At this fall’s Red Mass held at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle just before the Supreme Court opened its session in October, Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis said justice and mercy are twin virtues for the law.

“Those two virtues must intersect in our lives and actions,” he said in his homily.

At the Mass, Archbishop Hebda’s life intersected once again with Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the main celebrant, who in 1989 had ordained him to the priesthood in their native Diocese of Pittsburgh, then led by Bishop Wuerl.

After earning a law degree from Columbia University, the future Minnesota archbishop had entered the seminary, and after his ordination, he served as a parish priest, in the bishop’s office and in campus ministry in Pittsburgh and completed his licentiate in canon law in Rome. He later served as a bishop in Gaylord, Michigan, and Newark, New Jersey before being appointed to the Twin Cities.

In an email interview, Archbishop Hebda reflected on what he had learned from the example of Cardinal Wuerl, his former bishop in Pittsburgh who was later appointed to lead the Archdiocese of Washington and who marked his 50th anniversary as a priest in December.

“Bishop Wuerl was a priest 24-7,” said Archbishop Hebda. “He never stepped away from his priestly identity. He was always thinking about how he could be of service to Christ and His Church. He was so passionate about building up Christ's kingdom that it was often difficult to keep up with him. No opportunity to serve was ever deferred and no sacrifice was ever deemed too great.”

When asked if he had a favorite memory of how Cardinal Wuerl lived out his priesthood, the Minnesota archbishop said, “Like one of his heroes, Cardinal Newman, Bishop Wuerl realized that the faith is transmitted when ‘heart speaks to heart.’  He gave time to everyone and really listened to people, resulting in a vast network of friendships.

“Walking through downtown Pittsburgh with him was an experience. He knew everyone by name and could ask about their families or ailments, and that was true whether they were a security guard in the department store or asked for spare change in Market Square or headed a Fortune 500 Corporation. The Jewish mayor of Pittsburgh always referred to him as ‘our bishop’ and rightly so. No one blinked an eye when she called him to pray at the bedside of her dying husband – it seemed like the most natural thing in the world. He was truly pastor to the city.”  

Archbishop Hebda, when asked what he learned from Cardinal Wuerl’s priestly example, said, “I’ve learned that no ministry can be effective if it is not Christ-centered. He started every morning  with the celebration of Mass and never returned to his room at the end of the day without stopping in the chapel, no matter how busy or how exhausted. Bishop Wuerl's example taught me that if we're going to be working to build the kingdom, we have to know the King.”