"We Have No Archbishop"
And haven't for a month, for that matter. On December 16th, Archbishop Thomas Collins made public his very recent acceptance of Rome's request to move him to Toronto, where Archbishop Aloysius Cardinal Ambrozic officially retired, more than a year after turning 75.
Since then, Archbishop Collins has been Archbishop-Elect of Toronto, and Administrator of the Archdiocese of Edmonton-- a title he will soon drop-- and the Archdiocese of Edmonton has been sede vacante, a "vacant see".
This is the first time in the Archdiocese's history that we have been sede vacante without knowing who the new Archbishop will be. Naturally, this means that the entire Diocese (and possibly then some) have been speculating-- and the seminary as much or more than most. But that is not the point here...
Tonight was the farewell event for Archbishop Collins from Newman Theological College-- the college down the hallway from the Seminary, and where I'll study for my Master of Divinity Degree in a few years. It's also celebrating the occasion of the Archbishop's 60th birthday. And it's the third farewell I've attended in the past eight days.
A week ago, St. Joseph's Seminary held a private farewell dinner for the Archbishop: just him and us. On Sunday, the Archdiocese held a rather formal affair at the Basilica. Formal in the sense of somewhat dressed up, and by invitation only. I've attended all three.
It's starting to slowly sink in that the Archbishop is leaving. It's a measure of the man that there has been so much outpouring of love and regret over his departure. He will be sorely missed. He is a great man: kind, intelligent, witty, personal. He was close to being the "perfect bishop". Insofar as a human can be, he was.
Which, I guess, is why the Holy Father is sending him to Toronto. God knows, I assure you, that Toronto needs someone like him. It's a huge diocese, more than a million Catholics, nearly eight hundred priests (counting the religious orders), and because of its size and Toronto's prominence in Canada, possibly the most "important" diocese in the country. If the Archbishop is not named Cardinal in the next few years, the entire seminary will be much surprised.
And Toronto, being the "centre of the universe" for Canada, makes its prelate an important figure in Canadian life as well. As the foremost Catholic figure in Canada (well, we have two other Cardinals, but they aren't from Toronto), he's going to bear a lot of the heat from left-wingers who had a grudge against the Church. Apparently he has a bodyguard chauffeur and a fortress-like security system in the rectory-- and gets death threats (or will).
The poor Archbishop seems a little overwhelmed by all this, and one can't blame him. But the Holy Father has asked him to serve, and he has said yes. It's a powerful witness to the importance of obedience in the Church-- particularly for us seminarians who, as priests, may someday be asked to serve in a parish we absolutely do NOT want to go to.
When I first heard the news, the day I headed back home for Christmas, I took it rather poorly. I'm afraid I've grown rather attached to His Grace. I've come to know him well over the last few years, especially since being in Seminary, having seen him on a nearly fortnightly basis; but I knew him earlier as well. I knew him from serving at Confirmations (including my own), from the parish mission he gave us last February, from various youth events up to Edmonton where he was present, from seeing him briefly in Köln for World Youth Day. Even before I entered the Seminary, I knew him fairly well, and he knew me by name. And he's only, as I said, sixty. Assuming he has a normal and healthy life, he should have been here long enough to ordain me and assign me my first couple parishes.
It's hard on a diocese, moving the bishop, and it's not really the intended norm. A bishop is supposed, ideally, to be father of his flock for life, or at least until retirement at age 75 (and they usually retire within their diocese). And this was the norm in western Canada for a generation. Archbishop McNeil, Archbishop Collins' predecessor, was Bishop of Edmonton for twenty years, and is still around and kicking-- a near permanent fixture on the Archdiocesan scene.
It's hard to lose such a good man (and a Tolkien fan, even... an English major, with a complete OED), but we cannot begrudge him-- for he is serving as God and church direct. But we can pray for him, and will.
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4 comments:
Archbishop Collins sounds like a great guy. I can definitely understand why it would be hard to see him go, but I also know what you mean about it being for the best. Hope all goes well! :-D
btw, I've had something on my mind for a little while now, and I figured you'd be a good person to ask: How do the Catholic organizational units work? By that I mean, how are they ordered, and what are the differences between them? For instance, the LDS Church is divided into wards, stakes, etc. I basically just want to know what the divisions are like for Catholicism. :-) Thanks!
Oh, and while I'm here: Same question, but this time for the leadership positions (priest, bishop, etc.). :-)
It's pretty simple: the Church is divided worldwide into dioceses (Roman Empire: province), of varying sizes. In the States, I think each State would have anywheres from one to ten dioceses, depending on population and the Catholic density thereof.
Each diocese is shepherded by a bishop. Some dioceses are older and larger in their respective region, and are called archdioceses, headed by archbishops. Other than the title and some protocol goodies, there's no real difference between an archbishop and a bishop.
Ruling over the entire church is the Pope, who is bishop of Rome. Assisting him in the practical work of this weighty task is the Curia, which could also be aptly termed the bureaucracy. The congregations of the Curia contain a large number of bishops and priests.
Priests are the helpers of the bishops. The exact number will vary from diocese to diocese, depending again on many factors. Within a diocese, most priests will serve in the parishes, the ground-level units that make up the diocese, and would be the familiar level to most people. A priest, however, can serve in any position his bishop appoints him to. He is a priest by reason of his ordination, not his job thereafter. Most non-pastoral priests serve as teachers (in seminaries or other post-secondary institutions, mainly) or in administration, usually of their own dioceses.
Cardinals are a small number of bishops who have been chosen by the Pope. They differ from normal bishops mainly in that it is their responsibility to elect the next pope.
Then there are deacons. Deacons are either men on their way to the priesthood, usually about six months to a year away, in their final year of seminary; or they are permanent deacons. A permanent deacon, unlike a priest or bishop, is permitted to be married, provided it was before ordination. Deacons, permanent or temporary, serve mainly as assistants to pastors in parishes.
Deacons have the faculty of preaching at Mass, of presiding at non-Mass liturgies such as Eucharistic Adoration or a Liturgy of the Word. They can celebrate funerals and weddings.
And... that's pretty much it.
Hey, thanks! I enjoy studying other faiths, and I've been wanting to know this stuff for a while so I could better understand how Catholicism works. :-D
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