Bernard Hebda, 51, bishop of Gaylord: The paper-trail is unusually distinguished, even for an American bishop -- Harvard BA, JD from Columbia Law, JCL from the Gregorian, for 13 years a top-flight Vatican canonist as the #3 official at the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts.

Ask the folks back in Pittsburgh, though, and you’re more likely to hear stories of Bernie Hebda doing the “Electric Slide” at parish festivals on return trips to his hometown.

Over the course of his reign, B16’s shown a distinct liking for the Steel City, naming three more of its native sons to head dioceses (for a grand total of seven), sending the native-born former ordinary to the nation’s capital, bringing the energetic, pastorally savvy Bishop David Zubik home in Donald Wuerl’s footsteps... and above all, in Dan DiNardo, giving the Burgh its first-ever native-son to reach the brass ring and don the cardinal’s red hat.

The trend’s been wise -- if you’re rebuilding a bench, Steeler Country’s a great place to start; Eastern enough to boast a strong Catholic ethos, but Midwestern enough to be devoid of the ecclesiastical grandeur that’s only expedited the faith’s epic fall along much of the Amtrak/I-95 corridor. Moreover, Pennsylvania’s western edge prides itself on its down-home sensibility -- and like DiNardo before him, Hebda’s yearning to trade St Peter's for PNC Park became so well-known that, one night a couple years back, a friend in the Canadian hinterlands called with word that “Bernie wants out,” even if the "news" was never a pontifical secret.

It's not hard to see why we are so blessed to have Bishop Hebda in the Diocese of Gaylord.

On a related note, if you're in the Petoskey area tonight, head on over to the Marian Center where Bishop Hebda will be celebrating mass on the Feast of the Archangels. A reception will follow.

Read For the Future, Four to Watch at Whispers in the Loggia

I currently serve on the board of directors for the Marian Center and will be helping Bryan as he brings his strong graphic design and website marketing background to the online presence of this apostolate. Follow the link below for some info about the Tuck Family and audio of their introductory speech at the Marian Conference.

Read Our move to the Marian Center in Petoskey, Mi at Crown12Media.com