BOTH LUNGS

By Brent Kostyniuk

The divine liturgy is filled with symbolism and ritual. A pontifical divine liturgy is even more splendid. Celebrated by a bishop, along with priests, deacons and even sub-deacons, it reveals the depth of Byzantine tradition. While attending a pontifical divine liturgy, or indeed, any event at which a bishop is in attendance, it is difficult not to be drawn to this central figure, wearing the crown which symbolizes him as a prince of the church. He has been chosen to be the spiritual head of an eparchy. Yet, what is it really like to be a bishop?

The Ukrainian Catholic community is surprisingly close knit and compact and by chance I have the honour and pleasure of being well-acquainted with six bishops. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to learn much about their lives and have decided it certainly is not a job I would want.

In terms of duties and responsibilities, a bishop could be compared with the CEO of a mid-sized corporation, but that is where the similarities end. Just what is it like being a bishop? To begin with, accepting the call to be a bishop is often done with great reluctance. Shortly after his appointment, one bishop told me, “I thought they would leave me alone because I don’t have a doctorate.” I know one priest who has turned down the “call in the middle of the night” at least two times. Once you have accepted, you will often be appointed to an unfamiliar eparchy, perhaps one which you have never even visited before. One bishop was appointed to an eparchy in a foreign country, only to be moved to yet another country several years later.

A bishop lives in the official residence — the bishop’s palace, we used to call it. This will most likely be a splendid building complete with elegant reception rooms and offices. Yet in the background is the small crowded office where he actually does his work. As for living accommodations, no matter how impressive the building, the bishop most likely has a single room that he can call his own — a combination bedroom, sitting room and study. Depending on the size of the eparchy, quite possibly the only other resident of the building will be the chancellor. There is also a pretty good chance that the bishop cooks his own meals, because it would be too expensive to keep a full-time housekeeper to look after only one or two people.

With his many duties, a bishop must do a great deal of travelling. However, no corporate jet is available. I remember taking one visiting bishop to the airport at an early morning hour. He was travelling economy, of course, and carrying suitcases with not only his “street clothes” but the various vestments required for divine liturgies he would celebrate in the course of his travels. Interestingly, amongst those vestments is a special collapsible crown, designed to withstand the rigours of travel. He may have made it through the check-in without having to pay overweight luggage charges, but I wonder. I asked that same bishop if he would be taking some vacation time. The answer was no. Because he had so much travelling to do, the prospect of even more travelling for a holiday brought him no joy. Instead, he would sometimes take off a day or two at the end of one of his trips.

One might think that a bishop’s life would bring a great deal of satisfaction, having the opportunity to help with the spiritual lives of so many people. I know one bishop who, while he was still a priest, used to go duck hunting with my father. One time on a visit to Edmonton I asked him how things were going. He replied that he seemed to spend most of his time in courtrooms, dealing with a variety of petty lawsuits which had been brought against the eparchy.

Finally, there is the matter of what one might call a bishop’s social life. While much attention is given the bishop at public events, his private life is quite another matter. He must be careful about going out to restaurants and visiting private homes, for fear of creating scandal or somehow being perceived as showing favouritism. Even activities most of us take for granted can pose problems. Have you ever seen your local bishop at a swimming pool on a hot summer day? What about standing in line for the latest James Bond movie?

So, the next time you see a bishop, think about the man who serves as your spiritual leader and remember that his life is probably not at all as you would imagine it to be. Then perhaps take a moment to pray for that man who not only has accepted a great responsibility, but who now leads a rather difficult life.

Kostyniuk, who lives in Edmonton, has a bachelor of theology from Newman and is a freelance writer. He and his wife Bev have been married for 33 years.