Bishop Bosco, was a cherished friend of the Benedictine Community of Saint Vincent. He was an alumnus of Saint Vincent College and Seminary and, as Bishop of the Diocese of Greensburg, he maintained a strong bond of friendship with Saint Vincent.
Among his many talents, Bishop Bosco had a special gift in realizing that humor is an essential aspect of faith. We are not alone in the difficult times of life. Trusting that the Lord truly is with us keeps us from taking ourselves too seriously. I remember once when Bishop Bosco was dealing with some difficult situation, he mentioned that he was having some trouble sleeping. He then remembered a story that was told of Pope John XXIII at the time of his election. Apparently, Pope John, after his election to the papacy and realizing the heavy burden of responsibility for the entire Church that had been placed on his shoulders, was not able to sleep. Then he said that while trying to fall asleep, this prayer spontaneously came to his mind: “Lord, this is not my Church. This is Your Church.” Thus relieved of the burden of imagining that the responsibility was his alone, he was able to sleep in hope and in peace.
I think this is a lesson that Pope John XXIII and Bishop Bosco leave to us as a gospel legacy. We are not alone. A sign that our faith is strong may be that it is not devoid of humor. The humor implies that we, too, realize that the Lord is present with us to share the burden of life and to help us enjoy the gifts of life.
Bishop Bosco will be missed by many people in the Greensburg and Pittsburgh Dioceses who knew him as a bishop and as a genuine human being.