Archbishop Resigns

The month of July saw the resignation of our archbishop, Sylvain Lavoie, OMI. Bishop Lavoie had been on medical leave for many months and we all accepted his decision to resign in favor of looking after his own health at this time in his life.

This leaves the archdiocese without a bishop and the Church is now looking at the appointment of a new bishop for our diocese. This is a lengthy process and one which requires time, patience and no small measure of prayer.

A bishop for our diocese is an important step and one that shapes the future of a diocese for many years. The Church's process for appointing bishops is an ancient and traditional one. Many voices in the current age of our tradition have been calling for a more collaborative process in the task of appointing leadership. Currently this process in reflected in the opinions of a relatively small group of individuals of the local church and ultimately rests within the discretion of the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops centered in Rome.

One could be led to wonder if Episcopal Conferences will one day be granted the ability of appointing our own leadership that will more appropriately reflect the local nature and need of local dioceses. This step would appear to be ultimately inevitable given the aging population of the Church's leadership and the growing diversity of our membership throughout the world. An increased input of local laity would necessarily reflect their desire for a shepherd who would address needs particular to a local diocese.

I find the current process to lack an awareness of local issues that are often times pressing. It can remain a constant prayer that our Church continue to grow in its own self-understanding and adjust accordingly.