The American bishops will be meeting at their annual fall general assembly in Baltimore from Nov. 10 -12. We gather as members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), an assembly of Catholic bishops from the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Together we exercise certain pastoral functions on behalf of United States Catholics. Similar conferences are established in all the nations of the world as a result of the Second Vatican Council’s mandate that bishops “jointly exercise their pastoral office.”

At this year’s fall assembly we bishops will hear an address from our President, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago. We shall also elect a USCCB secretary and chairs-elect of the Committees on National Collections, Cultural Diversity, Doctrine, Pro-Life Activities and Communications. In addition we will vote on the revised Grail Psalter for use in the United States, the translation of the Proper of the Seasons and the Order for the Blessing of a Child in a Womb.

We shall also hear a report from Bishop Gerald Kicanas, our USCCB Vice-President, about the work of our Priority Task Forces. Two years ago we bishops concurred that we would work more effectively together if we established some clear priorities for our agenda. These priorities are strengthening marriage, faith formation and sacramental practice, life and dignity of the human persons, cultural diversity in the church and promoting vocations to priesthood and religious life. I am a member of the task force on the faith formation and sacramental practice. Bishop Kicanas hopes to present the goals and objectives of all five task forces.

In addition to this work of the bishops, we shall also listen to presentations about the “Ethical and Religious Directives for Health Care Services” and on “Covenant and Mission,” the 2002 statement of the National Council of Synagogues and USCCB Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. We plan to set aside time to discuss practical and pastoral implications of political support for abortion, an issue that remains problematic for us and our people.

We bishops are the de facto members of the Conference. We are served by a staff of over 350 lay people, priests, deacons and religious at our Conference headquarters in Washington, D.C. We also have a small office of Film and Broadcasting in New York City and a branch office of Migration and Refugee Services in Miami. As a corporation of the District of Columbia we state our purposes under civil law as follows: “To unify, coordinate, encourage, promote and carry on Catholic activities in the United States; to organize and conduct religious, charitable and social welfare work at home and abroad; to aid in education; to care for immigrants; and generally to enter into and promote by education, publication and direction the objects of its being.”

The essential mission of the church is evangelization. The church exists to evangelize. We receive this mission from Jesus Christ and we strive to carry it out in all our forms of ministry, witness and service. As we stated in our National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States, promulgated in 1992, we seek to bring about in all Catholics such an enthusiasm for their faith that, in living their faith in Jesus and strengthened by the sacraments, most especially the celebration of the Eucharist, they freely share that faith with others to transform the world. Our Conference attempts to support the ministry of all bishops with a particular emphasis on evangelization.

The mission of our Conference calls all of us bishops to act collaboratively and consistently on the important issues which confront the church and society. Furthermore it helps us foster communion with the church in other nations under the leadership of the Holy Father. On a very practical level, it also offers each one of us appropriate assistance in fulfilling our pastoral ministry in our own dioceses. From the earliest days of my service as a bishop, I have gratefully acknowledged the help that has been given to me by my brother bishops and the staff of the USCCB.
The structure of our Conference provides us bishops with an opportunity to work together not only as members of the general body and committees but also as members of a particular geographic region. We bishops here in the Northwest from the states of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington are members of Region XII. We ourselves gather regularly to discuss matters of common pastoral concern, to meet together with some of our significant collaborators such as religious superiors and, to make an annual retreat and to enjoy the friendship which is a gift resulting from our collaboration. The only diocese in our region presently without a bishop is Juneau, Alaska. Our region includes three ecclesiastical provinces, Portland, Seattle and Anchorage. The Province of Portland includes the Dioceses of Baker, Boise, Helena and Great Falls.

Some would suggest that this all smacks of bureaucracy gone wild. I don’t deny that it could easily develop into such an unfortunate situation. I can’t deny that some of my brother bishops are less than enthused about the work of the Conference. They feel it minimizes their own legitimate authority in their local churches. The same thing happens in dioceses where pastors aren’t terribly thrilled about working together with the staff of the local bishop. Some find it easier to do their own thing.

But the church calls all of us to work together as the Body of Christ, each member gifted in a unique and meaningful way by the Lord in order to build together the kingdom of God here on earth. We all have gifts but they vary from member to member. Frankly, even though I don’t always welcome suggestions from the people of this archdiocese asking me to do what another bishop has done in his diocese, I do find our sharing of resources and ideas as brother bishops extremely helpful. I also know that it is important for us bishops to stand together in addressing significant pastoral issues. As the old saying goes, “United we stand, divided we fall.”

Please pray for the work of our USCCB and the undertakings before us at this year’s fall assembly. I am mindful of the fact that this is a year of jubilee in honor of St. Paul. Even though he had a unique mission of bringing the good news far and wide, he always made sure he was working collaboratively with the other apostles and in solidarity with his pastoral associates, Barnabas, Timothy, Titus and others. As Blessed Mother Teresa once observed “What I can do, you cannot. What you can do, I cannot. But together we can do something beautiful for God.”