Always good to see when bishops are doing their jobs even when they will get serious resistance:

• My own ordinary, Archbishop Donald Wuerl, has joined the fight in DC to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman ^[1]. I am sure he is going to get plenty of flack for this, but it is also good to see that he is joined by some fine Christian leaders ^[2].
• The ordinary of my hometown, Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk of Cincinnati, has banned a sister from teaching at Catholic parishes and institutions ^[3] because she vocally supports the ordination of women as priests. Needless to say, this has not made him popular in the local Catholic academic scene (otherwise known as the “do-it-yourself Magisterium”).

I don’t think we can ever really grasp the tremendous pressure a bishop is under. He is responsible for the salvation of thousands, sometimes even millions, of souls, and has a huge number of people and causes vying for his attention. He must defend the Faith, yet do so in such a way as to not alienate people needlessly. I honestly don’t know how anyone can do it.

Pray for your bishop and all bishops that they might be given the grace to do their jobs faithfully.

Holy apostles, pray for us!