One year ago Msgr. J. Gaston Hebert was enjoying his retirement in Hot Springs and pondering what life would be like in the Diocese of Little Rock without a bishop.
His ministry took a turn on June 29, 2006, when he along with the other six consultors voted and chose him as the diocesan administrator until a new bishop is named.
The former vicar general and pastor of Christ the King Church in Little Rock accepted the title and quickly relied on his 47 years of pastoral ministry to learn how to lead a diocese.
“I see this as a blessed time because it has allowed me to do some things that God has blessed me with being fairly good at,” he said during an interview in the bishop’s office he has occupied for 12 months.
In one of his first actions, Msgr. Hebert decided to delegate the duties of the sacrament of confirmation usually handled by a bishop to each pastor. This decision freed him from extensive travel around the state and gave him more time to meet with diocesan staff at St. John Center in Little Rock and handle inquiries and complaints that come to the bishop’s office on a daily basis.
The diocesan staff has given Msgr. Hebert high marks for handling the administrative duties with concern, common sense and promptness. He easily delegates duties that he knows can be handled better by someone else.
 Eight other dioceses are without a bishop Click here |
These qualities, he said, he honed while serving as a pastor. At one time, Christ the King was the largest Catholic church in the state.
“It helped me to use the talents of the people,” he said of his pastoral experience. “Priests in the old mode of my age and older had to do everything themselves prior to parish councils. Some priests were afraid to let people exercise their shared responsibility in the Church. They felt threatened by that … Once I got to Christ the King in 1981, I recognized that I could not continue to exist unless I let that happen and gave that up to God … That was a great training ground for me to take over this position because on a smaller scale, I had done pretty much the same thing.”
Msgr. Hebert, 72, said he also learned about diocesan operations and parishes and schools around the state while serving as vicar general under Bishop Andrew J. McDonald from 1988 to 2000 and Bishop J. Peter Sartain from 2000 to 2006. Under Bishop McDonald, Msgr. Hebert was chairman of the Presbyteral Council, Clergy Personnel Board and Clergy Welfare Board and served on the seminary endowment fund board.
“It gave me a touch to what was happening within the diocese, particularly regarding clergy personnel,” he said.
He still felt ill-equipped to lead a diocese.
“I don’t have the educational background or knowledge to do this job,” he said, noting that many bishops have canon laws degrees.
Without a canon law degree, Msgr. Hebert said he relies on other clergy in the state with the advanced degree to advise him on the correct Church procedures. He also meets on a monthly basis with the College of Consultors that elected him as his “sounding board.” Without most boards in place in the absence of a bishop, the consultors also act as the Clergy Personnel Board and recommend pastoral appointments.
“I use the consultors for all the major issues that come to me. I will talk to them about what we want to do about this building project or what do we need to do about this problem in the diocese,” he said. “It is rare that I would make any big decisions without first consulting them.”
He said his job is easier because of the staff already in place at St. John Center.
“One of the wonderful things to happen in the past year is to see how great all this staff is … I don’t say that to flatter or in any other way but sincerity…. Everybody here works together, I think, really well. … They are so helpful to me. Everyone has recognized that I am not a bishop and that I need their help.”
He points to three women hired in the past year who brought a lot of experience and education to the diocese. First, Marianne Linane was hired as director for the Respect Life Office to fill a vacancy left by Anne Dierks. Then a new position in the Tribunal Office was created. Cathy Gilligan moved from Atlanta to become the office director. Sister Mary Lou Stubbs, DC, took over as director of Catholic Charities of Arkansas after Sheila Gomez moved to Florida.
“I see those three ladies in their positions as the best thing that has happened to the diocese since I have been here because their outreach to the diocese is so great.”
“In a subliminal way, I point out those ladies,” he said. “Often the question is asked, ’Do women have any position in the Church?’ I think in this chancery, the answer is pretty obvious. Very much so. They have key positions that have a lot to do with the life of the Church.”
Msgr. Hebert said several things have enriched his ministry in the past year.
He traveled to Rome twice and met with the diocesan seminarians studying at the North American College.
He visited the parishes in northwest Arkansas and saw the growth in that region and their new church and school buildings.
At the beginning of Lent, he led the Rite of Election in three locations for new Catholics coming into the Church.
He recruited college Spanish instructor Victor Haislop to lead twice weekly Spanish classes for the diocesan staff this spring. Msgr. Hebert also attended as a student.
“I think that was a good thing to do. I am happy we are continuing it,” he said.
His lack of Spanish skills has always been a concern for Msgr. Hebert.
“For all pastors who do not know any Spanish, it’s embarrassing for us to stand outside those doors on Sunday morning and not to be able to say anything (to Spanish-speaking parishioners) …. I always felt like such a dumbbell.”
With the position come difficult decisions and terrible events to manage. On the top of his list is the priest shortage and where to assign the few priests available.
“One of the most difficult things I am dealing with is stretching the number of priests. It is very, very tight. … We believe greatly that God provides and somehow this will all be fine. We just don’t have enough.”
He said the hardest situations he has had to deal with are when “a priest or religious isn’t faithful to their calling.”
Probably more than anyone else, Msgr. Hebert has been vocal about his desire for a bishop to be named soon.
“I think we need a shepherd,” he said. “We are doing our best to stay on course and I think we are doing fine. The flock needs a permanent shepherd, not someone who is merely holding the course. … I greatly look forward to that day, not simply because this has interrupted my retirement, but because it’s what we need. I look forward to that day. I pray God sends us a good and loving bishop.”
Eight other dioceses are without a bishop
When the Diocese of Little Rock became vacant on May 16, 2006, there were five other U.S. dioceses without a bishop. Only one of those dioceses –Birmingham — is still on the list today.
In fact, they have waited longer for a new bishop than any other diocese over the past year. The Diocese of Birmingham has been without a bishop since May 10, 2005, when Bishop David E. Foley retired.
On the same day that Bishop J. Peter Sartain became the bishop of the Diocese of Joliet, the Diocese of Pittsburgh was also vacant. Bishop Donald W. Wuerl was appointed to lead the Archdiocese of Washington.
In addition, there are six other dioceses without a shepherd. They are:
Great Falls-Billings, Mont., July 12, 2006 (bishop resigned)
Shreveport, La., Dec. 20, 2006 (bishop retired)
Virgin Islands, Jan. 30, 2007 (bishop appointed to Youngstown, Ohio)
Des Moines, Iowa, April 10, 2007 (bishop resigned)
New Ulm, Minn., April 24, 2007 (bishop named coadjutor archbishop of Saint Paul-Minneapolis)
Knoxville, Tenn., June 12, 2007 (bishop appointed to Louisville)
What most Catholics in Arkansas want to know is when the diocese will get a new bishop. In the past year, four vacant dioceses were filled. The vacancy ranged from 13 months to two years.
Sioux Falls, S.D., was vacant for 20 months: Dec. 29, 2004 to Aug. 31, 2006
Lake Charles, La., was vacant for two years: March 15, 2005 to March 6, 2007
Youngstown, Ohio, was vacant for 22 months: March 31, 2005 to Jan. 30, 2007
Salt Lake City, Utah, was vacant for 13 months: Dec. 15, 2005 to Jan. 8, 2007
