NEW JERSEY
The Record
MARCH 17, 2014
BY BERNARD A. HEBDA
THE RECORD
The Most Reverend Bernard A. Hebda is coadjutor archbishop of Newark.
AS I READ Jeff Green’s article (“Lifestyles of the Newark archbishops stand in stark contrast,” March 9) I was disappointed that The Record would have so quickly equated a difference in residence with a difference in lifestyle.
I wish the article would have focused on what Archbishop Myers and I have in common: namely, a commitment to serving the people of the archdiocese and advancing the generous work that has for so long been undertaken by this local church, particularly in support of those who are economically disadvantaged.
In the six months since I was named the coadjutor archbishop of Newark, I have been especially delighted to learn of all that the archdiocese has been doing under Archbishop Myers’ leadership to support elementary and high school students, particularly in our inner-city communities, and to provide needed social services and spiritual support to those most in need throughout Essex, Hudson, Union and Bergen counties. It is largely due to his vision, personal investment of time and talent, and fiscal management that the archdiocese continues to be in a position to put flesh on the Gospel.
While The Record has been quick to criticize Archbishop Myers for the expenditures related to the construction project in Clinton Township, no mention has ever been made of the far greater savings that have come from his decision to live in the Cathedral rectory on Ridge Street these past thirteen years, rather than to maintain a full-time residence of his own. I admire his willingness to forego personal privacy in order to live in community with four or five other priests and I am inspired by his commitment to live in the intensely urban setting of inner-city Newark. While Green notes my three rooms in the dormitory at Seton Hall, he never mentions that Archbishop Myers has only two in the cathedral rectory that he can call his own (a bedroom and an office) or that they are in a zip code that few would consider enviable.
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