The Action of Grace

By James F. Hamburge, Principal

Judge Memorial Catholic High School

SALT LAKE CITY — Flannery O’Connor, one of Bishop George Niederauer’s favorite authors and the focus of his graduate degrees in American Literature, once said, "All my stories are about the action of grace on a character." When these words were first spoken, O’Connor had no idea she was describing the last 11 years in the Catholic Diocese of Utah under the pastoral leadership of Bishop Niederauer.

"The action of grace" is perhaps the best description yet of the ministry of our chief teacher and lead shepherd throughout these past 11 years.

Around a picnic table Bishop Niederauer chuckled and told stories like everyone’s "Uncle George!" In a classroom he guided the discussion toward his central theme like a skilled parliamentarian. On a retreat, he spoke about God’s love as if he had just come from "His Father’s House" to assure all present they were truly loved, valued, and missed by the Father in Heaven. And when he delivered his homilies to our teenagers, he worked the stage like a magician. Cleverly he trapped his "young people" into listening intently, laughing defenselessly, remembering guiltlessly his half-witty jokes, chuckling at his subtle references to "those other high schools up north or down south," and most of all, simply being awed again by another one of his incredibly relevant and insightful interpretations of what was formerly an antiquated Gospel theme.

Bishop George Niederauer was everyone’s father and everyone’s brother. He never forgot a name or a face. He lead by example; he followed by conviction. One minute he was leading the entire Utah Catholic Diocese; the next minute he was following the orders of Irene Sweeney!

Every one of us was graced to know Bishop Niederauer, and he made us want to be people of grace. We wish him the best. San Francisco has never been more fortunate, and I am certain it won’t take them long to realize just as Flannery O’Connor did, that their next chapter will be a story about "the action of grace" by a character named Archbishop George Niederauer.