The entire interview has 4 video segments. It was nice to see Archbishop Burke smile, especially considering the issues he has had to deal with since coming here. One can only imagine the pain he must endure because of the letters and complaints he receives and the distortions that are hyped by certain members of the media.
As he says in the interview, he considers himself a faithful teacher - and faithful Catholics all over the country recognize him as such. And as Catholics in this Archdiocese, we should thank our Lord that we have been so blessed to have been given an Archbishop who is faithful to Christ and to the Church which He established.
So as not be outdone, the local Fox affiliate, KTVI, ran a segment lasting a little of 2 minutes, primarily focused on Archbishop Burke'e meeting with the mayor and other city officials regarding the parish closings and consolidations which are to be announced this Friday in the St. Louis Review. Dan Gray of Fox2KTVI was unable to get a "scoop" from the Archbishop, although he gave it a good effort.
The first segment of the interview is here.
Video segment 2 is here.
Video segment 3 is here.
And the final video segment is here.
The first segment of the interview carried a transcript (below).
He speaks softly but carries a controversial reputation. Archbishop Raymond Burke considers himself nothing more than a man with deep religious convictions.AMEN!
"I would call myself a faithful teacher" says Burke.
His day begins very early. "I get about 4:30 in the morning and then around 5:30, I start a time of prayer," says Burke.
At 7:00, after vesting himself, he has mass in the chapel at the residence for the sisters who come into work there. After that it's usually a quiet breakfast while catching up on the day's news and by 8 a.m., he's usually in the office conducting the pastoral work of administrating the archdiocese.
"I feel very much home here in St. Louis. Personally, I like the fit very much. I find the people here to be wonderful really," says Burke.
He was installed as St. Louis' 8th Archbishop in January 2004 and he believes his first year here, has gone very well.
Others disagree.
Shortly after he arrived, he made headlines by saying he would not give Communion to Presidential candidate John Kerry or any Catholic politician that took a pro-choice stance.
He's also made news by settling 7 more cases of
clergy sex abuse, which has now cost the Archdiocese more than $2.4 million.
He's announced plans to consolidate parishes in South St. Louis and North County and to close four schools. Which, in some cases, has brought angry reaction.
"I understand it fully. I've had in my own experience Catholic institutions that were very dear to me, close and I know well the pain. It's a reality I wish it didn't have to be," says Burke.
But no issue has gotten more airtime this past year
than the battle for St. Stanislaus Kostka church.
"St. Stanislaus Kostka is run by a board of directors and that simply has never been the way the Catholic Church operates its parishes. It can't be, it's just contrary to out whole nature," Burke explained.
During the fight over control of the parish and its assets, the Archbishop has removed the priests and imposed the penalty of interdict on the board of directors, which means they are not allowed to take part in the sacraments of the church.
He's received many angry letters siding with St. Stanislaus.
"The sad thing for me is, it could be a temptation for an Archbishop not to give leadership, to avoid this kind of situation and simply I can't do that, it's against my conscience," says Burke.
The archbishop, who gave us a rare behind the scenes look at the residence in the Central West End,
which the archdiocese has owned since 1924. Church law guides him, which in most cases, he says, is not open to interpretation. And that is his compass.
"I'm a person that doesn't particularly enjoy a lot of public exposure. It's really not in my nature. I know I have to teach and this has public repercussions so
I end up being in the public light but personally it's not something I enjoy very much," says Burke.
Making sure St. Louis has good and dedicated priests is an ongoing goal, so the Archbishop got very involved with seminarians in year one. Introductions sometime take place during an afternoon walk.
"I take a walk and try also to combine that with an opportunity to get to know our seminarians and sometimes I walk with our priests too," says Burke.
He might prefer a quiet, contemplative life but Archbishop Raymond Burke's positions have been anything but quiet his first year in St. Louis. Since his positions are unlikely to change, the question is will the years to come be any different?
"I'm a person who is full of hope," says Burke. "It's not me, it's Christ and his church. And I just believe if I do faithfully as I can and my service and give my service as faithfully as I can, he will bring good results."
And during this Lenten season, especially, we must not forget to offer additional prayers and sacrifices for Archbishop Burke - we should be committed to doing all we can to help lighten the burdens he and others must carry for being faithful servants of our Lord.
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