Bishop brings experience, insight to Catholic diocese

The new bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown is asking his flock to give him a year to familiarize himself with the parishes, schools, hospitals and Catholic Charity offices in the six counties -- Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana, Stark, Portage and Ashtabula.
It's not an unreasonable request, considering the challenges that not only confront the church, but the region as a whole.
During the year, the 216,151 registered Catholics -- and those not registered -- will also have the opportunity to get to know the first black bishop in the history of the Youngstown diocese and the first black to lead a Catholic diocese in the state of Ohio.
In that regard, the Most Rev. George V. Murry's appointment, made by Pope Benedict XVI and announced by the Vatican this week, is historic -- and to a certain extent, intriguing. There are 412 black Catholics registered in the diocese.
But a glance at the bishop's curriculum vitae reveals a priest of deep-seated faith, superior education and a strong sense of community. Those, and other characteristics, make Bishop Murry ideally suited for the Youngstown diocese.
Indeed, even with his cursory knowledge of the Catholic population, the bishop told reporters that the profile "reflects America ... a cross-section of America that we know and love."
His previous assignments -- he has served as bishop of the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands since 1999, and before that was in Chicago, Detroit and Washington, D.C. -- have given Bishop Murry a solid understanding of life in urban America. He is no stranger to the mean streets of cities, nor is he blind to the role the church must play in keeping young people out of harm's way.
Youth ministry
He told reporters that the Catholic Church must be involved in the community and one way of achieving this is through "an active and effective youth ministry."
In 2003, he participated in the annual Mass celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Atlanta, and in his homily encouraged all Catholics, especially the young, to get involved in their parishes.
"An army of young people on fire for the Gospel could change this city overnight," he was quoted as saying about the city of Atlanta.
The problems that afflict Atlanta can also be found in Youngstown and Warren, albeit on a smaller scale.
These are trying times for the Mahoning Valley, just as they are for the Catholic Church.
As he was leaving Youngstown in 2005 to take over the Diocese of Providence, R.I., Bishop Thomas Tobin, who had led area Catholics since 1996, talked about the issues the region has struggled with: urban renewal; population decline; the viability of some Catholic schools; and, a declining number of men seeking the priesthood.
Those issues still exist today, which means Bishop Tobin's successor, George Murry, will also have to deal with them.
Bishop Murry will be installed in his new position on March 28, no doubt aware of the challenges that confront the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown and the region.