Bishop John Folda marks 10 years as Bishop of Fargo

Bishop Folda: I remember thinking to myself that it was very much like Nebraska and a lot like Lincoln, so I felt very much at home right away. Obviously, the people that I met were extremely welcoming and very warm. I had never been to either Fargo or North Dakota before, so I really didn’t know what to expect, But it just reminded me of my home state of Nebraska.

New Earth: What are some of the challenges that a new bishop can face?

Bishop Folda: Right away you realize you need to help the pastors in their ministry to their parishes, and respond to their needs and their questions. That was a very new thing for me. I had been involved with priestly life before that, obviously, but as a bishop, you’re the one they turn to for resolution to questions or challenges they’re facing. I was very fortunate. There were some questions about parishes that perhaps were no longer going to be viable and would have to be merged with other parishes. That’s not surprising in a rural diocese, but it’s not something I had ever dealt with directly before. And that’s always a hard thing, because people, for obvious reasons, don’t want to lose their own parish. I know the Diocese of Fargo is not unique in this regard, but rural life, small town life, has changed quite a bit over the last 100 years. We have fewer people living in our rural communities and our rural parishes. Not all of them, but some of them, so you have to look at the whole picture. You also have to look at the availability of priests. There was a time when there were more priests available to cover all of those small parishes and that’s become more of a challenge recently, too.

New Earth: What were some of the issues you needed to face right away?

Bishop Folda: What comes to mind is the new location for Holy Cross Church in West Fargo. It was already decided that it was going to relocate, but then on top of that was the discussion of building a school there. At the very first school board meeting that I attended for the St. John Paul II Catholic Schools, that question came up. That was almost an immediate thing that I had to get up to speed on and make a decision about. I certainly gave them the go ahead and wanted them to get started immediately. There was concern, obviously, about starting a brand new elementary school where there had never been one before, but the other pastors and board members all agreed that there were so many young Catholic families in West Fargo that those parishes were growing and that we needed to have a school there.

New Earth: You spent 14 years at St. Gregory the Great seminary, so is it safe to assume that vocations are an important issue for you?

Bishop Folda: Very much so. I don’t know that I’ve changed a lot in terms of vocations, but I’ve been very actively involved with our vocations work. As you said, I was the rector of the seminary down in the Diocese of Lincoln for 14 years. So that was something I was very interested in, and I felt like I had a pretty good feel for the work of priestly formation. Right away, I made a point to get to know personally all of our seminarians and have a relationship with them, so that going forward through their formation and in their lives as priests, we could build on that relationship. In a lot of ways, it’s very much a father-son relationship that a bishop has with his seminarians, and that was something that I certainly wanted to cultivate. I think that we’ve done fairly well with vocations in our diocese. We need to have more seminarians than we do if we’re going to meet the needs of our diocese in the next couple of generations, just because of the demographics of our diocese. I’ve continued to have dinners in my home and around the diocese to meet with young men who are interested, or at least have been invited to think about a vocation to the priesthood. I think those events have borne fruit. It’s just good for them to have an opportunity to meet the bishop and to hear a little bit about the priesthood from other priests in a relaxed setting, and also have an opportunity to pray together and ask some questions during an enjoyable evening together.

New Earth: You taught in Catholic schools, so Catholic education must be of importance for you as well?

Bishop Folda: Very much.

New Earth: How do you think things are going in the diocese as far as our Catholic schools? Is there something more we can do? Are we happy with the way things are going? What do you see going forward for Catholic schools?

Bishop Folda: I’m very happy with our schools, but I don’t think I would ever say that things are fine just the way they are. We need to continue building on the mission that we have and fostering growth within our Catholic schools. I was very fortunate. I attended Catholic schools throughout my childhood and youth. Then after I had spent a few years in college, I went to the seminary and became a priest. But then I was assigned as a teacher, both at the grade school and the high school level in our Catholic schools. So I really have a feel for Catholic education, both on the receiving end, but also on the teaching side of it. And then having administered the seminary, that too is very much a part of Catholic education. I’m convinced that our Catholic schools are one of the most important apostolates of the Church in this diocese. We’re very blessed in the schools that we have. They provide an excellent education, an excellent faith formation. I see our Catholic schools as one of the principal ministries of our diocese, and I’m very happy with the progress that we’ve made. But the most important thing is to help our young people, our students, and their families to grow in their closeness, their relationship with God. That’s what our schools should be doing and are doing.

New Earth: On the other side, we have our religious education programs. Can you speak to the importance of these programs, especially for the kids who don’t go to Catholic school, to get together once a week and learn about their faith?

Bishop Folda: One of the principal responsibilities of any parish is to teach the faith to our children. Of course, the first responsibility for that falls to parents. But the pastor has a responsibility to actively work to teach the faith. Most of our children and youth don’t have the opportunity to go to a Catholic school, so we have an obligation to provide faith formation to all of our young people. And that has to happen at the level of the parishes. So I’m very intent on making sure that all of our parishes do a good job and really have the resources they need to pass on the faith.

New Earth: You have said one of your favorite aspects of your work as bishop is to go out and visit parishes. Does that still hold true?

Bishop Folda: I don’t think it ever gets old. Sometimes it gets tiring. I’ll be honest about that. It takes some energy. But I don’t get tired of it because I always enjoy the opportunity to visit our parish priests and the faithful in those parishes during special events and Confirmations. And they’re always very welcoming and I feel edified by the faith of our people. That’s a very encouraging thing to me, to witness the faith of our people in our parishes. Some of these parishes are very, very small, and yet the parishioners are very dedicated to their parish. There’s a real family bond that they have. I understand the importance of those parishes in our small towns and even out in the country. Those parishes mean a lot to our people. To me it’s always a joy, it's always a pleasure to visit those parishes and to spend time with the people. I think I’ve gained a lot of friendships through the people that I’ve met in our parishes.

New Earth: We have some big events coming up in the diocese. First of all, nationwide, we're currently in the middle of the Eucharistic Revival. What are you doing to address that in the diocese, to help people understand what is happening on the altar?

Bishop Folda: I think a lot of it comes down to drawing people back to Mass. The number of people attending Mass has declined, and it’s as true in our diocese as it is around the country. Maybe it’s cause and effect, I’m not sure, but if people don’t understand the Eucharist then they’re less inclined to come and celebrate at the Mass. And so, we must welcome people back to Mass and also really proclaim the faith that we have as a Church in the Eucharist, which is the real presence of Christ. One of the things that I’ve been struck by in our diocese is the very active practice of Eucharistic adoration that we see in so many parishes. Without the Eucharist, we aren’t the Church that Jesus calls us to be. We have to strengthen parish communities and we need to again teach with clarity and with zeal that our faith is a Eucharistic faith. Parents need to make attendance at Sunday Mass an absolute priority in their own lives and in the life of their family and not to allow anything else to supplant that priority. Nothing should take the place of God, and that includes our worship as a Church that we do together on Sunday.

New Earth: We are also in a time of preparation for our Diocesan Synod.

Bishop Folda: Yes, we are due. In consultation with the priests of the diocese and the diocesan pastoral council and various other groups that I’ve talked to, it just seemed that we have to look at the life of our diocese going forward and to see what the needs are, what our priorities need to be. So I made the decision to call for a diocesan synod that will include representation from all over the diocese, all of our parishes, all of our clergy, to really pray and reflect on the work of the Church in this diocese going forward, and to see where our Lord is leading us.

New Earth: So are you hoping to use the synod as a springboard to what you want to see happen in the diocese in your upcoming years as bishop?

Bishop Folda: Yes, I am. And not just for myself but for the diocese as a whole and for bishops after me, to set a course going forward. I’ve said all along that we have to reinvigorate our sense of the mission of the Church, and we can’t be content with things as they are. Again, the number of faithful who are practicing the faith is declining. We have to address that challenge and we have to always have an outward vision looking beyond our walls, and be ready to take our faith to the streets and to go wide and bring people in. So yes, a big part of my thinking in summoning the Synod is that we’ll set a course going forward and highlight the importance of the mission of the Church.

New Earth: Any last thoughts?

Bishop Folda: I guess if I said one thing, I would just say an enormous thank you for the privilege, the blessing, of being the Bishop of Fargo. It really has been an amazing experience, a joyful experience, a challenging experience, but in all those challenges, I’ve been blessed with the help of so many people. I’m incredibly grateful for the 10 years that I’ve had here and look forward to however many God gives me to do this work. So I’m grateful. It was a great surprise but also a great blessing.