Well, it would seem that we have a new Archbishop. If it seemed like a long wait to you, you are not alone in that sentiment. It is rare for Washington or an Archdiocese of this significance to have to wait for so long, but the circumstances under which we found ourselves orphaned were unusual, to put it gently. To be circumspect, you should know that most dioceses have to wait at least that long before receiving their new bishop, even when the departure of the predecessor could easily be anticipated with precision. It is just the way these things work; it’s almost as if the Church doesn’t want to seem so rude as to be expecting a bishop to leave his see, or eager to pick his “replacement.”
We will all get to know Archbishop Wilton Gregory better over coming months. The first step is now to pray for him, by name, and not only at Mass. Our spiritual health and well-being are in his hands, and we depend upon him for the grace the Lord wants us to have through that most indispensable element of our relationship with Him, the Apostles. Our genuine concern and fervent prayer for him will not only reflect this reality, but will open us to knowledge and understanding of him that is given only to those in spiritual communion.
In the meantime, you can root around on the Internet for his curriculum vitae or other information about him, as well as writings or homilies by him. He’s been around for ages – and by “around” I mean “prominent”. He was president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ twenty years ago. I just now realized that means he would have spent a lot of time in Washington, where the Conference has its headquarters and many meetings. He was made a bishop the year after I finished high school, thirty-six years ago, after ten whole years as a priest. Like our two previous archbishops, he has had one (1) assignment in a parish. His lasted more than double theirs combined, though – three years!
One thing I did not know before I started reading was that he converted to the Catholic Faith when he was ten. Like our own Fr. Scott Woods, he determined he was called to be a priest even before he was Catholic!
One cannot accumulate all his experience quickly, though, so he is now already seventy-one years old. That might make it harder on him to make the transition to our local church. He does have one advantage, though, in that he doesn’t need to learn all that bishop-stuff, like how to do the job, or what to wear when; nor will he have to work to get to know the other bishops, or get to know all the folks who run things in Rome. He has known and worked closely with them all for decades!
Maybe that will leave him lots of time to get to know us. There must be some perks that come with being Archbishop of Washington, and I am convinced that would be one of them.
Monsignor Smith
