I’m in Baltimore attending the annual meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It’s always a fascinating experience. These are the successors of the apostles, a motley crew of middle-aged and older men who, I believe, are doing their best to shepherd the Church in the United States. In spite of their human weakness and sinfulness, they are working hard to preach the joy of the Gospel to a weary, doubting world.

Whenever I attend bishops’ meetings, I think of the late Archbishop Thomas C. Kelly who I worked for in Louisville and who I loved and deeply respected until he died just a few years ago. +TCK was a flawed human being (he would freely admit) but he was also a passionate man who cared for his people and for his Church. He told funny stories that always hit home in powerful ways. He loved the poor and was keenly aware of the suffering of others. He didn’t put up with foolishness and he could not stand being in the company of egotistical people who were only interested in their own agendas.

He had served as Secretary of the bishops’ conference before Pope John Paul II sent him to Louisville. He loved the body of bishops and was keenly interested (and involved) in their affairs long after his years of service were ended. At the annual meetings, he would walk up and down the aisles passing out notes to brother bishops. (This was before texting was an option.) He would remind them of past discussions or point out things that others might not know. He didn’t want to be in the spotlight, but he definitely wanted to contribute to whatever the issues of the day were.

I imagine that if he were here in Baltimore this week, +TCK would relish the 100th anniversary celebration. But he would also remind his brothers that the issues being discussed are far from new and that we are nowhere near addressing them completely. Immigration, gun violence, racism, life issues and the challenges of religious education and evangelization are challenges that are never solved once and for all.

The most bishops can do is reaffirm the absolute importance of human dignity as the bedrock principle of the Church’s moral and social teachings. That message needs to be heard over and over again along with the Gospel call to conversion, a radical change of heart.

Thomas Cajetan Kelly, O. P., pray for your brother bishops and the whole Church as we seek to follow Jesus on the path to life!