Archbishop Dolan's Thought for the Week

February 10, 2009 - Year of St. Paul

Dear Friends united in love and service of Jesus Christ and His Church:

I’ve only done four of them so far, but I love and enjoy them, and already look forward to the next one.

What I’m talking about is the custom of a pastoral visit of a bishop to a parish.

No, I don’t mean coming to a parish just for confirmation, or an anniversary, or a Sunday Mass on a special feast. I love that too, and have done this at all 210 out of the 211 parishes in the archdiocese.

What I mean is an intensive forty-eight hours in a parish. Usually, I begin before my visit by reviewing the history, the statistics, and the reports on the parish. Then I arrive on Saturday afternoon to hear confessions, after which I celebrate and preach at the Saturday vigil Mass. Then I meet the folks, and usually enjoy a meal and a chat with the priest.

On Sunday morning I take all the Masses, and meet the people afterwards. If the parish has religious education on Sunday morning, I visit the classrooms.

On Sunday afternoon, I usually meet with parish leaders, deacons, and the pastoral staff. If there are nursing homes or housebound the pastor wants me to visit, I do so. Sometimes there’s a confirmation class or youth activity Sunday evening I enjoy attending.

Then back at it Monday morning: usually morning Mass with the school children, visits to the classrooms, a sit-down with the teachers, a tour of the entire parish plant. After I review and sign the sacramental registers, I go home . . . for a nap!

So far, I’ve relished pastoral visits to Holy Assumption, West Allis; Shepherd of the Hills, Eden; St. Matthew’s, Oak Creek and St. Vincent Pallotti, Milwaukee. More are planned.

Bishop Sklba is the real Cal Ripken of these pastoral visits, with about ten already under his belt. Bishop Callahan is eager to get started.

Do the math: if we three bishops visit twenty parishes a year, it will take us eleven years to cover all 211 parishes in the archdiocese. Then, we’ll start again.

Church history teaches us that great, saintly, successful bishops -- such as St. Francis de Sales, St. Charles Borromeo, St. John Neumann -- all were faithful to these pastoral visits. They are good for the priests and people; they are good for the bishop.

Besides, canon law tells us bishops that we should be doing this.

Hope to be at your parish soon.

Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan

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