In September
1995, he began the practice of celebrating daily Mass at the Cathedral.
He also arranged to have this Mass videotaped each day and aired on
cable channels.
Bishop Mansell
has visited every parish in the Diocese, most of them multiple times.
In 1996, he instituted
the vicariate structure for the Diocese to enable more effective administration
and better service for people. Later he established a process of planning
for the future of parishes in the Diocese, using the vicariate structure
as the instrument for the planning.
Throughout his
tenure as Bishop of Buffalo, Bishop Mansell has enjoyed a strong relationship
with the Council of Priests, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious
and the Diocesan Pastoral Council. He has also worked closely with the
Episcopal Vicars and the Bishop's Council of the Laity.
He has been a
member of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership Board of Directors, whose
vision is to promote economic and community vitality in Western New
York.
It was in February
1996 that Bishop Mansell announced the Catholic Health System, bringing
together Catholic hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare agencies
operating within the diocese.
Bishop Mansell
received honorary doctorates from Niagara University in May 1996, and
from St. Bonaventure University in August 1996.
Bishop Mansell
launched the diocesan web site (http://www.buffalodiocese.org)
on November 15, 1996.
In June 1997,
he received the Kenmore Mercy Foundation's Sister Mechtilde Memorial
Award for service.
He received an
honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from Canisius College in May 1997.
Bishop Mansell
instituted the practice of regular meetings with the Presidents of the
seven Catholic colleges and universities in the Diocese as well as the
Principals of sixteen Catholic high schools.
In October 1997,
Bishop Mansell introduced the Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese
of Buffalo. This foundation began with a $2 million gift to the Fund
for Education. In January 2001, the first Celebrate Catholic Education
dinner was held. The annual event is a major fund-raising dinner for
Catholic schools in the diocese.
He advanced financial
support for Catholic schools each year and instituted a program for
the certification of teachers within Catholic schools and in Religious
Education Programs for Catholic students in other schools. He also began
the process for a strategic plan involving all the schools in the Diocese.
In April of 1997
he began a series of events to mark the 150th anniversary of the diocese.
The celebration culminated in a Mass that Bishop Mansell celebrated
at the Marine Midland Arena on October 25, 1997.
Also in 1997
he went to Poland for the Eucharistic Congress in Wroclaw, visiting
various places in Poland to highlight the strong culture and traditions
of the Polish people in the Diocese of Buffalo.
Bishop Mansell
has also celebrated the contributions of the Italian, Irish and German
people of the Diocese by drawing attention to various feasts and historic
developments.
From January
23-26, 1998, Bishop Mansell traveled to Cuba to be part of Pope John
Paul II's visit to that island. While there Bishop Mansell met with
Fidel Castro.
Bishop Mansell
made his first "ad limina" visit as Bishop of Buffalo when
he went to the Vatican February 20, 1998.
In May 1998 an
increased giving campaign was begun titled Stewardship in Faith. Its
purpose was to obtain higher Sunday collections in parishes throughout
the diocese. Results showed a 25% increase across the Diocese. Phase
II of Stewardship in Faith was launched in November 2001, and met with
similar, successful results.
Since coming
to the diocese, Bishop Mansell has overseen eight consecutive Catholic
Charities appeals, every one exceeding an ever higher goal.
Bishop Mansell
has doubled the capacity of the O'Hara residence for Retired Priests
in Tonawanda and built the Bishop Head Residence for Retired Priests
in Lackawanna.
At St. Joseph's
Cathedral, Bishop Mansell developed the Blessed Sacrament Chapel and
has restored the Lady Chapel. In 1999, he supervised the renovation
of the Cathedral including the installation of a new altar. In June
2001, the Cathedral's historic Hook and Hastings organ was rededicated
following its complete restoration, marking the start of a four year
sesquicentennial celebration of the Cathedral.
He has placed
great emphasis on making St. Joseph's Cathedral the heart of diocesan
life and also an integral part of the renewal of life in downtown Buffalo,
One example of this has been the Spirit of Summer on Cathedral Green,
a smorgasbord of events featuring music, song, dance and acting.
He also opened
the St. Joseph's House next door to the St. Joseph's Cathedral which
provides a place for spiritual formation and educational programs as
well as various discussion groups. Under Bishop Mansell's guidance and
leadership, there has also been the establishment of the Come Home Program
for people who are separated from the Catholic Church.
Bishop Mansell
expanded ministry to people of Hispanic descent. He recruited priests
and seminarians from Columbia, South America. With particular concentration
he strengthened ministry to the migrant workers in the Northeastern
part of the Diocese.
He oversaw the
construction of St. Martin De Porres Church in 1999, a primarily African
American but integrated Church, the first Catholic church built in the
City of Buffalo in 30 years.
More recently
he has designated Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Buffalo
as a special parish for the Vietnamese people.
On December 24,
2000, Bishop Mansell celebrated the first Mass held in the first Korean
church in the Diocese. St. Andrew Kim Church is located in the refurbished
convent behind Cardinal O'Hara High School in the town of Tonawanda.
He encouraged
a whole schedule of events and programs on the parish level and the
diocesan level to observe the Millennium year. He published the book,
We Are Catholic. Let It Show. Open Wide the Doors to Christ, to promote
reflection for the Millennium year. Also the pamphlet, "Yes, I
Am a Catholic, A Profile of a Catholic Adult."
Since Bishop
Mansell has come to Buffalo, he has created two new departments within
the Catholic Center: the Development Office and the Office for Human
Resources.
He also began
the Diocesan Service Corps, a diocesan equivalent to the U.S. Peace
Corps, in 2001.
In July 2001,
Bishop Mansell and about 500 pilgrims for the Diocese of Buffalo participated
in World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto, Canada.
In September
2002, Bishop Mansell presided over the opening of St. Dominic Savio
Middle School in Niagara Falls, the first middle school opened in the
diocese.
Bishop Mansell
named a nine-member diocesan Review Board in October 2002. Comprised
mostly of lay people, the board advises the bishop on clergy sexual
abuse.
In January 2003,
Bishop Henry J. Mansell traveled to Rome to present Pope John Paul II
with the "Positio," a 750-page summary of the life , virtues
and reputation of Father Nelson Baker, a diocesan priest whose cause
for sainthood is being promoted by the Diocese of Buffalo. The Positio
moves forward the cause of Father Baker's beatification and canonization.
In 2003, the
bishop appointed Kathryn Marsh, CSW, as diocesan assistance coordinator.
She is available to provide immediate pastoral assistance to sexual
abuse victims. The bishop also implemented a new Safe Environment policy,
which includes the sexual abuse awareness training of tens of thousands
of people in the diocese who deal with children and young people. The
bishop also oversaw the revision of the diocesan sexual abuse policy.
In September
2003, New York State Governor George Pataki named Bishop Mansell to
the State Commission on Education Reform – a bipartisan group of
education, business and community leaders that is working to reform
New York State's education system.
Bishop Mansell
served as vice-chairperson of the Public Policy Committee of the New
York State Catholic Conference.
On the national
level he has served as Treasurer of the United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops, on their Administrative Board, and their Executive
Committee. He also has served on the USCCB Committee on Priorities and
Plans, the Ad Hoc Committee on Health Care Issues and the Church, the
Board of Governors for the North American College in Rome, and as Chair
of the Finance Committee of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
He has served on the Ad Hoc Committee on Economic Concerns of the Holy
See, the Committee on Personnel, and as a member of the Education Committee
and as treasurer of CLINIC (Catholic Legal Immigrant Network Inc.) for
three-year terms.
