The appointment of Rev. Msgr. James D. Conley as auxiliary bishop of Denver
April 10, 2008, 9 a.m., press conference
Cardinal Stafford Library, Denver, Colorado

This is a day a lot of our people have prayed about for more than three years.
The Church in northern Colorado is so alive and so diverse that nobody can do her
work without a lot of help. I could never do this ministry without the friendship of
my vicar general, Msgr. Tom Fryar, my vicar for priests, Father Bernie Schmitz,
my vicar for Hispanic ministry, Father Jorge de los Santos, my judicial vicar,
Father James Moreno and all the priests of the archdiocese. I want to thank them
again today for sharing so much of my work so unselfishly.

But some things really do need the presence of a bishop, and one man can't do them
all. That’s why Bishop José Gomez played such a vital and well-loved role in the life
of our Church until he was called to be archbishop of San Antonio. And since then,
our needs have only gotten bigger—which is why the news today is so important.

For Catholics, every bishop is a successor of the apostles. That apostolic presence
grounds and nourishes the local Church. An auxiliary bishop shares in the service of
his bishop in a very special way. In effect, his presence is the archbishop's presence;
his work is the archbishop's work.

Effective today, April 10, the Holy Father has granted my request for an
auxiliary by appointing Msgr. James D. Conley as auxiliary bishop of Denver.
You have a bio of the bishop-elect in your press kits, and I hope you’ll read it
carefully ... because when you do, you'll see that we've been given an enormously
gifted and experienced man as a bishop and a brother.

I'm not allowed to talk much about the details of what goes into choosing
bishops—those decisions are made very carefully by the Holy Father himself and
his advisers. But I can tell you that I’ve known and greatly admired the work of
Bishop-elect Conley for a long time. In my contact with him over the years, I've
been impressed by his intelligence, energy, balance, warmth and humor. He has a
special gift for working with young adults and families. The many bishops and
laypeople who know him are enthusiastic in their support for him. He has
outstanding experience both as a well-loved pastor in Kansas and as an official
serving the global Church with the Holy See. He'll be a brother to our priests and
deacons, and a great servant to our people. In every sense, we couldn't be more
blessed. And I'm grateful to God, to the Holy Father and to Bishop-elect Conley
that today is finally possible.

When I came to Denver as the archbishop 11 years ago, I committed myself to being
bishop of all the people—not just Native Americans, or Hispanics, or Anglos, or
Asians, but all our Catholic people. When Bishop-elect Conley is ordained a bishop
at the cathedral on May 30, he'll join in that ministry. This is a special day of joy for
all our people, because all our people will come to know Bishop Conley as their
brother, their friend, and their bishop.