A steady procession of priests, religious and laity preceded the bishops in attendance at the ordinations of Bishops Raymond Chappetto and Paul Sanchez.  Fourth Ave. in front of Our Lady of Angels Church, Bay Ridge, was closed to traffic to allow admittance to the church.

The episcopal ordination of Bishops Chappetto and Sanchez was a media event, shown live on NET TV.  Reporters from local newspapers and some local TV stations also covered the liturgy.  Following the Mass, the new bishops, along with Cardinal Egan and Bishop DiMarzio, met the press in the memorial courtyard alongside the church.

When the good news reached us that our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, had blessed us by calling two good friends, Msgrs. Ray Chappetto and Paul Sanchez, to serve as our newest auxiliary bishops, we could not have been happier.  For them and for us!  We are grateful that they responded generously to this high, yet humbling office.

In another era, it was customary to speak of a priest as being “elevated” to the episcopacy.  It was often perceived as an honorable “step up,” so to speak, in much the same way as a loyal and successful corporate executive might rise to become a CEO or member of the board. No one would argue that our new auxiliaries have served both our diocesan bishops and the clergy and laity of our diocese with honor and distinction over the years.  Each of them is well-seasoned through the many ways in which they have ministered as priests over the years, which has sharpened their administrative skills and pastoral sensitivities. If anything, age and experience has drawn them closer to life in the Lord’s vineyard than to the marbled halls of a princely palace or the comforts of an executive suite.  These are men of the people.

In offering them our heartfelt congratulations as they are ordained to the fullness of the priesthood on July 11, we also extend our prayerful best wishes that the weight of their new office will be lightened by confidence in the grace the Lord will surely provide them and in our love that goes with them.

In our times, it is not easy to be a bishop.  Perhaps it never was. Faithfulness to the teaching and example of Jesus demands that in season and out of season, a bishop upholds in word and example the Lord’s teachings —  and the teaching authority of the Church —  regardless of how popular or accepted they might be.  In bearing witness to the Gospel, they will be subject to taunting and ridicule for refusing to be “owned” by any benefactor, party, political figure or celebrity seeking, with good or ill intent, to appropriate the power of their office for any purpose that falls short of the Truth they must serve.  Championing the rights and dignity of the poor, the unborn, the disenfranchised and the marginalized, they will be labelled with any manner of unflattering judgment, called (among other things) naive, behind the times, authoritarian, rigid or even worse.  But lead they must, and, with God’s help, our prayer and their own moral courage, they will do us proud.

The Church needs shepherds who are at once principled and compassionate, fair and personable. Whoever has had the pleasure of encountering our Bishops Paul and Ray knows how their deep spirituality radiates kindness, charity and an open attentiveness to anyone in their presence.  They each have the gift of making one feel like the only person in the world who matters to them at that moment of contact.

So it is not only with thanksgiving to God but confidence in the response of our good friends to God’s grace that we rejoice and celebrate this great moment for our Diocese —  and for them!  We wish Bishop Chappetto and Bishop Sanchez many years of faithful, frutiful service as assistants to our beloved Diocesan Bishop and all the people they will continue to serve in their new office.

In the words of the ancient Hebrew Nesiat Kapayim, we say to them: “May the LORD bless you and keep you; may the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26). Ad multos annos!

On our Currents interview with Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, the bishop said that our new auxiliary bishops, Ray Chappetto and Paul Sanchez, are two of the most highly regarded priests in the diocese.

He talked about the selection process: how polls are taken of the local clergy, how questionnaires are distributed to clergy and laity alike, and  how names are chosen and sent to the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C.

When all was said and done, Bishop DiMarzio said that the names of Chappetto and Sanchez were always among the most popular.

That’s why there has been such an outpouring of congratulations and best wishes in the paid advertising in our special pullout section this week.  It was easy soliciting such advertising from parishes and lay people.  The overflow of ads will appear in our July 21st edition that will carry all the news and photos of the ordination ceremony of the two new auxiliary bishops.  (We do not publish July 14 in keeping with our summer policy.)

A reminder to all of our readers to tune into The NET on Wednesday, July 11, beginning at 1 p.m. for our live coverage of the bishops’ ordination from Our Lady of Angels Church in Bay Ridge.  The broadcast is a huge project and the members of the DeSales Media Group have been preparing for weeks.  On The Tablet side, all of our reporters will be on hand to provide the best coverage.  We’ve even hired extra photogs for the day to make sure we don’t miss a shot.  And our website will be filled with the photos from the event.

All the preparation is fit for the occasion, although these two new members of the hierarchy would be the first to downplay any personal attention to themselves.

I’ve known both men from our days together at Cathedral Prep in Brooklyn, although I point out that they are older than I am.

Bishop Paul was my first editor.  He was the Editor of The Spire, our school newspaper, when I was a cub reporter.  He assigned me to cover the senior retreat.  I interviewed the proper people, wrote the article and received my first byline under Paul’s tutelage.  You can look it up, as they say.

Bishop Ray and I happened to vacation in the same town of Mastic Beach in the summer time.  Each morning, I would pedal my bike about a mile and a half to St. Jude’s Church, where the young Ray Chappetto was always in attendance.

When then-Father Sanchez was in his first assignment at Our Lady of Mercy, Forest Hills, I called upon him to pose for some set-up photos for our article on the new practice of face-to-face confession.  He willingly obliged, and those photos still remain in our archives.

Then-Msgr. Chappetto was a tireless advocate for the building of the new church at Our Lady of the Snows.  When we issued an invite to appear on our cable TV show “Tablet Week in Review,” he was ready and willing and even brought along parishioners to promote the cause.

These two new prelates are quintessential men of the church.  There has never been any mistaking them for anything other than priests.  They each display an enthusiasm and joy for their vocations.  They are bright, intelligent and close to the people.  Add that inner peace that is a sure sign of holiness, and you have the perfect ingredients for a bishop.

All those polls and consultations, with an assist from the Holy Spirit, surely got it right this time when the names of Ray Chappetto and Paul Sanchez came to the surface.

by Ed Wilkinson

Msgr. Joe Calise, the pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish, Williamsburg, correctly summed it up.  “If they had put it to a vote of the presbyterate, these guys would have been the first two choices,” he said.
He was referring to the selection of our two new bishops-elect, Msgrs. Raymond Chappetto and Paul Sanchez.
Two popular choices, to be sure!  For the past few months, everyone in diocesan circles has been playing the guessing game of who will be the new auxiliary bishops.  Always, the names of Msgrs. Chappetto and Sanchez were mentioned.
Yet when each one received the call from the Apostolic Nuncio in Washington, D.C., they both seemed surprised.  Shocked might be more like it!
Msgr. Sanchez, who serves as the Episcopal Vicar for Queens, said he was uncertain whether it was really the nuncio on the other end of the line.  Maybe, he thought, it was one of his buddies putting on an Italian accent and playing a joke.
Msgr. Chappetto was just as surprised.  He took the call he said because he figured the nuncio wasn’t calling just to say hello.
On the morning that the selection was made public, the two new bishops-elect were on a whirlwind tour of the diocese.  First it was a 10:30 a.m. taping at The NET for that evening’s Currents show.  Then it was back to the diocesan offices at 310 Prospect Park West for the official press conference with Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio.  And then a quick lunch and drive to Immaculate Conception Pastoral Center, Douglaston, for a regularly scheduled convocation of the diocese’s priests.
In Douglaston, they were warmly greeted by their brother-priests and properly saluted at the evening’s dinner.
These newest members of the episcopacy are popular because they both are pastoral priests.  While both have served in administrative positions, neither has forgotten that they were ordained to be priests for people.  They are parish priests in their hearts.
Parishioners at Our Lady of Snows parish already knew they were “losing” Msgr. Ray because he already had been named the new pastor of St. Kevin’s, Flushing, effective at the end of June.  They weren’t happy to learn about the transfer, but Msgr. Ray’s 12-year term was complete and he was reassigned.
One of his great legacies at Snows is that he built a new church building for the parish.  No easy task in this day and age.  As was pointed out, it is already paid for.
Msgr. Sanchez, at the press conference, quickly pointed out that he had never built a church but he has renovated one  when he was pastor at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Astoria.  Shortly, he will be named as a pastor to accompany his duties as auxiliary bishop.
Bishop-elect Chappetto cites the work of the New Evangelization and the upcoming Year of Faith as major priorities.  Bishop-elect Sanchez agrees and adds, “I would like to think that we can support the priests who are on the front lines and the seminarians who are our future.”
Two historical footnotes:  Bishops Chappetto and Sanchez are the third and fourth Territorial Episcopal Vicars to be named Bishops.  The others were Bishop Ignatius A. Catanello and Bishop Octavio Cisneros.  They also are the 17th and 18th priests to have been named auxiliary bishops for the Diocese of Brooklyn.