"First is preaching and teaching and knowing Christ was a great teacher and preacher. He expected that from his apostles and from his bishops to be that as well.
"…to preach at a parish and confirmation and things of that nature are opportunities to be able to preach and to teach as well.
"The other is that Christ has given us the sacraments as a means of our salvation and it's the bishops' duty to see that the sacraments are celebrated with integrity and with great joy; I view that as an important part of my ministry and I try to do that."
Auxiliary Bishop Walter Hurley
"With my new responsibilities as a bishop, I am keenly aware of being in the honored and privileged position of being a successor of the apostles. This, in itself, gives me a deep sense of closeness to the Lord and His people.
"When the Church gathers to celebrate the Eucharist or the sacraments, whether in a parish or archdiocesan celebration, is perhaps the time when I sense the greatest closeness to the Lord. The Lord's presence in His word, in the Eucharist and in the assembled community is so very real when the Church gathers to proclaim His death until He comes. It is a privileged time."
Auxiliary Bishop Francis Reiss
" The ministry of the bishop is no different from the ministry of the pastor, because both ministries are pastoral and participate in the three-fold ministry of Jesus of teaching, leading and sanctifying. However, the ministry of bishop — because of the nature of the office — establishes relationships that go beyond a single parish; because of membership in the college of bishops, these relationships extend to the Church universal. There are diocesan responsibilities, regional responsibilities, national responsibilities, and of course the relationship of the chief pastor, Pope John Paul II.
"It is also what makes your ministry pastoral. Because in teaching (preaching), leading and sanctifying, you are in the realm of grace, the realm of the presence of Jesus. It is teaching what Jesus taught, it is going where Jesus wants you to go and bringing others with you, and in prayer and worship it is the source of our sanctification and growth.
"This is true whether you are looking into the eyes of a young person about to be confirmed, or listening to a parishioner who is angry with their pastor, or the Church in general. The more you can make yourself aware that this is really an opportunity to be int the presence of Christ, the more you are drawn closer to Christ. The more you are aware of this the richer your prayer in the Eucharist, in the prayer of Christians, In your personal time with Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. You have something to talk about with Jesus."
Auxiliary Bishop John Quinn
Auxiliary Bishop John Quinn said the aspect of his ministry he feels most brings him closer to Christ is visiting parishes and celebrating the Eucharist with the members of the various worshipping communities in his region of the archdiocese.
"I have an opportunity to be with the pastor of the parish and the people he serves. I'm always strengthened when I experience the faith of the people, their deep love for the Church, and their willingness to serve," he said.
Speaking of the new Vatican "Directory for the Pastoral Ministry of Bishops," bishop Quinn noted its call for bishops to spend time with priests, and added, "Cardinal Maida has asked us to make the priests our priority, and to spend time with them – not only at meetings, but also in private discussions – so he is very clearly asking us to follow the directory here."
He said he spends about two hours with each priest he invites to visit him at his residence, across the street from St. Suzanne Church in Detroit, and that the visits have been among the most rewarding aspects of his ministry since becoming a bishop last August.
Another joy of his ministry, Bishop Quinn continued, is the time he has for private prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in his private chapel at the residence. "I've experienced so many blessings since becoming a bishop. People talk about how it feels to hit the lottery.
"I feel like I've hit the lottery every day," he said.
"I think there are two parts of my ministry I do find draws me close to Christ. 