Farewell to Bishop Aymond

by Jeff Haecker

Many of us have been affected by the news that our Bishop Gregory Aymond, shepherd of the Austin Diocese for the past 8 and a half years, was named last week by the Holy Father to be the new Archbishop of New Orleans. We are sad to see him leave, and we thank him for his faithful leadership. He has done many great things in the Diocese, which has exploded in size and seen a great increase in vocations under his leadership. He has been a strong advocate for the youth, who are not just the future of the Church, but are the Church itself. We at Catholic Charities thank God for all that the Bishop brought to central Texas, and our prayers go with him for the many challenges ahead. He will do great things in the arch-diocese of New Orleans, which is still hurting from the effects of Hurricane Katrina four years ago. There are many questions and uncertainties, as we await the Holy Father to choose the new Bishop for the Austin Diocese. The most pressing question is what will happen between now and when we will have a new Bishop.

From the moment Bishop Aymond was named Archbishop, he was no longer Bishop of the Diocese of Austin. He is now the Administrator of the Diocese, until he takes the See of New Orleans in August. There are a few things that could happen. The first, is that the Pope names the new Bishop between now and August, but this is unlikely, because the process will take on average between 6 and 14 months. The next thing that could happen is that the Pope names a Diocesan Administrator. The Administrator performs all of the functions the Bishop does except for the liturgical functions (i.e. ordaining priests). He will oversee the Diocese until the Pope names the next Bishop. The final option will be that an Administrator is elected by the College of Consulters. This is a group of eight priests in the Diocese of Austin, who meet to pray and discern candidates with the guidance of the Holy Spirit for the position of Administrator, who may be in the College or another priest. The members of the College can be found on page C2 of the Diocesan Directory.

So in this time of transition, please pray for Archbishop Aymond and the great things he will continue to do, and for the Holy Father as he discerns candidates. In additions, please pray for our future Bishop, who will faithfully shepherd us, and for the Diocese, that we welcome him with open arms.