Bishop Edmond Carmody greets Abigail Rose Potter before he baptized her on October 29, 2008 during Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Calallen. Bishop Carmody also blessed her family during the liturgy on the occasion of Abigail's adoption through Spaulding for Children, a non-profit adoption agency the bishop has supported during his time as the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Corpus Christi. Each time a Catholic family adopted a child or children through Spaulding he presided at a Mass and blessing of their family at their respective parishes around the diocese. (STC photo by Liz Riggle)

"The city of Corpus Christi is a beautiful sight by the water," said Bishop Carmody before his installation as the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Corpus Christi 10 years ago.

Many years earlier, in the 1950s, Father William Kinlough journeyed from Corpus Christi to a major seminary in Carlow, Ireland. There he told the young men about the missionary region of South Texas.

He described this far-off, foreign land and its people. He stressed the plight of the children. "They need to know about God," were the words one of the students remembers being spoken by Father Kinlough.

The invitation impressed the seminarians who were filled with the love of the Lord and missionary zeal.

They were eager to sign on, but the president of their school said the seminary had no tradition in going to Corpus Christi and so they went in service to other areas.

That memory stuck with young Edmond Carmody, who finally and officially arrived in Corpus Christi on March 17, 2000.

"So, it took me over 40 years to get here," said Bishop Carmody, who added, "I always had an affinity for Corpus Christi and I love the name."

It was the beginning of the new millennium and the beginning of another chapter for the Diocese of Corpus Christi.

The new bishop immediately hit the road and began a ritual that he maintained throughout his ministry as bishop here. He visited parish and mission communities nearly every weekend of the year.

Based on accumulated feedback from the 1988 diocesan synod and a diocesan self-study completed in 1998, Bishop Carmody targeted seven goals as areas of focus, which have been evangelization, catechesis, family life, vocations, worship, youth and stewardship.

Bishop Carmody also began reaching out to the greater community in a myriad of ways, including inviting community and religious leaders to join him for breakfasts and lunches in his dining room. From those meetings were established three community concerns: the plight of the homeless, the rising rate of high school dropouts in Nueces County and the alarmingly high incidence of diabetes.

Historic events took place during the early years of his episcopacy here. He oversaw the transition of Laredo becoming its own diocese on the border and he focused on efforts already set in place to reduce and eventually eliminate the financial debt of the diocese.

"The words commonly spoken in worship, ‘the peace of the Lord be with you,' have greater significance now more than ever,"' said the bishop at an ecumenical prayer service four days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York City, Washington, D.C., and rural Pennsylvania.

"We turn to the Lord in our sadness, in our confusion and our need asking that his peace be in our hearts, our homes, our country and our world," said the bishop at the service held in a filled Corpus Christi Cathedral.

During the initial height of publicity about the clergy sexual abuse scandal in 2002, the bishop addressed the clergy and congregation gathered for the Chrism Mass that year. "All over this diocese there are good, holy and compassionate leaders. I thank you for your great generosity and for truly being messengers of hope," he told the priests.

"Unfortunately, in our world today, there are a few priests who have failed. Some of them in our time have even been guilty of the most heinous criminal acts. They have been involved in a horrific crime of sexually abusing children. We are angry, we are disappointed because our brother priests have betrayed their sacred duty to protect children.

"Fathers, we must and we will consider the safety of children to be a sacred duty that will not be violated." The bishop said, There are no excuses for sexual abuse and no excuses will be accepted."

The following year he presided at a Mass at Corpus Christi Cathedral after the start of the war in Iraq.

"Our hearts and prayers go out to our own leaders who are making crucial decisions," said the bishop, who added, There are no easy answers. He prayed that all world leaders find "an effective way to secure justice, increase security and promote genuine peace for all God's children."

He offered special prayers for family members of soldiers who fear bad news every time they hear the phone ring or hear a knock on the door.

For many south Texas families, the worst of their fears did hit home as their sons, husbands and brothers were killed in the conflict. Bishop Carmdoy presided at the funeral Masses for several fallen members of the armed forces from the diocese, including burying two soldiers in the small town of San Diego.

That summer Corpus Christi Cathedral celebrated a very significant milestone of its own and in the history of the diocese— 150 years as a parish community. Bishop Carmody encouraged the faithful to renew their devotion to their faith.

"Today we must commit ourselves that in 150 years from now people who will gather in this cathedral will look back and say thanks to those who celebrated 150 years as they will celebrate 300 years", said Bishop Carmody during the liturgy. "It's an awesome celebration, celebrating 150 years of serving the Lord Jesus."

A couple of months later, donned in gym shorts, T-shirt and sports goggles, Bishop Edmond Carmody took top billing in a Heaven versus Earth benefit racquetball match for the American Diabetes Association (ADA.). He also took the trophy after swiftly beating his opponent in the first three games in a best of five match at the Omni Bayfront Hotel in Corpus Christi. He went on to be the undefeated champion for each of the successive annual matches, which concluded in the fall of 2009.

Rep. Todd Hunter, Mayor Henry Garrett, Sheriff Larry Olivaras, have one thing in common, "they were all clobbered by Bishop Carmody," said ADA director, Jane Bell, during a recent presentation at John Paul II High School.

"The idea was to increase awareness among community leaders and the general public of this disease that affects so many people," said Bell. Diabetes is the scourge of south Texas. The Texas Diabetes Council states that an estimated 1.7 million persons aged eighteen years and older in Texas have been diagnosed with diabetes. Keys to successfully managing diabetes include learning more about the disease through education courses, exercise, diet and portion control and nutrition. The ADA's annual walk, Dancing through Downtown also grew in popularity and in funds it raised through the promotional efforts of the bishop.

The Mother Teresa Day Shelter for the Homeless opened its doors in the fall of 2003, giving the men, woman and families living on the street, a place of refuge during day-time hours, a service not provided by any other local shelter.

Marriage and family life remained a central issue for the bishop and the diocese. Singles were recognized each year at a special Mass presided by the bishop and grief support groups for the divorced, separated and widowed brought healing to many who went on to help others who had gone through similar experiences.

Couples married civilly, but not through the church, were offered workshops where they could cover key issues of married life and learn about help offered through the tribunal in order to be joined more fully in the sacrament of marriage. The bishop then presided at convalidation ceremonies for the couples.

"Your love for each other mirrors the love of Jesus Christ. Spouses love each other as God loves his people. That is your vocation and that is your calling. The Lord called you and the Lord will be with you."

The bishop said one of his greatest joys was administering the sacrament of confirmation, which he did for adult groups who had "fallen through the cracks" due to busy schedules. He also made the annual confirmation tour for young people at their respective parishes in the diocese. He reminded the youth of their goodness during his homily before administering the sacrament. He told them quite clearly a message good for all to take to heart, "God did not make junk."

Another popular saying the bishop used to show that the good each person or organization does helps everyone is quite appropriate for a coastal region, "A rising tide raises all boats."