As we come closer to one year since I submitted my resignation to the Holy See last November—a requirement when a bishop reaches the age of 75—it may be good for me to clarify that I am not retired. Unlike in most other organizations, in the Catholic Church the requirement is simply that a bishop must submit his resignation at 75. It is then up to the Holy Father to determine when that resignation turns into a retirement.

Bishop Joel M. Konzen, SM

Even the term retirement is not entirely accurate. When a bishop retires, he does not become inactive. Instead, his duties are reduced. Most office and administrative duties go away. He is still likely to be seen in parishes and schools celebrating Masses and conferring the sacrament of confirmation. Some dioceses have no auxiliary bishop, but they might have one or two retired bishops. There was a point when the Archdiocese of New Orleans had an archbishop and three retired archbishops—close to a full house of archbishops!

After the piece that ran in The Georgia Bulletin this past April, indicating I had submitted my letter of resignation, as required, some have asked me what it is like to be retired. I then explain that that has not yet happened, but some day it will happen. One day there will be a letter—I presume, but I’m not really sure how this takes place—that informs me that I am officially retired. I am not holding my breath. I am glad to continue to be fully occupied. I have 34 Masses of confirmation on my calendar between now and the end of June 2027.

A bishop who is actually retired often continues to attend the national and regional meetings and events for bishops. Retired bishops are very likely to join in the Ad Limina visit to the Holy Father and to the dicasteries (offices) of the Holy See, a visit that takes place every seven years or so. The Archdiocese of Atlanta is part of Region 14 of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and we are scheduled to be in Rome for the Ad Limina visit in September 2027. I am looking forward to being a part of the region bishops’ visit to Rome, regardless of whether I am “active” or retired. Unless I am incapacitated or have been promoted to the final stage of life, I hope to join my brother bishops in Rome.

Visiting Rome with the other bishops also gives me a chance to visit the motherhouse of my religious order, the Marists. We refer to this site as the “general house” of the Marists. Although when one becomes a bishop he is no longer officially a member of the order—because he no longer answers to his provincial superior—bishops such as Archbishop Hartmayer, Bishop Wack in Pensacola-Tallahassee, and me maintain our ties to our religious family. These congregations are where we received our formation and our education. Over several decades, the members have become our family. Archbishop Hartmayer and I are both grateful that we have local communities of our orders that we can see regularly, allowing us to maintain our fraternity with the other men even if we are technically no longer one of them.

When an auxiliary bishop is granted retirement, he is not automatically replaced. The local bishop must request another auxiliary, a process which can take a substantial amount of time. As with other things in the Catholic Church, there is no predicting how long such a process might take. So, I am thinking that I will, one way or the other, be busy for the foreseeable future.

I thank God for my health and my vocation. And I look forward to seeing the good people of the Archdiocese of Atlanta for as long as our Lord will have me in his vineyard.