One bishop appreciates another

One of the distinctive features of our liturgy of Christian burial is its egalitarian nature.

Whether you are a pope, bishop, priest, deacon, religious or lay person; whether you are a monarch, a president, a tycoon, a celebrity or an inmate; whether you are a homeless individual or an unknown person, the liturgy of Christian Burial is always the same.

As we read in the book of Job, we come into this world naked, and we return from this world naked (Job 1:21). It is what we do between the dash on our grave marker that makes all the difference.

Life's dash

The man we commend to God today -- Edwin Bernard Broderick -- has 1917 on one side and 2006 on the other side of that dash: nearly 90 years of earthly sojourn.

What rich and fruitful years they were. What remained constant in all of the roles and responsibilities that he exercised throughout his 64 years of priestly ministry and 39 years of episcopal leadership was his gracious, genial, down-to-earth demeanor.

He never forgot his roots. He never put on any pretenses. He never became self-important and always treated all whom he encountered with great dignity and respect. He always had that personal charm and disarming manner that made everyone feel at home in his presence.

Vatican II

Bishop Broderick will be remembered most, I believe, for being an agent of change. He was raised in the pre-Vatican II Church and experienced the first two decades of his priesthood in the very powerful hierarchical structure that existed in the Archdiocese of New York.

That model of Church was to shift dramatically with the norms and reforms of the Second Vatican Council [of the 1960s]. Many of his contemporaries found this shift unsettling and wrenching. Bishop Broderick, however, accepted the directives set by the Council with alacrity, and used his ample gifts of intelligence, eloquence and leadership to give flesh and blood to the conciliar documents.

Updating Diocese

Bishop Broderick came to Albany not with a pre-set agenda but with an openness to listen to the priests and people, and to respond to their needs and concerns through the lens of the Council.

He was patient and understanding with those who found the social and ecclesial turmoil upsetting, but he was also firm in his resolve to make the shift which he fully believed was the movement of the Spirit:

* He dealt first with the concerns of priests, establishing the Priests' Senate and the Priests' Personnel Board. Out of this initiative grew the Office of Continuing Education for priests, and the sabbatical and retirement programs.

* He established the Diocesan Pastoral Council and encouraged the formation of parish councils.

* He founded the Commission for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, which put the Diocese in the forefront of such activities.

* Bishop Broderick also formed the Architecture and Building Commission to ensure that renovated and new church edifices were in accord with the liturgical and architectural principles of the Second Vatican Council.

* He expanded greatly the Office of Religious Education, giving more resources to develop catechetical leaders and faith formation programs throughout the Diocese.

* He expanded Catholic Charities in the Diocese from three agencies to 14.

* He also had the vision to be one of the first in the country to establish a diocesan office for Pastoral Planning, and encouraged movements like Marriage Encounter, Cursillo and the Charismatic Renewal.

On to CRS

The retirement of Bishop Swanstrom, the founder and first director of Catholic Relief Services, provided Bishop Broderick with the opportunity to channel his leadership abilities in a new direction.

CRS grew out of the relief efforts of the U.S. Catholic Church in post-World War II Europe. Over the next 30 years, the agency expanded to serve underdeveloped nations in Asia, Africa and South America, and became one of the largest humanitarian relief organizations in the world.

Bishop Broderick assumed command of CRS at a critical juncture in its history. There were issues about CRS's relationship with the United States government and its foreign policy, the primary focus of the agency's mission, and its organizational structure.

Under Bishop Broderick's leadership, more emphasis was placed on human and economic development than direct humanitarian assistance; on greater local autonomy in decision-making and priority-setting; on personnel recruitment and training; and on the formation of a network of permanent sites strategically located to give CRS the on-the-ground capacity and flexibility to respond to emerging humanitarian needs and natural disasters.

He had the vision and foresight to position CRS to be an independent, professional and effective instrument for responding to the educational, agricultural, economic, social, healthcare and spiritual needs of millions of people throughout the globe.

Albany ties

While exercising his worldwide ministry at CRS and in his later years of retirement, Bishop Broderick retained close ties with our Diocese.

Over the past 30 years, he was a frequent guest and participant in diocesan-wide celebrations. Most especially, each spring since his retirement, he was a regular celebrant of the Sacrament of Confirmation in parishes throughout the Diocese -- charming candidates and their families with his wit, wisdom and selfless availability.

On a personal note, Bishop Broderick was a superb mentor, a sterling role model, a sage counselor and a cherished friend. He was always so supportive and affirming, and willing to do anything he could to assist me personally or to be of service to our Diocese, which he loved so much.

Saying goodbye

We have come together as a faith community to celebrate the life and ministry of this good and caring shepherd, who gave himself so joyfully, so enthusiastically and so selflessly to the service of the Church.

We are grateful for the ecclesial vision he articulated; for the Good News that he proclaimed and upheld so faithfully; for his sense of the Church; for his apostolic zeal, which had no geographic boundaries; for his unfailing, infectious humor; and for his humility and innate goodness, which enriched the lives of all whom he encountered.

We pray that Bishop Broderick will now experience fully that union with God that was the hope and goal captured so beautifully in his episcopal motto: "Mane nobis, Domine (Abide with us, O Lord)."

(These are portions of Bishop Hubbard's homily at the July 7 funeral Mass for Bishop Broderick at St. Pius X Church in Loudonville.)

(7/13/06) [[In-content Ad]]