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bishop braxton visits mater dei catholic high school

On Friday, March 5, 2010 Bishop Braxton completed the last of his three dialogues with the students in the three Catholic High School in the Diocese by spending the morning at Mater Dei Catholic High School. He spent Monday, March 1st at Althoff Catholic High School. His dialogue with the students at Gibault Catholic High School was in Advent on Decemer10. These annual dialogues allow the Bishop the opportunity to speak to the students briefly about a topic such as Lent, Advent, current events in the life of the Catholic Church, a theological topic (e.g. Why do innocent people suffer?), or one of his recent writings (e.g. His Dr. King homily in Phoenix). After that the students are free to ask him questions about any topic they wish. To facilitate these conversations, the Bishop meets with each class individually. He usually devotes the largest amount of time to the seniors, since it is his last dialogue with them. Since the Bishop has confirmed most of the students and visited with them in elementary school and high school, they are very comfortable asking him about a wide range of topics. Sometimes the observations of the students are quite startling.

What kind of questions do they ask him? Here is a sample. Please explain the Catholic doctrine of purgatory and its Biblical basis? Can a Catholic vote for a politician who is “pro-choice” if his or her positions on other important moral issues are faithful to Catholic teachings? When did you know that you wanted to be a priest? Is it wrong if a Catholic student thinks that he or she does not believe in God? Is it true that you have a dog? If so, what kind of dog? What is the dog’s name? What do you do in your free time? How many times have you met Pope Benedict XVI? What is he like? Why do the Gospels tell different stories about the birth of Jesus? Do you think women will ever be allowed to become priests? If God loves us and is all powerful, why doesn’t he prevent earthquakes and hurricanes? What would you be if you were not a priest? What do you have to do to become a Bishop? Is it hard? Is it fun? Did you ever have a girlfriend? When you were in high school, did you like sports? What was your favorite subject? Have you really read all of the books in the library in your house? Why are there so few African-American Catholics? If Catholics are really Christians, how can some Catholics be racists? Does it bother you when people criticize you? Do you ever get lonely? Why is the meaning of the special robes Bishops wear? What is your typical day like? Have you ever been in love?

Bishop Braxton’s responses to these questions are sometimes very brief. But his responses to the more challenging questions are rather lengthy. He tries to give as complete a response to a complex topic as possible. He also tries to answer the questions honestly and directly. As he explained to the seniors at Mater Dei, Bishops as Successors of the Apostles, are ordained and consecrated to provide three distinct ministries to the Church. They are to be the primary teachers of the Catholic faith. As shepherds, they are to guide or govern the People of God in the life of the Church. And they are sanctifiers. That is they are to call the faithful to live holy lives, aided by the divine grace of the sacraments. During these dialogues, the Bishop is not simply answering questions. He is exercising his Episcopal ministry as a teacher of the faith.

The free exchange of ideas is a very enjoyable experience for the Bishop and the students. At the end of this year’s dialogues, the students presented Bishop Braxton with gifts and a spiritual bouquet to mark the 40th anniversary of his ordination to the Priesthood, on May 13, 2010.