Bishop Robert J. Banks

Reflecting on decade in Green Bay

A couple of weeks ago, Tony Staley, the editor of this fine newspaper, came into my office to interview me for an article about my tenth anniversary as Bishop of Green Bay. Part of the interview, naturally, was the question, "What have you done during these 10 years?"

Even though I knew the question was coming and had racked my brain, trying to come up with some accomplishments, I really had not done that much in the 10 years that would rate headlines. Throwing out the ball at Lambeau Field for the Bishop's Charities game is probably my most public activity each year, but Bp. Morneau has spent the past three years telling everyone that he gets credit for throwing out the ball the year that the Packers won the Super Bowl.

I'm asked that a lot

Later, as I was thinking about the interview and Tony's question, it struck me that I get asked that question all the time. Whenever I visit a school or religion education class and invite questions from the youngsters, one of the first questions will always be, "What do you do as bishop?"

It's obvious from the question that my activities as bishop have not made it to the children's radar screen. Still, a child was once so impressed by my presence in the classroom, that he immediately went home and told his mother after school that his class had been visited by the president of the bank.

My consolation is that I did not enter the seminary 55 years ago to make the headlines. As I remember, my goal was to be a good priest. I wasn't too sure then just what you were supposed to do in order to be a good priest, but in time I found out that it had a lot to do with preaching, celebrating Mass and the sacraments, praying and being kind to people. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending how you look at it, none of those activities rate headlines.

Like a priest, but not quite

When a priest becomes a bishop, most of the really important things he does are the same that he did as a priest - preaching, celebrating Mass and the sacraments, praying and being kind to people. But there is a difference. The bishop does not have the same intimate contact with a specific group of people as a pastor does with his parishioners. The people he deals with the most are the priests, who in turn do most of the preaching, celebrating of sacraments, praying and being kind to people. He also spends a large amount of his time with the priests, lay people and religious who run the diocesan offices as a service to the priests and their parishioners.

Not headlines, letterheads

It won't come as a surprise to anyone connected with the Church that the bishop also spends significant time raising money. For many people, their most personal connection with the bishop is the letter about the annual appeal. The bishop and all of us are blessed that so many people see the annual appeal as a very personal opportunity for them to help the bishop and the Church serve the poor and spread the Gospel.

Raising money usually does not make the headlines, unless the bishop runs a campaign that brings in a spectacular sum for the Diocese or some particular cause. I have not done that, but our people have given many millions of dollars in the past few years to build new parish churches and to build or improve our schools. Apart from the Catholic Foundation, my one small hope is to find a million or so dollars to fix up Camp Tekawitha before I leave. The next bishop will probably be more ambitious.

Despite the fact that the doings of the bishop are unknown to the youngsters in school and many adults, great things have taken place here during the past several years, because we do have good priests, good parish and diocesan leaders and workers, and good people. Renew 2000 tops the list, followed by the priests' Emmaus renewal program. Last week's Compass (Dec. 1) listed many more.

Many of the great things happening in this Church of Green Bay will never be published. On my parish visitations, the pastor will often arrange that I can visit some of the parishioners who are confined to their homes because of sickness or old age. Time after time I have been humbled and inspired by the faith, love and real heroism I have seen in those who suffer and in their caretakers. So often they see the visit of the bishop as an encouragement. That is more important than making any headline.

Still more to be done

But enough about what is past; there is much more to be done. As our new diocesan slogan has it, we are all Summoned to Serve, as individuals, parishes, institutions and as Church. There is never a time when we can say we are satisfied with what we are doing in our lives as disciples of Jesus.

Let me, however, end up on a lighter note. At one of my most recent parish visitations, I was sitting at lunch with the pastor and several staff members. I mentioned to the pastor that I met a new bishop at the recent Bishops' Conference and he asked me to pass along his best wishes to the pastor.

The pastor said that the new bishop had been his professor of moral theology in the seminary. He went on to say, "I was so surprised that he was chosen to be a bishop. He is not at all like the kind of people they choose to be bishops. He is kind, humble, thoughtful, generous, patient, forgiving ..." He finally realized what he was saying, and we all had a good laugh - I think.

My sincere thanks to the priests, people and religious of the Church of Green Bay who have made it a joy for a former Bostonian to serve here in northeast Wisconsin.