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	Confirmations Bring a Thaw in Relations with Braxton By Amanda St. Amand St. Louis Post-Dispatch [Belleville MO] April 2, 2006 http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/columnists.nsf/mandystamand/ story/BAFFB0DC007D98A8862571430037ED7F?OpenDocument Pardon the parents of eighth-graders across the Belleville Diocese for feeling anxious as they get ready for the confirmation of their sons and daughters. Few of them have met the man who will confirm their kids, but nearly all of them have read or heard something about him, and little of it has been good. Bishop Edward Braxton got off to a bad start before he even got to Southern Illinois last year. He asked the diocese for renovations to the official bishop's residence. Not a good start in a far-flung diocese struggling, like others, with a shortage of priests, shrinking enrollment in schools and added expenses that stemmed from the priest sexual abuse scandal. More than a few of the priests in the diocese already were miffed by Braxton's selection, which was made with no input from them. The Vatican announced just over a year ago that Braxton would take over the diocese. A few priests tried to block his installation last June. They got nowhere, but the summer of discontent had begun. In his defense, Braxton is filling some big shoes. Wilton Gregory led the diocese for close to 11 years. He earned praise for his candor in handling the sexual abuse scandal that was erupting when he arrived. Gregory was much loved by the regular folks. He slapped high-fives with kids. He smiled and offered a hug when you ran into him at the mall. He approached confirmation with the same joy. In the Roman Catholic Church, confirmation is a very big deal. It's a coming-of-age ritual, the mark of maturity. When Gregory celebrated confirmations, he honored the solemnity of the sacrament while also making it a joyous occasion. So parents at my church, St. Joseph in Freeburg, and other parishes felt unsettled by some of the "guidelines" coming down this spring from the diocese under Braxton's command. Other than a group photo, Braxton would not pose for pictures with the individual children. There would be limited photos during the Mass. "It is important to remember that the assembly is gathered for prayer," the guidelines said. As parents and relatives filled the wooden pews inside St. Joseph last week, they wondered what impression Braxton would make on them. At least some of them came away pleasantly surprised. The bishop told about a parishioner in his previous diocese of Lake Charles, La., who offered him a new car. Braxton said thanks but no, he didn't need one. Instead, during a homily one Sunday morning, he dangled the keys to the car in front of him. Any parishioner, he said, who could answer a question about something he'd just said could have the car. He knew most of them were thinking less about Mass and more about Sunday brunch. No one claimed the keys. Braxton even touched on the discontent over the photo policies. "This isn't a photo opportunity, it's a prayer opportunity," he said. Parents should use confirmation as a chance to pray with their children. The vicar general for the diocese is the Rev. John W. McEvilly, although most of his longtime parishioners at Queen of Peace in Belleville call him Father Jack. He downplayed any discontent over photos. "A lot of times Bishop Gregory would stand against a curtain and that was his whole experience in meeting people, as a photo op. I think that Bishop Braxton prefers to meet the families, talk with them. He doesn't feel comfortable just posing for pictures," McEvilly said. McEvilly believes that as more people meet Braxton this confirmation season, their perceptions will change. After Braxton celebrated confirmations in Germantown and Millstadt, for example, everything McEvilly heard back from the pastors was good. "In general it's been a wonderful experience for everybody, and they seem surprised," he said. The biggest strike against the new bishop is simple: he's not Gregory. After a decade of Wilton's warm and fuzzy, Braxton's formality strikes some people as cold and aloof. He seemed ready to break down that image. At the cake-and-punch reception after confirmation at St. Joseph, one parent greeted the bishop and told him how much she enjoyed what he'd said. Braxton told her, "I hope some other people start feeling that way." Just give them a little time, she said, and they will. Braxton will make his own mark on Southern Illinois. He just won't be high-fiving folks in the process. astamand@post-dispatch.com 618-659-3634
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