This is my final column as your bishop. I have been richly blessed by my eleven years as a bishop in the Diocese of Sioux Falls, and I thank you for your prayerful support and kindness. I have come to love the priests, religious and people of east river South Dakota, and it has been a great privilege being your bishop. I will always have a special place in my heart for the prairie and the great people of many faiths that I found here. As I look back over the years I see the hand of God at work, and I know that the Diocese of Sioux Falls is a special place rich in gifts and blessings.

God has blessed us with many vocations to the priesthood, and during the time I have served in the diocese the average age of our priests has dropped from 60 to 48.6. This June, God willing, two men will be ordained to the priesthood and three to the transitional diaconate. Over the course of the next four years we expect four priests to retire, and we have the possibility of twelve men being ordained to the priesthood for a net growth of eight. Hopefully, under the direction of our vocation director aided by the four Serra Clubs, the Parish Vocation Committees and your continued prayer, we will continue to be blessed with new and worthy vocations.

When I came to the diocese there was a need to strengthen our religious education programs, and with the establishment of the Institute for Religious Education we have become one of the few rural dioceses in the United States to have a systematic training program in place for all of our volunteer religion teachers. More than 1,500 teachers have gone through the training so that we might be better able to hand on the faith to the next generation.
The diocese is a very diverse place, and with the establishment of the Native American Commission and the new Hispanic and Sudanese parishes, we are better able to hear the voice of the poor and respond to their needs. I am proud of our annual Native American Day celebration and the 500 units of housing for seniors and the working poor that we have opened in partnership with the civic and business communities across the diocese. I am grateful for the many partnerships in providing social services which involved churches, government and business.

Each year, responsive to the grass roots, we have an annual collection for our ministries. Some dioceses have an annual tax, but I have found that the annual collection keeps us in better touch with you, the people of the diocese. Add to this the main street meetings, the setting of diocesan goals every five years, the gathering of thousands of parish leaders through the Rural Life Commission, Pastoral Council, Journey to Holiness celebrations and ministry days, and you see the formula for being the People of God.

When I came here in 1994, we had two Catholic Family Service centers and one outreach office. Today we have five service centers and a dozen outreach offices. Our adoption program is stronger than ever, and I am very proud of our staff. We run the diocesan Pastoral Center with fewer people today than 1994, and our annual budgeting process keeps us from wasting the gifts you give us. Any extras have been held in reserve to address crisis situations. We have repaired our beautiful Cathedral on the outside, opened a beautiful new retreat center at Broom Tree, expanded the diocesan endowment, built seven Catholic schools, established diocesan gatherings across the diocese like youth hunts, Totus Tuus, fishing, hunting and golfing tournaments, the Stand Against Violence and True Love Waits.

This diocese has enjoyed tremendous support from religious communities, and we still have more than 400 religious sisters, brothers and priests. What a blessing. I am proud of being a part of adding the contemplative dimension through the establishment of the Carmelites in Alexandria, and the Adoration Sisters at St. Joseph Cathedral.

The REACH Endowment allows us to better serve children with special needs, and the Mother Teresa Endowment allows us to help pregnant women bring their children into the world and care for them afterward.

After three years in the development, I am excited about the new monastery in Colombia, “Pacem In Terris,” which will be a place of prayer for world peace and peace in Colombia centered on the Eucharist. I am happy that we were able to impact legislation in the State Legislature especially with regard to the death penalty, life issues, family issues and the poor.

I am pleased that we were able to complete the first phase of our call to stewardship, and I hope this continues to grow. I know I leave with our parishes in great financial shape and with the spirituality of stewardship set for the future. After all, stewardship is the proper response of a disciple, and it cannot help but bring us closer to Christ.

Over the years I have been blessed with my many parish visits, celebrations of confirmation and the anointing of the sick, and countless parish dinners and celebrations. I appreciate the excellent diocesan staff that has assisted me so well over the years, and I thank the many priests, religious and people for their leadership, prayers and friendship. I will never forget.

If I have offended someone, I apologize and ask for your forgiveness. I regret if my ministry was not what you wanted or needed.

I do not apologize for preaching the truths of the Gospel and the teachings of the Church, especially the Gospel of Life. The call to a well-formed conscience is needed and it had to be said, and no doubt will need to be said again. The truth is not what each individual thinks it is, and there can be no such thing as cafeteria Catholicism. Many do not know their faith as they should, and regrettable they don’t want to do anything about it.

Please pray for your new bishop. We tend to get the leaders we pray for, so take your responsibility seriously. I will certainly pray for God’s blessing on this wonderful diocese. I have been blessed to be here.

Bishop Robert J. Carlson
Bishop of Sioux Falls