Catholic Diocese of Spokane, Washington

From the

Official News Magazine of the Diocese of Spokane

(From the Aug. 23, 2007 edition of the Inland Register)

ST. BENEDICT – What do retired bishops do?

If you’re Bishop Thomas Connolly, retired bishop of the Diocese of Baker, in Eastern Oregon, you spend much of your time giving retreats.

This month, Bishop Connolly and others will lead a retreat focusing on the spirituality of St. Benedict, set for Aug. 27-Sept. 1 at Mount Angel Abbey, a Benedictine monastery about 45 miles southeast of Portland.

Last year, the bishop was one of the leaders of a retreat described as an introduction to the subject.

Among those assisting him will be Father Jon Buffington, a priest of an eastern Catholic rite; Benedictine Sister Antoinette Trager; and Benedictine Father Edmund Smith. Father Edmund served in the Spokane Diocese, at Sacred Heart Parish, Othello.

— Catholic Sentinel (Archdiocese of Portland)

GREAT FALLS – Father Jay Peterson is the administrator of the Great Falls-Billings Diocese, a post he has held since Bishop Anthony Milone’s resignation was accepted by the Vatican a year ago. In a column titled “When will we get a new bishop?” he writes:

“People want to know who our new bishop will be – where he’s from, what he’s like, and all of the essential things about a person’s identity. The other side of the same coin is the need for us Catholics to have a bishop, to achieve that secure feeling of having someone permanently in place. We are a hierarchical church, and feel it deeply when there is no shepherd.

“Well, when will we get a new bishop? The answer is that we won’t know who he is until it is announced publicly. I tell people who ask me, ‘It will be like a bolt of lightning.’ As I write this, the one-year mark has passed since Bishop Milone resigned. Many dioceses usually wait at least this long, maybe close to two years in some cases….

“If our new bishop is elevated from priesthood, then we will hold an ordination; if he is transferred from another diocese, we will hold an installation. Either way, it will be a great day of rejoicing. Let us pray for him, whomever and wherever he may be!”

— The Harvest (Diocese of Great Falls-Billings)

COTTONWOOD – Benedictine Sister Corinne Forsman, a former pastoral minister at Holy Family Parish, Clarkston, recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of her Religious profession at the Monastery of St. Gertrude in Cottonwood.

She described her early monastic years as very strict, and being fearful of “so many things, especially breaking the rules. In a way, this fear drew me closer to Christ.”

She said that “before Vatican II, there was an emphasis on denial of the self, especially our emotional self. After Vatican II, we realized we needed to be whole, healthy women, individually responsible for our spiritual growth if we wanted to be effective in our ministries.”

— Idaho Catholic Register (Diocese of Boise)