Bishops' Schedules: Schedule of Bishop William H. Bullock Thursday, June 27, 2002 3:00 p.m. -- Preside at Midday Prayer for Vocations, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, Madison Friday, June 28, 2002 11:00 a.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Eucharist, St. Elizabeth Home, Janesville Saturday, June 29, 2002 1:00 p.m. -- Blessing of New Mausoleum, Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Janesville Schedule of Bishop George O. Wirz Thursday, June 27, 2002 3:00 p.m. -- Attend Midday Prayer for Vocations, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, Madison Saturday, June 29, 2002 5:00 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Eucharist, Installation of Reverend Joseph Ononiwu as Administrator of St. Patrick Parish, Doylestown, linked with St. Joseph Parish, Rio, at St. Joseph Parish, Rio Sunday, June 30, 2002 3:00 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of 25th Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood of Reverend John M. Meinholz, Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Monona

Priesthood in modern day

		The Bishop: A Herald of Faith Bishop William H. Bullock

This week's column is taken from the text of the homily given at Monsignor James Gunn's 25^th Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood Mass, Sunday, June 23, 2002, St. John the Baptist Church, Waunakee.

Introduction

In our day, there is much talk about the diocesan priesthood. Priests work long, hard hours and sometimes with little appreciation. Encounters of all sorts fill their days.

"Holy and inspired preaching demands a deep respect and love for the word, as nourished in regular prayer in solitude. Only such prayerful time, only such being alone in and with Jesus, aflame with love for us all, only such living in the fire can ignite the flame in the belly needed for effective preaching."

When they take strong initiatives to foster the faith life of their parishes, they are sometimes criticized. At times, they are accused of being authoritarian and not listening; at other times, the cry is for more aggressive leadership. Meanwhile, priests feel seriously demoralized by the scandalous sexual abuse of minors by a tiny minority of our priestly numbers.

In the midst of this, to flourish in such a vocation can seem on some days impossible. Faithful and zestful service can seem beyond human capacity. Keeping one's head above water is not easy, and one does not always feel adequate for such a maelstrom of encounters. It would be easy to sizzle into burnout because of the drudgery of routine and repetition, coupled with the requirement of almost infinite availability to people.

Quickening the fire

In his recent book, "Quickening the Fire in Our Midst," Jesuit Father George Aschenbrenner offers diocesan priests a way into the heart of our distinctive priestly spirituality, and discusses how it can and ought to be lived today. Father Aschenbrenner hopes to restore to the priesthood a glowing radiance and a promising attractiveness like the sparkle of flames in a lively fire.

There are many different callings in the Church. Some are called to marriage; some to singleness; some to consecrated life; and some to ordained ministry. Each calling has its own commensurate spirituality that flows from its ministry and is to be rooted in the love of Jesus Christ. So diocesan priests have a distinctive spirituality flowing from their priestly ministry.

I'd like to comment on three points about diocesan priests: 1) their active apostolic lifestyle, 2) their internal rooted-ness in God's love, and 3) their call to preaching the Word of God.

Active apostolic lifestyle

One aspect of priests' spirituality is that they lead an active apostolic lifestyle. Their ministry is very active, and their spirituality must flow from that. Parish priests aren't monks and they aren't hermits. If they attempt a balance of active and contemplative life-styles, they will end up with a sort of spiritual schizophrenia. This means that the diocesan priest must be able to mediate the fire of the love of God right in the midst of his busy pastoral day.

It's often the ministerial involvement, rather than formal prayer, that determines the contour and schedule of our daily lives as priests. While the importance of formal prayer is not slackened in the active lifestyle of the diocesan priest, it is the legitimate demands of ministry that form the schedule of the day. In order to respond to the challenges and needs of a busy parish, a diocesan priest needs to have a flexible availability of heart and spirit.

We see such an active ministry and spirituality exemplified in the life and ministry of the prophet Jeremiah. Because the gracious gift of God was poured out for all, Jeremiah was appointed "a prophet to the nations." He gave his whole life to active ministry for the sake of the Jewish people to whom God specifically sent him.

Through the Jews, Jeremiah ministered for the sake of the world. His was a lifelong mission of active preaching.

In his 25 years, Monsignor Jim Gunn has lived a very active ministry. Right in the midst of a busy pastoral setting, he's been able to mediate the fire of the love of God. He freely switched from one type of ministry to another to assist in the needs of the Diocese, and he's never hesitated to work hard to promote the Kingdom of Jesus through his active ministry.

God's Love

Because a diocesan priest is actively engaged in the many demands of a busy ministry, he can quickly run thin in a shallow activism. To remain rooted in Christ, the bedrock of a priest's ministry and spirituality needs to be an interior aloneness with God in Jesus, or what Aschenbrenner calls a "monasticism of the heart."

At our baptism, we were plunged into the death of Jesus, rising to new life. A fire was lit, and the glowing coals of that fire sparked a whole new life. We got a clean start and new heart and were transformed into a new person and oriented toward Christ.

This orientation in faith calls for a conscious development over time. Gradually more and more identified in God's love alone, the priest experiences a certain disengagement from the world as an identity center.

Alight with the fire of God's love in the quiet intimacy of their hearts, priests will find their daily ministry to be part of that struggle of the Holy Spirit to radiate the fire of God's reconciling love within the infinite varieties of human affairs.

Rooted in Christ

An inner life rooted in Christ is able to radiate and fill the priest's many outward ministries, such as preaching, presiding at the Eucharist, praying the Liturgy of the Hours, and celebrating the sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Anointing. Some priests feel, with some justification, that meetings are the "Hair Shirts of the 21^st Century." But with an interior orientation to Christ, even the chairing of meetings can be a transformative experience. Meetings can become an opportunity to further the Kingdom of God, to pray and to strengthen disciples.

This inner orientation in the midst of a busy ministry is what led King David to declare in the Responsorial Psalm: "you are my hope, O Lord; my trust, O God, from my youth" (Ps 71). David spent his life leading the nation during a difficult and violent era. Many stood in opposition to him and watched carefully for ways to destroy him. But David entrusted his cause to the Lord and knew that, with God on his side, he would ultimately triumph. That must be our spirituality.

Monsignor Jim Gunn has been able to maintain that active monasticism of the heart in the midst of his active ministry. As I've met with him, I sense in him the presence of someone who is rooted in Christ, someone who radiates that inner connectedness to those around him.

Preaching God's Word

The ministry of preaching is a central part of the ministry of the diocesan priest. Preaching is another way that the priest regularly makes Jesus present as head and shepherd of the people.

True preaching focuses, with an inspirational ring of authority, on the fire of God's love in Jesus. It springs from the priest's whole experience of living, praying, and acting in the person of Christ the head, in the midst of the parish.

Preaching of this sort will have an authority that rings with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It informs the minds and inflames the hearts of the hearers-and of the preacher. If the priest isn't preaching to himself as much as to the gathered in his congregation, the preaching will be overly didactic bordering on the self-righteous.

Aflame with love

Holy and inspired preaching demands a deep respect and love for the word, as nourished in regular prayer in solitude. Only such prayerful time, only such being alone in and with Jesus, aflame with love for us all, only such living in the fire can ignite the flame in the belly needed for effective preaching.

To preach the word in the person of Christ invites the priest into the fire. From there, the priest can ring with the love of Jesus and not just with the shrillness of his own voice.

During the Old Testament days, the Holy Spirit blessed the prophets with insights into the grace that would be poured out at a future time. Their preaching took on such significance to the Kingdom of God that the written records of their words have been woven into the Canon of Scriptures for three faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

During the 25 years of his priestly ministry, Monsignor Jim Gunn has preached the living Word of God with courage and conviction. He has touched many hearts for Christ and encouraged disciples. He's the kind of priest whose whole life has been absorbed by the Word of God.

Conclusion

An active apostolic lifestyle, an internal rooted-ness in God's love, and a call to preaching the Word of God are three of the many aspects of a diocesan priest's calling and ministry. From that ministry flows Monsignor Jim Gunn's spirituality, a spirituality particular to diocesan priests but one that is rooted in the love of our Lord Jesus, the one who died for us all so that we might have life. Such a life calls us all to walk humbly, meekly, and justly before the Lord. (Micah 6:8)

Ad multos annos.

Official Appointments:

Most Reverend William H. Bullock, Bishop of Madison, wishes to announce the following appointments:

Reverend Monsignor Daniel T. Ganshert, in addition to Chancellor; Rector, St. Raphael Cathedral; and Director, Office of Planning, as Coordinator, Office of Vocations, effective June 24, 2002.

Mr. J. Mark Brinkmoeller, in addition to Director, Office of Justice and Peace, as Administrator, Catholic Multicultural Center, effective July 1, 2002.

Reverend Robert DeCock, Schoenstatt Fathers, with the permission of Reverend Hector Vegas, Schoenstatt Fathers, has been granted faculties of the Diocese of Madison, and assigned as Parochial Vicar, St. Paul University Catholic Center, Madison, effective June 12, 2002.

Msgr. Paul J. Swain
Vicar General

Bishop initiates study of Catholic Charities

By Bishop William H. Bullock
CATHOLIC HERALD PUBLISHER

Our Strategic Plan for the Diocese calls for an overhaul of purpose as we fulfill our mission in Christ, including a re-emphasis on Catholic identity as vital to the mission and ministry of the Church.

Catholic identity is achieved by in-service teaching and training, not just having a Catechism of the Catholic Church on a shelf for reference. Catholic social teaching must be part of the warp and woof of all we do as we care for God's poor and marginalized.

For several years now I have been working to build the Catholic identity of Catholic Charities. Due to certain circumstances, some of which may well be my own inadequacies, the relationship with the diocese has been wanting.

I am not out to fix it but rather, in this time of transition, to clarify their role and relationship. I sincerely believe I owe this to my successor, the fourth Bishop of Madison. Therefore I am setting up a committee to assist me in clarifying the role and relationship.

It is not completely healthy and certain aspects need to be addressed. The first is the relationship to the parish. Those with whom I stand in solidarity are the priests and especially the pastors of our parishes, our schools, and other institutions. The relationship of priest to bishop and bishop to pastor is clear in Canon Law and thus in pastoral practice.

Thus, beginning very soon, I shall appoint a committee to develop some realizable goals to enhance the relationship, define processes, and establish procedures.

I will ask Monsignor Paul Swain, Vicar General of the Diocese, to oversee the work of the committee, appointed by the Bishop from membership of the Board for Catholic Charities as well as persons from other Diocesan agencies.

I have written to each Board member explaining the reasons for this committee with a request to them to cooperate with me in this pastoral need. I am confident we can do better and we will. I sincerely hope to leave a legacy of a clear understanding of the goodness of the work of Catholic Charities but also to make certain they are at full Catholic identity.

By prayer, study and careful examination, we can accomplish a great good. The Diocese of Green Bay has recently reworked the by-laws, purposes and goals of Catholic Charities there, and has developed a healthy, viable relationship.

I call upon you to cooperate in this venture as we implement our Strategic Plan, improve communication among all, and focus on the services to those in need.