secularism are making great strides in eclipsing the Christian vision of life that has dominated western civilization for centuries.
It is an age wherein relativism is the only unchallenged absolute and tolerance the only unchallenged value. However, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is still as powerful and illuminating in our times as it was in Paul's.
Our times
Cardinal Roger Mahoney of Los Angeles, our principal presenter for the day, picked up where Cardinal Daly had left off. He suggested that we live in a culture that is not necessarily hostile to the Gospel message, but, perhaps worse, indifferent to it.
It is a culture of abundance but also one of a growing gap between the have's and the have-not's. It is a culture of unbridled individualism, which undermines the Christian ideal of interdependence and solidarity with others. It is a culture where radical freedom has given way to the rhetoric of choice and muted our responsibility to care for others.
Above all, it is a culture which has a low esteem for human life and is committed to a materialistic consumerism which Pope John Paul II has stated can be as destructive as Nazism, Fascism and Communism.
Evangelization
The question we bishops must face, then, is how do we evangelize in such a culture. This is a fundamental question for us because all of our activities must have as their end the proclamation of the Gospel.
We must remember that our faith is not about a philosophy or moral code but about the person of Jesus Christ. Everything we do, then, must be to lead people to a relationship with Jesus.
One way in which we bishops can evangelize, Cardinal Mahoney suggested, is by the manner we exercise authority. Is it more a matter of power and privilege, and less an expression of service?
Another way to evangelize is to ensure that the new evangelization to which Pope John Paul II has called us is truly new, meaning that it stems from a conversion of heart and introduces people to a fresh encounter with Jesus Christ. This will mean that perhaps we bishops will need to change our priorities, giving up some of our administrative tasks of dealing with personnel issues, fund-raising and the opening, closing or mergers of schools and parishes, so that we can devote more time to our primary role of proclaiming Jesus.
We must ask ourselves, have we allowed the demands of our office to render us more as CEOs than as heralds of the Good News?
Furthermore, we must recognize that we are not the only evangelizer in the faith community but that evangelization is a task of the whole Church. Hence, we must never forget that the Holy Spirit is at work in all of God's people; and we must create among those we are called to serve an atmosphere favorable to imagination and an openness to experimentation.
Three roles
Cardinal Mahoney reflected upon the threefold responsibilities of the bishop -- teaching, sanctifying and ruling -- and asked how our ministry might change if we were to view these sacred responsibilities through the lens of evangelization.
As teachers, we must recognize that many of our people have been sacramentalized and catechized but not necessarily evangelized. Perhaps we have not proclaimed a word that is life-giving; that touches the minds and hearts of people in a way that addresses their day-to-day struggles; that helps them understand sin and name it in their lives; that consoles them in their grief and suffering; and that helps them appreciate the joys of life in the presence of the divine.
When we teach, we should do so from a posture of persuasion instead of coercion. We cannot simply appeal to our own authority or to the authority of the Holy See, but we ourselves must be witnesses to what we preach. As Pope Paul VI noted in his encyclical on evangelization, people today listen more willingly to witnesses rather than teachers.
Sanctifier
In addressing the responsibility the bishop has to be a sanctifier, Cardinal Mahoney raised a very provocative question: Should the bishop belong to a particular Eucharistic community and should he consider himself as inserted more into that parish community rather than as trying to be the sanctifier for the whole diocese?
The Cardinal noted that the great bishops of the past, like Ignatius, Ambrose and Augustine, presided in one Eucharistic community. Perhaps today, instead of running to one event after another throughout the diocese, the bishop -- at least on Sunday -- should become a regular part of the Cathedral community. Certainly, that is something to think about seriously.
Guide
With regard to the bishop's role in ruling or guiding, Cardinal Mahoney cited four qualities we should bring to this sensitive and demanding task of shepherding:
1. We must strive to be patient listeners. This is both an asceticism and a genuine skill. So often, people in positions of authority, such as bishops, are so intent on formulating an answer that we really haven't understood the question.
2. We always should show tolerance and respect for others. We must be open to differences of opinion, be able to accept criticism and seek to build consensus, putting the best possible construction on the position of others, and seeking to appreciate and celebrate the contributions and viewpoints each has to make.
3. The bishop must have confidence in the good will and integrity of others. He should not be suspicious or looking for hidden motives.
4. The bishop must approach his task humbly, realizing that he does not have all the answers; and that like other pilgrims, he participates in an ongoing journey of searching and conversion. Hence, the Bishop must recognize his own shortcomings and failures.
Giving hope
Cardinal Mahoney concluded his address by suggesting that perhaps a major task of the bishop in the process of evangelizing is to give people hope.
Hope, he noted, is not the same as optimism. Rather, it looks to the new, the "never before" and to that which has never been dreamt. Hope conveys the certainty that what we are about makes sense and is worth the cost of pursuing, regardless of the outcome.
Hope is directed to a future good that may be difficult but not impossible to attain. Bishops, therefore, must be heralds of hope for God's people.
Cardinal Mahoney's presentation sparked a lively discussion, during the course of which several bishops cited Renew 2000 as a prime tool of evangelization in their dioceses. That certainly was encouraging to hear and reinforces our own positive experience with Renew in the Albany Diocese.
In his homily at the Mass, Cardinal Daly pointed that the Eucharist is the greatest evangelizing resource we have, both for proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord, and for deepening the faith of the active Catholic and reactivating the faith of the alienated Catholic. Furthermore, the Cardinal observed that none of us must ever forget that we are all adult converts, always in the process of becoming Christians.
More workshops
The four afternoon workshops dealt with particular challenges we face in our efforts to evangelize. Dr. Harold O.J. Brown addressed the challenge of individualism and the loss community, while Bishop Donald Wuerl of Pittsburgh dealt with the issue of the uncatechized in an age of searching for God.
The first workshop I attended was conducted by Margaret O'Brien Steinfels, the editor of Commonweal magazine. She spoke about the challenge of dealing constructively with polarization and alienation. Her presentation contained three propositions:
* First, that in some way, we all experience ourselves as alienated or marginalized by virtue of our age, gender, religion, state of life, political outlook etc. This is part of the condition of living in the modern world.
* Second, when we tap into our own feelings of marginalization and alienation, this enables us to have compassion for and empathy with others who may be even more estranged than we are. We can better appreciate their anger, hurt, resentment, fear or desire to get even.
* Third, most people work hard not to be seen as outsiders. There are some who revel in being outsiders, such as modern-day prophets like Dorothy Day or the Berrigan brothers; but most want to be insiders and just don't know how to break into the circle. Often, they feel that the Church has left them or find that their faith has seeped away through indifference.
As bishops, we must recognize that dealing with polarization and alienation is a given for our ministry. In the intellectual arena, we must involve ourselves with constructive engagement, confrontation, disagreement and resolution. On the pastoral level, we must call people to conversion of heart, for this is a perennial task of the bishop in the Church.
Love of Christ
The second workshop I attended was conducted by Father Francis DeSiano, president of the Paulist Fathers, an order that specializes in the task of evangelization. Recently, he gave a workshop to the Evangelization Committee in our Diocese, which I was unable to attend. So it was a welcome opportunity to hear his presentation this day.
Father DeSiano's main message is that evangelization is not about programs or techniques; it's about people steeped in a love relationship with Jesus Christ, dedicated to sharing His Good News with others.
In the course of his presentation, Father DeSiano enumerated some of the strides that we have made as a Church in our efforts at evangelization. Many of our parishes have become more welcoming, inviting and sharing. The Rite of Christian Initiation has become the clearest way in which parishes evangelize. (Last year, for example, the number of converts to Catholicism nationally was 170,000, double that of 15 years ago.) Parishes also seem to be doing a better job in reaching out to inactive Catholics.
However, we are still faced with a two-fold challenge: to encourage and empower individual Catholics to be more active in sharing their faith stories with others, and to make parishes more consciously and consistently evangelizing communities (not just engaged in one shot efforts like a parish census or a coming-home program).
Speaking of faith
Father DeSiano echoed the sentiments expressed at our morning session about how invaluable small faith-sharing groups like Renew and Follow Me! are in helping people gain the confidence they need to share their faith stories with neighbors, friends, co-workers and family members.
He also noted that sometimes we in the Church are too defensive and apologetic, failing to appreciate the rich heritage of liturgy, sacraments, Scripture study, spirituality, theology and tradition we have as a faith community. These are time-tested and time-proven ways of helping people live the Christian life, and will endure long beyond the entertainment and therapy approaches that are in vogue among some faith communities these days.
In particular, Father DeSiano urged us to develop outreach to young adults, many of whom are alienated from all institutions, including the Church, but who are spiritual seekers to whom we should make our tradition accessible. But in the final analysis, he underscored, peer-to-peer ministry is the best and most effective way to evangelize both young adults and all who are either unchurched or fallen away.
Christian joy
In his homily at evening prayer, Cardinal Daly stated that joy is a key ingredient in evangelization. So often, however, we focus so much time, effort and energy on problems and the small number of people who are problematic, that we lose focus and that sense of joy which should be the hallmark of Christian living.
How, the Cardinal asks, can we be an evangelizing people if we ourselves are not people of joy? The answer, of course, is that we cannot.
Therefore, the credibility and effectiveness of our efforts at evangelization are contingent upon our ability to radiate that joy which the Gospel message should engender within us.
Special occasions
Our day concluded with a banquet commemorating two special anniversaries: Cardinal Daly is celebrating his 58th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood, having been ordained on the day Hitler invaded Russia; and our new papal nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, is observing his 25th anniversary of episcopal ordination.
The Archbishop has spent virtually his entire priesthood in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He has certainly had very sensitive and difficult diplomatic postings, including Honduras, Libya and Yugoslavia. After dealing with the likes of Khadafy and Milosevic, I suppose relating to the United States government and the U.S. Conference of Bishops may seem like a piece of cake. Archbishop Montalvo delivered a very gracious address in which he underscored the high esteem our Holy Father has for the Church in the United States.
Tuesday, June 22
Today, the final day of our special assembly, is the Feast of St. Thomas More, the chancellor of England put to death by Henry VIII for his refusal to renounce his Roman Catholic faith. More is certainly an exemplary role model for the theme of today: "Leadership for the New Millennium."
Our principal presenter was Dr. Stephen Covey, co-chairman of the Franklin Covey Company, the largest management and leadership development company in the world. He is best known as the author of "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," which has been ranked over the past five years as the number-one international best seller by The New York Times. He was recently recognized by Time magazine as one of the 25 most influential Americans.
A practicing Mormon with an MBA from Harvard and a doctorate in business management from Brigham Young University, Dr. Covey is obviously a man of deep faith and stated that the New Testament is the guiding light for all of his work.
I had had the opportunity to attend the three-day Covey workshop, which has been offered in our Diocese on several occasions by Father Paul Lininger, OFM. These workshops consisted of a series of tapes featuring Dr. Covey, and then of individual and group reflection, facilitated by Father Lininger. Having had this background, it was a pleasure for me to hear Dr. Covey in person and to have him field our questions.
Distinction
Obviously, in his two hours with the bishops, he could not cover everything that is addressed at a Covey workshop. However, he utilized his time expeditiously and was able to elucidate his fundamental thesis: that there is a major difference between leadership and management.
Management promotes order and the handling of the day-to-day routine. It stresses the status quo and is safe. Leadership, on the other hand, has loose ends. It fosters new directions, which may lead to change, and is generally dissatisfied with the status quo.
Leadership deals with vision, purpose and mission. The challenge for the leader, therefore, is to articulate a vision, and to nurture and foster that vision day-in and day-out so that it can take root and grow and flourish in the minds and hearts of others.
Dr. Covey observed that, too often, people at the head of organizations, like bishops, spend too much of their time handling crises and urgent problems. The result is that most organizations or institutions are over-managed but under-led.
Echoing a note already sounded by Cardinal Mahoney, Dr. Covey challenged us to reexamine where we spend most of our time and energy, and to ask ourselves, "Is this the best way to lead?"
Principles
Dr. Covey's whole approach to leadership is principle-centered. The leader himself must be a person characterized by trustworthiness and integrity (St. Thomas More, pray for us).
Behavior, Dr. Covey insists, is governed by values. Consequences are governed by principles. Hence, we must have valued principles.
As many know, the seven principles embodied in his seven habits are:
1. To be proactive: Take responsibility and initiative.
2. To begin with the end in mind: Know what the purpose, mission and destination are, and the underlying values that must be sustained.
3. Put first things first, which involves integrity, communication and vision.
4. Think win-win rather than win-lose. This approach, based upon mutual respect, will produce the maximum benefit.
5. Seek first to understand rather than to be understood. This is a great legacy of St. Francis of Assisi.
6. Foster cooperation; empower others for mission.
7. Sharpen the saw; that is, find the time for renewal, for reassessing and for taking a fresh look.
The most important skill in effective leadership, Dr. Covey concludes, is empathetic listening.
There is much more that he communicated. To do justice to his thought, however, I suggest that you read his books, listen to his tapes or attend his workshops. Much of what he suggests are things we have always known, but he packages key concepts wholistically and provides a methodology for accountability. Hopefully, a familiarity with his thoughts will benefit all of us bishops in exercising our leadership roles.
Model saint
At Mass, Cardinal Daly preached about Thomas More as being a man of honor, integrity and conscience (just as the effective leader is called to be). While he personally feared suffering, pain and death, and did his best to avert martyrdom, ultimately More was true to the conscience which he had formed, carefully utilizing faith and reason.
It was the Eucharist that sustained Thomas in the face of his trials and tribulations, and his unshakable confidence in Christ's Resurrection and his pledge of eternal life for all who follow Jesus.
As Cardinal Daly noted sagely, the Resurrection and the Ascension make the Eucharist possible, and it is the Eucharist that makes the Resurrection and Ascension present.
Collaborating
There was only one afternoon presentation today. It was a panel discussion, titled "Collaborative Ministry in the Church in the Third Millennium," presented by a priest, a laywoman, a woman religious and a bishop.
Father Bryan Joyce, a priest from Oakland, California, spoke about collaborative ministry from his pastoral experience of 35 years of priesthood. He suggested that there are three keys to collaboration:
* First, vision is essential, for as a prophet says, "without vision, the people perish." The vision of the Second Vatican Council calls us to collaboration as the norm or the standard in the life of the Church. This vision must be proclaimed and repeated over and over again. It is a vision rooted in our common call of Baptism; and it calls for trust, cooperation, communication and respect.
* Second, the leader must provide guidance and understanding, especially by ministering to the parish staff and other leadership people within the parish. He must learn to delegate and relate collaboratively.
* Third, Father Joyce suggests, the support structures must be put into place to enable collaborative ministry to happen. This should include formation programs, funding of educational opportunities for the laity, the facilitation and monitoring of placement, due process, and evaluation.
Role for laity
Dr. Zeni Fox, a professor for pastoral ministry at Seton Hall University, recently authored "New Ecclesial Ministry: Lay Professionals Serving the Church," which includes people like directors of religious education and of liturgy, youth ministers, pastoral associates, and pastoral life directors. She directed her remarks to the reality of this growing pool of ecclesial lay ministers within our Church.
According to her research, these new ministers have three major expectations: to be accepted as part of the mission and ministry of the Church; to collaborate not just with the ordained but with all ministers of the Church; and since we live in a participative democracy, to encourage collaboration.
They are uncomfortable in working in a model of command-and-control but seek a model based upon shared responsibility and empowerment. It's interesting how this resonates with the concepts proposed earlier by Dr. Covey.
Dissonance
Dr. Fox's research, however, reveals that there is often a disconnection between these expectations and the reality. For example, 58 percent of the pastors surveyed in her study responded that they have a collaborative model of ministry within the parish; but only 31 percent of the lay ministers in the same parishes assess the model to be collaborative.
This dissonance is often the result of the role modeling people have received; and as Dr. Covey pointed out, a shift in leadership style doesn't occur overnight. It can take many years to achieve.
Dr. Fox also pointed out that 85 percent of the ecclesial lay ministers are women, both religious and lay. This also poses the further tensions of males and females, and clergy and laity working out of different paradigms or assumptions.
In assessing what fosters collaboration, Dr. Fox cited communication, both formal and informal; having goals which all the staff can own and a role in achieving them (for example, developing an evangelization plan for the parish or a program for the Lenten season); and the building of mutual trust where people are convinced that power will not be used against them.
Getting along
The third panelist, Sister Sharon Euart, is a Sister of Mercy with a doctorate in Canon Law. She currently serves as the associate general secretary of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. She addressed the need for collaboration between dioceses and religious communities.
Key to this relationship, Sister Sharon states, is the moral contract that if there is a collaborative approach to decision-making, this must not become unilateral at the end of process.
She offered four building blocks for an ethics of collaboration: openness to diversity, a clear understanding of the roles and responsibility each has, a transparent process with no hidden agendas, and openness to both persuasiveness and accountability.
Innate in Church
The anchor for the panel was Bishop Ricardo Ramirez of Las Cruces, New Mexico. He stressed that collaboration is a natural fruit of the Second Vatican Council's universal call to holiness and the evolving theology of "communio."
Collaboration, in other words, is not a pragmatic response to the present shortage of vocations to the priesthood or religious life. Neither is it the result of some kind of American desire to democratize the Church.
Rather, Bishop Ramirez asserts, it is a necessary and perennial dimension of the Church's life, to be exercised by all those who are in a living, loving relationship with the Lord, a relationship which demands interdependence and partnership among clergy, religious and laity.
Making it work
Bishop Ramirez posited five characteristics of collaborative ministry to which bishops must adhere:
1. Collaboration is more than teamwork; it is an attitude, a focus on the way things are done.
2. It is fostered by an environment of respect and equality.
3. Collaboration must entail healthy human relationships enhanced by joint retreats, planning, socials etc.
4. There must be a strong spiritual component within the individuals and the group as a whole.
5. Roles and responsibilities must be clearly defined. People need to know what is happening and what the expectations are.
Additionally, Bishop Ramirez listed those individuals or groups with whom the bishops should have collaborative relationships: priests, religious men and women, deacons, vicars, pastoral center staff, other bishops in the region and the country, the papal nuncio and the officials of the Roman Curia, other ecumenical and interfaith leaders, civic leaders and public officials. He noted the particular need the bishop has to be sensitive to the multicultural realities within his diocese.
Vision and reality
All of the panelists promoted a vision that we in the Diocese of Albany have been espousing for the past 20 years. This is most encouraging and affirming.
The downside, of course, beginning with myself, is that moving from vision to reality is often a slow process, with missteps, failures and dashed expectations along the way.
The message for me, however, is that we are on the right path and must stay the course, learning from both our successes and failures, and confident that with patience, perseverance and candid communication we can reach the goal.
Parting thoughts
In his last homily at our evening prayer, Cardinal Daly spoke about the necessity of prayer but also the struggle of prayer. He cautioned, "Pray as you can, don't try to pray as you can't. The more you pray the easier it gets." Cardinal Daly also noted that prayer is a gift from God; so the first thing we should do is ask for this gift.
The Cardinal concluded his reflections by heralding the contributions the Church in the United States has made to the universal Church and challenged us as bishops to be the conscience of America, especially advocating for the disenfranchised and urging that we use our immense resources as a nation constructively.
As we gathered for our final meal together at a ranch style cookout, all were in agreement that the goals of our special assembly were met.
We had much more interaction together than at our business meetings and the whole process was truly an exercise in affective collegiality.