Congratulations to Bishop Matthew Clark

Dear Blog Visitors:

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Bishop Matthew Clark for his extraordinary 30 years as shepherd of the Diocese of Rochester, New York.

The first photo above was taken of Bishop Clark and yours truly at a 1990 gathering of older men considering the diocesan priesthood. (As you know, I chose marriage, as opposed to mandatory celibacy, but was ordained outside the institutional church by Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo in 2006.)

Although Bishop Clark would have preferred that I had not pursued an alternate path to ordination, I am nevertheless appreciative of the fact that he appeared in two recent television interviews, during which he articulated his openness to the inclusion of married priests.

In the process of my church-reform activities, I have occasionally criticized hard-line bishops. On the other hand, I have consistently praised Bishop Clark for his pastoral leadership. We need more people like him in the Roman Catholic hierarchy, and I will be sorry to see him retire.

If you have followed my blog, you know that I recently joined Spiritus Christi Church in Rochester, which is independent of Rome. However, I am nevertheless pleased that the Spiritus Christi community prays for Bishop Clark at each liturgy, just as Bishop Clark prays for the Spiritus Christi community. It is my prayer that Vatican officials will see the wisdom in appointing more bishops like Matthew Clark, just as it would be wise for our cardinals in Rome to see the advantages of a more inclusive church.

As I near retirement from my secular job, I plan to devote the rest of my life to ministry. I have been approached on a couple occasions about the possibility of pastoring a small-faith community. This is certainly an option. Whatever choices I make, I will always be thankful for the kindness, pastoral leadership and inspiration that have been consistent trademarks of Bishop Matthew Clark. My sincere thanks to him for leading the Rochester Diocese for thirty years. This is a remarkable achievement indeed!