At the age of 75, bishops are mandated to submit their letter of resignation from administration directly to the Holy Father in Rome. For several years prior to sending my letter, I dreaded the thought. What would life be like without any administrative duties? How would I use my time? The fear of the unknown was abated by participating in a workshop entitled: Encore Priests, which prepares priests (and bishops) for this transition. I was quickly reminded that by the nature of the sacrament of Holy Orders, priests and bishops always have some form of ministry. The workshop, given by…

I’m not sure exactly when the idea came to me, but I had been thinking about it for a number of years: to visit each parish where I had been stationed, not only to see the church once again but also to review the Baptism and Marriage Registers. I have often wondered how many baptisms I celebrated and how many marriages I witnessed? I never kept a record of these events, as some priests actually do. There was only one way to find out: ask the current pastors of my former priestly assignments to allow me to go search for…