Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
March 27, 2002
Bishop Gomez reflects on first episcopal anniversary
Shooting in Rifle, 9/11 defining moments of bishop's first year in the archdiocese
Bishop José Gomez, S.T.D., celebrated his first anniversary as a bishop March 25. The auxiliary bishop spoke with the Register and El Pueblo Catolico last week about his first year in the archdiocese.
By Roxanne King and Rossana Goñi
Register: What is your overall observation about the archdiocese after having served it a year?
Bishop Gomez: The people in the archdiocese are very welcoming people and I've felt at home since I came here a year ago. I have seen the faith of the people and how they are really devoted to the Church. It's a vibrant archdiocese.
Register: You've certainly had a "baptism by fire" in the fallout from the sexual misconduct problems in the Archdiocese of Boston.
Bishop Gomez: It's been a painful and humbling experience, but it's helped me in my own spiritual life to be more aware of the sinfulness we all share and the need for constant personal conversion.
I've seen that as a bishop, you can't avoid responsibility when a scandal like this happens. You have to make an accounting to your people, so you experience a lot of different feelings: suffering for the victims; regret and frustration; but also gratitude for so many of our good priests and people who continue to love the Church despite the mistakes of some of her leaders. Of course, I'm fortunate — I think Denver was more alert to this problem than some other places. As she deepened her understanding of these sexual misconduct issues over the years, the Church here in northern Colorado worked hard to do the right thing. We should take some comfort and pride in that.
It's a lesson I didn't expect, but I've learned that a bishop needs to deal with this sort of problem quickly, fairly and thoroughly. A bishop can't afford the luxury of getting depressed. He has to lead. He has to be a sign of hope to his people.
Register: When you arrived, you talked about being the bishop for all the people, but with a special ministry to the Hispanic people. What have you learned are their special needs and what is the archdiocese doing to address those needs?
Bishop Gomez: There was a need in the archdiocese, especially for the Hispanic community, for the presence of the bishop. I have been able to help the archbishop in being present to all the people of the archdiocese. It's a big archdiocese: The number of Catholics is large and the territory is big, so it was difficult for the archbishop to be everywhere all the time. It's been a special joy for me to be present to the people.
The first priority for ministry to Hispanics is religious education of the people — adults and children. The mission of the Church is to evangelize. We need to do a better job educating Hispanics in the basics of the faith. One of the things the archdiocese is doing is establishing the Hispanic Institute for Family and Pastoral Care, which is an initiative of the archbishop. The Hispanic Offices' Centro Lupe (resource center) is already doing some work in the parishes with religious education. The Hispanic Ministry Office is going to help us to continue to improve the religious education of the people through this new institute.
It also has been important for me to be present and involved in the social needs of the people. There are large numbers of immigrants and they have social needs: jobs, health issues and immigration issues. I see that as one of my ministries — supporting the social needs of the people. The Hispanic institute will help with that.
Register: Tell us about the Hispanic Institute for Family and Pastoral Care: What is it and what is its mission?
Bishop Gomez: The Hispanic institute has two priorities: it will be a place for formation of lay leaders and a place to provide welcoming services to immigrants. It has a pastoral mission and a social services mission.
We are collaborating with Catholic Charities and other institutions that provide services to new immigrants. Our experience is that Hispanics go to the Church first for any need they have, so we want to provide them with a place where they can go and make a first contact. Then we can refer them to other services they may need of the government, Church or social services agencies.
Register: Two significant events where your ministry was profoundly needed were the shooting of several Hispanics in Rifle and the September 11 terrorist attacks. What were those experiences like for you?
Bishop Gomez: They were really powerful experiences that helped me to understand my mission as a bishop. My mission as a bishop is to provide people with hope. And also to give people a reason for the suffering they go through and to remind them that God is always with them.
The father of one of the girls killed in Rifle approached me because he wanted the governor to know and me to know that he was not angry with Americans. He was struggling, but he understood that we all are human and that this was an unexpected act of violence from a person who was sick. It was a beautiful moment: There was talk of racism in that specific incident, and here I was just coming from the plane and this guy comes to me and says, "This is not what this is all about, we all are human and should love one another." That was a very powerful experience in my life as a bishop in northern Colorado.
September 11: That, too, was a very special moment. Circumstances helped me to be a part of it because the archbishop was out of town that week. I was able to share with people what we have in our faith: how faith is what helps us go through difficult times and feel the presence of God in our lives.
One thing I learned from September 11 is that the people here have strong faith. Sometimes people from other countries question the ways of our society — how materialistic we are. The truth is that the people of this country and this archdiocese have strong faith; the first thing everybody did after the September 11 attacks was to go to church. Great numbers of people came to the cathedral. That was a very special experience for me as a bishop. Being able to help people to go through that difficult time was very special.
Register: What are things like for you as pastor at Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception?
Bishop Gomez: They are great. It's a joyful place for me because I can be a pastor in a practical way. I can celebrate Mass and hear confessions. It helps me exercise my role as pastor in a practical way to see the same people every week.
We are trying to form a parish community at the cathedral. I just gave a class to RCIA and we started a bilingual Mass on Sundays. I like that I'm able to help the archbishop and the archdiocese as a pastor there.
The cathedral is a very diverse parish — people from all over the archdiocese come. It's a beautiful place — the building is extraordinary. When I say Mass it's a joyful celebration.
We have a sandwich line for the homeless, which is an opportunity to serve the community; we had the Father Woody money giveaway at Christmas, we have the annual fifth grade Masses and the annual special religious education Mass. I would like everyone to think of the cathedral as their church.
Register: What have you most enjoyed about your first year as bishop?
Bishop Gomez: People: The people of the archdiocese. Working with the archbishop has been very special for me. I've enjoyed the people at the chancery office and going to parishes and meeting the people there.
The thing that gives me the most joy, besides the celebration of holy Mass, is being with the people, learning from them and being able to give them hope.
I also really appreciate the friendship of the priests and welcome working together with them. The archbishop and I appreciate their dedication and loyalty.
Register: What has been your greatest challenge as bishop?
Bishop Gomez: There are a couple of things: One is to be able to balance the administration part of the job with the pastoral part. My first inclination is to want to tend to the pastoral part, but the job comes with a lot of administration.
It's like being a father: you have to combine strength and compassion. As a bishop your mission is to help people get closer to God, as a priest or father of a family you also do that, but sometimes you have to be strong in making sure that's what we all are doing. We all are human and make mistakes, so there is a need for balancing compassion and strength. That's always challenge.
And lastly, to be able to give people a sign of hope: that no matter what happens, there is always the possibility of giving glory to God and counting on his help.
Register: What has been the most valuable lesson you've learned during your first year as bishop?
Bishop Gomez: The richness of the faith of the people. People have a lot of faith: they go through difficult times and rely on faith. I know my own weaknesses, but people see the bishop as real sign of the presence of God. That comes from faith — it's not what I'm doing, but what I represent. Another lesson that I'm learning: We have a challenge to help lay people to be a part of the Church, and to understand their Christian vocation and how to put it into practice. I worked with lay people for most of my priesthood and took for granted that all lay people were knowledgeable about this. It is true lay people participate in the life of the Church, but they need more education in their faith, so they can discover the power and sense that they are the Church.
Register: What has been the response of the laity to understanding their vocation?
Bishop Gomez: I think lay people are eager to learn how to practice their faith. They can be lectors and participate in different ministries, but the mission of the lay faithful is much more than that. It's to really practice their faith where they're at in the middle of the world. That's the challenge. They are really eager to learn how. The Church as an institution needs to discover how to teach lay people how they can practice their vocation. A great part of the "new evangelization" is to learn how to share in a new way the teachings of the Church: for people to be able to understand what we are talking about.
Register: What are your goals now that you have a year's experience?
Bishop Gomez: To continue helping the archbishop: that's my mission as auxiliary bishop. I would like to spend more time with people, to be a sign of hope and encouragement to them. The Hispanic institute has goals to continue the formation of the lay people and to promote vocations to the priesthood, religious life and consecrated lay life among Hispanics, that's a big priority of the archbishop and myself. We also would like to develop guidelines for Hispanic ministry in the archdiocese and to get priests and lay people to work together to help with the needs of the Hispanic community in the archdiocese. Another goal is to be more present to the people of the Hispanic community. I'm trying to say Mass at different Hispanic parishes every Sunday and would like to do more, to get more involved in different movements, like Cursillo and Encuentro.
Register: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Bishop Gomez: I would like to thank the archbishop and the people of the archdiocese for welcoming me in such a wonderful way this year. It's been a gift, an extraordinary blessing for me. I hope I can continue serving the archdiocese in years to come with even more enthusiasm and dedication. I ask everybody in the archdiocese for their prayers — everybody needs prayers and I do, too. This is a big challenge in my life and I count on prayers. I would like to let the people of the archdiocese know that all of them are in my prayers: especially at daily Mass at the cathedral — the archbishop and the archdiocese, are in my prayers. I wish everyone a blessed Holy Week and a Happy Easter.
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