An interview with Bishop Gerard Battersby
Surrounded by stacked brown moving boxes, Bishop Gerard Battersby, the 11th bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse, sat down for an interview with Catholic Life shortly before his installation. It forms the centerpiece of this special issue welcoming Bishop Battersby to our diocese, and in it, he reflects on the past and his “desire to make known God’s plan for the Diocese of La Crosse and the men and women within it.”
Catholic Life: Good morning, Bishop Battersby. On behalf of the Diocese of La Crosse, welcome. Could you tell us a little bit about the opening chapters of your life?
Bp. Gerard Battersby: I grew up in Detroit, and the center of our life was the parish — St. Benedict in Highland Park. My grandparents lived with us in a two-story flat, and we were spread out throughout the house. It was a blessed environment. I’ve said before that one of the things that I remember most, and I remember it especially now, is that our home was filled with laughter. My dad really taught us to love and honor our mother because he was absolutely smitten by her all the days of his life. It was a beautiful thing.
We had a typical family life: we argued, played and did everything together. My twin brother and I were the youngest of nine, and we had some wonderful older brothers and sisters, who played a significant role in shaping my formation. The presence of our grandparents was also a true blessing.
My parents were formative in my life. I relied on their faith and the values they instilled in me as I grew up in the 1970s and those years of dreadful catechesis. My father used to take us to confession every Saturday, and the image of my father, who was my hero, kneeling outside the confessional in prayer is etched into my heart. I remember thinking that if this man, who’s essentially God to me, bows before this Holy One, then this Holy One must be truly extraordinary. My mother’s example was equally powerful. I still vividly recall her returning to her seat after receiving Communion, bowing her veiled head in prayer.
I attended both parochial and public schools in Detroit and high school in Madison Heights. I studied biology at Wayne State University, intending to become a medical doctor, when a couple of critical things happened: I wasn’t accepted to Wayne’s medical school the first time around and I was also in a significant car accident. During my recovery, I had time to reflect and realized that being a doctor wasn’t my calling. After leaving the hospital, I decided to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry.
Later in my life, I was struck by a spiritual experience and, with complete certainty, realized that I would one day be a priest. I didn’t understand then how I came to have such absolute knowledge, but I did. I know now that it’s called an “illumination.” The Lord had other plans for me, and He pursued me. I don’t say that in any arrogant way. I didn’t want to be pursued, and becoming a priest was not part of my plan. But I knew powerfully that it was His plan.
Catholic Life: Francis Thompson’s Hound of Heaven describes how God’s divine grace tirelessly follows and pursues. You mentioned an immediate knowledge — an illumination — that you would be a priest. Can you explain what that illumination felt like and how it differed from other things you felt or understood to be true before?
Bp. Gerard Battersby: I was lying in a hostel bed in Scotland at about 5 a.m. The sun was rising, and for some reason, I woke up. It was Easter time, and I was considering my upcoming return to the United States in June. I was a little pensive and wondered what my life would be like when I returned home. I was considering whether to continue my path to becoming a doctor or pursue something else. Suddenly, I had an immediate and complete knowledge that I would be a priest, and that was infused into my mind, and I knew it not as a fact among facts but as the fact. And it wasn’t from me. I had a typical Catholic kid’s desire for priesthood and an admiration for priests, but that’s the extent of my previous thought toward the priesthood.
I’ve never had that experience before or since. It was as if I was given a privileged glimpse into the future, which certainly didn’t come from me. I can tell you that.
In fact, the feeling was so intense that I visited our local seminary in Detroit, Sacred Heart, and met with Father Don Archembault, who was the pre-vocation director at that time.
He sent me to visit a priest to see what parish ministry was like, and I noticed two things when I arrived for my appointment. First, the priest seemed deeply unhappy, and second, he appeared inebriated. I left his house that day, knowing I didn’t want to live like that. It was an excellent excuse for me, and I was strangely pleased because I was desperately searching for a reason not to become a priest.
Catholic Life: You said that you tried heroically to cast the idea of becoming a priest out of your heart, So I can only imagine the tension between your effort to run from this path, and the certainty that the Lord has selected you for it. Thompson writes, “I fled Him, down the nights and down the days; I fled Him, down the arches of the years; I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways of my own mind.” Can you tell us more about your flight from God’s calling?
Bp. Gerard Battersby: I allowed that experience in the local parish to cast out any thoughts of becoming a priest. I also convinced myself that what I experienced in that illumination resulted simply from enthusiasm. But He continued to bring it up to me, and I continued to dismiss it until, you’re quite right, a crisis of sorts occurred, and I knew I had to decide. I had bargained with God. “Okay, Lord, I’ll be a lay missionary.” “Okay, Lord, I’ll be a deacon.” I even went so far as to attend the seminary and take classes ordered toward that. My crisis was that I knew the Lord wanted me to be a priest, and I knew I didn’t want to be a priest. I know that sounds very ungrateful, but it’s just the truth. I am what I am when I stand before God.
So, I visited the chapel at the seminary because the tension was building toward a crescendo in my heart. In anguish, as I knelt in prayer, I said to the Lord, “I can’t do this.” And the Lord, much to my astonishment, told me, with real anguish in His heart, “You don’t have to.”
It is hard to explain, but with those words, I immediately knew that I was free — free to say yes, and I was free to say no. I didn’t realize I was being held captive by my own fear. I guess at that time, I did not yet understand that God wanted a friend, not a slave. The second thing I immediately knew was that I had never heard a voice like His before. It is incomparable. It is incredible. And I had the conviction that I only wanted to be with the one who had that voice.
So, I left the seminary chapel that day and walked on air for the next week because I realized I was free to say no, but then I also realized that I was free to say yes. And because He had set me free, then for the first time, yes to Him wasn’t repellent any longer but actually the undiscovered truth of my heart. Within a very short few weeks of that extraordinary encounter, I applied to the seminary to study for the priesthood.
Catholic Life: How do we, like you, in that interaction, reconcile our own desires and pursuits with docility to God’s will and find the peace and joy that flows from it?
Bp. Gerard Battersby: He doesn’t want slaves; He wants friends. He wants companions, and we all know how to be friends. We spend time with people who are our friends. We have common interests, and we pursue their good. That’s what a friend does. That’s what someone does who loves, and it’s the same with the Lord. He has a plan for each of our lives, which will make us happy. That plan will actually bring us peace, fulfillment and joy. He doesn’t want to force anyone to be his friend, but when you come to know Him, not being His friend is well beyond absurd.
The fundamental thing for any of us, and all of us, is to press into the truth that this one, this Risen One, is Lord and the only authentic response to His awesomeness is to lay our lives at His feet and simply say, as Samuel said, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” We think we know better than God what is good for us. Unsurprisingly, He knows quite a bit better than we do. The arrogance of that thought is, of course, laughable in retrospect. But at the time, you really think you’re in charge and don’t realize that real freedom arrives when you allow Him to be in charge, when you realize you were made for Him, and will find real freedom in only Him.
Catholic Life: Thompson later says, “For, though I knew His love Who followed, yet was I sore adread, lest having Him, I must have naught beside.” We fear leaving behind our desires and wants. What did you fear leaving aside?
Bp. Gerard Battersby: I feared leaving aside happiness. Priesthood is not easy, and it can be lonely at times. Just as with marriage, the priesthood has its challenges. That’s true of every vocation, but there is more support for other vocations than a priestly vocation in our age. We’re dyed-in-the-wool materialists and believe that our happiness lies in material fulfillment, particularly in our culture’s summum bonum of sexual liberation. So, if that material fulfillment is absent, one can think that fulfillment isn’t possible without marriage, children or the ability to express oneself in that manner. I think I did. And so, I was afraid. I guess I was fearful of not being happy, but as I finally began considering his plan for me, I realized that I had been trying to force a square peg into a round hole. When I put the peg that was me in its corresponding place, it fit me like a glove.
Catholic Life: What should we be aware of in our own lives that deafens us to His call? What summum bonum distracts us?
Bp. Gerard Battersby: I think there’s a lot more idolatry around than people realize, and what I mean by that is, we make gods of things that are just not worthy of our dignity as sons and daughters of the living God. There are die-hard fans of the University of Michigan, and I’m sure it’s the same in Wisconsin. People are deeply devoted to their teams, almost to the point of it being like a religion. It’s important not to diminish anyone’s enthusiasm, but no matter how great something may be, it can’t replace God. I’ve heard many people say things like, “I have to take my kids to hockey on Sunday, so we can’t go to church,” or “I find my peace on the golf course, so I don’t need to worship in the way God desires.” These things like sports, wealth, and power may be good, but they’re not the ultimate good. Our lives will be unfulfilled, and disordered if they’re not subordinate to the ultimate good. We won’t be free from anxiety, and we won’t find true fulfillment. We were made for God. When we use ourselves for a purpose other than why we were made, things go awry. You can use a tea cup for a hammer but you won’t long be drinking tea out of that shattered pottery.
Catholic Life: Shifting focus, why did you select your specific episcopal motto, in sinu patris, and why is it something we should especially meditate upon now and today?
Bp. Gerard Battersby: I had the privilege of studying Blessed Columba Marmion, a Benedictine abbot and spiritual master. He was an Irish priest from Dublin who later became a Benedictine monk at Maredsous Abbey in Belgium. For at least the first half of the 20th century, he was the primary spiritual teacher in seminaries, monasteries and convents worldwide, not just in the United States but around the globe. His theological clarity truly drew and enchanted me. A line from John’s Gospel that he found compelling was “in sinu patris,” which means living in the embrace of the Father. This concept symbolizes what discipleship means: it is Trinitarian, directed to the Father, Christo-centric, eucharistic, and Marian. Now, those are Marmion’s words. I’d like to be that clever, but I’m not. I just happen to recognize when something is truly Catholic — to live our lives as disciples oriented to the Father.
I read something this morning in the Office Of Readings from 1 John 4:4. Listen to this: “You belong to God, children, and you have conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” Think about that! The one who is in you, personally, is greater than the one who is in the world. That should blow us away. And this morning, it blew me away. It captures the thought that we are in the embrace of the Father. We spend much time trying to live as if we can be happy without God, but it’s a lie (laughing). It’s a lie! We were made for God! God made us for Himself, and that’s where we find our fulfillment.
Catholic Life: As you step into the role of diocesan bishop, which aspect of your previous pastoral experiences do you believe will be the most valuable in serving this new diocese?
Bp. Gerard Battersby: I’ve been heavily involved in the New Evangelization, and my thesis centered on the Eucharist and the New Evangelization. So, don’t be surprised if I focus on that. The big goal here, and I’m going to bang this drum from the time I get here to, God willing, the time I leave, is knowing that not only does God want to save us in Jesus Christ, but it is His plan to conform us to His Son Jesus so that by grace, we might become who He is by nature. The early Church Fathers called this theosis, or deification. It goes by different names, but God gives us the sacraments, most especially the Eucharist, because He wants to conform us to Himself and His self-donative love. He wants His Son reproduced in us so that we go out and love like Him, bear Him in our person and so that He can flow through us into the world.
The critical thing is to be docile to the Father’s plan and allow the Holy Spirit to remake us in the image and likeness of Christ. And so that’s the major goal: my desire to make known God’s plan for the Diocese of La Crosse and the men and women within it. This is not a new idea — it is what the Church teaches. But I think that’s been obscured over the last decades for multiple and far more significant reasons than most superficial analyses allow.
We’re in a battle here, and the battle is epic. It’s cosmic. And it is very much between heaven and hell. And there’s no battle here, in point of fact, except the truth for our hearts. And I want us, as the Diocese of La Crosse, not only not to be afraid but to be aware that we’re in a battle and to realize that we’re gambling for the entire prize. The victory is assured, but we have to, as my old rector, Archbishop Allen Vigneron used to say, run out the clock with dignity.
We don’t have to worry because the power in us is greater than the power in the world. It’s Jesus. It’s the Father coming and making His dwelling in us. He can do amazing things, and we can do amazing things through Him, in Him who strengthens us.
Catholic Life: How does listening and following relate to your role as teacher and shepherd?
Bp. Gerard Battersby: Every disciple, whether it’s Pope Francis, myself, or you, must listen and follow. So, it is vital for a father of a family first to be deeply rooted in the life of Christ first because I cannot give you something I don’t possess. I must be obedient and listen to the Master myself, and then I must be obedient and listen to my flock; I must be able to hear what they have to say. Obedience means to hear, to listen and to receive.
Catholic Life: Many young Catholics in the diocese are powerfully calling forth the Holy Spirit. What words of encouragement do you have for them to support them in their faith journey?
Bp. Gerard Battersby: They need to know in a particular way that the world does not love them. It simply does not and will not love them. But Jesus aches for them; He loves them extravagantly. I use the word “ache” specifically because it seems impossible that the Lord, who has everything, would ache for you and me. However, He does, and the entire life of discipleship is about reproducing that ache for Him within us.
What I would like to do together, as the bishop, with the priests, and with the people, is to realize that we must first learn to ache for Christ, to allow the Holy Spirit to implant in us a longing for Him like a lonely lover — a longing for Him, a hunger for Him so that he can not only make His home in us and not only conform us to Himself but also flow through us into the world.
I hold the young people and young families very close to my heart because they’re the cornerstone of the Church. Moreover, and frankly, the enemy has his sights set on them specifically to undermine the family, so building up and encouraging the family is very important to me.
Catholic Life: As you embark across the diocese in these first few months, what will be the hallmarks of a vibrant parish in your mind?
Bp. Gerard Battersby: An unmistakable sign of the Holy Spirit’s presence is joy. So, a generally reliable indicator of a vibrant and active parish life is the feeling that greets you when you walk into the church. If you walk in and the place feels like a mausoleum, then life is not happening there as it should. On the other hand, when I visit and hear babies gurgling and causing a bit of a commotion, I think to myself, “Thank you, Jesus!” There’s life here, not just physical life, but a fruit of spiritual life. Joy and a desire to seek God’s glory are two infallible signs that the Holy Spirit is present.
Catholic Life: How would you describe a Diocesan Bishop’s relationship with his priests? What relationship do you seek with your brother priests in the diocese, and what message would you share with them?
Bp. Gerard Battersby: Well, it’s inescapable that the bishop is a spiritual father to his diocese, so that relationship is always present. But, like Jesus’s relationship with His apostles, it’s one of intimate companionship. I see the priests not just as my collaborators but as my advisors — a collegium to listen to the Spirit in the near and far reaches of the diocese and help me formulate a program for renewal and flourishment. I see the priests as true collaborators. I see the priests as my advisors in moving forward into the future God has planned for us in western Wisconsin.
Catholic Life: When you travel around the diocese and meet someone for the first time, what are the first things you want to know or learn about them as they shake your hand and look into your eyes?
Bp. Gerard Battersby: I encourage them to share not only their concerns but also their hearts. I want to understand who they are and their hopes and desires, and I want to share my own as well. This allows for a mutual understanding between us, ensuring no disconnect between them and their spiritual father.
Catholic Life: What would you like the person reading this to pray for you about?
Bp. Gerard Battersby: I would ask them to pray that the ache for Jesus, which I mentioned earlier, grows in my heart daily and yearly as I serve as their shepherd. That’s truly my singular desire in the years the Lord has left for me: to ache for Him as He aches for me and His people.
Catholic Life: Let’s close with fishing. Fishing is a common pastime for many across our diocese, and you mentioned your love for walleye fishing in another article. Are there any tips you would like to share for catching walleye?
Bp. Gerard Battersby: Yeah, I’ll tell you, the best lure I ever used was a Rapala. It was nearly unfailing. So, I suggest going out before the rain with a Rapala lure. These two things and not worrying about getting wet almost guarantee to land some lunkers.
Catholic Life: Thank you. Is there anything else that you would like to share with the people of the Diocese of La Crosse?
Bp. Gerard Battersby: I can’t believe how many people in the Detroit area have connections or relatives in the Diocese of La Crosse. Every one of them immediately tells me that I will love this area and that the people are spectacular. I am just really excited about the privilege and honor of being your bishop.