Just past his first year as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Bishop Joseph Williams said it’s been “a blessing and a privilege.”
“I feel at home,” he said. “God has given me the strength, I think the wisdom as well, and some beautiful opportunities.
“I think at the end of the day, to help the archbishop, but then to be lifted up in a way to share the Gospel and be able to evangelize with more opportunities has just been a tremendous, tremendous grace,” he said.
Tom Halden, director of communications for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, recently interviewed Bishop Williams about his first year as bishop, and about Easter, for an upcoming episode of the “Practicing Catholic” radio show.
In addition to his duties as bishop, Bishop Williams continues to serve parishioners at Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Paul, though he credits Father James Bernard with doing “most of the heavy lifting.” The two were assigned to the parish as priests-in-solidum, the pastoral care of one or more parishes by a team of priests.
In many ways, the responsibilities of a bishop and serving a parish “is the best of both worlds,” Bishop Williams said. “On the one hand, there’s higher-level leadership and visioning, especially for the Synod. On the other hand, the parish is where you can really touch people, transform them,” he said. “It’s also where the Word becomes flesh, the Synod word becomes flesh.” He added that being at a parish helps him know how elements of the Synod rollout are received and can be expressed in the parish, “with the challenges and the joys that that brings.”
Bishop Williams said he has always felt at home at a parish. “And when you’re there, you get to see that mustard seed of missionary renewal and it promises a lot,” he said.
During the interview, the conversation moved to the Easter season. Following a discussion, Halden asked Bishop Williams if his family had any traditions for celebrating the Octave of Easter and the Easter season. To hear the bishop’s response, and to hear the full interview, listen to this episode of “Practicing Catholic,” which debuts at 9 p.m. April 14 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM and repeats at 1 p.m. April 15 and 2 p.m. April 16.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes an interview with Deacon Joe Michalak, director of the Office of Synod Evangelization, who discusses a recently concluded School of Discipleship series, the latest evangelization efforts and how to stay connected to the Synod process; and Father Spencer Howe, pastor of Holy Cross in Minneapolis, and Dr. Tod Worner, managing editor of the Journal of the Word on Fire Institute, who discuss Worner’s remarks set for April 18 at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, titled Have We Forgotten Who We Are? Resurrecting Catholic Identity in an Uncertain Age.
Listen to interviews after they have aired at PracticingCatholicShow.com or choose a streaming platform at anchor.fm/practicing-catholic-show.
