Msgr. Thomas needs prayer, support now

Published: February 20, 2010

By Bishop Anthony B. Taylor

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor delivered the following homily at Our Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock Feb. 13.

Last weekend I told you in the homily about CASA played throughout the diocese that the best thing about being a bishop is celebrating the sacrament of confirmation. It fills me with hope and joy as I ask God to send his Holy Spirit to be "our helper and guide," filling us with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, right judgment, courage, knowledge, reverence and fear of the Lord.

I told you that the reason I find this sacrament so meaningful is that the longer I am your bishop, the more I realize how much I need those gifts -- we all need them. It isn't always easy to do the right thing -- or even to know what should be done -- which is why I find prayer so important, asking myself: "What would Jesus do in this situation?" And then I pray for the courage to act accordingly. Time and again Jesus' disciples were mistaken in what they thought Jesus would do in a given circumstance, in part because Jesus knew things they didn't know.

This week I need to share with you what is the worst thing about being a bishop: having to intervene to remove a beloved pastor from a situation and get him some help -- especially when due to confidentiality, what I can say to explain or defend my actions is limited. But even so, I would be negligent if I did not intervene when I became convinced that decisive action was required. And as much as I fear having to face you with unwelcome news, anything less would be cowardice on my part. But still it really hurts.

Msgr. Royce Thomas is a man that I have grown to admire and respect, and so I go through the same stages of grief -- denial, anger and bargaining -- as anyone else. Indeed, my loss may be greater even than yours. Msgr. Thomas was one of my closest confidants. The first appointment I made upon arrival in Little Rock was to reappoint him judicial vicar for the diocese. The word "vicar" means that he was my personal representative, and he acted in my name, exercising my authority, in all matters related to the diocesan tribunal. He was also on the Personnel Board, the Presbyteral Council, the Clergy Welfare Board and pastor of this large parish with a thriving school. I, like you, have been impressed with his brilliant mind and pleased with his effective and competent service -- I think you will agree that he is one of the most talented men we have. I have turned to him time and again for advice and counsel. I know the loss you feel. We're all in this same boat together.

Indeed, it is for that very reason that I have to tell you that last Wednesday, when I had to speak with Msgr. Thomas about the situation his drinking had put him in -- and its consequences, which he did not deny -- was one of the worst days of my life. As with most people with drinking problems, there are other issues which I am not at liberty to discuss with you, but which I assure you are serious enough to require me to take the steps I have taken.

If Msgr. Thomas wants you to know what these problems are, he is free to tell you -- if he does not tell you, it is because he does not want you to know and I don't blame him for wanting us to respect his privacy in these matters. Sometimes not knowing is better than knowing and this is one of those times.

For the rest of the Church, Lent begins this coming Wednesday. My Lent began last Wednesday. I understood for the first time what Jesus must have felt in the Garden of Gethsemane when he knew what the Father required of him, the rejection and hatred that he would have to face as the price of faithfulness, and his inability to defend himself. And that is what I feel as I come before you today, making Jesus' words my own: "Father, you have the power to do all things. Take this cup away from me. But let it be as you would have it, not as I."

The reason I am here today is to support you and pray with you for Msgr. Thomas and for your parish. On Wednesday I advised the priests of the diocese that it has recently become evident to those who know him well that Msgr. Royce Thomas may have a drinking problem and that I met with him on Wednesday and he agreed to go to an alcohol treatment center for an assessment. Since he is over 65 years of age, we also discussed his retirement, which -- in view of this and other circumstances -- I granted effective immediately. Moreover he indicated that he wanted no further celebration to mark his retirement because he has just had a large and much appreciated celebration of his 40th anniversary of ordination.

I also announced that another retiree -- Msgr. Gaston Hebert -- would administer Holy Souls parish until a new pastor can be named.

As is usual with interventions of this sort, Msgr. Thomas is not happy about this and is grieving right now. He's also angry and in denial. And I know that many of you are shocked and are already grieving this loss. Your first response may be one of denial too -- "This can't be happening! I never saw him abuse alcohol; it can't be true! There must be some other agenda!"

Others of you may feel consumed by anger at what you perceive to be a gross and arbitrary injustice because what I am able to tell you is insufficient to answer your questions about why such apparently drastic measures were required, forgetting that you don't have all the facts. To many of you, the consequences may seem disproportionate to the problem. I assure you that it is not and you'll just have to take my word for it. I would probably react in just the same way if I only had at my disposal the information that you have been provided. But surely you can think of situations where this would be the appropriate response. Well it is.

My dilemma is: how can I say even this much in a way that won't fuel idle speculation or invite unwelcome scrutiny that would only harm Monsignor further -- who is not here to defend himself -- as well as your parish.

So I humbly ask you to please give me the benefit of the doubt. This is no fun for me, and I need your support. I accept that some of you, in your anger, will say unkind things or attribute unworthy motives to me and my actions. I am also convinced that you would view things differently if you knew what I know but cannot share with you at this time.

Anger can also express itself in blaming others. Nature abhors a vacuum and I know that people will talk, so if you've got to be angry with somebody, I'd rather you be angry with me than with Monsignor, who is hurting right now, or any other person that you might find reason to blame. But what I really need is your prayer, not your anger, which won't do anybody any good.

Another stage of grieving is bargaining: "What if this happens? What if that happens? Why can't he come back after treatment?" One reason the statement I issued is so clear -- some would say "cut and dried" -- is that I don't want to create any false expectations. That would not be fair to you or to Monsignor.

In today's Gospel we have Luke's version of Jesus' Beatitudes, in which he declares blessed the very things we like the least: poverty, hunger, grief and rejection. He says, "Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh." Meaning, blessed are we whose hearts are moved to tears by the painful things in this life; we will get through this. So will Monsignor. That is why Jesus promises us that one day we will be happy again. In the meantime, I ask that you please pray for Msgr. Thomas, pray for your parish and pray for me.

Now I have been told that some came here today wanting to discuss this further. So this is what I propose: After I have finished greeting people after Mass, I will return to the church and be available for questions or discussion, but please know that I have already shared with you in this homily all that I am presently able to discuss. Moreover, I know that different people hear things differently, so to avoid misunderstanding about what I have said in this homily, please know that it will be published in Arkansas Catholic. In any event, what we most need are each other's prayers and it is this brokenness that we bring to the altar of the Lord today, seeking his healing and strength.