Bishop Edmond Carmody places a pectoral cross on Bishop-designate Michael Mulvey at a January 18 press conference at Corpus Christi Cathedral. It was announced that Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop-designate Michael Mulvey the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, succeeding Bishop Edmond Carmody, who is 76. Bishop-designate Mulvey has been serving as the administrator of the Diocese of Austin. He will be ordained a bishop and installed in Corpus Christi March 25.

Sometimes I think it's funny how we assume certain things about certain people in certain positions.

In the hierarchical structure of our church, some of us have a tendency to believe that those who are the recognized spiritual leaders are very different from ourselves.

These are generalizations, but I have witnessed the phenomenon of lay people concluding that priests have a physiological make-up of something other than human, such as having an extra chromosome.

And bishops? Their DNA is in its own category, even more complex than the ordinary priest.

I smiled quietly to myself when Bishop-designate Michael Mulvey described his reaction when he got the call that he was changing from priest into bishop:

For a moment I asked the question "Did he make a mistake? Did he have the right telephone number?" And as the reality set in, other questions emerged regarding worthiness, preparation, ability, etc.

My sneaking suspicion was correct and it has been proven before—priests and bishops are people, too. Within them they bear the same doubts, hopes, fears and dreams as the rest of us.

That realization in no ways diminishes the ministry of the priest nor the role of the bishop. It only removes the pretense and makes room for the truth we all also bear, that God lives within each of us, and each of us is created in his image.

Our new bishop has even adopted this philosophy as his motto: "Your attitude must be that of Christ." When telling of the verse from St. Paul's letter to the Philippians, he explains that in order to make room for such an attitude, one must be empty of self.

Now that is a struggle we all—priest, bishop, deacon, sister, brother, man and woman, whether celibate, married or single — contend with on a day-to-day basis.

Our Bishop Edmond Carmody also expressed such a belief in his motto and through his service to the diocese these past 10 years: "With Christ, all things are possible."

Even as a man called to serve as a bishop momentarily doubts his own goodness and worth to fulfill such a role, the rest of us also often fall into the trap.

When a blessing is put before us, sometimes we do not trust it as readily as the hardships which seem all too familiar. Then we can isolate ourselves and become enslaved to our own warped thoughts, which generally affirm our faults rather than our God-given goodness.

Bishop-designate Mulvey spoke of resisting isolation and rather adopting a "spirituality that speaks of communion," one that became ingrained in him over the years and nurtured by his involvement with the Focolare movement. (To learn more about Focolare, go to www.focolare.us)

It seems basic that we all need communion, community, to stay connected with God and other people. We have been and now will be blessed in our diocese to have a spiritual leader who expresses this as a fundamental and foundational belief.

During the day of the press conference introducing our new bishop, I was heartened to meet one of his friends, who was traveling with him. His name is Father Tom Norris, a priest of the Diocese of Ossory in Ireland. They had both just returned from a retreat in Rome and Father Tom was then going to Austin to lead a retreat for the clergy there.

He also happens to be a noted author, theologian and international lecturer on systematic theology. He met then-Father Michael Mulvey over 20 years ago through Focolare.

"He will be a people's person, with a great love for the people. He will love them concretely, not in an imaginary way," said Father Tom of his now-bishop friend.

What a good and hopeful message from a systematic theologian. I am no theologian, but his words supported my suspicion that his DNA may be similar to my own.