Lest we become discouraged with the accounts of obstructive bishops and their bad behaviour, I’d like to report a good experience.

I received a call last Thursday, and the voice at the other end said, “I’m calling from the archbishop’s office.  He would like to arrange a time when you can meet him in his office.”  I did a quick mental inventory, and there wasn’t anything I could think of that could possibly give reason for anxiety – one tends to do that when a call comes from diocesan headquarters.  I asked if the archbishop had a time in mind.  “Yes,” was the answer, “tomorrow afternoon at 3:30.”  It seemed awfully quick, so I did the inventory again.  Nothing.

It was a rainy day this past Friday, so I allowed myself plenty of time to get to the chancery.  Too much time, in fact.  I was thirty minutes early, so I slipped into the chapel to spend a bit of time with our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, just for a little reassurance.

The appointed time arrived, and the archbishop greeted me with a smile and invited me to sit down.  It was a good sign – no desk between us, but instead we were in comfortable chairs.  “I thought we should talk a little about what the Apostolic Constitution is going to mean for us,” he said.

Then we had a very good conversation.  I asked him if he any difficulties with what is outlined in Anglicanorum coetibus, and he said that since this is what the Holy Father wants done, he, as the archbishop, supports it completely.  And this is very much in keeping with our experience with our archbishop.  He has visited the parish a number of times in the five years he has been our Ordinary, and he even put in the effort of learning to celebrate our liturgy, which both he and his auxiliary bishop have done when they have been with us.

We spoke of some of the practical issues which would present themselves, things such as the transfer of buildings and assets.  That's not a small matter, since there's an annual budget of some three million dollars, with property valued at more than twenty-five million dollars, which means that the amount sent to the archdiocese each year is considerable.  The archbishop was very frank in saying he didn’t know how the transfer to an Ordinariate would work, but that we would find out, and then do what needed to be done.

There was no hesitation on his part, although I had the feeling that he would probably prefer that we remain as a parish of the archdiocese.  I think he also sensed in me a certain wistfulness.  I have, after all, been incardinated in this archdiocese for nearly twenty-seven years.  But then we spoke about the Holy Father’s point, that there needed to be continued cooperation between the Ordinariates and the respective dioceses, and how we’ll continue to be very much a part of the Catholic presence in the city.  We both realized that here, on the local scene, not much would change.

We ended our hour together with the archbishop encouraging me to remain in communication with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and to let him know of any developments.

Perhaps I’ve bored you with this little account, but I hope not.  I think it’s important that we not be overwhelmed by the stories of irresponsible or unhelpful bishops.  There are some of them in the Church, I know.  But there are many more who are faithful bishops – men who want to serve Christ and His Gospel.  We need to support and speak about these bishops – these men who are true Fathers in God – and who are successors to the Apostles in the Church we love.

No related posts.