Celebrating 25 Years of Priesthood
On September 10, the Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge will celebrate Mass at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Cary to mark 25 years since his 1984 ordination as a priest for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. NCC had the opportunity to speak with Bishop Burbidge about his Priesthood.
Bishop, when did you initially consider becoming a priest?
It was in my junior year of high school. We were really blessed in that school. If you can imagine, we had 30 Diocesan priests on the faculty! Every day I saw Diocesan priests who had a great fraternity, who were a great witness, and I admired them tremendously. And one of them asked me if I’d considered the Priesthood; he thought I’d be a good priest. At the same time, a newly ordained priest was assigned to our parish, and I was in awe of him. And he repeated the invitation.
So it got to the point where I thought, “If I don’t at least try this, I’m not going to be happy doing anything else.” But I still thought, “Well, I’ll try the seminary, fulfill this mandate, and then move on.”
How many priests were in your Ordination class?
There were eight. And we were the smallest class ordained for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 100 years! But we kept telling them it was about quality, not quantity.
Even as vocations were declining, Philadelphia retained a reputation for producing good numbers of priests.
Yes, certainly the emphasis was always there. I think it was also an advantage to have a seminary within the Archdiocese. We had an established tradition.
Are the challenges for priests today greater than they were in 1984?
Each moment in time presents its own challenges, so I don’t know if I’d say “greater.” But certainly the voices in secular society seem to be louder today and the distractions more numerous that increase the challenge of proclaiming the Gospel. The breakdown of family life and of married love, the rise of moral relativism –this makes the priest’s work especially challenging. Twenty-five years ago there seemed to be a lot more support of the Gospel message -- in families, in schools and in entertainment.
When you entered the Priesthood, it was cause for joy in your family.
Absolutely. When I chose to become a priest, that decision was supported and lifted up. And when I entered the seminary, that was the case with 99% of the men there. Today it’s not uncommon to have parents or peers outright reject the decision, to say, “Why are you doing this?” So I sometimes say to our seminarians that I think I had it too easy compared to them. I admire them for being able to say yes today, often without the support that I had.
Bishop, it seems that from the beginning of your priesthood you’ve been marked for administrative and leadership assignments. You never were given a parish – you were given a Diocese instead! And yet as a Bishop you have been extremely pastoral.
I think the heart of any Diocesan priest is being a pastor, a spiritual leader and shepherd. That’s what draws you into the seminary and you never lose that, even though you may be asked to take on other responsibilities. In my role here I’m charged with teaching, sanctifying and governing, but my greatest joy is being with God’s people and doing those things that are unique to being a priest: celebrating the Mass, preaching the Gospel, hearing confessions, visiting the sick… and I still find my greatest joy in those things.
Many of the responsibilities you were asked to take on were surprises.
Yes, in fact I think you could characterize my 25 years so far as “mostly surprises.” I really just longed to be a parish priest and someday a pastor. And I still regret not having that chance. I really never saw myself as a high school teacher, as a rector of a seminary, as a secretary to a Cardinal, certainly not as a Bishop. And when those things were asked of me I was somewhat anxious. They weren’t what I desired or what I thought I would be best at. I was probably even more surprised that the Lord gave me the grace to do these things. But whatever the Lord asks he gives you the grace to do. And I reflect on that; I never want to take it for granted.
What advice would you have for a newly ordained priest?
I would tell him to always be mindful of the rhythm of life instilled in the seminary. He must continue that, even though he’ll need to figure out how to apply it to a new schedule. What is that rhythm? It’s beginning each day with prayer and celebration of the Eucharist and ending each day with prayer. It’s finding ways to serve, to build up the community, to continue to learn and to grow in your relationship with God, and taking care of yourself physically, emotionally and spiritually. Those things can’t change as a priest.
Can you think of a “best day” in your years as a priest?
Certainly you never forget the day of Ordination and your first Mass. Beyond that… My Priesthood has really been a continuous joy. There are challenges and occasional setbacks, but there has been so much joy in the last 25 years that a specific day doesn’t really stand out.
How can the laity best support our priests?
Well, during this Year for Priests we are asked to be spiritually renewed. And we really can’t do that alone. So we ask the laity first for their prayers. Pray for your priests and pastors by name! And encourage them. Priests need to hear that they are making a difference, and when we hear that, it really helps. So tell the priest specifically what he is doing that makes a difference to you; let him hear that.