Archbishop Patrick Flores joined then-Msgr. Edmond Carmody on a boat during the archbishop's pastoral visit in Ecuador. Msgr. Carmody served in Latin America with the Society of St. James from 1983-1988. He was impressed by the community spirit of the Third World nation and the compassion the people had for their neighbors.

Timing is important in this life. People say there are not enough hours in the day or years left in life to do all one needs to do, but Scripture tells there is exactly the right amount of time.

The third chapter of Ecclesiastes says it best: "There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens."

And the best time to be alive? That would be right now.

Bishop Edmond Carmody explains it well: "I think this is a marvelous time we are living in. This is the water God gave us to swim in. And we are to make the best of it right now."

He has followed his own advice as he has made the best of each stage of his life and left an impact on the people and places he has encountered along the way, including his most recent position as bishop of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, a role he will be passing on to Bishop Michael Mulvey on March 25.

Edmond Carmody took his first breath on Jan. 12, 1934, when he was born to Michael and Mary (Stack) Carmody in Moyvane, County Kerry, Ireland. One of 13 siblings, Bishop Carmody has worked through the years carrying out his vocation in the Church with a warm smile, and bringing with him the guidance and love his large family offered him.

Bishop Carmody's family has remained an important part of his life during his ministry and had a big impact on him growing up.

A Dec. 15, 1988 special edition of Today's Catholic, the official publication of the San Antonio Archdiocese, stated, "The Bishop has a great admiration of his mother. From her he learned the meaning of sacrifice" and "admired his father's courage."

As a child, Carmody learned the values of sharing and working. He lived on a farm where there was always work for him and his siblings.

"Chores consisted of milking cows by hand, cutting turf (peat for the fireplace and cooking) and tending to the big vegetable garden," said Bishop Carmody in an interview with Today's Catholic.

The Carmody family has always been well-represented at his ordinations and installations. Fifteen members of his family traveled from Ireland to celebrate his installation as the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Corpus Christi on March 17, 2000.

In an interview with the San Antonio Express-News, one of the bishop‘s brothers, Peter Carmody, remarked "He performed most of our weddings and we're all still married."

Family members, who refer to the bishop as "Eddie," also recalled a difficult time in the summer of 1977 when their father was dying of cancer. "Eddie was a shining light for my father day and night until he died," another brother, Dr. Paschal Carmody stated.

Since 2000, other members of the Carmody family have passed on, including the bishop's mother, Mary, and three brothers, John, Finbar and Peter. Despite the distance between Ireland and Texas, Bishop Carmody has kept close to his family.

He's been a "Texan" since shortly after his priestly ordination in Ireland on June 8, 1957.

Father Carmody first arrived in Victoria in 1957 to become associate pastor of St. Mary's Church. He was then named associate pastor of St. Margaret Mary's Church in San Antonio.

He was ordained an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of San Antonio at age 54 and the Bishop of the Tyler Diocese in 1992.

Much of his life and ministry has been chronicled in the Texas print media. A 2000 column in the Catholic East Texas, the official publication of the Tyler diocese, aptly described him to be a "media-savvy cleric."

In San Antonio he served as Tribunal secretary, vice chancellor, director of the Family Life Program, the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Holy Childhood Association, and Director of Pastoral Services.

In San Antonio's public arena, Bishop Carmody was Chaplain for Incarnate Word High School, the Texas Army National Guard, and Scouts. He was Moderator for the Legion of Mary and CYO.

He was a delegate to the White House Conference on Families and received several awards including the Valley Forge Cross, Major General Berry Award, and the Silver Star Cross.

The military honors were received for his heroic efforts in 1972. At the time, Father Carmody, a chaplain with the rank of captain serving the 49th Armored Division of the Texas Army National Guard, was at Canyon Lake in Austin. The report calls for a repeat of the heroic details chronicled in many publications:

"On the lake itself, in two boats, were several older nuns on an Independence Day outing. A sudden thunderstorm blew in, and the nuns struggled to get back to the dock, which collapsed beneath strong winds. Seeing the nuns in trouble, Father Carmody leapt into the water and swam to the first boat. It struck him in the left leg, breaking it, but he towed the boat to shore, then returned to the second boat, which had capsized and thrown its passengers into the water. Father Carmody pulled one nun to shore, but was dashed against rocks, tearing ligaments in his right leg. Despite his injuries, he entered the water a third time and brought an unconscious nun to shore."

Father Carmody continued his education throughout his priesthood, receiving master's degrees in social work and education and most recently a doctorate in Humane Letters in 1996.

He also obtained a Teacher's and Counselor's Certificate from the state of Texas.

In April 1979, Pope John Paul II issued Carmody a Prelate of Honor, giving him the title of monsignor.

He took a break from his administrative duties in San Antonio by responding to a call from Archbishop Patrick Flores for volunteers to go into the mission fields.

At first glance, people of the Third World don't have much. But because of their lack, there is something they possess in abundance.

"They have more freedom in the Third World than we have here, a lot more freedom," said Bishop Carmody, who worked in Ecuador with the Missionary Society of St. James the Apostle from 1983 through 1988.The organization, which is based in Boston and consists of U.S. diocesan priests working in Latin American countries.

He and a fellow priest set up soup kitchens and brought the Good News to over 100,000 Catholics in two parishes which included the huge barrio of Duran near Guayaquil and some 30 rural villages scattered over a 600-mile area.

"It's a different culture. In South America any person you could take into your home, could stay in your home, live in your home for days," said the bishop.

"Everybody slept on the floor so it made no difference. People lived on the street because you had no air conditioning. Homes are awful small and awful hot and as a result, people knew each other, people cared for each other.

"There was never anybody sick in the neighborhood where everybody didn't hear about it and everybody didn't know about it. They got together made a little soup or did whatever they could do.

"There was never a birthday in the neighborhood that everyone didn't celebrate, a death that everyone wasn't there to help.

"It is a little different here," said the bishop. "We have become more isolated and more lonely because we don't have that neighborhood anymore. That's why families have a huge responsibility today to be there for each other."

When he left for Ecuador, his Tribunal position was filled by Msgr. Charles E. Herzig, who became the first bishop of Tyler in 1987. Msgr. Carmody returned to San Antonio in 1988 where he was named Auxiliary Bishop. And just four years later he succeeded Bishop Herzig, who had died from cancer.

Bishop Carmody continued to lead an active life-style. He also became known to be a computer whiz, a man who likes to fidget with gadgets, and he gained a reputation for having no mercy on a racquetball court.

As reported in the Catholic East Texas Bishop Carmody enjoyed driving the backroads of East Texas as well as flying across the country or around the world to ordain a priest or visit with family.

The Tyler diocese was just about five years old when he arrived in 1992. There were 26 parishes and 15 missions. By the time he left Tyler, the parish count was 41 and the missions had grown to 27, most with a resident priest.

"It's important that little communities have their own place to worship, with their own priest," said the bishop.

In addition to the parishes that were built and the priests that were recruited from around the world, Bishop Carmody's time in Tyler was also a time of great growth in ministries.

While he was there a superintendent for the Catholic school system was named, with a total enrollment surpassing 1,000. A new Diocesan Liturgical Commission was formed, consisting of clergy, religious and laity. He met twice with Pope John Paul II, once for an ad limina visit in 1993 and again that year with youth from the Tyler Diocese at World Youth Day in Denver.

Adult Faith Formation was enriched with the establishment of the Lifelong Individual Faith Enrichment (LIFE) program. Family Life Ministry flourished with outreach to divorced and separated Catholics.

He has spoken and acted on behalf of the most vulnerable and most forgotten members of society, including the unborn and those waiting on death row.

It is Bishop Carmody's belief that all are called to "continue the mission of the Lord Jesus," which is not just lived out in "external pious practices, but in true conversion and commitment to following the way of the Lord."

He asked the faithful of south Texas to assist him in making this area "a place of peace, a place of justice, a place of joy" when he was installed here 10 years ago. He took on many endeavors and causes on behalf of the church and wider community in the spirit of the motto found on his Coat of Arms, "With Christ all is possible."