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For The Good

For The Good

For The Good

For The Good

To new beginnings

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, In politics, the first 100 days in office often determines the agenda for the newly elected official. Well, for a new bishop, it is kind of the same. We do not choose the times in which we are called to live or the moments in which we are called to serve, and I certainly never could have imagined being called to be a bishop in the middle of a global pandemic.

November is the month in which we say thank you! My heart is filled with gratitude for so much: the gift of God in my life, the Church that Jesus gave us, my particular calling to be a priest and now a bishop, the gift of my dear parents and a loving family, the support of friends, and most recently, my deep gratitude for you: the faithful of Southeast Texas, the priests and personnel and volunteers who serve the Diocese of Beaumont and have made me feel so welcome in my first three months.

As you may know, I have been our bishop a little under two months and as we get closer to November 3rd I’ve heard two requests rather consistently: “Bishop tell us what to do and who to vote for” and “Bishop, don’t you dare tell us what to do.” So, as an equal opportunity offender I will upset both groups! First of all, we all should be pro-life, pro-freedom of conscience, pro-charity, and pro-American!

Well, my first month as our bishop has been quite a ride! I know for all of us in Southeast Texas these days in preparation and recovery from Hurricane Laura have presented great challenges. In discussion with our friends from the American Red Cross, they told me that there have been more “Level 3/Level 4 disasters in the Texas Gulf Coast Region in the last five years than anywhere else in the nation.”

“Peace be with you!” These are the words of the Risen Lord Jesus on Easter morning as he greets the fearful disciples locked in the Upper Room after the horrors of Good Friday. These are also the words with which the bishop greets the community at the beginning of Mass that I look forward to proclaiming at each of our parishes in the coming months.