'A warm heart, love for service'

I have been a priest for 50 years this May and am now the president and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington. Catholic Charities is a large agency in the Washington area, and we believe we are the most comprehensive social services agency in the region. We do our very best to serve all the needs that come our way. We help people with disabilities, the homeless, people who need medical and dental care, refugees and immigrants, people who are hungry, those seeking employment, and anyone else who comes to us.

I have known your new bishop, Mario E. Dorsonville, for over 30 years. He came to the United States as a young priest from Bogotá, Colombia, having just arrived in our country with the hope of studying for his doctorate at the Catholic University of America (CUA). He was living at another parish where the major language spoken was Spanish, and one of his friends called me to see if he could live with us in our parish, which had a very small Latino population.

He then arrived at Our Lady of Mercy in Potomac, where I was pastor, and was with me there for three years. During that time, he learned English while completing his doctorate at CUA. Since then, we’ve been wonderful friends, spending time together in our ministry. I’ve watched him continue to grow in his ability to help and support people in need. From 2005 to 2015, Bishop Dorsonville served as director of the Spanish Catholic Center (SCC), a division of Catholic Charities here in Washington. As director of the SCC, the bishop became a favorite in the Latino community because of his love for his Spanish heritage and his desire to serve those who are most in need.

It was in 2015 that he was called to be an auxiliary bishop here in Washington. At that point, he transitioned from the SCC to working for the cardinal and the archdiocese as a whole.

Last night, Bishop Dorsonville was here at our parish, St. Bartholomew’s in Bethesda, MD, where I live in residence. He celebrated Mass with the Latino community for the last time. It is a very large group of 200+ people who come to celebrate the Eucharist, and Bishop Dorsonville has been here to celebrate the Liturgy many times before. After the Mass last night, there was a farewell party for him.

Watching the people with him was special. He loves them so much and they love him so much. It was great to see so many gathered to say goodbye and to show him how much he’s appreciated. The staff at Catholic Charities in Washington loves him too, and that is true of all who know him throughout the archdiocese.

The bishop has a warm heart, a love for service, a true and deep faith in what he does for the Lord. He loves to laugh, and he enjoys the friendship that comes with spending time together with both laity and other priests. His ability to say “yes” to those in need and to find a way to serve those who come for assistance is legendary in our diocese. He is a great friend to thousands of people here in Washington and will be a loving and compassionate friend to the people of his new diocese.

The bishop said of his new assignment, “I come to continue the process of rebuilding, the process of being better, and the process to be there as an instrument of Jesus Christ in the lives of those who are suffering. We will walk together finding the voice of the Holy Spirit that will let us know what are the paths we will take.”

I will miss Bishop Dorsonville, my very good friend. I have enjoyed watching him grow in his ministry to the Lord. Take good care of him. He deserves all the love and respect you can give. He will serve the pastoral needs of your local church as well as the personal needs of so many who will come his way.

May God bless Bishop Mario, bless all those he serves, and all those who come requesting assistance in your diocese. I wish the people of Houma-Thibodaux only the best. You have a wonderful new shepherd who will care deeply for you and for the needs of the church.

May God bless his ministry in Louisiana and bless all those who come his way for service, care and support in the diocese in which he soon will be the chief shepherd, the one who calls you and calls all of us to a greater relationship with God and an even greater commitment to the programs of charity and service in our midst.

(Msgr. John J. Enzler is the president and CEO of  Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.)