Allentown Bishop John Barres Leaving for Suburban New York Diocese
By Dan Sheehan
"For seven-plus years I've been inspired by the priests, deacons, seminarians, the lay people. They've inspired me with their commitment to the Gospel, the joy of the Gospel, living their vocations." Barres celebrated the Mass with retiring Bishop William Murphy. "We're longtime friends," Murphy told parishioners, who had greeted Barres with applause. "You're going to love him, because that's the kind of people you are, but you are going to have every reason to find him a great bishop." Barres will serve as Allentown's diocesan administrator until his installation. A group of senior diocesan priests will then select an administrator who will serve until a new bishop is appointed by the pope. That process could take some time. Barres was named Allentown bishop in May 2009, more than a year after his predecessor, Bishop Edward P. Cullen, turned 75 and submitted his resignation as required by church law. "I hope the local church in Long Island is ready for this dynamo," said the Rev. Thomas Dailey, a theologian at DeSales University in Center Valley. "I've never known the bishop to have an 'Off' switch. It's really a godly zeal … for the church and its people, for the new evangelization that wants to share the good news of what he knows with everyone he encounters." Barres came to the Lehigh Valley from the Diocese of Wilmington, Del., where he had been chancellor since 2000. He had a connection to this area — his father, Oliver, was a Bethlehem native. Long considered a rising star in the American Catholic hierarchy, Barres "has topped the lists for practically the entire duration of [Long Island's] long wait" for a successor, church observer Rocco Palmo wrote on his blog, "Whispers in the Loggia," a highly regarded source for Vatican news. Barres' arrival in the Valley came the year after a traumatic upheaval — the closure and consolidation of about a third of diocesan parishes, attributed to urban-to-suburban population shifts and a shortage of priests. He proved to be a highly visible, popular prelate and a low-key, efficient administrator. He has been a constant presence at school and church events and Masses throughout the diocese, which serves about 270,000 people in Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton and Schuylkill counties. Barres is active on social media, often posting pictures with parishioners, videos of his preaching, or the activities of fellow priests to his Twitter account, @BishopBarres. One of his main concerns when he arrived was establishing deeper relations with the region's burgeoning Latino community. To that end, he spent time in Lima, Peru in 2010 to improve his Spanish. He pushed efforts to promote vocations, with notable success. Barres said several dozen male and female students at DeSales, the Catholic school in Center Valley, are discerning whether they are called to the priesthood or another form of religious life. Barres also nurtured the traditional Catholic community, including Masses celebrated in Latin, which the Rev. William Seifert pastored at St. Stephen of Hungary in Allentown for a decade. When Seifert moved to St. Patrick's in Pottsville, Barres placed St. Stephen in the care of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, a traditional Catholic society that provides the sacraments according to pre-Vatican II rites. "As parish priest, I was honored to nurture and encourage [the traditional community]," said Seifert, who also praised Barres for supporting him during his long tenure of prison ministry. Monsignor Andrew Baker, who left the diocese 18 months ago to become rector of Mount St. Mary's University in Maryland, said Barres' departure is bittersweet news. "Bishop Barres has been omnipresent throughout the entire diocese during these past seven years, ministering especially to the Hispanic community and young adults," Baker said. "He has followed Pope Francis' exhortation to accompany people along the journey of life ... He has been a shepherd who knows the smell of his sheep." Monsignor Thomas D. Baddick, pastor of Notre Dame Church in Bethlehem, called Barres "an extraordinary leader and shepherd" who was always accessible and supportive of the faithful. "He was especially helpful to me in planning the construction of our new parish center," Baddick said. "The diocese will miss his warm and gracious approach to strengthening our faith." That approach is in keeping with the pastoral approach to faith favored by Pope Francis. Last year, Barres celebrated Mass with Francis during the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, and has continued to draw inspiration from the pontiff's many speeches during the trip. "The big takeaway of all those beautiful addresses is that families transform the world and history," Barres said. "That's what it's all about. When I go to confirmations and use that phrase, people say 'Bishop, I'm just trying to get through the week, let alone transform the world and history.' But I tell them, the holy sacrifice of each day deeply transforms the world." Barres said he was honored to be succeeding Murphy, having grown to admire him over the years. Both were part of a 2014 pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and Barres said Murphy's grasp of the region's history was extraordinary. Barres also praised Monsignor Alfred Schlert, vicar general of the Allentown diocese, who oversees administrative offices. "An incredible churchman," Barres said. "Brilliant, humble, holy. He's become a dear friend and he will always be such a beautiful light to me." Like many other bishops, Barres has had to confront the crisis of clergy sexual abuse during his tenure. In a September letter to parishioners, Barres acknowledged that the diocese, along with five others in Pennsylvania, is cooperating with a statewide grand jury examining how church leaders handled decades of child sex abuse allegations. Barres' acknowledgment came a week after the other five dioceses had already done so. The diocese said it was waiting for "clarity on what we were permitted to say." The letter reminded parishioners that Barres' predecessor, Bishop Cullen, in 2002 allowed prosecutors to review personnel files detailing old allegations against priests. Since then, Barres said, the diocese has notified the counties' district attorneys of new abuse claims. Barres faced some criticism last summer after the pastor of St. Ann's Church in Emmaus, Monsignor John Mraz, was charged with possessing child pornography. Mraz had been absent from the church for weeks. Parishioners were told he was in ill heath, which was true, but were not informed of the investigation before charges were filed. Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said the diocese acted appropriately, because it would have been inappropriate to disclose an ongoing investigation. Barres won't escape the sex abuse issue in his new diocese, where Murphy has faced continued criticism from activists who contend he has failed to act against credibly accused priests. Barres, a Larchmont, N.Y. native, attended Princeton University, where he played basketball under legendary coach Pete Carrill. He was ordained in 1989 after completing seminary courses at Catholic University of America. He studied canon law at the Opus Dei Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. After ordination, he was an associate pastor at two churches and then returned to the Pontifical University to earn a doctorate of theology in 1999. Barres was the first bishop in the 55-year history of the diocese to be raised to the position; Joseph McShea, Thomas Welsh and Edward Cullen were all bishops prior to their appointment. Contact: daniel.sheehan@mcall.com
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