Bishop appreciates role of cathedral, rector says

Intermountain Catholic

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Diocesan Chancellor Deacon Silvio Mayo and Bishop Niederauer listen to the readings at the Christmas Mass 2005 in the Cathedral of the Madeleine. IC photo by Barbara S. Lee

SALT LAKE CITY — "Bishop Niederauer is church," Father Joseph Mayo, rector of the Cathedral of the Madeleine said in an interview with the Intermountain Catholic. "He makes that evident by his decision – his ‘yes’ to his new assignment. Now we too are committed to that ‘yes.’ And we will welcome our ninth bishop, the man who will be appointed to take his place."

Still, Fr. Mayo said, after rounds of rumors and even jokes about the possibility that Bishop Niederauer would be named the next archbishop of San Francisco, Fr. Mayo admitted hearing of Pope Benedict’s choice of Bishop Niederauer was "like losing the game in the last inning."

"When I went to meetings in other parts of the country, Bishop Niederauer’s name would come up, and everyone thought he would be ideal for the San Francisco post – still, we hoped we could keep him here."

Whoever the ninth bishop of the diocese will be, Fr. Mayo said, he will come into the diocese and set his own, new criteria.

"He will be facing a diocese with fewer priests and an aging clergy," he said. "We will have four newly ordained priests, but the job will not be easy."

Fr. Mayo has served as a diocesan consultor for the past four years, and as such, is one of six priests who will elect the man who will administer the diocese until a new bishop is named, most likely in the fall of this year. In most cases, the administrator is chosen from among the diocesan consultors themselves.

Fr. Mayo, also a member of the board of directors of the Catholic Foundation of Utah (CFU), pointed out that during Bishop Niederauer’s 11-year tenure in Salt Lake City, CFU funds, which assure the future of the diocese, have more than doubled.

"Growth in CFU funds and growth in our parishes and missions are strong indicators of Bishop Niederauer’s great influence and his astute financial sense," Fr. Mayo said. "He has been a valid, wise caretaker of the diocese’s future, which is evidence of the three-fold role of a bishop – priest, shepherd, and custodian of the diocese. In addition, he is a wonderful preacher and retreat master, and he’s made use of those gifts on the Church’s national level."

Fr. Mayo also cites Bishop Niederauer’s pastoral leadership made evident on both the local and national levels during the turbulent years of the recent clergy sexual abuse crisis. Bishop Niederauer was one of the principal writers of "Protecting Our Children and Young People," the document and its norms promulgated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in response to the crisis. "People sought out his pastoral advice, and he gave it generously and wisely."

A diocese’s cathedral is its bishop’s church. Although Bishop Niederauer’s responsibilities often took him away from the Cathedral of the Madeleine, Fr. Mayo said the bishop was acutely aware of the role of the cathedral, the mother church of the diocese.

"He was the founding bishop of the Madeleine Choir School, which demanded a real leap of faith. Msgr. (M. Francis) Mannion and Gregory Glenn have both attributed the existence and the success of the choir school to Bishop Niederauer’s support. I know he has always enjoyed it when other bishops have visited the Cathedral of the Madeleine."

Bishop Niederauer also began the tradition of the Bishop’s Dinner, an annual fund raising dinner for the support of the cathedral in light of its small parish membership.

"He recognized that the Cathedral of the Madeleine is a prestigious parish, but one of the diocese’s smallest in membership," said Fr. Mayo. "He has given us great support, and I know he will also show the same kind of support and care of the Cathedral of St. Mary (Assumption) in San Francisco. He understands his absolute role in fulfilling cathedral leadership. He’s been a master at it here."

Fr. Mayo said church leaders of other faiths have often spoken to him about Bishop Niederauer’s commanding ability to bring people together in the spirit of true ecumenism.

"In that way, he’s used his role as bishop to help us maintain a respected role in the community," he said. "He’s become very good friends with other religious leaders, and he’s known as a gatherer of all people. It’s been very good for everyone. He’s been a catalyst."

Bishop Niederauer, Fr. Mayo said, illustrates the Gospel explanation of people’s gifts used well.

"Hopefully, our new bishop will do the same," he said. "I certainly intend to encourage him in that."

The fact that, in Bishop Niederauer, Fr. Mayo and others have found a strong, lifetime friend, makes the bishop’s leaving difficult (Fr. Mayo said he and his family have always tried to make Bishop Niederauer feel like one of the family), he’s sure they will keep in touch and every new meeting will feel like picking up where they left off.

"I pray for his continued good health, I recall many good times we’ve shared, the New Yorker magazine cartoons we’ve shared, and the many good laughs we’ve shared.

"His wonderful sense of humor has been appreciated by so many," Fr. Mayo said. "He encouraged others to take leadership roles, which helped us acquire the Skaggs Catholic Center. He let people go out on a limb.

"Bishop Niederauer has been a joy and a privilege to work with, and I know I speak for the rest of the staff of the Cathedral of the Madeleine when I thank him for all of his support for so many things here. His love for the arts was a real asset to our Festival of the Arts and Humanities. People loved coming here, and he invited many of his friends who have become supporters of the Cathedral of the Madeleine. They, too, have become parts of our lives."