Every June, the bishops of the United States gather for their spring meeting in a different diocese. Several weeks ago we bishops gathered in St. Petersburg, Florida, for what we call the “retreat” meeting. This special assembly is held every three years in June and is devoted to a special theme. This past meeting revolved around various aspects related to the general topic of “The Bishop as Father, Brother and Friend to his Priests.” There were excellent talks given by various bishops with theologians and priests responding to these talks. Archbishop George Niederauer gave a memorable and highly acclaimed address on the Bishop’s role of deepening communion within his diocese through Word and Sacrament. With his usual wit and insight, he gave us a lot to think about.
The meeting included a holy hour, a penance service, several beautiful Masses and time for the bishops to get to know each other better without the usual pressure of a daylong general meeting and various committee meetings throughout the day and night. I joined several other bishops for a day of golf after our Sunday committee meetings and before the retreat began. Just for the record, I am not ready for the PGA yet! I am grateful for the time we bishops had to deepen our affective collegiality, which is an important part of our service to the Church. Our week together was filled with many graces that I pray will enable me to serve you better in the years to come.
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