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Mar 03, 2014 | C. Andrew Doyle

Bishop Doyle: Bishop Benitez was an "Individual of Profound Integrity"

Bishop Benitez & Bishop Doyle
at Diocesan Council in 2012

In the response to the death of Bishop Maurice "Ben" Benitez, Bishop Andy Doyle offered the following words:

 

Bishop Benitez was the bishop who sent me to seminary. I attended one clergy conference before he retired, so I did not get to know Bishop Benitez in my early days of ministry. However, upon my election Bishop Benitez called me and invited me to come visit. We spent three days together - over a period of months - talking about his spiritual journey and his life as bishop and reflecting what this new ministry would mean for me. I always found that he was willing to talk and write about things that were going on. The most powerful thing that I enjoyed from Bishop Benitez was his private and public unequivocal support. He always insisted that I call him Ben, and he always was open and honest about his opinions. While we did not always agree he would always remind me that he would support me publicly, and that I was his bishop and he would be loyal. I don't think personally or professionally anybody could ask for anybody to be more supportive than that.

In passing, it might be easy for people in the Episcopal Church to remember Bishop Benitez for the controversial years of his ministry in the midst of the great Episcopal Church conflict over sexuality. Or to second guess his decisions. Ben was a far greater man than those memories might lead you to believe. He was an advocate for desegregation. He was a individual of profound integrity who fought for equality and peace between blacks and whites early in his ministry and within his parishes. Later, this would be reflected in his commitment to Hispanic ministry.

When Ben became Bishop, the Diocese of Texas had not been participating in the Episcopal liturgical reformation that was underway. Ben encouraged people to experiment with liturgy and to try to use the new forms to reach generations of unchurched people. He was an advocate early on for Hispanic ministry and attempted any number of ways to start new congregations and to transform congregations to meet the emerging mission imperative to those who speak Spanish in Texas. Ben raised tremendous amounts of money for the institutions and for the Diocese itself. Although many remember a failed attempt to sell the hospital, Ben's support of the hospital enabled it to grow and thrive during his tenure. He began Episcopal high school and brought leaders in the city of Houston together to raise funds for a new school in Houston that today is a leading college preparatory school not only in Houston but across the country. 

 

Ben encouraged individuals to use new technology to start new congregations and began to be an early adapter for the new missionary movement. I remember that we thought he was crazy when he started a new congregation by telephone and yet that innovative and creative thinking is what we encourage today. Ben led the diocese to creatively use the Coffield estate to create the Episcopal foundation of Texas which today has given away over $50 million and continues to grow its corpus far beyond the original $35 million gift.

He loved the Episcopal Church and over his many years as Bishop led Texans to participate fully and take their place across the leadership spectrum in our church, participating fully in our life and mission.

 

As we give thanks for Ben, his life and ministry among us, I am reminded that he had a far reaching, positive impact on our life in this church - and for that we should be grateful to God.

The Rt Rev C Andrew Doyle
Episcopal Diocese of Texas