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Bishop Gossman Celebrates 40 Years as a Bishop
More than six hundred people turned out to pay tribute to retired Bishop F. Joseph Gossman on the celebration of the 40th anniversary of his ordination to the Episcopacy. The Mass was held Friday, September 5 at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Cary.
Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge, Bishop of Raleigh, and Most Reverend Wilton D. Gregory, Archbishop of Atlanta, were principal concelebrants, along with Most Reverend John F. Donoghue, Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Atlanta; Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis, Bishop of Charlotte; Most Reverend William G. Curlin, Bishop Emeritus of Charlotte; Most Reverend Victor B. Galeone, Bishop of St. Augustine; Most Reverend John J. Snyder, Bishop of St. Augustine; Most Reverend Mitchell T. Rozanski, Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore, Most Reverend William C. Newman, retired Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore and the Most Reverend J. Kevin Boland, Bishop of Savannah. Also in attendance was His Eminence William Cardinal Keeler, Archbishop Emeritus of Baltimore.
In his welcoming remarks, Bishop Burbidge, who was appointed successor to Bishop Gossman in 2006, told the gathering, “The Lord, our God, blessed this Diocese, to allow 31 of Bishop Gossman’s 40 years to be spent here in Raleigh. We gather to show our love and gratitude,” Bishop Burbidge said, “for the gift you have been and will remain for all of us.”
Bishop Boland, who was asked by Bishop Gossman to be the homilist, provided a summary of Bishop Gossman’s four decades as a Bishop. He recalled the tumultuous times of the late 1960s, when Pope Paul VI appointed then Msgr. Gossman as Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore. He spoke of Bishop Gossman being named to the Diocese of Raleigh in 1975, when the state had the fewest percentage of Catholics of any state in the union. Bishop Boland noted the burgeoning growth of the Church in the Diocese and how Bishop Gossman addressed those challenges.
In his remarks at the end of Mass, Bishop Gossman said at first he had reservations about a celebration recognizing his ordination as a Bishop, coming just three years after his celebration of 50 years as a priest. He said he agreed to it when Bishop Burbidge suggested it be a fitting way to honor God’s gift of the priesthood and the importance of vocations to priesthood and religious life.
Bishop Gossman shared several stories of his early career in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and his ministry to the people of the Diocese of Raleigh. He thanked all who served the diocese on committees, parishes and in diocesan administration. He extended special gratitude to his brother priests, especially noting the difficult time of the last several years. “You have gone about your ministry with diligence and dedication, sacrifice and grace,” Bishop Gossman said. “Please take today as an affirmation from all of us of your ministry as well as mine. In the parishes and apostolates of the diocese where you serve, you have been and continue to be the visible and tangible extension of the apostolic office of the Bishop.”