By Julie A. Miller
Catholic Herald

Somerset students pay visit to bishop

SUPERIOR -- For the inaugural trip on their new bus, students from St. Anne School in Somerset paid a two-day visit to Superior. The 33 fourth and fifth grade students, accompanied by seven adults, had a retreat at the Cathedral of Christ the King, visited with staff at the Chancery Office and met Bishop Raphael M. Fliss. There was also time to sit in on some classes at Cathedral School.

According to principal Ann Mitchell, the idea for the trip, which took place March 26 and 27, was the result of an annual meeting on ways to fulfill the school's mission. Donna Foley and Jill Borgerding, who teach fourth and fifth grade, suggested the visit as a good way to improve the school's relationship to the larger Catholic community.

The visit began with a stop at the shore of Lake Superior, where the students each picked up a small rock. Later, during their retreat, they tied the rocks with wire and yarn to so they could wear them around their necks.

At noon they arrived at the Cathedral's Kress Hall for a retreat led by Janette Gil de Lamadrid, religious education director for the Cathedral Parish.

The day's activities concluded with Night Prayer in front of the tabernacle in the Cathedral. They spent the night in sleeping bags in the various rooms opening off of Kress Hall.

After Mass in the Cathedral the following day, the students toured the Chancery Office and met the staff. In addition, each student had an appointment to interview one member of the staff. They had prepared their questions in advance and submitted them to the person they were to interview. Later they will write essays reporting what they learned.

For his interview, Fliss met with all of the students as a group. He answered the questions the students had sent him. Questions ranged from how bishops are selected to Fliss's hobbies.

In answer to a question about overseeing priests, Fliss alluded to the shortage of priests in the diocese and said, "Whenever you or your class pray for your priests, I add my prayer to that. I ask for an increase in holy joy-filled priests for northern Wisconsin."

Another question dealt with the amount of travel Fliss does. He said, "It would be my desire to visit every single church over a period of five years. The reason I say five years is that every five years I have to sit down and prepare a report for the Vatican."

In addition to the detailed report about the diocese, Fliss said he is also required to go to the Vatican. The visit includes meetings with Vatican officials to discuss concerns about schools, liturgy, ecumenism and other aspects of life in the diocese.

There is also a private meeting with the pope. "Every one of us bishops has a chance to visit with (the pope) personally for 10 or 15 minutes to discuss with him anything we'd like." Fliss said he also sits on the stage with the pope at a papal audience and, with a group of about 10 others, has lunch with the pope.

Fliss also talked about some of his plans for visits throughout the diocese in the next year, including visits to all of the diocesan schools. The meeting ended with Fliss blessing rosaries each student received at the retreat.

After some group pictures in the lobby of the chancery office, the students left for their last stop, a brief tour of St. Francis Xavier Church.

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2001