As you may know, I recently announced that I will retire as president and CEO of Catholic Charities this coming spring. I will celebrate 50 years a priest on May 12. I am now 75 years old, and I will have completed 12 years at Catholic Charities this summer.
It’s time!
In speaking with people since the announcement, there is a little bit of confusion about what my “retiring” means. Let me share what it means to me.
Anyone who knows me probably has a hard time imagining me just stopping everything and doing nothing but relaxing. I have a hard time imagining it as well. I love being a priest. I love being with family and friends. I love administering the sacraments. I love helping the poor. I do not intend to stop any of that.
Retiring as head of Catholic Charities for me means stepping back from a lot of the day-to-day and administrative duties I am called to do right now, but it does not mean stepping away completely. I plan to stay involved in two ways, if I am asked.
The first is to help us stay on our mission. We are Catholic, and we are guided by the Church’s rich social justice principles. We live our faith in all we do at Catholic Charities. The board and I want to make sure we maintain that, and if I can help in any way, I certainly will.
The second is to help with development. I am blessed to have many years of experience and many strong relationships with people in the archdiocese, and I will continue to help as requested with funding needs and support in the years to come.
Retirement does not mean stepping away from Catholic Charities completely. My role will be different, and I will have less responsibility for sure. But I love this agency and the incredible work of God that we do in helping all who come our way.
In addition, I am excited about continuing to do weddings, funerals, baptisms and pastoral care for those I have come to know and developed relationships with over the years. I will also help out at my high school alma mater, St. John’s, and work with some of the boards I have served on, though I will probably reduce my board involvement over the next year or so.
I also plan to continue in residence at St. Bartholomew’s, where I have lived for the last 12 years. Our pastor, Father Mark Smith, has invited me to stay, and I would like to do that, which includes continuing to celebrate Masses with the parish.
I know that some people thought my retirement announcement meant that I would no longer continue to do priestly work. I could never stop being a priest. It is who I am and what I am called to be. A priest does not retire from his ministry or stop being what he is called to be in service of the Lord.
To me, it is similar to the vocation of marriage. In a sacramental relationship, you never retire from marriage. The commitment is kept and nourished, for some 50, 60 or even 70 years or more. It is a relationship of blessing with one you love. The same is true for a priest, who is called by God in a commitment to serve. A priest might step away from some responsibilities, but most continue to be active and involved in the work of the Church, the work of a parish, or the work of a special ministry.
I am very excited about the future, for me personally and for Catholic Charities. This is not an ending but a change. I look forward to handing over to others some responsibilities that have been mine for many years while continuing to serve the Lord and my brothers and sisters in Christ as a priest.
I will be cutting back at Catholic Charities knowing there is a tremendous team of leaders in place. Most plan to stay at least a few more years, and I know Catholic Charities is in excellent hands.
A search is under way for my replacement, and I ask that you pray for us to find the best possible leader. More information about the search process will be coming out, but if you are interested or know someone who might be, please get in touch and consider applying. I am confident that, with God’s help, we will find the right person to take my place and lead the organization to even greater service in the years to come.
We still have seven months or so until I officially retire, but as I hope I have made clear, I will continue working as a priest for as long as my health allows, just at a slower pace. This is not “goodbye” but “see you around.”
(Msgr. John Enzler, the president and CEO of Catholic Charities of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, writes the “Faith in Action” column for the archdiocese’s Catholic Standard newspaper and website and for the archdiocese’s Spanish-language El Pregonero newspaper and website.)
