Archbishop Hebda reflects on challenges and future hopes since installation

May 13 marks five years since Archbishop Bernard Hebda was installed archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis. During that time, he’s worked to resolve the archdiocese’s bankruptcy and improve safe environment practices, restore trust in the Church and bolster Catholic education, while leading the Church amid a pandemic, racial tensions and changing demographics. Meanwhile, he’s aimed to be present both to his Catholic flock and members of the wider community. There’s no typical day in his schedule, he said, though it often begins with Mass — sometimes as part of a visit to a local parish or religious community, or in the chapel of his St. Paul home: a rectory in Frogtown, where he lives with a small community of Mexican sisters. A Pittsburgh native who spent years studying and working in Rome, he feels at home in the Twin Cities, he said. And, like any true Minnesotan, he seeks personal restoration via the state’s lakes. “If I need a break, just to drive around White Bear Lake or even closer, like Lake Gervais, that restores the soul,” he said. The Catholic Spirit recently sat down with him for a conversation reflecting on the past five years. The following excerpts have been edited for length and clarity.

A lot has happened in the five years since your installation, and the six years since you arrived in our archdiocese. When you look back, does it feel like forever or like it’s gone quickly?

Oh, it’s gone in a blink of an eye. But I realize that in some ways with last year (and the COVID-19 pandemic) we might have lost a year; some of it seems to have evaporated. I was speaking to somebody and said, “I was just talking to your parents.” He said, “Bishop, that was really 15 months ago.” And I was just amazed by that because it seems like this last year in particular has gone by so quickly. I’m amazed how quickly the past five years have passed. I’m amazed at how deeply I feel rooted in this archdiocese. In some ways, after five years, I should be. But it really does seem to me like I’ve been here, just in terms of relationships, much longer than that. And I feel very much at home.

Your arrival in June 2015 as the apostolic administrator of the archdiocese was under a cloud of uncertainty. The archdiocese was in bankruptcy, the claims of clergy sexual abuse were still mounting. Your predecessor and an auxiliary bishop had just resigned. Trust in the local Church was very weak. When you reflect back on that time, what sticks out?

My heart was really moved by the needs of the Church, and I couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to have been a person in the pew and have had all those things take place. And not just the immediate events, but more broadly, over the past 10 years, the things that had been experienced here. Christ has great love for his Church, and even in the midst of that suffering, he has a plan here and wants to bring joy. He wants to bring this Church to the point where she was able to proclaim the Easter message with credibility.

I knew that the Lord had a plan, and it was just a question of how it is that we together would be able to discern that for moving forward, and in a deliberate way. That also reflected the need for some patience. We’re still working on many of those issues that I saw as most significant when I got here. In terms of restoring trust, I think we’ve made some progress. But I also realize that anytime something happens, we can take a step backward, too.

The thing that’s always going to be important to my time as bishop here is restoring that trust, really working on transparency. These were issues that came out when we did listening sessions when I was the administrator. They continue to be the dominant themes for us. I was really impressed by the commitment of our lay faithful to bringing about change in the archdiocese. I’ve never seen that in any of the other dioceses where I’ve served to the same degree. Certainly, that was the case with the bankruptcy, certainly that is the case with the Synod, certainly that has been the case with the Roadmap for Excellence in Catholic Education.

The archdiocese’s bankruptcy was resolved at the end of 2018, but it took almost four years. Were there times you felt like it was never going to end?

I had certainly hoped that we were going to be out bankruptcy much sooner than what we were. The Lord had his plan there. The courts had their plans. I hope that we were able, by our slow and deliberate work, to build a stronger foundation for moving forward. It nonetheless took a lot longer than expected. Were there those times when I thought, “When is this ever going to end?” Yes.

At the staff meeting you held the day you announced that a settlement agreement had been reached, you shared the news and then paused, overwhelmed with emotion for a moment. It struck me how burdensome this had been for you and many leaders in our Church. At the same time, you aimed to keep victim-survivors at the forefront.

That was the aim. That’s where the slower process ended up really assisting us, because we were able to come to a good resolution for those who had been hurt. Even though there was great frustration with the slowness of that resolution, we eventually got to a good place. Helping victim-survivors is still a major concern for us. I’m proud of the work our Archdiocesan Catholic Center staff does and our parish pastors and staffs do in trying to bring healing into our Church.

What does that look like now?

Tim O’Malley and his office do a wonderful job in terms of helping to create and preserve safe environments. We’re always grateful to get advice for how we can improve what we’re doing, and the whole audit process gives us that opportunity. I’ve been really blessed we’ve been able to hire Paula Kaempffer. Her outreach to the survivor community is really phenomenal. I’m really grateful that Paula is there to be that ongoing presence for so many of our survivors who want to know the Church is still interested. She brings a unique perspective to that and a great set of gifts.

But we have a lot of work to do in that area as well. Initially, we had some higher hopes of doing some more things that would promote healing. Some advice that we got — to move slowly — from our survivors’ community helped with us to readjust our priorities there. Then COVID has changed that somewhat as well. Online programs have been extremely well received. People ask me where there have been blessings amid COVID. That’s one of the things that I point to, because one of the things we’ve learned is that in some ways, virtual participation is easier for someone who’s experienced some trauma. There’s a higher level of anonymity, there’s a little more control in terms of what level of participation. So that’s been a real blessing.

For a while, you had your door open every Friday for survivors to come and talk to you. Do you still talk one-on-one with survivors from time to time?

I do. And it’s not just Fridays, but anytime. When we know of someone who would like to speak, we always find a time for them.

How does that affect you, at your heart, to hear these stories, and to know that when survivors talk to you as archbishop, you’re representing something bigger than yourself to them?

There’s a real sorrow for what’s happened in the past. But at the same time, there’s always that glimmer of hope that in some small way, we might be able to bring some healing into the life of someone that’s been hurt in that way. I’ve been incredibly gratified by the survivors that I’ve spoken with. People are coming in with a really broad perspective but also a desire to really help the Church do better in this area.

So now, the bankruptcy is resolved, work is being done to help survivors, the archdiocese is stronger financially, and the safe environment team is providing guidance to other dioceses and institutions around the country. Where do you see other areas and opportunities for improvement in the local Church?

I think the Synod is really going to help us identify those areas where we’re going to need to move forward. And, we as an archdiocese and staff have really made a commitment over the past six months to a year to improve the way we’re able to serve our parishes and schools, and really refine our own philosophy about why it is that we’re here — to serve others, to offer leadership in some areas, but really also to offer support. That’s going to be a major effort for us to see how we can be more supportive of our priests and lay ecclesial ministers. It’s in our parishes that most people have their primary experience of the Church. We want to make sure that we’re doing all we can to help our pastors and parish staffs to form those welcoming communities with good liturgies, with social outreach, with an attentiveness to the needs of the members, as well as the community, that really attracts people and sustains them as they live out their faith.

With the Synod process, you’ve been clear that you want the whole local Church to listen to the Holy Spirit. It’s not just a collecting of ideas, but a collective discernment through prayer. How has the Holy Spirit surprised you?

The first thing that was surprising for me was the response and the level of participation, which was phenomenal when you think of 8,000 people (that came to the Prayer and Listening Events). That’s a lot of people! Most of the people found the experience to be positive. Every once in a while, someone would say, “This isn’t the most efficient way to get information.” Yet, I think as we had the opportunity to come together, to pray together, to reflect on Scripture, we realized that that’s the way in which the Lord is able to speak to us and through our brothers and sisters. That’s certainly something that we’re planning on taking forward with us in a major way as we head for the parish consultations and the deanery consultations. We’ve been working pretty intensely these days preparing for the fall small groups in the parish consultation process. But I see through all of that an attentiveness to prayer and sensitivity to how the Holy Spirit might be leading us in areas that we had not foreseen.

You’ve identified three focus areas for the Synod. Can you speak to what you hope for our Church five or 10 years from now?

We shouldn’t be surprised that the Holy Spirit should bring together a bishop and a Church that have similar hopes. As I’ve been listening to the people of this archdiocese, I found confirmation in each of those areas for things that are in my heart, and I hope I’m doing the same for others, too. I certainly hope that we are going to be a Church that is dynamic with parishes that have a sense of outreach — both in terms of the evangelical outreach to those who might not know Christ or have drifted away from the Church, but also the way in which we’re able to respond to the real needs in the broader community, not just the Catholic community. I get excited when I think parishes that are enabled to do that and to have the kind of pastors and lay ecclesial ministers who share a vision and who are passionate about those goals. The Synod Focus Area that deals with youth and young adults, that’s something I think most of our dioceses in the United States would be considering one way or another. So, it’s a much broader question, and it’s certainly challenging for us. At the Prayer and Listening Events, that is probably what we heard most often: People were concerned about the faith not being passed down, or their children not being as active in the Church as they have. We’re blessed here with some great efforts: our Catholic schools, NET Ministries, St. Paul’s Outreach. And they can be resources.

With COVID, Catholic schools reopened when many public schools didn’t. How did you see schools step up in a challenging situation? How did it set them apart from other schools?

Two key parts: One is that parents are primary educators, and we want to be of assistance to parents. So that reality is going to shape everything else that we do. Seeing how we can use the insights of parents into what’s best for their kids and how we can coordinate and collaborate with them really influences every aspect of our schools. We have teachers who have really imbibed that philosophy, too, so they’re willing to go the extra mile. They’ve really gone above and beyond what would be expected of them in the course of this past year. They’ve been extraordinary, but it’s all because of their desire to collaborate closely with parents as first educators.

The second part has to do with the dignity that we ascribe to every human life. When we see our young people and know our desire to see them not only grow in the faith, but also to develop the gifts that the Lord has given to them, we know that that has to be a priority.

When I look at these last five years, one of the efforts that’s been most extensive has been the Roadmap for Excellence in Catholic Education. I’m excited about the enrollment growth that we’ve seen in our schools this year. That certainly is related to COVID, but that is also a manifestation of the work that’s been done on the Roadmap.

Your administrative responsibilities are time consuming, but you’ve made a point to spend time at parishes, too.

I love it. That’s been one of the things that’s been hard for me with COVID — some of those opportunities have been reduced. For me, Lenten fish fries are huge — not because I like fish, it’s penitential for me — but for that opportunity just to sit with some members of our parish faithful that I’ve never met before and to hear them speak about their life. Or to go to a parish festival and see the way different parishes celebrate. For example, I’ve been to festivals at our Vietnamese parishes, and the family focus has been great.

You’ve had a lot of serious matters to pray about — including in the past year the COVID-19 pandemic and temporarily suspending public Mass, the 20-month “Vos Estis” investigation of Bishop Hoeppner which led to his recent resignation, as well as the Twin Cities’ turmoil following George Floyd’s death and efforts to address painful racial divisions that have come to the fore. Can you give a glimpse into your spiritual life and how it has evolved over these past five years?

My goal has always been to allow the Lord to shape my prayer. I was grateful for when I was in seminary to have a superb Jesuit spiritual director who was wonderful at helping me pray with Scripture. The sensitivity has to always be where the Lord is drawing us to pray and how to pray. For our priests and certainly for a bishop, it’s being attentive to what’s going on in his parish or diocese, and allowing that to really shape the prayer, whether it be the grief or the anxiety that people are experiencing over racism, or the emotion people were feeling at the time of our presidential election. It’s bringing that all to prayer, while at the same time recognizing that I don’t have responsibility for all of that, but it has certainly shaped my prayer and made it all seem more urgent. The beautiful thing is seeing how the Lord continues to meet needs in a way I couldn’t even imagine.

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2015

Archbishop Bernard Hebda arrives in the archdiocese June 15 as its apostolic administrator, a temporary leader, following the resignation of Archbishop John Nienstedt and Bishop Lee Piche. Prior to his arrival, the archdiocese had declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January to mounting claims of clergy sexual abuse, and on June 5, the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office had filed criminal and civil charges against the archdiocese for its handling of a particular clergy sexual abuse case. n In the fall, Archbishop Hebda holds 10 listening sessions around the archdiocese to hear Catholics share their observations of the local Church’s weaknesses and strengths. n Ramsey County’s civil charges are settled in December with an agreement between the archdiocese and the county outlining steps the archdiocese must take to improve safe environment protocols.

2016

In March, on Holy Thursday, Pope Francis appoints Archbishop Hebda to become the ninth archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis. n In May, Archbishop Hebda is installed at the Cathedral of St. Paul. n In July, the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office drops its criminal charges against the archdiocese.

2018

The archdiocese and attorneys representing victim-survivors in its bankruptcy announce a joint plan in May for reorganization that includes $210 million for 442 victim-survivors. In September, the plan is confirmed in U.S. bankruptcy court and the bankruptcy is resolved by the end of December 2018.

2019

The Office for the Mission of Catholic Education in January announces the Roadmap for Excellence in Catholic Education, which brings together experts from across the U.S. to improve the health of Catholic schools in the archdiocese. n In June, Archbishop Hebda opens a process leading to the first Archdiocesan Synod since the 1930s. The pre-Synod process is organized to take place over two years, but it is extended to three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. n In August, the Congregation for Bishops authorizes Archbishop Hebda to oversee a preliminary investigation into an allegation that Bishop Michael Hoeppner of Crookston had mishandled an allegation of clergy sexual abuse. The investigation led to Bishop Hoeppner’s resignation in April 2021. It was the first known to be commissioned under protocols Pope Francis outlined in “Vos estis lux mundi,” a legislative document the pope personally issued in May 2019 in response to the abuse scandal caused by former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. n In the fall and winter, Archbishop Hebda attends 29 pre-Synod Prayer and Listening Events across the archdiocese to help him discern the Synod’s focus areas.

2020

Archbishop Hebda and the state’s other bishops travel to Rome in January for an Ad Limina visit with Pope Francis. A group of young adult pilgrims mostly from the archdiocese accompany the archbishop and Bishop Andrew Cozzens. n In March, the COVID-19 pandemic arrives in Minnesota. In mid-March, Archbishop Bernard Hebda suspends Catholics’ obligation to attend Sunday Mass and then, a few days later, suspends all public Masses in the archdiocese to curb the spread of the coronavirus. That suspension lasts until early May, when parishes in the archdiocese begin to incrementally allow people back inside churches for Mass, beginning with less than 10 people. When Gov. Tim Walz’s administration fails to give places of worship the same capacity flexibility as other sectors, Archbishop Hebda leads efforts among the state’s bishops to resume worship at larger capacities. The suspension of the Sunday Mass obligation continues. n In August, the archbishop announces three focus areas for the 2022 Synod: 1) Forming parishes that are in the service of evangelization; 2) Forming missionary disciples who know Jesus’ love and respond to his call; and 3) Forming youth and young adults in and for a Church that is always young. Parish-based small groups are planned for fall 2021 for Catholics to discuss how the Church can address them. n In October, the archbishop announces plans to consecrate the archdiocese to St. Joseph and hold a special year of St. Joseph locally beginning Dec. 8. Coincidentally, Pope Francis declared a Year of St. Joseph Dec. 8 for the universal Church as well.

2021

Archbishop Hebda announces the Archdiocesan Catholic Center will undergo an internal process to evaluate how it can best serve the local Church and implement improved practices. Called Project Isaiah, the process is expected to take up to a year.