[Magdalen] 54 years a bishop...and counting

[Joseph Cirou]

-----Original Message-----
>From: Scott Knitter <scottknitter at gmail.com>
>Sent: Sep 23, 2016 5:16 PM
>To: "Magdalen at herberthouse.org" <Magdalen at herberthouse.org>
>Subject: [Magdalen] 54 years a bishop...and counting
>
>Chicago's former bishop, +James Winchester Montgomery, reaches his
>54th anniversary as a BISHOP this Sunday. There will be a big
>celebration at the Church of the Atonement here in Edgewater.
>
>Our priest-in-charge, ordained by Bp. Montgomery, said this week he
>felt called to visit the bishop in his senior apartment near the lake
>and take him Communion. When he arrived, the bishop was writing
>Christmas cards. (Those who know Bp. M will know where this is
>headed.) Fr. Raymond asked him why he's doing this so early in the
>year, and he said it's because he's got 800 people on his Christmas
>card list, having pared the list down in recent years from 2,000.
>
>Every time I've served as subdeacon for a Mass at which he has been
>celebrant, I have received in the mail a couple of days later a
>handwritten thank-you note from Bp. Montgomery, and it has always
>mentioned something we talked about in the sacristy. Molly, I believe
>I conveyed greetings from you on one such occasion, and his thank-you
>note also thanked me for doing so. Most longtime Chicago Episcopalians
>I know were baptized or (more likely) confirmed by him, and he seems
>to remember something significant about each of them if you mention
>their names to him. Amazing pastor.
>
>He's been a little less mobile lately (owing to being 95!); when he
>lived in the Edgewater Beach apartments, he swam in their pool every
>morning before walking to Atonement to say or attend daily Mass. Now
>he's a few blocks farther away but still gets to Atonement regularly.
>
>May God continue to bless him and give him as much more time as he
>wants and needs to finish his faithful work among us.
>
>-- 
>Scott R. Knitter
>Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois USA

I believe Bishop Montgomery's mother lived well in to her 90's possiblly reaching 100, I don't remember. He was still Bishop of Chicago when I used to play at St. Joseph's in Blue Island..  I was the Roman Catholic representative in our clergy group  that expanded to Lutheran and Methdist when thethe  Markham cleregy joined en masse!