A Mulvey family portrait taken in Feb. 2009 shows seated Martha Ann Currie, Marjorie Jan Patterson Mulvey and Tim Mulvey. Back left to right are Kim , John Mulvey, Bishop W. Michael Mulvey, and Dan Mulvey.

Togetherness, communion, unity—themes Bishop Mulvey has adopted during his priesthood—were learned years before he made his way to the seminary. He said his family had a strong impact on his vocation.

He was born on Aug. 23, 1949 in Houston, to Daniel H. Mulvey Jr. and Marjorie Jane Patterson Mulvey, who were united as a couple.

"My mother and father were very much on board together on raising us," said Bishop Mulvey, the second of six children. He has 12 nieces and nephews.

"I remembered that our parents never really argued in front of us. We knew there were things they had to talk about but they went off together to do that. I think that gave us a visual of their unity that they went off to do that together.

"Another very strong point was that we always had supper together. There were really no excuses. If we had a friend, they waited outside and they could come in after we finished. So, in many ways the family table was sacred."

On Sundays and other days, holidays, that family table expanded as grandparents, aunts and uncles gathered.

Thirdly, the bishop said participating in activities also kept the family strong.

"We went on vacations together, we just did things together."

They also always went to church as a family, no matter what, even during the time his father bought a Buick convertible and there were eight Mulveys. "All eight of us, which you couldn't do today with all the seat belt laws, piled into the one convertible to go to church together, fighting the whole way, but we gave the sign of peace once we got there. Those are some memories which also have some basic family values."

Those values shaped him as a person and as a priest.

"A priest needs to have a sense of family and know that he's part of a new family as a priest in the parish and in the presbyterate as well. Also, in terms of the family, my father and mother let us be free. They certainly guided us, but we were left free to choose our way." He recalled that a couple of days before entering the seminary, "my father told me that if it didn't work out, to come home, and we'd start over."

For families today, his advice would be based on those same family principals, many that center around the family table. "Talking, communicating with one another, learning the art of communication, is paramount in our society today because everyone is frantic and on the go. Fast food there and pick up here. The table is a place to sit down."

He believes family needs to have that time to communicate with each other. "Part of family is having a place where I can communicate who I am, not just that I am present in the house, but who I am, what's going on.

"I certainly don't want to give the illusion that there weren't fights and there weren't arguments and disagreements. That was a normal family make-up. I would say, today, when we're looking at nurturing and striving for healthy families, I would start at the table, and at the table of the Lord as well, the Eucharist and going to Mass together.

"Even there, many times the Mass is difficult for children and young people to understand, but then that's again the parents explaining what it is and what it means to them. I think in that regard, many times parents don't share themselves. They want kids to share, but to share their own internal life, for example, what Eucharist means to them is important. Even though the kids might fight back, they'll always remember what mom or dad said."

Whatever a family make-up is, it's always about communicating with one another.

"I think that's where the church is today, it's all about the image of the Trinity, because the Trinity is the place where three diverse persons are there, but what they communicate is their gift of life to one another. That is so fundamental to who we are as human beings. We are not called to live our humanity by ourselves, but always in communion with others."

Getting to know the members of his new family, the people of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, will be the first step for the new bishop.

"I look forward to getting to know the people and the priests, religious and just becoming part of the life here."

To the hurting members of the church and to those in despair, Bishop Mulvey said his message is, "you're not alone, reach out. Not to spiritualize it too much but thinking in terms of people of faith, someone else was at the point of despair as well, and he did it for us. And that was Jesus on the cross who cried, ‘My God, my God, why have you abandoned me.' Jesus Christ himself, God, experienced that same sense of desperation."

"I would want people to know they are not alone. It's a matter of reaching out to others and asking for that help."

To young people, Bishop Mulvey's message is, "Live life. I mean that in the best sense. It's not a life of dong what I want or entertainment. Life is a gift. Treasure it as a gift and know that it's not only a gift for me, but a gift for others. The more that you live your life in service to others, almost to the point of forgetting yourself, the happier you are, the more hopeful you are. If you only live life for your own enjoyment and pleasure, it's a long, hard road. But a life of service, generosity to others, is the way to go."