Hebda staying in Newark as head of the Archdiocese

By Alexander Santora
NJ.com
January 19, 2016

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2016/01/hebda_staying_in_newark_as_head_of_the_archdiocese.html

Archbishop Bernard Hebda has confirmed he is staying in Newark and will take over the Newark Archdiocese on July 27.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda made it official: he's staying in the Newark Archdiocese. 

Ever since the coadjutor or assisting Archbishop, was given a second job last June as Temporary Administrator of the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis, rumors have swirled that he would remain there. "I will be there until a new man is installed and expect to come back," said Hebda in a wide-ranging, one-hour interview in the archbishop's conference room at the Newark chancery on Clifton Street. "I've said this from the very beginning." 

Having come to Newark in November 2013, Hebda made a very positive impression as he visited parishes, schools, deanery meetings and attended events. But much of that has been curtailed since he travels to Minnesota weekly – a five hour trek to get to and from the airport with a three hour flight.

Archbishop John Nienstedt resigned on June 15, 2013. Archbishop Carlo Vigano, the Apostolic Nuncio, called Hebda the Saturday before to alert him to the possibility and inform him that Pope Francis would appoint him administrator. 

Hebda thought it was unusual because of the distance, but figured his canon and civil law degrees enabled him to wade right in the legal quagmire that archdiocese is in. "It helped me to hit the ground running," said Hebda, a native of Pittsburgh.

He arrived in Rochester, Minn., where the priest convocation had just convened so he could answer the questions of perhaps half of the 400 priests working in the archdiocese. "They were shocked and I offered a message of hope," said the Harvard and Columbia law grad.  Taking the suggestion of Vigano to spend two thirds of his time in Minnesota, Hebda spends part of each week there and is usually in Newark on weekends to attend parish anniversaries and Confirmations he had already booked.

As administrator, he meets each visit with the senior leadership team that had been in place and the lawyers for the criminal and civil litigation and bankruptcy reorganization.  A breakthrough came last month when the civil case brought by the Ramsey County attorney was settled.  

"The 28 page resolution should bring an end to the civil action, which essentially claimed that the Archdiocese had failed to protect young people," said Hebda, who expects the criminal complaint and bankruptcy matters to be resolved by the time the next archbishop arrives there. He expects the new St. Paul archbishop to be named before Hebda takes over Newark on July 27. 

To that end, he attended eight listening sessions with one attracting over 400 people. They had been geographically scheduled as well as one each for clergy, religious and archdiocesan staff.  After they ended, Hebda commented to "The Catholic Spirit," their archdiocesan newspaper, on Nov. 10.  "I was a little surprised by how articulate people were in expressing their thoughts about the church. They really demonstrated for me that we have a very well-educated laity." The results go to Vigano, who would recommend three choices to the Vatican.

With six months to go, Hebda admitted he's behind on his January 1^st deadline to think about what he would do in his, say, first 100 days in Newark.  He admitted people do not know him as well. "They have come to know me, but not as a decision maker." 

He hopes to set in motion a process how to decide priorities. He's impressed with Newark. "Newark is a very dynamic archdiocese and blessed with its history and diversity with a number of priests who are really committed to pastoral work. I get excited when I see good things." 

He also is mulling over some practices he observed in Minnesota.  He likes the idea of a leadership team, which is comprised of about ten people with several clerics but more laity. A permanent deacon facilitates. He is also toying with two chancellors: one for civil affairs, the other for canonical matters.  And he wants a robust clergy convocation schedule so priests can get to know each other better.

Minneapolis is also planning a multi-million dollar innovative way to minister to the poor and homeless, which he thinks has potential for New Jersey.  Since he arrived in Newark, Hebda has lived in a dorm at Seton Hall University, which should automatically make him a candidate for sainthood.  Come July, he expects to move, and probably to the Cathedral rectory across from the chancery. Then the driving and flying, living out of a suitcase and dorm life can morph into all the busyness that comes with being the sixth Archbishop of Newark.