Bishop...

...is simply how I know the ninth Archbishop of St. Louis. For four years now I have had the extreme privilege of getting to know Archbishop Carlson in a very real and personal way. He started out as this very mysterious man arriving to succeed Bishop Untener in Saginaw and oversee the priestly vocation that I had just begun to wrestle with. He has ended up being someone who I consider a trusted mentor, a real father, and a dear friend. Being the first one to "sign up" under his reign as Saginaw's bishop, I got to spend a large amount of time with him. In fact, the first assignment he gave me was to paint his house the first summer he was in Saginaw. I joked with him that I felt like the Karate Kid who goes to the Master to learn the craft and is told to paint the fence and wax the car. ("Wax on, wax off..." ;))

He first amazed me by how much he listened. In car rides around town he would ask what my viewpoint was on a certain topic, or what my opinion was on how a certain issue should be approached. More than once, after considering what I had to say, he took my advice and acted upon it. Which, of course, shocked this inexperienced 20-something because, seriously, did I really have anything to offer a BISHOP?

But again, I guess this is why he makes anyone feel at home in his presence. Whether it be at a formal ball to raise funds for Catholic schools, or just simply enjoying a scotch on his living room couch, Carlson does not put on airs, but rather hears each person for where they are at in life's journey and makes them feel like they are the most important thing on his mind at the moment.

St. Louis is in for a real treat. The Archbishop will waste no time in making his mark on the half a million Catholics who were placed in his care as Archbishop Burke handed him the crosier. My only advice is to get involved, get excited, be a part of this servant of God's work. He really does have an idea a minute, but he can't do it alone. As he said at his installation mass in Saginaw, "there will be no smoke in [St. Louis] but a fire to ignite the hearts of every catholic" in your Archdiocese.

I'll pray for you, Bishop!