The Roman Catholic Clergyman, Known for His Strong Leadership, Leaves His Position Early
By Tony Leys and Shirley Ragsdale
Des Moines Register
April 11, 2007
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070411/LIFE05/704110380/1001/NEWS
Des Moines Bishop Joseph Charron retired Tuesday, after a 13-year tenure in which he led the Roman Catholic diocese to stronger financial footing, acted decisively against priests accused of child sexual abuse, addressed the needs of a growing Latino population, emphasized adult faith formation, and encouraged laity to participate in planning.
The diocese covers the Des Moines area and southwest Iowa. It includes 82 parishes and almost 100,000 Catholics, making it the smallest of Iowa's four dioceses.
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Bishop Joseph Charron is hugged by Lisa Bourne, a member of the Des Moines Diocese staff, after he announced his retirement at the diocese on Tuesday. Charron was revered by the people in the pews and admired by his priests. Photo by John Gaps III / The Register |
ABOUT HIS HEALTH | ||
MAY 2006: Bishop Joseph Charron is diagnosed with polymyalgia rheumatica, an arthritic condition that causes swelling of the circulatory system and arthritic pain. JUNE 2006: A second opinion at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., confirms the diagnosis. AUGUST 2006: Returning from vacation, the bishop feels he cannot maintain his busy schedule. He asks the pope for permission to retire early and scales back his workload. OCTOBER 2006: During a workshop for diocesan priests, Charron explains what his medical diagnosis might mean for his ministry as bishop. He asks the priests to celebrate the sacrament, the anointing of the sick, with him. NOVEMBER 2006: Charron tells the pastors that, because of health reasons, he will not be able to celebrate the sacrament of confirmation for the youths of the diocese. He delegates this to the pastors. TUESDAY: Charron announces that the pope has allowed him to retire early because of health reasons. JUNE 2007: Charron will celebrate his 40th anniversary of priesthood. A celebration is planned for Des Moines and Council Bluffs. |
Charron, 67, said he loves his job, but could not continue because of the pain and fatigue from a chronic form of an inflammatory disease. The stress of overseeing the diocese made his condition worse, he said, so he asked for the pope's permission to retire early.
Charron is revered by the people in the pews and admired by his priests - at a time when leadership in the Roman Catholic Church is under fire as it tries to deal with child sexual abuse by clergy, issues of openness related to that scandal and a declining number of priests.
ABOUT BISHOP CHARRON | ||
BORN: Redfield, S.D., in 1939; one of eight children EDUCATION: B.A. (1963) and M.A. (1966) in theology, University of Dayton; Sacred Theology Licentiate (equivalent to a master’s degree), Lateran University, Rome, 1968; Sacred Theology Doctorate, Academia Alfonsiana, Rome, 1970. ORDAINED AS PRIEST: 1967, Carthagena, Ohio. CAREER: Assistant professor of theology, St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minn., 1970-76; assistant general secretary and associate general secretary, United States Catholic Conference (USCC) and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB), 1976-79; provincial director, C.PP.S., Kansas City Province, 1979-87; adjunct professor of theology, St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minn.,1987-90; ordained auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, 1990; installed as bishop of Des Moines, 1994. MEMBERSHIPS: The Society of Precious Blood, Kansas City Province; Catholic Theological Society of America; Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers, 2002-present; chairman NCCB Ad Hoc Committee on Health Care Issues and the Church, 1999-2001; chairman NCCB Marriage and Family Life Committee, 1993-96; Board of Directors, Catholic Relief Services, 1998-2004. |
"He was just one of the kindest, most gentle people, the essence of humility," said John Kilbride of Council Bluffs, a supporter.
In a Tuesday press conference, Charron described the disabling condition he suffers, polymyalgia rheumatica, as "an up and down thing. On one day I feel reasonably well, and on another day I start to hurt."
Charron said he sought the advice of his doctors and fellow bishops, and he expressed gratitude for the prayers of people who know about his health problems. "I have been blessed to walk in the midst of a people of a deep and abiding faith," he said.
Inflammatory disorder's cause unknown | ||
Polymyalgia rheumatica is an inflammatory disorder that causes moderate to severe musculoskeletal pain and stiffness in the neck, shoulder and hip area. The cause of polymyalgia rheumatica is not known, according to the National Institutes of Health. But it could be linked to aging, genetics, infections or immune system problems. The disorder may develop rapidly; in some people it comes on literally overnight. But for most people, polymyalgia rheumatica develops more gradually. Symptoms generally are treated with steroids. Polymyalgia rheumatica usually resolves within two years, the NIH said. |
He leaves the diocese in good condition, according to Tom Chapman, executive director of the Iowa Catholic Conference and former chancellor under Charron.
"When Charron got here, the diocese had overspent its means, there was more money going out than coming in," Chapman said. "The new bishop immediately put it back in order by making changes in staffing and bringing the budget back into balance."
Described as a "pastoral bishop" whose strong suit is his empathy for his flock, Charron is well known for his laughter and the good times that accompanied him.
Each year, St. Albert High School in Council Bluffs raffles off a dinner with the bishop to raise money. For more than a decade, Nancy and John Kilbride have hosted that dinner in their home.
Charron and Monsignor Stephen Orr would arrive, prepare a seven-course Italian meal and share stories with the people who came to dinner.
"People bidding on the dinner often would feel nervous about dining with a bishop, but I would tell them not to worry, they were in for a good time," John Kilbride said.
"The first time we were surprised when he rolled up his sleeves and got into the middle of things. They messed up the kitchen. There weren't enough dishes, so we had to wash dishes in between courses. It was highly organized chaos. But he really enjoyed doing it."
The bishop's love for children was exhibited by the special Masses he celebrated when he visited diocesan schools. He especially enjoyed traveling throughout the diocese to confirm young Catholics and was loathe to turn those duties over to parish priests when his condition worsened.
Dioceses see rapid leadership turnover | ||
With the retirement of Bishop Joseph Charron on Tuesday, Iowa Catholics have seen a leadership turnover in three of its four dioceses in the past three years. The one constant has been Archbishop Jerome Hanus of Dubuque, who has been bishop since 1995. In 2004, Bishop Daniel DiNardo of the Sioux City Diocese was named by the Vatican to a post with the Diocese of Galveston-Houston in Texas. DiNardo wasn't replaced for 22 months. Bishop R. Walker Nickless was ordained Jan. 20, 2006. In May 2005, Bishop William Franklin of the Diocese of Davenport asked the Vatican to let him retire. His wish was not granted until Oct. 12, 2006, when it was announced that Bishop Martin Amos would replace him. The announcement came two days after the diocese filed for bankruptcy, citing fiscal stress caused by lawsuits and financial claims by victims of child sexual abuse by priests. Amos was installed Nov. 20, 2006, in a modest ceremony attended by church officials and lay leaders. |
In 2003, Jason Wagner, one of the confirmation candidates of Sacred Heart parish in Woodbine, was recovering from surgery and was unable to come to the church to be confirmed. Charron, the Rev. Paul Strittmatter, the parish priest, and the six other confirmation candidates traveled several miles out into the country on a gravel road to confirm Wagner.
"I told the bishop about him and he said we would just go out and confirm him," Strittmatter said. "We all gathered around Jason's bed and the bishop said the prayers and confirmed him right there, in the bed. It meant a great deal to the family."
After the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops's 2002 decision to adopt a zero tolerance policy on child sexual abuse by clergy, Charron reviewed diocesan sexual misconduct policy, set up an allegations review committee and in 2003 acted publicly on that committee's recommendation to seek the laicization of three priests. Charron asked the Vatican to remove the Revs. Richard Wagner, John Ryan and Albert Wilwerding from the priesthood. Ryan and Wagner were defrocked in 2006.
When Wilwerding died in 2004, Charron performed his funeral Mass. He refused to release the names of accused priests who were deceased, saying that they were not able to defend themselves against allegations.
"It struck me that Charron was truly cura personalis - that's a Latin term for giving spiritual, social and physical care of the people under you," Strittmatter said. "He cared for the people under his charge. He was more a pastor than an administrator in that regard."
What’s next? | ||
NAMING AN ADMINISTRATOR: The administrator maintains the business of the diocese until a new bishop is installed. A group of priests in the diocese, called the College of Consultors, gathers within eight days and selects a priest as administrator. Consultors who will decide on the Des Moines Diocese administrator: • The Rev. Larry Hoffman, St. Theresa’s Church, Des Moines • The Rev. Chris Hartshorn, St. Joseph’s Church, Winterset • The Rev. John Frost, pastor of St. Patrick’s Church, Walnut, and St.Mary’s Church, Avoca • The Rev. Dean Nimerichter, pastor of St. Timothy’s Church, Reno/Cumberland, and Our Lady of Grace Church, Griswold • The Rev. Paul Monahan, retired • Monsignor Stephen Orr, pastor of Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart Church, Ankeny. IMPACT: The bishop normally celebrates all youth confirmations; this year, Bishop Joseph Charron has asked pastors to celebrate the sacrament. A bishop blesses chrism oil used for baptism, confirmation and ordination. Charron has blessed the oil to be used this year. If the diocese still doesn’t have a bishop next year, the administrator may ask him to bless the oil, or it can be blessed by a neighboring bishop. A bishop ordains priests. The administrator may ask Charron or a neighboring bishop to perform an ordination expected in June. NAMING A BISHOP: The pope will choose a new bishop after being given a list of about three suggested finalists. It could take between two months and two years. Source: Des Moines Catholic Diocese |
Bishops generally serve until they are 75, unless the pope allows them to retire early.
Charron, a South Dakota native, said he plans to remain in the Des Moines area and serve the church somehow. "I'm not going away," he said. "I'm still going to be around and there's still a lot that I can continue to do."
Archbishop Jerome Hanus of the Dubuque Archdiocese, the most senior of Iowa's bishops, said he was sorry to see Charron leave.
"Bishop Charron followed the example of Jesus in an extraordinary way," Hanus said. "At the same time, I know how much pain Bishop Charron has endured these past months. He loved serving the people."
Reporter Tony Leys can be reached at (515) 284-8449 or tleys@dmreg.com
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