Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, patron of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Today is our feast day. And the feast day for Emmanuel, Holy Angels, St. Benedict the Moor, St. Albert the Great, CJ, UD, XU, and the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains---because Francis DeSales is patron saint of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
Recently our readings have centered on true authority. A Dayton pastor once told me that due to the prominent military presence in this town his parishioners “understood the chain of command.” He didn't imply that they would simply roll over and never question. Far from it. But ultimately they respected where the buck stopped and who had to answer to the archbishop.
Today in 2 Samuel, David is proclaimed king. Earlier, David refused to slay enemy King Saul because the monarch was the Lord's anointed. Recently, in Mark, Jesus named the Twelve as his “lieutenants” of sorts. Catholics believe that bishops are the successors of the apostles.
King Saul was a damaged human being. He was a train wreak. David, the apple of God's eye, had a devious dark side. The apostles were deeply flawed. In Mark they are dimwitted and Mark's depiction of the Twelve is outright embarrassing.
I was a student archivist in the seminary and cataloged the papers of Bishop Fenwick and Archbishop Purcell. I uncovered fascinating tidbits. Fenwick was a pioneer bishop who traveled on horseback in a Ohio frontier hostile to Catholics. Purcell ordered parishes barring Blacks from their cemeteries to reverse that policy. Heroic acts and revolutionary stuff back then. Both bishops used their authority for good.
But I learned of their defects, too. The Fenwicks owned slaves in Maryland. Purcell appointed his inept brother Edward manager of the Church bank serving immigrants pouring into the city. Edward kept shoddy records and the bank collapsed, known as “The Purcell Failure.” In that fiasco, Leo XIII installed Archbishop Elder to take the reigns from the besieged Purcell. When Purcell died he was secretly buried with the Brown County Ursulines so that immigrants, who lost everything, couldn't find him. They would have dragged his episcopal body thru the streets of Cincinnati.
All of us have encountered head honchos who've let down people under their care. Maybe we were that person. As “top banana” our shortcomings more readily surface for all to see. DeSales wrote that in such predicaments we mustn't “lose courage but set about remedying our imperfections.” He promoted “servant leadership,” reminding us that God is the source of all true authority.
It could be said of our elderly that they are the wisest among us because they have made the most mistakes, “set about remedying them,” and learning from them.
These are lessons for parents, teachers, coaches, military personnel, administrators, law enforcers,
health providers, any of us responsible for others. Recognizing failings as opportunities for growth is the height of maturity. And servant leadership is the only option for Christians.
And our ultimate model is our Lord Jesus Christ, foot washer extraordinaire.
Timothy J. Cronin