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Meet Bishop Joel M. Konzen, S.M. – Marist, Moderator of the Curia, and Appreciator of Music
In 2018, Auxiliary Bishop Joel M. Konzen, S.M. was just minutes away from celebrating the annual Mass for Catholic Education with Archbishop Wilton Gregory when his phone rang.
“I couldn’t quite hear very well, and Archbishop Gregory kind of took me by the elbow and said, ‘Why don’t you go downstairs and take this call where you can hear better?’ …. So, when I did get to where I could hear, I heard [the caller] say, ‘This is Archbishop Christophe Pierre, and I’m calling because the Holy Father is asking you to be an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta.’” – Most Reverend Joel M. Konzen, S.M.
Then Father Konzen was stunned. It took a moment before he could ask a few questions of the apostolic nuncio to the United States. After a brief exchange, the nuncio asked, “What do you want me to tell the Holy Father?” With a question like that, Bishop Konzen points out, it made sense to say yes.
While the call may have come as a surprise, looking at his vocational journey and accomplishments as a Marist priest, educator, and administrator, all his experiences certainly have aided in his role as auxiliary bishop.
“When I think about what might have promoted my vocation to the priesthood, I think a big part of it was going to daily Mass, which I enjoyed. Then, the fact that my mother had an uncle who was a priest out in Colorado. I think hearing about Monsignor Leo all the time helped me to know the respect [my parents] had, and, if that was something I wanted to do, that it was probably going to be all right with them.”
– Most Reverend Joel M. Konzen, S.M.
Growing up in Oak Harbor, Ohio, Bishop Konzen’s family was very involved at St. Boniface Catholic Church. With his school less than a block away, it was easy for him to assist as an altar server during the week and attend daily Mass with his parents.
By eighth grade, he felt a strong pull towards the priesthood. After ringing the doorbell at the parish rectory, his local priest suggested he apply to a high school seminary. Despite having to move 100 miles away to Columbus, Ohio, Bishop Konzen felt at home.
“I felt like it was what I was looking for…You have to keep asking yourself, ‘Is this where I belong? Do I see my vocation growing and being strengthened?’ And I did.” – Most Reverend Joel M. Konzen, S.M.
While initially studying to be a diocesan priest, during college, he felt a desire to go to the then mission diocese of Atlanta, and later, to join a religious order. He came to know many Marist faculty members while earning his Master of Divinity at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. The Society of Mary appealed to him in several ways.
“Certainly, the devotion to the Blessed Mother, which was something that I grew up with. We prayed the rosary in the house and had a lot of respect for Mary and for her place in the church. I also wanted to get involved in education in some way, [and] the Marists are educators, but they also had parishes and that appealed to me…As it turned out, I only had one year in a parish, and all the rest was schools.” – Most Reverend Joel M. Konzen, S.M.
When serving as a parochial vicar in Lafayette, Louisiana, the Marist provincial asked him to come to Atlanta to prepare to be the principal at Marist School. He spent his first years at Marist teaching English and working in administration. During the summers, he studied for his master’s degree in educational administration.
“All told, I spent 34 years in schools: 31 as a principal or a president, and then three years teaching. Beyond that, I spent five years in our province government and the Marists’ administration in Washington, D.C. as the vicar provincial.” – Most Reverend Joel M. Konzen, S.M.
Still, nothing can prepare anyone for stepping into the role of bishop. He had just two months between receiving the news and being ordained. The ordination and celebrations were joyous, but Bishop Konzen acknowledges feeling nervous stepping into the new position.
“I felt like I was walking on eggshells a bit. I didn’t know exactly what I should say and do sometimes. There’s nothing that really prepares you, and you’re supposed to just kind of learn on the job; there is no handbook… One of the first things you wind up doing is confirmations, and, more than anything, that probably breaks you in.” – Most Reverend Joel M. Konzen, S.M.
He was able to find his footing by embracing the busy schedule of an auxiliary bishop. Unlike some dioceses where bishops oversee specific regions, the auxiliary bishops of the Archdiocese of Atlanta divide areas of responsibilities. Bishop Konzen is Moderator of the Curia, making him responsible for the personnel at the Chancery, and he oversees six offices: Communications, Education (Catholic Schools), Finance, Human Resources, Catholic Construction, and the Office of Mission Advancement. He is also on the board at Christ the King School and Marist School, devotes time to Laudato Si Care for Creation initiatives, and has been working towards strengthening Jewish-Catholic relations, especially as the 60th Anniversary of Nostra Aetate approaches.
Bishop Konzen acknowledges that time is the most challenging aspect of his role. With a wide range of responsibilities, events, and activities each day, being there for everyone and balancing it all can be difficult. Still, he notes the impact the role of the bishop can have on the community.
“Sometimes it is as simple as showing up at different things. We go to events for [schools], the Pregnancy Aid Clinic, Catholic Charities, Saint Vincent de Paul Society, other Catholic entities where we just want to be supportive and be present, to say the archdiocese wants to be here and to be counted on to help in any way that we can.” -Most Reverend Joel M. Konzen, S.M.
He is likewise enthusiastic about promoting the many spiritual opportunities and resources throughout the Archdiocese of Atlanta. He works to highlight the positive impact of Catholic schools, where young people are more likely to stay connected to their faith and where community service becomes second nature. He shares the benefits of the five retreat facilities found throughout the region, each with a distinct focus and approach. He works to support seminarians and uplift the young men who have accepted the challenge of discernment. With so much good work going on across the archdiocese, Bishop Konzen finds the most rewarding aspect of his role as auxiliary bishop being able to get to know the region’s many parishes and schools.
“It’s a role, I guess you could say, almost only a bishop can have…You get to see how much really wonderful work is being done and see what wonderful personnel, in addition to our priests and deacons, that we have.” -Most Reverend Joel M. Konzen, S.M.
Fun Facts with Bishop Konzen
What do you like to do in your downtime?
“I like to get out to dinner with friends. I enjoy reading. I go to concerts. I’m a choral music fan. Choral, classical, and jazz.”
Do you have any hidden talents?
“In seminary and in my home parish, I was an organist for a time. Let’s see, what else, maybe, spelling and English grammar? For some reason, that just took for me in high school. I find myself always proofreading everything, whether I’ve been asked to or not.”
What is your favorite piece of music?
“I suppose the Duruflé Requiem would be my favorite piece of music. It’s essentially the old Gregorian Requiem Mass put to modern orchestration.”
What is your favorite book?
“I would say Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton.”
What is your favorite movie?
“Shadowlands, which is the story of C.S. Lewis, played by Anthony Hopkins.”
What are some of your favorite places to visit?
“My home state of Ohio. I always love going there in the summertime. I like to travel to England when I can. New England, I like to go driving through New England.”
What are your favorite scripture passages?
“Luke’s Gospel, chapter 17, verse 10: “So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’” I feel like for us in religious life, that’s what you vow to do, become servants and make yourself useful to other people, to the church, to God.
When you become a bishop, you’re asked to choose a motto, so what I chose was from Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapter 12, verse 8, where he lists a number of gifts of the Holy Spirit. The last in his list is, ‘For those who show mercy, let them do it cheerfully.’”
Who is your favorite saint?
“Maybe Augustine. I think I’ve always been an admirer of this great author who had a way of expressing himself that I think appeals to many, many people. And suddenly now we have a Pope who is an Augustinian!”
