Thursday, July 01, 2010

The Kindest of Men

Yesterday, it was announced that Pope Benedict XVI has agreed to the retirement of Bishop Peter Rosazza, an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Hartford in Connecticut. He is 75.

I came to know Bishop Peter (as everyone calls him) in the mid-1990s through the National Catholic Student Coalition, of which he is the longtime bishop advisor.

He is the kindest and most sincere of men. I will long remember the gentle way he celebrated Masses at many NCSC conferences through the years.

Students of Church history will recall Bishop Peter as a "Jadot Bishop," a bishop selected when Archbishop Jean Jadot of Belgium was Pope Paul VI's representative to the United States.

He also was one of the authors of "Economic Justice for All," the U.S. Catholic Bishops' 1986 pastoral letter on Catholic social teaching and the U.S. economy.

May God continue to bless you in retirement, Bishop Peter. Thank you for your great devotion to the People of God.

1 comment:

Concord Pastor said...

I couldn't agree with you more, Paul. I came to know Bishop Peter when he would occasionally stay at my rectory when visiting family in the area. How sad that this man was never named the Ordinary of a diocese. From my perspective as a pastor, Peter is just the kind of bishop needed in dioceses today. A gentle man, a faithful priest, a lover of the Church and her people. He deserves his rest although I suspect he'll continue to be very active. It won't surprise me if the Hispanic community in Hartford which he served so faithfully will continue to benefit from his ministry. Ad multos annos, Peter!