My dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Shortly after I was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago by Pope John Paul II in 2003, I received a packet in the mail from a man whose hobby was tracing the genealogy of bishops, not in the sense of family ancestry, but in the terms of episcopal lineage. The fact that every Catholic bishop follows in an unbroken chain by the imposition of hands going back to the times of the apostles is called apostolic succession. Since I was ordained a bishop by Francis Cardinal George, this means that my lineage as a bishop traces back through him. Cardinal George was ordained a bishop by the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan, who in turn was ordained by Cardinal Jean Villot, Vatican Secretary of State, from 1969 to 1979. The fact that Cardinal Villot was French means that my episcopal lineage traces back through France. Although the records hit a dead-end after several centuries, there is no doubt in my mind that my apostolic succession goes back to the original apostles. It only means that meticulous records were not kept from the outset, but the early church relied heavily on oral tradition for handing down the faith from generation to generation.

Thoughts about apostolic succession very much filled my mind while concelebrating the Funeral Mass for Cardinal George on April 23. I thought much about the faith that had been handed down to me through apostolic succession and the responsibility that I had to preserve the integrity of our Catholic faith and transmit it to the next generation in its fullness.

My ministry in diocesan administration began 30 years ago, in 1985, when Cardinal Joseph Bernardin asked me to serve as his vice-chancellor. After a couple of years he sent me to Rome to study canon law. Upon completion of my doctoral studies, I returned to the archdiocesan curia and served as Cardinal Bernardin's chancellor from 1992 until he died from cancer in 1996. I continued as chancellor under Cardinal George until the end of my second term in 2000, after which I became pastor of a large parish on the northwest side of Chicago.

On the day that then-Archbishop Francis George was introduced at the press conference announcing him as the new Archbishop of Chicago, I remember a reporter asking him how he would describe the difference between him and Cardinal Bernardin. The new archbishop replied in his classic clear, concise and incisive style by saying, "Cardinal Bernardin was a southern gentleman from South Carolina. I am a Chicagoan!" He said no more and the news conference ended because all the Chicago reporters had no more questions since they knew what that meant!

Over the next few years of working with Cardinal George, I would see many examples of what that meant in practice. Cardinal Bernardin was always very gentle and soft-spoken, but people sometimes mistook his diplomatic responses for agreement with their agenda. This occasionally led to misunderstandings when people thought he would approve or promote their cause that in fact he did not support.

In contrast, people always knew clearly where they stood with Cardinal George, as he would not hesitate to state his disagreement when confronted with a point of view with which he differed, although he always did so with charity and respect for the person with whom he disagreed. He did not suffer fools, but he did not wish to make fools suffer. His criticisms were aimed at concepts and ideas, not the people who spoke them.

Although very different personalities, both Cardinal Bernardin and Cardinal George taught me lessons that shaped me to be the person and the bishop that I am today.

From Cardinal Bernardin, I learned the value of consulting broadly and trying to reach a consensus if possible before reaching a final decision. He lived out his episcopal motto, "As those who serve," by providing an inspiring example of tireless service right up until his death.

From Cardinal George, I learned the importance of availability in responding generously to the endless requests for a bishop's time, presence and assistance. Members of the curia would often be amazed at the many obscure commitments that appeared on his public calendar. When asked why he was appearing at a particular function that seemed to lack the prominence warranting the presence of the Cardinal Archbishop, he would simply say, "I'm going because they invited me." In this way, he lived his episcopal motto, "To Christ be Glory in the Church!"

Both of these distinguished prelates were named to the College of Cardinals by Pope St. John Paul II, and all three of these men showed us how to endure suffering and how to die with grace and peace. As Cardinal George has now been laid to rest, please pray in thanksgiving for the life of this great churchman and his contribution to the Catholic community here in Illinois. May he now enjoy the reward of eternal life in the peace of God's kingdom.

May God give us this grace. Amen.