The archbishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans may seem a tall and distant figure to many students at Loyola. While at times, archbishop Gregory Aymond is serious because the occasion asks for it, he can also relax and be himself.
“I believe that I have, as a bishop, a formal role in terms of liturgy and talks and so forth, but I’m Greg, and I want to be who I am. I’m not particularly hung up on formalities and roles and so forth,” Aymond said. “I believe God uses us the best when we are ourselves and our best self, and so for me it’s natural and enjoyable to sit around with young adults and to talk, to laugh, to share stories and to talk about our faith.”
Aymond is the head of the Catholic community in New Orleans, which encompasses 50,000 square miles and has close to half a million Catholics.
“My job is to lead God’s people, preach God’s word, celebrate the sacraments and be a shepherd, like Jesus. I am also the one who would be the sign of unity and collaboration among all the priests, deacons, religious and people in lay ministry,” he said. “When you look back historically, the bishop is a successor of the apostles.”
The Catholic community also includes the Catholic schools of all levels, from elementary schools to universities, like Loyola.
“The archbishop oversees all Catholic parishes, institutions and agencies, and though I would certainly not be connected directly to the day-to-day administration of the university, the archbishop, by his very nature, is attached to overseeing all Catholic institutions, their Catholic identity, their effectiveness in fulfilling the mission of Christ,” Aymond said.
Aymond, however, has a special appreciation for Loyola.
“I have great love and respect for the Jesuits. I was born and raised here in New Orleans, and have always valued the important mission of Loyola University,” he said. “I know many of the Jesuits, I have had a Jesuit spiritual director for most of my life, and so I see the gift that the Society of Jesus brings to the church, and particularly to the Archdiocese of New Orleans.”
Aymond tries to be a very visible person in the school. He has come to speak to different religious organizations on campus, such as Compass last spring. Aymond is also known for being in the gym five minutes before it opens in the morning. All of this gives him the opportunity to interact with young adults, which to him, is a very important aspect of being Catholic.
“The times I have been to Loyola, I have felt particularly comfortable because the students that I have met there have been very faith-filled and very committed to the Church. I have found them very open, very faith-filled, very eager to hear what the Church is teaching and be able to talk about that, to question that, to learn more about it,” he said. “They have enabled me to relax and to be myself.”
Aymond stressed that simply because he is the archbishop, it does not mean that he is superior to other Catholics. Before he came to Loyola, he said he wanted to make sure that the students felt comfortable around him. He wanted them to see that he was a regular Catholic like them; the only difference was that he was the archbishop, as he put it.
Aymond recalls some of the conversations he had with the students. He said he was surprised at how well they were able to discuss challenging issues in a constructive way.
Eduardo Gonzalez can be reached at
