Bishop soldiers on as inquiry begins

Offering the invocation at a moving tribute to a fallen policeman, praying with young Catholics who want to serve the Church and attending routine meetings were among recent events for Bishop Howard J. Hubbard as he tried to resume a normal schedule after battling to reclaim his reputation in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct.

While calling the past few weeks "a living nightmare" and pledging to cooperate fully with the investigator looking into the claims (see story below), the Bishop also continued his usual roles as a religious leader for Catholics in the Albany Diocese and a community leader in the Capital District.

FINN MEMORIAL

The latter role was movingly demonstrated when Bishop Hubbard offered the invocation at the Feb. 21 memorial service for the late Lt. John Finn of the Albany Police Department. The two-hour-plus tribute to the slain officer was held at the Pepsi Arena in Albany.

Bishop Hubbard called Lt. Finn, who was shot in the line of duty, "a just man" who has "gone to God."

The Bishop added that the officer was "a loving husband and father; a caring son and brother; a loyal friend; and a faithful, cherished and trusted co-worker. He was a gentle giant who evidenced a down-to-earth demeanor, a quick wit, a contagious kindness, a professionalism and integrity which were an inspiration for others, and an unflinching bravery and courage which led to the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of the citizens of Albany."

YOUNG CATHOLICS

On Feb. 20, Bishop Hubbard attended the conclusion of the week-long Christian Leadership Institute, held in Johnstown. CLI, which is sponsored by the diocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, trains teenagers to become peer leaders in faith. Thirty-one youths give up their week off from school to attend the training.

Bishop Hubbard presided over the commissioning ceremony, attended by families and friends of the youths. When he rose to address the teens, they gave him a standing ovation.

The Bishop encouraged the teens to hold a "deep and abiding trust in God" during times in their lives that are particularly discouraging. He implored them to cultivate what he called "evangelical daring" and entreated them to heed the famous passage from Timothy that says, "Do not let others intimidate you because you are young."

"It is important to know that God always holds us in the palm of His hand -- that we never have to be afraid, we never have to lose hope," the Bishop said. "If we are to avoid discouragement, we need a vision of life that is rooted in God's promise -- and so, I urge you, trust in God's providence."

The Bishop candidly addressed his own situation with the teens, telling them that he has felt "stripped of human dignity, angry, disillusioned, humiliated and in great pain." But he added that he also felt an "inner peace -- because I know I am innocent."

The teens attached purple balloons to trees bordering the road leading to the retreat house as a sign of their support for the Bishop. They also presented him with a homemade gift: a posterboard card filled with personal messages, such as "I love you, Mr. Bishop, sir!"; "I love you, dude,"; "You are constantly in my prayers -- I got your back!"; "You are our #1 advocate and role model,"; and "I support you 100%. You are an awesome Bishop. You're so strong. Thank you!"

Kerry Flanigan, 17, a member of Our Lady of Mercy parish in Colonie, said that the Bishop's visit showed her "that despite troubles, he's confident enough to be present and continue to do the work he's lived his life doing."

"It's really great that even though he's going through so much trouble, he could be here," echoed Brittany Hill, 17, of St. John Francis Regis parish in Grafton. "I'm glad he came."

Tim Nealon, 15, of Our Lady of Victory parish in Troy, chimed in with "I thought it was great! It's a great honor to have him here."

ROUTINE MEETINGS

A large part of the Bishop's routine schedule involves attending meetings, such as last week's meeting of the Public Policy Committee, which gathers representatives from New York State's eight dioceses to discuss matters before the State Legislature and other issues. The Bishop chairms the group.

Dennis Poust, director of communications for the New York State Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the state's bishops, told The Evangelist that Bishop Hubbard, after opening the meeting with a prayer, said he wanted to address "the elephant in the room:" the allegations of sexual misconduct he is currently fighting.

The Bishop, said Mr. Poust, went over each allegation and told the committee he was innocent. Though he admitted it had been a trying two weeks for him since the allegations had been made, he said he was at peace.

Catholic Conference executive director Richard Barnes then spoke for the group in telling the Bishop they'd always known him to be an honest man, that they believed him, and would stand by him and support him in any way they could. The committee members broke into applause.

After that, Mr. Poust said, the meeting went on as usual, and the Bishop "asked his usual pointed questions and chaired the meeting as he normally would. He had to say something, and it was good that he did; [but] I noticed no difference in his engagement in the meeting."

PRAYER SERVICES

Several prayer services were held around the Albany Diocese to pray for Bishop Hubbard, his accusers, victims of sexual abuse and the Diocese as a whole.

The mood was quiet at Corpus Christi parish in Round Lake on Feb. 18, for example, as about two dozen parishioners filed in to pray for Bishop Hubbard in his time of need.

The prayer service used a format offered by the diocesan Office of Prayer and Worship: "As God led Israel through the desert, a column of smoke by day and a pillar of fire by night, we know God is present with us and our bishop, Howard, in this time of trial. Let us lift our hearts, minds and voices in prayer."

The service included readings, such as a passage from Isaiah in which God's servant recounts having given "my back to those who beat me" and not shielding his face from blows, but feels vindicated because "the Lord God is my help, therefore I am not disgraced."

Prayers were offered not only for Bishop Hubbard, but also for the rest of the Church, for victims of sexual abuse, for abusers, and for the Zalay, Bonneau and Minkler families, who have become part of the story. After each petition, the reader lit a candle on the altar of the softly lit church for that intention.

"I feel a sense of being together with [other] parishioners," said John Spillane. "When something happens in a family, you need to be together."

Since Bishop Hubbard has come to Corpus Christi many times for Confirmations and other celebrations, Mr. Spillane added, "He's very much a part of our lives. I just have a sense of belief and trust and confidence in him."

"I feel very badly. I feel he's being falsely accused," Mary DePeter stated. Catholics feel helpless to combat the situation, she said, and "prayer is the only thing we have left."

A parishioner who didn't want his name used said that prayer for anyone connected with the scandal is important. The Bishop, he believes, is "not guilty of anything," but "we're praying for everyone involved in this."

Having known Bishop Hubbard for 25 years, Deacon Michael Sheppeck and his wife, Mary Ellen, said they already pray for him regularly. But they attended because "we just feel so bad for him. This shouldn't happen to anybody."

Linda Molloy came to the Albany Diocese only seven years ago but still feels the hurt of the allegations keenly.

"I believe in the Bishop," she declared. "I don't want to stand behind him; I want to stand with him. We feel helpless. There's no way to refute it when people are taking potshots at you. But I've seen [the Bishop] and I went to [his] news conference, and that man is not lying."

Prayer, she noted, "always makes me feel better. God can help us make good come out of evil."

On Feb. 20, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany was the site of an hours-long vigil on behalf of the Bishop. He came to the evening prayer service and was greeted with applause, handed his crosier as a sign that the congregants still considered him their spiritual leader, and spoke briefly before greeting those on hand one-by-one.

"I came here to pray and show support for Bishop Hubbard. I think he is 100 percent innocent," said Sister Claire Frances Fitzgerald, CSJ, from Cathedral parish.

"We came in support of the Bishop to give him our wholehearted love, support, prayers and thoughts. We've known him since the early 1970s, even before he became bishop. He's a wonderful man," remarked John and Mary Hayes, members of St. Margaret Mary parish in Albany.

Josh Zuller, a member of St. Jude's parish, Wynantskill, noted: "I've heard all the allegations and don't believe them."

A Quaker, Pat Beetle, remarked that "I've always admired Bishop Hubbard. A lot of people in the wider community also think of him as their bishop, even though they aren't Catholic. This is because of his ecumenical and interfaith work with everyone, including prisoners, the homeless and the disenfranchised."

Bill Dowd, a member of St. Pius X Church in Loudonville, said, "I wanted to support Bishop Hubbard. I've known him for many, many years. He's done much good work."

"I think it is horrendous what's going on. He is a man of great faith and he needs lots of prayers and support," commented Jim Mertz from St. Mary's parish in Clinton Heights.

MORE AND MORE

Activities in support of Bishop Hubbard have occurred throughout the Albany Diocese. During the Prayer of the Faithful at weekend Masses, for example, many parishes included intentions for the Bishop, his accusers and victims of sexual abuse.

Members of Holy Spirit Church in East Greenbush also picked up a prayer card as they left so that they could continue the intentions at home.

The Knights of Columbus of Sacred Heart/St. Anna's Council No. 13222 in Stamford distributed more than 500 purple ribbons in support of the Bishop. Begun as a grassroots effort at St. Vincent de Paul parish in Albany, the ribbons have spread throughout the Diocese as a way of publicly backing Bishop Hubbard.

The K of C distributed the ribbons at Sacred Heart parish in Stamford, St. Philip Neri in Grand Gorge and St. Anna's in Summit.

(Contributing to this story were James Breig, editor; Kate Blain, assistant editor; and Pat Pasternak and Karen Dietlein, staff writers.)

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