Tell Us About Your Ordinary

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catholic03

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Pax Christ:

Purely out of interest, tell us about your bishop (or possibly religious superior). If you are uncomfortable revealing your diocese, then tell us about another bishop you like. I will start.

My ordinary is John A. Cardinal Dew, Archbishop of Wellington and Metropolitan of New Zealand since 2005.

I live in the Archdiocese of Wellington and he succeded Thomas S. Cardinal Williams as Archbishop.

Cardinal Dew is the 4th Cardinal from New Zealand and is a source of pride for the Catholic population.

I have even had the pleasure of a hand shake from His Eminence. Cardinal Dew is a member of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples and is often in Rome.

His Eminence is very approachable and warm. I last saw him 3 weeks ago having attended a mass celebrated by him. He put on his coat, and drove himself off in a car afterwards!

He very in touch with the needs of Catholics in the modern world.

So, what do you like about your ordinary?
 
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What are your thoughts on Cardinal Dew’s opinion that we should stop addressing priests as Father?
 
I am very surprised that you know about His Eminence. You must be the only other person on the forum who has heard of him.

I do not think it is a doctrinal or theological issue to not call priests, father: it is just a respectable discipline to do so. It is Cardinal Dew’s preference not to call priests father and I have little issue with his view. I still call priests father, it is just Cardinal Dew’s personal preference not to. Although I see it as disrespectful to not call a priest father, I have no issue with his preference.
 
John, as we will have to refer to him if we are to adhere to his preferred naming protocol (as opposed to the Catholic Church’s), does not think Cardinal or Your Eminence should apply, either.

I remember being surprised when he agreed with Fr. Jean-Pierre Roche. It seemed anomalous at the time for a Cardinal to take such a heterodox position. I read their reasoning and unfortunately it didn’t ease my concern.
 
What formula does he propose for confession?
“Hi John, I’ve sinned…” I would find that incredibly awkward. For me it’s not about clericalism or even respect for the individual, rather the priest “disappears into the rite”… it is Christ I address and encounter, not John the man.
 
Sorry. Perhaps we could start a new thread on the “no Father” topic. I’m honestly very curious how confession works.
 
I think I might have.
My ordinary is Archbishop Michael Miller. His Grace is an excellent homilist. I had the honour of having lunch with him (and another priest) many years ago when I was discerning the priesthood. His Grace is quite traditional… at the cathedral we always have the option to receive kneeling (and all new catechumens receive first communion in this manner at the Vigil), and Latin and chant and incense prevail. His Grace has a passion for Catholic education (he was Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education in Rome before coming to Vancouver) and has spoken courageously and strongly against the evils of abortion and euthanasia in our country.
 
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Never met my Bishop before, but I did see him on the local news for the Family Faith Fest. Bishop Parkes of the St. Petersburg Diocese. He seems orthodox enough. Don’t like the Cathedral he says Mass in though. Wish he would invest more in the Latin Mass in our diocese. Only two parishes practice it.
 
Bishop James Conley of Lincoln. I knew him many years ago when he was a transitional deacon for the Diocese of Wichita. He’s been here for almost seven years and has in most areas, done a very good job. In the past year, he instituted a restructuring of how parish schools are financed and that has ruffled a few feathers. He also has come under fire for how he handled some situations regarding allegations of priestly misconduct, both on his watch and prior to his becoming Bishop. But overall he has done a good job of shepherding the flock with humility and grace.
 
I have worked for my Ordinary for about 12 years now.
Our Bishop emeritus retired in 2013, and we received a new Bishop in 2014.

Our Bishop emeritus was a delightful man, who was equally at ease with a CEO or a homeless person.

Our new Bishop, well, him and I do not agree on almost everything. His style is much more dictatorial, he is not as accessible as our former Ordinary, and he brings new meaning to the word “clericalism”.

Fortunately, he will be 75 is less than 2 years so, we just have to grin and bear it for now.
 
Our Bishop Richard Moth, (of the diocese of Arundel and Brighton) is a lovely smiley man with a fantastic sense of humour. He is humble and kind and works very hard. I have met/seen him many times and he is always at the heart of any event getting to the bottom of things.
 
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