A chat with Bishop DiMarzio: A bishop's work in retirement

By Charlie Camosy, OSV News

Born in Newark, New Jersey, on June 16, 1944, His Excellency, the Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio attended the Immaculate Conception Seminary in Darlington, New Jersey, was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Newark in 1970, and named Prelate of Honor by Pope John Paul II in 1986. From 1985 to 1991, he served as executive director of the Committee for Migration and Refugee Services at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He was made an auxiliary bishop for Newark in 1996 and was later appointed the sixth bishop of Camden, New Jersey, before being installed as the seventh bishop of Brooklyn, where he established a Commission on Racism and Social Justice in 2003. In retirement, Bishop DiMarzio has also spoken forcefully against the ills of racism and has advocated for improved policies for the reception of migrant peoples within both the church and the secular society.

--Camosy: What's it like to be a retired bishop? Is it a real retirement or are you busier than you want to be?

--Bishop DiMarzio: The first lesson I ever learned about a retired bishop came when I was still a seminarian. I visited my grandfather's hometown in Italy and met the priest who baptized him, who had become a retired bishop. He was 97 years old but had retired only five years earlier. He joked that Pope John XXIII had made him retire, but then he died! Obviously, he was not happy with the new papal decree that bishops must retire at age 75.

The latest document from the Congregation of Bishops entitled "The Bishop Emeritus" (2009) covers a variety of issues but it all comes down to one admonition, "Do not interfere in the administration of the diocese." It says little about the type of contribution an emeritus can make, and there is no systematic way to share your knowledge with the new ordinary. The church could take a lesson from the corporate world, where retired CEO's still have a role on the governing board or in some special way to contribute their knowledge for the good of the organization. Certainly, one does not want to interfere -- but there is a genuine desire to help, where one can be of assistance.

Retirement for a bishop probably is what we might call semi-retirement because we still do assist in the liturgical life of the diocese, although having no part in the governance. We still teach in various ways -- for example, I have been doing a monthly column on migration that circulates through OSV News to all the diocesan papers that wish to print the column.

In general, I find retirement satisfying. It has given me time to concentrate on the things that mean a lot to me, especially immigration where I continue, after many years working on the issue, to explain to God's people the church's teaching and insights on welcoming the stranger.

--Camosy: Is it impertinent to point out that retired bishops may have a wealth of experience and outlooks that could help younger Catholics put things in perspective?

--Bishop DiMarzio: Hopefully, over time bishops have gained a wealth of experience in the life of the church. Someone suggested I read Arthur C. Brooks' book, "Strength to Strength." His thesis is that in retirement we move, as Psalm 84 says, from one strength to another. A telling antidote he shares regards a female CEO who was very successful and had accumulated a large retirement fund but was terribly unhappy. Her friends suggested she become a philanthropist, or travel to find happiness in retirement. She responded, "Anyone can be happy; not everyone can be important." Retirement does not mean you are not important, although some of your activities may not seem so consequential. In retirement, we reflect on our life and prepare for the life to come, which is the most important transition that we make.

--Camosy: Taking the long view in the church more generally, much is made of division and polarization in the church, for instance. How do you evaluate it?

--Bishop DiMarzio: I believe in the continuity of the church after Vatican II. Polarization in our society is sometimes reflected also in the life of the church; this is nothing new. There is always a divergence of opinion. I think the synodal process is a blessing to the Church. Through dialogue and mutual respect, we can better plan for the future of evangelization in the church. My episcopal motto is "Behold your Mother," which affirms both that Mary is Mother of the Church, and the church is our mother. No one ever criticizes their own mother, certainly not publicly. If an occasion arises when we might have to tell our mothers that something is amiss, we do it with the utmost love and care.

--Camosy: Can you tell us about your long and very impressive work with migrants?

--Bishop DiMarzio: Perhaps by accident, my entire priesthood and episcopacy somehow have been devoted to the pastoral care of migrants and refugees. In my first parish assignment, I discovered 300 families of newly arrived Italian immigrants and began a Mass in Italian as well as a social service center. The archbishop asked me to go to Catholic Charities and open a migration office for the diocese. I eventually served for six years in the USCCB as director of Migration and Refugee Services. Half the population of the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, which encompasses our diocese, are immigrants.

All my grandparents were immigrants, so I understood from my own family what migrants face coming to a new country. Truly, we need to follow Christ and "welcome the stranger" (Mt 25:31-40). One of my most telling memories is hearing a migrant woman say, "Everything is so different coming to a new country, but one thing is the same: the church." The church is the hand of welcome to new migrants. The integrative force of our country truly mirrors our Catholic teaching that we are one body in the church and one body politic in our country. We have improved over generations in understanding how to receive migrants. Today, we understand and accept the need for language liturgies and multicultural services, which was not always the case. We can always do better in overcoming the innate human tendency to view the "other," especially the stranger, as someone alien to ourselves. Saint Paul reminds us we are "Not strangers or aliens any longer but one body" (Eph 2:19). I believe the U.S. church has taken this lesson to heart.

--Camosy: What do you do just for fun or to express who you are as a person? Do you watch or stream TV? What about music?

--Bishop DiMarzio: I can honestly say I'm not bored in retirement. I've always been an early riser and use that morning time to exercise my prayer life and celebrate the Eucharist. I usually work on the computer, either preparing the monthly article or answering questions like these. My hobbies consist of cooking (because I like to eat) and gardening when seasons allow. I am not much of a TV fan, although, in Brooklyn, we have our own Catholic TV cable station (netny.tv). I do like music some days, when I am working.

One thing I really appreciate is being able to see my family more. I have five nieces and nephews, and 15 great-nieces and nephews. Getting to know them as they grow has been a wonderful experience. A few years ago, after a baptism held in the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Brooklyn for one of the latest arrivals, the eldest of the great nieces came forward saying, "We would like to sit in your chair" (the bishop's cathedra). So, I sat and they all gathered around me, and it made the best Christmas card I have ever had!

Family is what gives us the greatest pleasure and the church as family has been my life and has given me great satisfaction beyond anything I could imagine. In retirement, I appreciate this even more.