On May 19, 1984, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge prostrated himself on the floor of the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia and dedicated his life to God. Four decades since his ordination day, “I would do it all over again,” he said.
When Bishop Burbidge was a boy, he had no idea he would become a priest, let alone a bishop. “I went to a high school where we had (nearly) 30 diocesan priests on the faculty, so my friends and I always looked up to the priests. Priests were always a part of my life.”
But he never fully discerned the priesthood until one of the school’s priests asked him a question.
“I was a junior in high school, and I was walking down the hall, and a priest stopped me. He said, ‘Michael, can I see you for a moment?’ and he said to me, ‘Have you ever thought of being a priest?’ And I said, ‘Not really, Father.’ And he said, ‘Well, would you do me a favor? Would you at least think about it, because I think you would be a good priest.’ ”
“From that point on, I couldn’t stop thinking about it,” he said. He entered St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia when he was 19. Three years later, the words of a saint would fully convince him of his vocation to the priesthood.
Pope John Paul II visited St. Charles Borromeo during his trip to the U.S. in 1979. “He was in the chapel as the new pope, speaking to us. He gave a little talk on priesthood, and I would have laid down on the floor to be ordained that day if I could have,” Bishop Burbidge said. “From that point on, I knew I was going to be a priest. And I never looked back.”
On the day of his ordination, he said he felt only excitement. “That day was overwhelming in many ways, because you look out to the cathedral, and your life is in front of you.” He remembered looking into the pews and seeing priests, family and loved ones: “I was joyful.”
After his ordination, he and his classmates patiently observed the 10-day interim between ordination and clergy assignments.
“People would ask you, ‘If you had a choice, where would you want to go?’ ” Bishop Burbidge remembered. He prayed for his ideal parish assignment: a parish in Northeast Philadelphia, in a large neighborhood with a large school. “When the cardinal gave me my assignment, it was exactly the type of parish I had asked for.”
But his new assignment at St. Bernard Church “was the only assignment in my priesthood that went the way I wanted it to go,” he said with a laugh.
From there on out, his assignments were often unexpected. After two years as a parochial vicar — “as happy as a clam” — he was assigned as a high school teacher at Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield, Pa., the same high school he attended.
While he was reluctant to leave his beloved first assignment, “I ended up loving it,” Bishop Burbidge said. He taught for six years before being transferred to St. Charles Borromeo Seminary as the dean of students in 1991. While he was sad to leave, “Seminary always had a special place in my heart, so I was honored.”
Not two years passed before the vicar general asked him to serve as an administrative secretary to Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua. While the position was supposed to last for only two years, he remained there for seven years. In 1999, he was appointed rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. “I was humbled,” he remembered. “Being with the seminarians every day just made me want to become a better priest.”
During his third year as rector, he was ordained an auxiliary bishop in 2002, much to his surprise. Before a priest is ordained a bishop, “You don’t even know you’re a candidate,” Bishop Burbidge said.
He continued to serve for the next two years as the seminary rector. “But in 2006, when I got called to be the bishop in Raleigh, North Carolina, that’s the first time my life was really disrupted, according to God’s plan,” Bishop Burbidge said.
The transition from leaving his home in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and moving states away was intense. “I didn’t know one person,” he said. “It was hard. But the common theme is that, every time I was asked to do something, it wasn’t what I wanted or anticipated. But God provided, and everything worked out, and it brought me happiness, each assignment.”
After 10 joyful years in the Diocese of Raleigh, Bishop Burbidge thought he would retire there. In 2016, however, Pope Francis appointed him bishop of Arlington. Nearly eight years later, he said, “I feel as excited today to wake up as I did when I was newly ordained.”
Bishop Burbidge said that amid the many transitions throughout his priesthood, he took comfort in God’s voice in prayer: “ ‘Have I ever failed you? Have I ever disappointed you? Have I ever abandoned you? Well, I’m not going to do that now.’ So, it always helped me to look back on what the Lord had done for me and say, ‘Well, why would I stop trusting now?’ ”
Now, when he talks with seminarians, Bishop Burbidge encourages them, “When you prostrate yourself on that floor, don’t think you have your priesthood figured out or where this is going, because you’re surrendering to God and saying, ‘Lord, once I’m your priest, send me wherever you want.’ And he’ll surprise you, but he won’t abandon you.”
Bishop Burbidge said that he often enjoys when people accidentally call him “Father” instead of “Bishop.” “I really love that title, ‘Father.’ I love that title because it reminds you who you are. Through the gift of ordination, you become a spiritual father to the people God invites you to serve.”
In commemoration of the 40th anniversary of his ordination, Bishop Burbidge was the celebrant and homilist for Mass at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington May 16. Concelebrants included Father William P. Saunders, episcopal vicar for faith formation and pastor of St. Agnes Church in Arlington, and Father Robert J. Rippy, chancellor and judicial vicar. Both were also ordained priests in 1984.
Reflecting upon his 40 years as a priest, Bishop Burbidge said, “(I’m) so grateful to God for the places to which he led me — the parishes, seminary, schools, and dioceses that he’s allowed me to serve in … the incredible priests and bishops I’ve met along the way who have been great sources of inspiration for me, and the great privilege of waking up every morning to celebrate Mass, to preach the Gospel, and to be in the midst of his holy people. It’s a great source of joy,” he said. “In my priesthood, there’s been some blessings, there’s been some challenges, some joyful moments and difficult times, but through it all, God was there.”
