On May 13, 1917, three children of Fatima, Portugal, were tending sheep when Mary appeared to them. She would appear to them five more times before October 13 of that year, sharing with them messages on the need for conversion; visions of heaven, hell and a “dancing sun” reportedly viewed by thousands; and a three-part “secret” that has been the source of much intrigue in the decades since.
A bishop and archbishop wear special symbols and vestments particular to their office. The following is a short primer on their meaning, history and use.
When celebrating previous Masses at the Cathedral of St. Paul, Archbishop Hebda said he had looked across the sanctuary at the empty archbishop’s chair, and wondered who would eventually take that seat. “Little did I imagine that I would be sitting there,” he said.
“He’s a gift for the archdiocese from Pope Francis,” Bishop Sirba said. “Through the mercy of God, Pope Francis heard the prayers of the people of the archdiocese and is sending them a shepherd, a very loving, good man. He will be someone who will walk with the people and be with them in their needs.”
“It’s a great blessing; it’s like an early Easter,” Bishop Cozzens said. “It’s been such a joy to work with Archbishop Hebda so far, and to think that he gets to stay and be our shepherd is a great delight. My first words were, ‘Praise God.’”
In his first public appearance as archbishop designate of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Archbishop Bernard Hebda said March 24 that as much as he was surprised by the appointment, he was humbled by the confidence Pope Francis has in him to continue leading the archdiocese, calling it influential and important in the upper Midwest.
“While it may have been difficult for him at times to manage the travel and commitments of serving in two large archdioceses these past months, he embraced this call from the Holy See willfully and prayerfully,” Archbishop Myers said. “His tireless, positive approach to dealing with the challenges presented him will be one of the graces that he will share with the people of the Twin Cities.”
The Pittsburgh native called the archbishop appointment to St. Paul and Minneapolis a “shock,” because he never seriously entertained the idea of staying in Minnesota, he said, even though many in the archdiocese said they hoped he would.
On March 22, Archbishop Bernard Hebda received a call from Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the papal nuncio to the United States, with the news that Pope Francis had appointed him archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
Numerous questions have been asked of leadership of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis as part of the listening sessions held throughout the archdiocese in October and November. The Catholic Spirit asked Archbishop Bernard Hebda, the archdiocese’s apostolic administrator, to answer several of them addressing the naming of a new archbishop. His responses are as follows.
Archbishop Bernard Hebda, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, spoke with The Catholic Spirit Nov. 10, less than a week after the final listening session, to share his initial impression ahead of a forthcoming comprehensive analysis. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
