Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein, OSB, is seriously ill. He has been in the monastery infirmary at Saint Meinrad for several years since a bad stroke forced him to retire early as Archbishop of Indianapolis in 2011. I have visited him there many times—especially when I helped him write his memoirs, Surprised by Grace. He’s been declining for some time now, but today’s visit confirmed for me that he is not far from death.

As I stood by his bed, praying for him, I couldn’t help but think of his earliest days as a monk, bishop and archbishop. He was bright, vigorous and very much “in charge.” Working for him (as I did for many years) was a privilege. I always knew where he stood (with the Church) and what he wanted me to do (help him advance the Church’s mission).

Archbishop Daniel is a man of prayer—first and foremost—but his legacy includes the building up of the Church in West Tennessee and in central and southern Indiana by means of skilled administration and an extraordinary gift for developing the human and financial resources needed to make ministry possible. He always told me that “money follows mission, not the other way around,” and although he was very successful at raising money, he was determined to never let “the fundraising tail wag the ministry dog.”

God bless you, Archbishop. May your final days be peaceful and your journey home be swift and smooth.