Bishop Pays Visit to New Territory

For Orange County’s new bishop, the biggest shock is the freeway.

“I understand people do get around somehow, but I don’t know how,” Bishop Norman F. McFarland told reporters in a visit to diocesan headquarters in Orange Monday. “I’m used to driving and not seeing another car for an hour. It’s something that excites me--driving a little over 55 miles per hour.”

The 64-year-old bishop smiled, waggling his bushy white eyebrows and making it clear that in his home state of Nevada he usually drives faster than the legal limit.

McFarland, bishop of Reno-Las Vegas for the last 10 years, clearly loves Nevada. Until last week, he was so sure he would live and die there that he had selected a cemetery plot in the state.

Then on Dec. 29, he was named by Pope John Paul II to head the smaller but much more populous Diocese of Orange. Next month, in ceremonies at the Holy Family Cathedral in Orange, he will be formally installed as Orange County’s second bishop, succeeding Bishop William R. Johnson, who died last July.

McFarland said Monday that

he was getting used to the idea of being a bishop in this crowded place, and he asked reporters to “understand that I am a stranger in your midst.”

Though a newcomer to Orange County, the conservative prelate made it clear at a press conference during his daylong visit that he was no stranger to Catholic doctrine--and not tolerant of priests or parishioners who might depart from it.

To those who disagree with church leaders, McFarland warned: “Follow your conscience but don’t claim at the same time that you are a Catholic. We’re not a club and all that. We have rules. We are a community of believers.”

In keeping with church doctrine, he added that he disapproved of all methods of contraception except “natural family planning.”

Asked About Theologian

McFarland’s comments on dissidents came after he was asked if he would allow a controversial theologian, Prof. Charles Curran of Catholic University of America to use church facilities in Orange County. In August, the Vatican revoked Curran’s credential to teach Catholic theology after he had publicly dissented from church positions on abortion, contraception, premarital sex, divorce and other issues.

McFarland said he would not allow Curran to speak on diocese property. “I would want to speak to him first. If he’s coming in to push his own platform, I would say no because I believe that he is wrong. . . . I don’t think he’s playing by the rules.”

McFarland reiterated his interest in having the church help immigrants meet new guidelines to become legal residents. But he said he did not understand or support making churches into sanctuaries for illegals. “People in need . . . should be helped,” he said, “but I’m not much for antagonizing authority just to make a statement.”

McFarland also said he was aware of “pockets of poverty” in wealthy Orange County and would like to learn all about its social problems, including the homeless. In Nevada, he said, his proudest achievement was increasing the operating budget of Catholic Community Services from $360,000 a year to $4.5 million.

McFarland spoke briefly about his management style, saying, “I hope I’m a good delegator” and his goal was to be able to “sleep at night” with his decisions.

Monday was a full day for McFarland, beginning with prayer at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Orange at the late Bishop Johnson’s gravesite, continuing with a visit to the nearby Priests’ House of Prayer and then on to the diocesan headquarters.

There, at about 9:30 a.m., staff members presented him with a basket of oranges and a T-shirt that said “Orange Appeal.” Later McFarland celebrated Mass and spent the afternoon meeting the staff of the diocese before returning to Reno on a 6 p.m. plane.