Archbishop Dolan and Variety in the Church
August 4, 2002

In a few weeks we will welcome a new Archbishop to our part of the Catholic Church. People are talking about what kind of an archbishop he will be. I suspect that first impressions will be very important. The impression given so far has been that of an affable, easy to meet, ready to listen Archbishop. Already I hear of people who will present to him their perceived hurts of the past for redress, especially regarding issues like the merging of parishes or leadership on their favorite issues. I wonder if things will go in the manner they forecast.

One thing I learned working in Rome years ago was that the Catholic Church always tends toward the middle. What I mean is that when a new leader comes on the scene, that leader will work at bringing people together, rather than pulling them apart. The nature of the bishop's role is that of being the center or rallying point around which the Church is unified. As years go by, decisions are made which come down on one side or another of an issue and the perception arises as to where a bishop stands on those issues. The fact of the matter is that whenever a decision is made, one side of the issue is accepted, the other side is not. This is true of any choice. Each bishop decides on a course of action, I believe, based on what he considers is best for the Church. Others might disagree, but his job is to make the decision.

How are we to deal with this? I believe that the best course of action is to realize that our new Archbishop, Timothy Dolan, will differ from Archbishop Weakland in style and in approach. This would have been true with any bishop coming to serve us in southeastern Wisconsin. I expect new approaches. I even welcome them because I know something of the varied richness of the Catholic Church. This point I have tried to make with our parishioners again and again. There are many ways of accomplishing the goals of Christianity. We will be trying new ones.

Another thing that we need to do is to avoid making all kinds of comparisons between the leaders we have had and will have. I am sure comparisons will be made because it is normal to do so. One the other hand, once these comparisons are made, people tend to judge them as right or wrong. This can be very hurtful to unity. The point is that these two Archbishops are different and approach things in different ways. Our task is to accept the difference and see how the new way is helpful to the life of our Church. A new way does not mean that the old way was wrong or deficient. New ways will just be different.

My basic understanding of the Church is that God started it and will continue to protect it through everything that can assail it. This came to me again this summer as I listened to stories told by students here at Creighton University. One Sister came from Cuba and escaped the anti-faith position of that country. A priest who came from Viet Nam had been imprisoned for his faith. Another Sister came from Nigeria and had gone against her family by becoming Catholic and a Religious. Another friend wrote her integrating paper on the events of 9/11 in which she recounted her horror as she watched the twin towers of the international trade center collapsed. (I had tears in my eyes as I read her account and how this event impacted on both her life and the lives of those New Yorkers she directed.) Another student shared how her faith carried her through the loss of her husband. Our faith is that which supports us through everything, including the changes we all meet in the life of the Church.

As I listened to these people I noticed that their faith was not showy or extravagant. They are all simple human beings who have had an intense experience of God, who is the center of their lives. That is what our lives are to be like: God at the center, and all of our expressions of that union flowing from that relationship. Too often we try to do things that we expect will bolster our faith. These do not work well because faith is a pure gift from God that enables us to live our lives well. Faith in God and experiencing His love comes before anything we can do.

This week, our Holy Father, John Paul II, declared that Juan Diego, the man to whom Mary appeared in Mexico, is a saint of our Church. As I watched the ceremonies on television I was struck by the marvelous ways in which the various cultures of Mexico were blended with the universal traditions of the Church. During the dances of the Indians before the altar I thought of people who think dancing before the Lord is inappropriate at a Mass.

When I heard the readings in Spanish, I thought of all those who dislike that language in our country. Once more, the universality of God's love, the universality of the Church was shown right in front of our eyes. The message is hard to ignore. Our little chapel in the old convent was renamed Guadalupe Chapel a few years ago. How privileged we are to have such a special place on our parish site. I pray that the Virgin of Guadalupe, the Empress of the Americas, continue to intercede for us on our continent. And may St. Juan Diego also pray for us.

One thing I pray for is that we all gain in our appreciation of the varieties of grace God pours out upon us. I think that is the theme I see in this page today. God loves each one of us. He desires to live within us, to change us, to convert us to Himself. For this to happen we must be open to that change, whether it comes to us in a new Archbishop, in a new way of doing something, or in a new way of relating to people of different cultural backgrounds and languages. This is our call as followers of Jesus. We don't have to leave home, be imprisoned, or endure family struggles to follow the Lord. We have to make our commitment right here in Kenosha's St. Mark Parish. This is where He loves us. This is where He wants us to share the Good News. This is where He wants us to be saints-just like Juan Diego.

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