St. Stephen parishioner: ‘We’re not losing him; we are gaining a bishop’

At 10 p.m. Dec. 10, the same day he was announced as Bishop-Elect Joseph Williams, the longtime pastor was still talking with and blessing parishioners at St. Stephen in Minneapolis after a vespers service and 8 p.m. Mass that were part of parish preparations for the Dec. 12 Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The feast, which commemorates the Virgin Mary’s appearance in 1531 to Mexican peasant St. Juan Diego, is a significant observance for the largely Hispanic parish. An image of Our Lady of Guadalupe faces parishioners from the wall to the left of the altar, amid large desert plants, flowers and a statue of Our Lady. At the Mass, the congregation, including many families with young and school-age children, sang along with the choir, often enthusiastically clapping with the music.

The next morning, Bishop-elect Williams, who also is vicar for Latino Ministry in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, led a 5:30 a.m. prayer service at nearby Holy Rosary, where he was assigned last year as parochial administrator, in addition to his ministry at St. Stephen. The prayer service at Holy Rosary was followed by mariachi music, 7 a.m. Mass and 8 a.m. “convivio,” or time for fellowship.

Engaging with parishioners isn’t new territory for the bishop-elect. But people also wanted to wish him well as he prepares to be installed Jan. 25 as an auxiliary bishop for the archdiocese.

Micaela Mercado, a native of Mexico and member of St. Stephen for eight years, said when she and her husband started at the parish, they found the spirituality they were seeking. “The love that he gives to us, the kind of love ‘a real father’ will give you, always so gentle, but on the other side, strict and always telling us the truth,” she said.

Mercado, 43, said her husband grew up thinking he could not talk to a priest, but Bishop-elect Williams loves the whole community. “He comes to us, talks to us, teaches us and gets close to us,” she said. “It changes our vision of what a priest is,” what a servant of God is, she said.

Luz Cruz, 17, said Bishop-elect Williams is a great priest. She especially loves his homilies. “He is good with young people,” she said. “He has a lot of love toward us.” Despite serving two parishes, he works to be present for all parishioners, she said.

Ten-year parishioner Joaquin Martinez, 42, said the bishop-elect is a wonderful priest with a heart for Spanish speakers. Martinez praised his ministry to families and young people in religious education, noting he goes beyond focusing on a sacrament and includes efforts to strengthen families.

Martinez, who was born in Mexico, recalled how Mary gave her message through an indigenous person, St. Juan Diego. Bishop-elect Williams beautifully describes all indigenous people as “the flowers of our heavenly mother,” Martinez said.

Norberta Lopez, who also was at the Mass at St. Stephen, said that eight years ago, she and her now-husband, Freddy Torres, were approached by lay missionaries from St. Stephen as an evangelization outreach initiated by Bishop-elect Williams. After that encounter, the two began marriage preparation, married and became parishioners of St. Stephen.

Bishop-elect Williams is a man full of the spirit of the Lord, Lopez said, and a good priest for his flock. “He is a man full of deep prayer and he truly cares for his community, especially Latinos,” she said.

He gives a lot of time to his two parishes, Mercado said, and is quick to contact people he learns haven’t received the sacraments or have fallen ill.

What she finds “amazing” is that, with hundreds of parishioners, Bishop-elect Williams remembers children’s names after hearing them once. “And whenever he says, ‘I will pray for you and your family, that’s what he does,’” she said. “He prays for the children and the youth.”

“We’re not losing him,” Mercado said. “We are gaining a bishop, our own shepherd that leads us to God.”