We welcome our new father in God!
Rocco reports more about our new Bishop Elect, Msgr. Robert Guglielmone, and his statement in Charleston on Saturday. Read it here.
Charleston’s Bishop Elect
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Jeepers. I just thought you weren’t posting and all of a sudden my feeder blew in with 24 posts.Wow – I’m going to be having some fun here for awhile. 😉
I am happy that there is a new bishop but it seems odd to me that a priest from Long Island was chosen. Are there now priests with degrees in Canon Law from other dioceses around the South? In his own words:”I am a bit anxious about leaving Long Island where I have spent almost my whole life and certainly all my life as a priest.”I know and like lots of people from Long Island so I don’t mean to knock the new bishop. I suppose I was just hoping it would be one of the new wave of catholics who came along in the Southeast.
One idea I have heard from several people is that a priest from Long Island was chosen partly because the Diocese of Charleston has seen a huge influx of Catholics from New York, New Jersey, and other northeastern states in recent years, particularly along the coast. I have heard conjecture that this Bishop might have been chosen partly to serve as a good leader for all of these new transplants. I also think personally his concern for nurturing vocations, parish life and the development of young Catholics was a drawing point, because all three of these need nurturing in the Diocese of Charleston.
Wench, I can see all that I suppose. But I think it is time to stop viewing catholics in the southeast as transplants, and to start viewing it as a rather large geographic region that is generating its own catholics, born in the Southeast and baptized there. I would like the protestant populat to lose the luxury of viewing catholicism as a religion of yankee transplants because one of its own sonse is the bishop. Does the Vatican not understand that there was a civil war in the united states 150 years ago fought between an industrialized nation of more-recent immigrants and an agrarian nation of less-recent immigrants? But perhaps that’s just me.That being said I am sure that the new bishop is a fine man and will do a fine job.
Marcus:I fully understand your point, and would have loved to see a Bishop from the Southeast and hope I will see one in my lifetime. However, in the Diocese of Charleston a very large number of our Catholics ARE transplants, both retirees and young families. The influx of these transplants as well as the growing Hispanic community in the past 15 years or so has seen a true explosion in the Catholic population in several areas of our Diocese. There are also a remarkable and wonderful number of “homegrown” folks here and also life long South Carolinians who are joining the church from other traditions every year. But without the huge influx from “elsewhere” we would not have the number of Catholics we have now. That’s why some folks are suggesting Bishop-elect Guglielmone was selected. I personally hope he was selected mainly for his strengths as a Shepherd! Either way from what I have read and heard about him I think we are blessed. Pray for him!
Welcome, Bishop Elect, Msgr. Robert Guglielmone! He will be the bishop of my diocese, and I am delighted that he is coming. I must confess however, that my first challenge will be to learn how to spell his name :). My second challenge will be to learn how to pronounce it :).
Wench, I see your point too. Maybe the next bishop of north or south carolina can be an acutal north or south carolinian. In the meantime, let’s pray for this one.I will also pray that the transplants stop seeing the faith as transplanted. I mean, it’s been transplanted everyhwhere but Israel. It’s a good sign when a place can grow its own bishop.
Many years ago there was a bishop from the northeast who was transferred to be bishop in a southern diocese. When I asked him why the Holy See would send a native of a northeastern state who had spent all his life and ministry there to a southern diocese his reply was, “Because I am the tenth man they asked and the only one who said yes”.There may be an element of that in this appointment as well. Perhaps some of the men who are southern and may have been considered for the position didn’t want it?It has happened before so it should be considered now, too.