 Catholic Diocese of Spokane, Washington
"Traveling into Advent"by Bishop William S. Skylstad (From the Dec. 4, 2003 edition of the Inland Register)
Initially on this trip I attended the U.S. bishops’ fall meeting in Washington D.C., then moved on to Houston for the National Catholic Youth Conference, and then finally to New York City for the meeting of the Catholic Medical Mission Board and their 75th anniversary celebration. Last week, the Catholic bishops of the U.S. met in Washington D.C. In the autumn we always meet in the nation’s capitol, but the summer meetings move around depending upon the occasion of a celebration of a local Church or special event. We will meet this June in Denver for one of the special summer meetings. Every third or fourth meeting in the summer is devoted to a particular theme with no specific business conducted. The time for these meetings is somewhat longer and more relaxed, with ample time for discussion on important issues that impact the Church and our ministry. Some feel we should do this more often than we have in the past, given the times and challenges we face. On the national level, there are over 30 standing committees of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) which serve the Church in the U.S. For example, there are committees on doctrine, liturgy, social development and world peace (separate committees for domestic and international issues), respect life, priestly life and ministry, evangelization, family laity women and youth, to name a few. The chair of each standing committee as well as a bishop representative from each of the 14 in the U.S. make up the Administrative committee of about 50 bishops which helps to set up the agenda for our national meetings. A lot of the work of the USCCB is done in committee. Almost every bishop is involved in at least a few committees. My own participation in those committees has been very enriching. Often committees will bring action items to the floor of national meetings where a document or statement will be possibly amended and voted upon. Sometimes, that work with some 280 bishops can be complex and time consuming. Recently there has been a considerable amount of discussion about the content and flow of the meetings. At our meeting last week, an hour was set aside for regional meetings to discuss this issue. From what I hear, the discussion in every region was lively so we will have to see what possible changes might take place. If I read the mood of the bishops correctly, there is more of a desire to discuss issues informally rather than have so much of our meetings taken up with the processing of statements or documents. Our region in the Northwest talked about this very issue and suggested that we would be better served in being informed and discussing issues at the national level giving the bishop information to use at the local level in whatever manner he and the local church judge to be appropriate and helpful. The youth gathering in Houston at the Reliant Park was a remarkable event. About 24,000 youth from all over the U.S. attended with about 26 youth and adult chaperones from our diocese. The energy in these types of gathering is hard to describe. Several of the sessions including the final Eucharist were held in Reliant Stadium where the Superbowl will be played in Jaunary. I thought the Mass was especially well done. The logistics with that large crowd must be a tremendous challenge but hopefully the time for the youth who came will be a lifetime inspiring memory. The general theme of the gathering was “River of Life.” Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB) celebrated its 75th Anniversary on Nov. 17 in New York City. I have concluded my five year service on the board. CMMB collects pharmaceuticals and donations to buy them to send them to Third World countries where needs are very great. Africa, Haiti, India, Central and South America are some of the areas served. On the morning of the dinner celebrating the 75th, CMMB organized a gathering in cooperation with the Global Health Council for participants from all over the world. The main focus of the meeting was the problem of AIDS and the pandemic it has become. Clearly the Church is in a unique position to offer health services in the poorest areas of the world because of the presence of parishes and dioceses. When the political stability of some countries is shaky at best, the stable structures of parishes and dioceses become very important, given the Church’s strong commitment to the mission of health care. We can be very proud of the wonderful work done amidst difficult and oftentimes overwhelming needs. As we begin the season of Advent, we have the opportunity to be mindful of how Jesus comes into our lives and into the world through the many ministries of the Church and through every baptized person. May we all look to our hearts to make sure we are open to the coming of the Savior so that in turn the light of Son can shine in and through us to a world constantly in need of his saving presence. Peace and blessings to you all.
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Trips away from home normally don’t exceed much over a week, but my November trip has been slightly longer. As I fly home I find myself reflecting on the events in which I have been involved for the past week and a half. I am constantly amazed at the diversity and complexity of the Church.