Bishop Wins Award

September 30, 2010

Bishop Clark named Exemplary Bishop of 2010 by national ministry association

The award will be presented at a special CCMA Bishops’ Breakfast on Nov. 16 in Baltimore, and attended by many of the nation’s Catholic leaders during the fall meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The 2010 Exemplary Bishop Award is given after consideration of Bishop Clark’s long devotion to strengthening and supporting the mission of college campus ministry. In a written nomination, Shannon Loughlin, Diocese of Rochester director of young adult and campus ministry, noted that “Bishop Clark has been consistently supportive of campus ministry over the past 30 years. He regularly visits the college campuses for Masses and programs. He also meets yearly with campus ministers to discuss how their experiences on the college campuses point to the issues, challenges and joys that can be expected in the parishes in the coming years. ”

Bishop Clark said, “I am most appreciative of this award, which I certainly must share with the devoted, highly professional ministers in our Diocese who have made such an enormous difference in the lives of thousands of young people on our campuses.”

He also was credited with building strong connections between campus ministry and the diocese’s parishes, as well as emphasizing that campus ministry is a major part of lifelong faith formation with the goal of inspiring young people to live as disciples of Jesus.

Bishop Clark was ordained a bishop by Pope John Paul II on May 27, 1979, at St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome. He was installed as the eighth Bishop of Rochester on June 26, 1979. Long active in many committees and boards locally and national throughout his 31-year episcopate, he currently serves on the Episcopal Advisory Council (Region II) of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains. He is spiritual leader for more than 314,000 Catholics in a diocese that spans 12 counties in New York State (Monroe, Wayne, Ontario, Cayuga, Livingston, Steuben, Tioga, Chemung, Schuyler, Seneca, Tompkins and Yates). Bishop Clark’s book, Forward in Hope: Saying Amen to Lay Ecclesial Ministry, was published by Ave Maria Press in 2009.

The Catholic Campus Ministry Association, with headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, is the national organization for Catholic campus ministers. Working through a network aided by publications, national gatherings, electronic communications, educational programs and other means of sharing resources, CCMA’s mission is to foster the professional, spiritual and theological growth of campus ministers and promote the mission of the Catholic Church in higher education.

For additional information:

About Bishop Clark
Diocese of Rochester Campus Ministry
* Catholic Campus Ministry Association, visit http://www.ccmanet.org