During his early years in Anchorage, Archbishop Roger Schwietz saw a vision for what he termed “mutual giving and a need to reach out” that led to a long collaboration with an archdiocese half a world away.
The bishop, with the laying on of hands, imparts the gift of the Spirit and then the priest, placing his hands inside those of his bishop, promises perpetual obedience. To the secular world this must seem horribly arcane but not to priests.
When people speak of Archbishop Schwietz, they invariably describe him as “pastoral.” I like to think of Pope Francis’ words: priests should be “shepherds living with the smell of the sheep.” Anyone who’s lived on a farm knows that’s a dramatic statement.