Those who know the archbishop think he will bring a "global perspective" to his new role
DETROIT – Representatives from different chapters in Archbishop Paul F. Russell’s life attended a welcoming Mass at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament on Thursday, July 7, to celebrate and support their friend and colleague as he was inaugurated as the Archdiocese of Detroit’s newest auxiliary bishop.
The atmosphere surrounding the Mass was one of joy and excitement as those who already knew Archbishop Russell told Detroit Catholic about his charisms and the gifts he would bring to Detroit. Those who had just been introduced to him via news coverage and his homily at Mass expressed excitement for how he would enrich the life of the church in Detroit.
“He is a very prayerful man,” fellow Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit Robert Fisher, a longtime friend of Archbishop Russell, said. “He brings to our archdiocese this unique world perspective with the experience he has had of ministering in different places around the world. He brings a unique perspective that is really going to enrich our archdiocese.”
In the first several rows of the church sat numerous people from his hometown of Alpena, a town in northern Michigan, who made the journey south to support their lifelong friend.
Christine Stephens has been friends with Archbishop Russell since childhood, and they share an aunt and uncle by marriage. Stephens was not surprised by the appointment.
“He's been all over the world, and so we're just thrilled that he's back in Michigan and that we get to see him,” Stephens said. “He is wise with the wisdom of the Lord, and obviously, he's very kind. He's a very intelligent man. He's a wonderful pastor. He's just a gentle, loving man.”
Stephens and her husband Hans said they are thrilled that their friend is now only four hours away instead of up to four days away.
Hans said that Archbishop Russell would not only bring a global perspective to Detroit, but he is “the real deal,” and an incredibly faith-filled man.
Archbishop Russell’s reach has been global, from the town of Alpena to 7,339 miles away in Taipei, Taiwan.
Although Johnson S. Ching didn’t serve alongside the archbishop in Taiwan, the director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago who attended the Mass said that his work often intersected with Archbishop Russell’s.
Ching said that during Archbishop Russell’s eight years in Taipei, he laid a strong foundation for Taiwan’s relationship with the Vatican, particularly with educational programs linking Taiwan to the Holy See. Ching hopes to see the archbishop do the same in the Archdiocese of Detroit with the Taiwanese-American community.
“It will be very good to have him here,” Ching said. “I would like to connect the community with Archbishop and hopefully have some cooperative engagements in the future.”
Ching also hopes to see the archbishop help encourage Taiwanese-American vocations by opening doors to Sacred Heart Major Seminary.
“If God opens the door for Taiwan, with Archbishop’s support, for more engagement with Detroit, that'd be great,” Ching said.
In addition to childhood friends and colleagues from his time abroad, Archbishop Russell was supported and welcomed by his fellow bishops. Bishop Fisher first met Archbishop Russell in 1980. Along with Fr. Ed Zaorski, who serves as pastor at St. James Catholic Church in Novi, the three men worked together at the Catholic Youth Organization Boy’s Summer Camp in Port Sanilac for four summers.
This will be the first time that Bishop Fisher, Archbishop Russell, and Fr. Zaorski will be working together since that summer camp and the first time they will be in ministry together, Bishop Fisher said.
“We hit it off right from the beginning,” Bishop Fisher said. “He was in the seminary at the time and was an inspiration to me to start thinking about the priesthood. I thought about the priesthood as a young boy but then put it out of my mind in high school. The archbishop just had such a wonderful way with kids and people in general, as well as being a really prayerful man, that he really inspired something in me to begin thinking about the priesthood again.”
For the last several decades, Archbishop Russell and Bishop Fisher have stayed in touch and supported each other in their discernment. When Archbishop Russell was out of the country, Bishop Fisher said they remained friends and made it a point to see each other whenever Archbishop Russell returned to Michigan for a visit.
“It was a complete surprise that he was coming to Detroit and a very happy, joyful surprise because for the first time, the three of us will be close, and we will be able to be in good contact with each other and enjoy our friendship on a more regular basis,” Bishop Fisher said. “Being that we are in the same diocese, we will encounter some of the same joys and sorrow that we all experience in ministry, and we can be a support to one another.”
Deacon Bill Stimson, a retired deacon who still helps at St. Cornelius Parish in Dryden and Sacred Heart Church in Imlay City, has never met Archbishop Russell but said he was encouraged by his homily and that the archbishop seems approachable.
“He speaks about what I hold dear as to my faith: It doesn't matter what we say we believe if we don't act,” Deacon Stimson said. “He talks to people at a human level. He’s very brilliant – you can tell by the books that he reads – but I've seen him talk in groups, and I've never seen him talk above anybody in the group. I've never seen him talk down to anybody. I think that's that is so wonderful. Welcome to Detroit."
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