Bishop: Still very much in charge until Sept. 28

Bp. Zubik promises to keep calendar full here until he leaves

"The reality is that when I leave here to go back to Pittsburgh, the work of the church does not stop because the work of this church cannot be focused on me. It's focused on you - coworkers in the vineyard of the Lord. It would be a radical sin - and I mean that - if we begin to believe that everything stops until we hear who the new bishop of this church is."

(For more on who will lead the parish during this transition time, see accompanying article by Fr. John Doerfler, diocesan chancellor and vicar general.)

"All these initiatives (parish planning, Advancing the Mission, schools and religious education), these are not my initiatives. They all came about because there was a heck of a lot of consultation that confirmed that we need to move in that direction. So, just because I leave, those things don't stop. The work of the church does not stop."

"Because it's the work of the church. It's not my work; it's not my agenda. It's the work of the Spirit. Every single aspect of what we do ... didn't come about because one person said it's going to go in that direction. What we have done, what the Spirit has asked us to do is consult about all the efforts. We bought into it as a faith community, we endorsed it."

• "They've taught me how to be a more careful listener than I was before ... especially when I might not want to listen, as when someone might be sharing opinions that might be radically different from my own;"

• "I will always be grateful to the people of Green Bay, because they taught me how to be a shepherd. I've never done this before;"

• "They've brought me to my knees, in the best possible way. They've taught me to be a man of deeper prayer."

"The mantle of leadership is there for one reason only - to make us realize that God is nearer to us then we are to ourselves."

"I think I'll let the people decide that. All I can say personally, from my vantage point, is that I have worked as hard as I could ever work."

"One thing I do hope people will remember is that I did invite them to help grow the church."

• Pastoral: "I have a particular sensitivity to people who are pastoral."

• Listening: "If a bishop isn't willing to listen to what people have to say, he's going to have a pretty tough time of it.

• Spirituality and prayer: "Our work would be pretty flimsy if God weren't at the center of it."

"The same challenges I am facing:"

• "Continuing to do the work of letting the world know what the Catholic church is and what it teaches";

• "How to continue to make our faith communities vibrant and inviting";

• "Dealing with the vocations crisis, the vocations challenge."

"Marriage. My major concern and I think the major vocations concern is marriage. I think a lot of people have lost the sense of respect for getting married. A lot of people don't get married, and a lot of marriages don't last."

"The people. The people of Green Bay have been absolutely wonderful. They welcomed me as an outsider, as a non-Midwesterner. They made me feel very much at home. ... They've been patient with me; they've been kind to me; they've challenged me. I'll miss that."

"Having to answer the question: 'Who are you going to root for? The Packers or the Steelers?'"

"There are so many dioceses in the country that are open now (waiting for a new bishop). ... My guess, and it's only a guess, is that it will be at least a year - if not more."

"I beg prayers. A transition like this is major, for any number of reasons .... That would be the biggest request I would make of the people of Green Bay: Give me your continued promise of prayers."