Saying Goodbye to Our Bishop
Posted by Lisa Hendey in News on Wednesday, December 08, 2010 3:16 PM
Rebecca kindly requested your prayers last week for my bishop, Bishop John T. Steinbock of the Diocese of Fresno. Bishop Steinbock passed away early Sunday morning, surrounded by family and friends. In his final months, he continued to fulfill his role as spiritual shepherd to all of us in the diocese, even as he battled terminal lung cancer.
I’m sharing my favorite photo of Bishop here, taken last year at an event he hosted for the priests of our Diocese. Along with being a tremendous prayer warrior and an advocate for the poor throughout his life, Bishop Steinbock appreciated the importance of being on the cutting edge of reaching out to his flock. At our event, we enjoyed the day instructing our priests on the use of new media in pastoral ministry. Bishop Steinbock spent twenty minutes extolling the virtues of his iPhone and encouraging his brother priests to do everything possible to embrace technology in their communications.
Bishop Steinbock had an amazing way of making everyone feel special and loved. Although I wasn’t among his closest friends, I treasure the opportunity to have served with him for the past few years. He had an amazing sense of humor and made everyone in his presence feel loved and appreciated. He had a true passion for those in need—for the refugees finding new homes in our community, for the migrants who toil to bring us food, and for the poor served through our local Catholic Charities. It’s no surprise that he requested donations to Catholic Charities in lieu of any other remembrances in his honor.
Bishop Steinbock treasured silent prayer, time before the Eucharist, and his priests. He’s really the only Bishop I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing in person, but for me he was the epitome of that role. So many of us in the diocese will miss him so greatly - we are praying for the repose of his soul but I know he made a speedy journey straight to his eternal reward for his many years of devotion to our Lord, the Church, and his vocation.
Along with praying for my Bishop, I would request your prayers for my pastor and our parish staff. We are working overtime to prepare for our hosting of Bishop’s funeral - a monumental task. We know that the many who knew and loved this man so dearly will want to come and pay their respects. In tribute, our Diocese has also created a tribute page to the Bishop and they are also accepting video tributes on their Facebook page. I think this excellent use of new media would have made my Bishop smile!
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