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Diocese bids farewell to Bishop Bradley during Mass
archived from: 2009-06-01
by: John Franko

Aux. Bishop Paul Bradley fondly recalled his first visit to St. Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood in 1959.

Having just completed the eighth grade, he was about to enter the seminary. He listened from the back of the cathedral as Bishop John Wright spoke of the Gospel passage that included the phrase, “Here I am, Lord, send me.”

Bishop Bradley spoke of how he went on to be ordained in the cathedral by Bishop Vincent Leonard in 1971 and serve as pastor there from 2000-2004.

In his 38 years as a priest, he noted, he has preached there hundreds of times. “The cathedral is truly a part of who I am,” he said.

So it was fitting that is was where Bishop Bradley bid farewell to the diocese during a May 10 Mass. He will leave the diocese to become the fourth bishop of Kalamazoo, Mich., with his installation set for June 5.

The bishop pointed out that it is an exciting time for the Diocese of Pittsburgh and that he would have been happy to remain here.

He described how his life changed, however, when his secretary handed him a phone call from Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States, on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day.

The archbishop informed him that Pope Benedict XVI had appointed him to Kalamazoo.

Bishop Bradley related how he knew that he would be challenged in a way that he had never been challenged before. He would go from a sense of comfort to one of uncertainty.

But in the midst of the shock, he was comforted by the words of the archbishop, who told him, “This is a diocese that you will be able to love.”

His three visits to Kalamazoo since the announcement have already led Bishop Bradley to fall in love with the area.

He spoke of the parable of the vine and branches in noting that Jesus teaches us that branches must sometimes be pruned in order to bear fruit.

There are times when they must even be transplanted or, as he put it, “From the Pittsburgh branch to the Kalamazoo branch.”

He said his training in Pittsburgh has prepared him well to minister to the Church of Kalamazoo.

Fifty years after hearing Bishop Wright utter the phrase, he is able to say, “Here I am, Lord, send me.”

Bishop Bradley was visibly moved as the congregation gave him a prolonged standing ovation.

Several hundred people, including some 60 of his brother priests, attended the liturgy.

Bishop David Zubik told the congregation that the experience of human life shows that when you lose something you realize how much you appreciate it.

He said people have come to recognize Bishop Bradley’s many gifts at his various assignments — as a priest, pastor and administrator.

Bishop Zubik noted that the four qualities he admires most about Bishop Bradley are his prayerfulness, his patience, his life as a pastor and his partnership in the diocese.

“Everything about your life is directed toward your connecting with God,” he said.

He described Bishop Bradley as someone who embodies what a shepherd truly is — he loves people from the bottom of his heart. He values them and their advice.

In bidding him farewell, Bishop Zubik said he hopes the Diocese of Kalamazoo knows what a wonderful shepherd they are getting.

“You will certainly be in our prayers as we love you in our hearts,” he said.

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