While many Columbus students recognize Bishop Earl Fernandes as the shepherd of their diocese, few have an opportunity to sit down and get to know the bishop more personally. Several students from diocesan high schools received a chance to do just that last month.

St. Gabriel Radio hosted a high school student forum with the bishop on Wednesday, March 20 at Columbus Bishop Hartley High School. Catholic high schools were invited to send four student representatives to the forum to ask Bishop Fernandes a question of their choice.

The forum was recorded by St. Gabriel Radio and aired the following Monday, March 25 at 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. on the radio station (AM 820 in Columbus).

Students were present from eight Catholic high schools, including Bishop Hartley, Columbus Bishop Ready, Bishop Watterson and St. Francis DeSales high schools, as well as Columbus St. Charles Preparatory School, Cristo Rey Columbus High School and Lancaster Fisher Catholic and Newark Catholic high schools.

Bishop Fernandes joined students in one of the school’s classrooms to answer their questions. The high schoolers came prepared with questions ranging from the bishop’s vocation to his work and goals for the diocese.

The forum, which was broken into three 20-minute recorded segments, kicked off with a question from Bishop Ready student Maeghann Green. She asked the bishop about his motto, “Veni per Mariam,” which comes from a prayer by Msgr. Luigi Giussani, “Ven Sancte Spiritus – Veni per Mariam” (Come Holy Spirit – Come through Mary). Bishop Fernandes spoke to students about his devotion to the Blessed Mother.

Lauren Meier, a Newark Catholic student, questioned the bishop about her generation, Generation Z, which, she said, is known for its decreasing number of Catholics and increasing number of non-believers. She asked Bishop Fernandes where he sees this as being false in the Diocese of Columbus and how her generation can build up the faith for themselves and generations after them.

A high school forum with Bishop Earl Fernandes was held on March 20 at Columbus Bishop Hartley High School. Photo courtesy Abigail Pitones

The third question came from Zach Utt, a student at St. Charles. He inquired about the bishop’s “future goals” to improve Catholic culture and education in diocesan Catholic schools.

Bishop Watterson senior Ben Cottrell asked Bishop Fernandes about a previous comment in which he stated that “you have to be creative to be holy.” Cottrell was curious what the bishop meant.

Lucy Wills, a student at St. Francis DeSales, questioned Bishop Fernandes about his vocation. She asked the bishop where and how he first heard the calling to be a priest. Similarly, Nick Brokamp, a junior at St. Charles, asked the bishop if he had any advice for young people in discerning their vocation.

The microphone returned to Bishop Ready as student Bella Hain asked Bishop Fernandes what he believes the most pressing issues are in the diocese and how they can be addressed. The bishop voiced his priorities of evangelization and vocations, noting that marriage and family life is in jeopardy as marriages continue to decline.

 Cristina Diaz, a student at Cristo Rey, asked Bishop Fernandes about gender equality in the Catholic Church and the possibility of women being ordained as priests. The bishop acknowledged that while Church law bars women from ordination to the priesthood, they serve in many capacities today in the Church.

He noted that women build up the Church in several ways, including, perhaps foremost, as mothers, generating new life. Bishop Fernandes also spoke to ways women serve in professional roles in the Church, including locally in the Diocese of Columbus.

Maggie Murphy, a student at Fisher Catholic, asked the bishop for recommendations on finding joy “when life seems to be going all wrong.”

Bishop Watterson student Sofia Siles asked what advice the bishop can offer young people preparing for college on maintaining a faith-filled life. Green asked Bishop Fernandes for tips for students interested in studying abroad, noting that the bishop received his doctorate overseas from the Alphonsian Academy in Rome.

Skyler Thomae, a student at Cristo Rey, asked Bishop Fernandes the “most difficult thing” he has gone through as a bishop.

Students from Lancaster Fisher Catholic High School express their appreciation to Bishop Earl Fernandes for answering their questions at a forum for diocesan high school students hosted by St. Gabriel Radio at Bishop Hartley High School.

Bouncing back to the host school, Emerson Summers, a Bishop Hartley senior, questioned how Bishop Fernandes, as a successor to the Apostles, looks to the Apostles and Christ Himself and how his understanding of Apostolic succession guides his leadership as bishop.

“It is something I’ve always wondered, the concept of Apostolic succession and how every bishop has stemmed from the Apostles,” Summers said afterward. “I wanted to know how a bishop such as himself thinks about that and uses that to walk in his spiritual life and really look to the Apostles in everything that he does.”

Summers described the forum with Bishop Fernandes as an “eye-opening experience.” She was grateful to join other Catholic school students in Columbus, she said, and for an opportunity to ask the bishop a question.

“I’m very honored I was able to be here and to get to speak with His Excellency on different aspects of his work as a bishop,” she said.

“It was a very moving experience to get to talk to him face to face not just with my question but getting to listen to others and really hear his personal thoughts about how our diocese is going, his own spiritual walk to become Bishop of the Columbus diocese.”

St. Francis DeSales junior Eunice Otu-Danquah asked Bishop Fernandes if he ever considered getting married and having children prior to his vocation to the priesthood. The bishop, who answered in the affirmative, said if a man does not desire to be a husband and father then it’s unlikely he is called to the priesthood.

Otu-Danquah said her question was inspired by Sister Guerline Joseph, a Salesian Sister of St. John Bosco who serves in campus ministry at St. Francis DeSales. During a Salesian retreat last October, she said, Sister Guerline shared her story about life before becoming a sister.

“It was amazing, and so I wanted to hear Bishop Fernandes’ perspective on how his life was before and what his thoughts were before becoming a bishop,” Otu-Danquah said.

She described the forum as “an amazing experience” and said it was good getting to know Bishop Fernandes on a personal level.

“It feels like I know him more because there were never really times where I got to hear his perspective about things about being Catholic, Catholic faith and everything,” Otu-Danquah said. “Everything that he talked about made me grow and see the Catholic faith in a different view.”

Bishop Earl Fernandes listens to a question from a student at the high school forum. Photo courtesy Abigail Pitones

Bishop Hartley senior Rory Ralston’s question focused on the high school’s six pillars: faith, preparation, community, spirit, leadership and service. He asked which the bishop believes is most important in a high school and why, to which Bishop Fernandes responded “faith” and explained why he sees the virtue as most important.

“He talked about how, even in community or preparation, we need faith and if we have faith, we’re able to have preparation; we’re able to have leadership; we’re able to use our service; and I thought that was a very nice way to look at it,” Rolston reflected afterward.

“I was sitting in class and I really was nervous on what to ask him, and then I looked up on the wall and I saw our six pillars, and I thought, this could be a unique question to ask about our own school.”

Rolston said he was inspired by the bishop’s answers during the forum, and he described Bishop Fernandes as a “very good public speaker.” He said the bishop has “insightful things to say” and thought he captivated the audience well.

To listen to the full recording, an archive of the forum is available at www.stgabrielradio.com.