Diocese is well prepared for announcement of ninth bishop

SALT LAKE CITY — Although we don’t know when the announcement of the name of our ninth bishop will come, as we wait, we also plan. In a Nov. 27 interview with the Intermountain Catholic Diocesan Administrator Msgr. J. Terrence Fitzgerald said initial plans include a press conference on the day the announcement is made by the Vatican.

"The plans for our new bishop’s installation/ordination will depend on whether he has already been ordained a bishop in another diocese or not," Msgr. Fitzgerald said. "If he is already serving as a bishop or an auxiliary bishop somewhere else, our ceremony will be an installation. If he has not yet been ordained a bishop, our ceremony will be his ordination."

The evening before the new bishop’s ordination/installation, a prayer vigil will be held at St. Ann Church. That vigil will include all diocesan clergy and religious serving in the diocese, as well as the staff of the Diocesan Pastoral Center, who make up the bishop’s staff.

The ordination/installation ceremony the next evening will be by invitation only, due to the seating limitations in the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

"Invitations will go out to civic leaders, people involved in leadership in the diocese, representatives of various groups and ministries, relatives and friends of the new bishop, clergy and religious from his previous diocese and from the Diocese of Salt Lake City, as well as representatives of a number of diocesan boards and commissions," said Msgr. Fitzgerald.

Pointing out that the bishop’s chair in the Cathedral of the Madeleine, the symbol of a bishop’s teaching authority, has not been used since Archbishop George Niederauer left the Diocese of Salt Lake City for the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Msgr. Fitzgerald said when that chair is finally filled, it will mark the beginning of public events designed to feature our new bishop and allow him to get to know the people of his new diocese.

"There will be a public reception," Msgr. Fitzgerald said. "We don’t know yet where that will be, but it will be much like the reception held for Archbishop Niederauer’s farewell. Then, there will be a series of private dinners for visiting bishops, officials, and the family of the new bishop.

"A lot depends on timing," Msgr. Fitzgerald said, "when the announcement is made, when the new bishop arrives, and what space is available to us. Those are unknown to us right now, but we’ve done a lot of planning for them already."

Assisting Msgr. Fitzgerald in the planning of events are the Diocesan Consultors, a group of six priests who serve as advisors to the bishop or the diocesan administrator. A steering committee also is working on the plans. The steering committee is made up of Msgr. Fitzgerald and members of the staffs of the Cathedral of the Madeleine and the Diocesan Pastoral Center.

In addition, articles have been placed on the diocesan web site and the Intermountain Catholic web site that offer educational material regarding bishops, how they are appointed, and other pertinent matter. Director of Religious Education Susan Northway also has prepared educational material for distribution to religious education classes. Material is also being distributed in Catholic schools.

How long is too long to wait for an episcopal appointment? Msgr. Fitzgerald assures us we are not waiting "too long."

"Most dioceses remain vacant for at least a year, and Archbishop Niederauer will not have been gone a year until February, 15, 2007," he said. "We have been told that the average waiting time is 16 months, and some dioceses have gone longer.

"Be assured that canon law provides that someone will always be in charge," said Msgr. Fitzgerald. "Even when our church has had to go underground, as in the communist era, someone has always been in charge. Church law makes it very clear. I know for some people this seems like a long time to wait, but we have been busy during the waiting. We are planning and praying every day."