Bishops, priests comment on Bp. Banks

Bishops have a special relationship with their brother priests.

Here are the thoughts of some of those priests, including two bishops:

Bishop Aloysius Wycislo, eighth Bishop of Green Bay:

"Saying and writing this thank you to Bp. Banks is easy and a pleasure. We've become good friends over the years that he has been our Bishop. I have constantly admired his zeal and attachment to the Church of Green Bay as he so consistently puts it, a church and a people which I love very much. Then, of course, as an aging and retired Bishop, admired what he has done for the church he loves and he has decided to continue to serve with the extraordinary energy that he has. I hope that he will continue to enjoy the sight of the particular growth and direction of the Church of Green Bay to which he has given root."

	S p e c i a l   S e c t i o n : Farewell to Bishop Banks
	• 'Blessed be God Forever'     Bp. Robert Banks retires as the     diocese's chief shepherd and spiritual     leader  • Highlights of 13 years in Green Bay  • Bishop seen as priest-servant     Friends, colleagues, see Bishop as     spiritual, caring  • Bp. Robert Joseph Banks biography  • Accepted the hard times with grace     Bishop believes God at work  • A style that works     Bishop noted for his care and listening     skills  • Timeline of Bp. Banks' years in Green Bay  • College presidents remember Bp. Banks  • Lay Catholics remember Bp. Banks  • Diocesan employees remember Bp. Banks  • Religious leaders discuss Bp. Banks  • Thirteen years as the leader draw to an end  • Bishop Banks' Corner --     Giving glory to our Father  • Editorial -- Job well done     Bp. Robert Banks has served the     church of the Diocese of Green Bay     well for 13 years

Auxiliary Bp. Robert Morneau:

"When Bp. Banks came to our beloved diocese in 1990, he came with joy, dedication and enthusiasm. His commitment to our local church was complete and unreserved. With vigor he has traveled our 16 counties of northeast Wisconsin proclaiming the message of Jesus, celebrating the sacraments, and doing pastoral service. How blessed we are to have had him as our shepherd.

"One of the most important events during these past 13 years has been Renew 2000. Under his determined guidance, Bp. Banks encouraged all of our parishes to participate in the renewal of our life in Christ. Many of the small groups formed in Renew 2000 continue to function and share their faith on a regular basis.

"A second major thrust has been Bp. Banks' support and encouragement of stewardship as a way of life based upon conversion of heart. Bp. Banks has not only instructed us in the importance of generosity - the core of stewardship - but has lived it to a high degree.

"Besides his commitment to our diocese, Bp. Banks has served the larger church well by his participation in the USCCB, as a member of the Board of Trustees at the Catholic University, his work on the implementation of the Catechism, and so much more.

"On a personal level I want to thank Bp. Banks for his friendship and personal support. His sense of humor has made the journey more pleasant, his example of decision-making, (undertaken with utmost seriousness), and his collaborative style have truly impressed me and has enriched our church. Bp. Banks has been a friend, a mentor, a model - I am grateful.

Msgr. Paul Koszarek, former diocesan Vicar for Administration:

"It has been my pleasure to work with Bp. Banks throughout his entire 13 years as Bishop of Green Bay, but it was a distinct privilege to work more intimately with him during his first four years in Green Bay.

"For those four years I was his Vicar for Administration. Our offices were across the hall from each other. We saw and spoke with each other almost daily.

"Succinctly expressed, Bp. Banks is a person easy to work with, easy to talk to and easy to be with. As a Bishop of Green Bay, he was a confident leader with deep convictions about the faith, the church and its role in the world. On these matters one quickly knew where he stood. He loves the church and he gives himself entirely in its service, even in retirement.

"In my opinion Bp. Banks' most significant contribution during his tenure as Bishop of Green Bay has been to give us a strong identity. He was fond of speaking of the diocese as 'the Church of Green Bay.' He helped to give us the feeling that we are in this all together. We are the Body of Christ and we are all commissioned through baptism to continue the work of Christ in the world.

"He did this through his parish visitations, his eagerness to be present at local events, and by his willingness to see anyone who wanted to talk to him. 'To grow the church,' was his mantra. It was his pervasive motive in:

- promoting the spirituality of the priests and the people;

- his concern that young people be active in the church;

- promoting and strengthening Catholic schools;

- fostering the lay ministry through training programs and workshops;

- creating a sense of stewardship;

- establishing the Catholic Foundation

- accenting the Eucharist as the center and source of Christian life.

"In body, soul, heart and mind, Bp. Banks was a dedicated pastor of God's people. His deepest hurt and constant pain was the clergy sex abuse scandal. In Green Bay he was determined to correct the failures of the past and to do everything possible to prevent them from recurring.

"In a conversation with Bp. Banks, shortly after his coming to Green Bay, he wondered aloud whether too often he began his comments with "Back in Boston, we...," and whether this came across as a put-down of what we did in Green Bay. I assured him that we welcomed and were enriched by ideas from the east. In biology, I said, cross-fertilization offers the possibility of a vigorous hybrid. The Church in Green Bay could benefit from the Church of Boston. And I added that if what we do in Green Bay is better than what is done in Boston we would be quick to let him know.

"Bp. Banks' sense of humor, his ready wit and his impish intent made for a pleasant working environment. During the recent celebration of the Harley-Davidson centennial, he disrupted the calm of a coffee-break of the chancery staff (mostly female) by asking with feigned innocence, 'Why is it that when a man and a woman are riding on one motorcycle the woman is never in the front seat?' For the next hour not much work was done.

"A working relationship led to a warm friendship. We worked together and played together. Bp. Banks' passion for golf is shared by Bp. Morneau, myself and several other priests. I think Bp. Banks liked to play golf with me more than he liked to play golf with Bp. Morneau because he could beat me.

"Periodically, Bp. Banks would join me at my cottage on Hemlock Lake for a day of relaxation. On one occasion Bp. Morneau was with us and we did some wind-surfing. This was one sport at which Bp. Banks is clearly Bp. Morneau's superior. Ever after Bp. Banks has been trying, in vain, to get Bp. Morneau back on the wind-surfer.

"Early in his tenure here in Green Bay, Bp. Banks and I were returning from a high school board meeting, I believe, in Menasha. It was a blustering winter evening as we drove along Highway 41 back to Green Bay. I was driving. We hit a patch of ice and went into a skid. As we were sliding off the highway onto the median I remember thinking, 'This bishop is going to have a short tenure here in Green Bay.' We were unhurt and the car was not damaged. But for the next several months my title became 'Crash Koszarek.'

"The memories of my days as Vicar of Administration for Bp. Banks are good. I think God has been good to the Diocese of Green Bay in sending Robert Banks to us as our Bishop. I am glad he continues to serve the Diocese of Green Bay in a new capacity."

Fr. Dave Pleier, pastor of St. Bernard Parish, Green Bay, and former diocesan director of vocations:

"Bp. Banks is a man of great focus. Whether on the golf course, in the pulpit, or at a hospital bedside, his attention is focused on that moment of grace. In my years as Director of Vocations for the diocese, whenever I would 'drop in' unannounced, he always had time to focus on whatever the need happened to be.

"We shared a lot of candor over the years and I admire his faith and value his friendship. Our bond is the ministry we share and I wish him continuing joy in serving the Lord wholeheartedly."

Fr. Bob Kabat, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Greenleaf, and diocesan judicial vicar:

"As a pastor and as a member of the diocesan office, I was privileged to have time with Bp. Banks over these years. I have always appreciated his deep sense of love for the church and specifically this diocese. Even in the difficult times, he has not lost his sense of deep prayer and his Irish humor.

"I thank you, Bp. Banks, for the times you visited St. Mary's Parish in Greenleaf and for the support offered to the Tribunal Staff over the years.

"Now that you will be a retired bishop, I assume you lose your golf coach, Bp. Morneau."

Fr. Willie Van de Loo, former vicar for priests:

"The first thing that impressed me was, whenever we had ideas, he wanted to know how it would come across to the people, the priests.

"He was a really good communicator. Once we had a message, he never tired of using that message. He never seemed to get tired of saying it. He always had enthusiasm.

"He put a focus on Stewardship. He really set up a goal, a programming structure for finances. Not just asking for money, but presenting how to make the church grow. I think this will benefit the diocese for a long, long time.

"Given the priest shortage, he was able to work and set up a plan and carry it out to divide the workload and keep the moral of the priests in a good spot.

"He did a good job of getting parish directors established. Look at the number of laity who have come into the church. They all have background and training. He recognized the talent of lay people and set them on a good, firm base.

"He was under all that national attention because of the sex abuse scandal and he handled it very well. It never showed in his dealing with people. I don't know how he did it, but it never showed to me that he was ever down.

"As with lots of things in life, he had a good attitude (that) God is in the midst of this, we are not abandoned. God is in the midst of this, trying to lead us, purify us.

"He'd done a good job, in Boston and here, and he's ending with a sense of criticism. Granted we made mistakes, but he never denied that. He'll never be able to clear his name, but it never seemed to affect what he was doing.

"He's a real respecter of people. A good judge of people and a real respecter of their talents.

"He has a real care for priests. The Emmaus program - he really pushed that, and did whatever it took to make it go. He made sure the senior priests were involved in Clergy Days. And he was quick to visit sick priests.

"With the merging, combining and closing of parishes, he wouldn't get anything going until he understood it from the ground up. Then he let the people do things. It was always: 'What's going on out there?' We have to have a rapport out there and spend time building relationships and then you go out and do lots of things.

"Parish visitations were another great thing.

"You could go in and talk with him and, once he'd figured it out, then you knew you had his support. With interventions of priests, he knew as much as I did and you knew you had his backing."