March 1, 2004

Bishop tells of life-changing phone call

By E. Lynn Ascoli, Special to The CFP

PROVIDENCE – At a press conference in his home diocese last week Bishop Robert J. McManus, bishop-designate of the Diocese of Worcester, reminisced a bit about the diocese he will leave – the diocese in which he grew up.

What will he miss most about Rhode Island?

“Italian restaurants,” the bishop was quick to respond.

He added that his family – his mother Helen, brothers Paul and Ed, and sister Elaine, and nieces and nephews – still live in Rhode Island, and he will miss them, but he is comforted by the fact that there are “good roads” between Worcester and Providence. The bishop’s father, Edward, passed away shortly after the bishop’s ordination as auxiliary in Providence in 1999

The bishop spoke with great pride about his home parish, Blessed Sacrament in Providence, quoting the late Bishop Russell J. McVinney, who referred to the parish as the “Holy Land” because so many religious vocations came out of the parish. The bishop said that four bishops, about 97 priests and many religious sisters claim Blessed Sacrament as their home parish. He credits his own vocation to the parish’s having four full-time priests and usually a young priest in training, and their active interest in the lives of their young parishioners.

He recalled playing CYO basketball and looking up in the stands, knowing that at least one of his parish priests would be at the game. “The priests were the heroes of our lives,” he said.

He also credited the Society of the Sisters, Faithful Companions of Jesus who taught in the parish school.

Religious vocations also run in the family. The bishop added that he has an uncle on his father’s side and a cousin on his mother’s side who became Jesuit priests.

Bishop McManus explained how he learned about his appointment. He said he received a voice mail on March 1, at about 11:30 a.m., from the secretary of the papal nuncio. He had just returned from a meeting in Woonsocket with members of the fraternal group, L’Union St. Jean Baptiste. He returned the call immediately and his end of the conversation was mostly “uh-huh, uh-huh, yes and thank you,” he joked.

“The life of a priest and a bishop can change drastically during the course of a three-minute conversation.”

– E. Lynn Ascoli is Assistant Editor at The Providence Visitor