At 71, still riding a Harley, Archbishop Thomas Wenski is ready for challenges
MIAMI - Looking fit and trim, Archbishop Thomas Wenski, who has lost 55 pounds since January was getting set for another day at the Archdiocese of Miami.
About that weight loss, Wenski said "…done it by following a low carb, no carb diet and lots of exercise."
It is a contrast to his image of a burly biker. Wenski is famous for showing up at events on his Harley, "I still ride my motorcycle when I can," he laments.
Wenski was recently honored with a Mass celebrating his 25th Anniversary as a Bishop.
He was ordained as a priest 46 years ago and has spent his career in Florida, best known for working in the Cuban and Haitian communities.
And how about the future? Wenski told CBS4, "I am only 71 years old when I get to 75, the Pope will ask me to submit a letter offering my resignation. If I am in good health and he likes what I am doing, he will give me another year or two more... who knows? Ha, Ha."
Wenski heads the Archdiocese of Miami, which serves almost half-a-million Catholics in Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. It is a big job.
When we asked, "What keeps you going, Wenski was quick to reply, "a lot of coffee in the morning."
What drives Wenski is much more than coffee, as he puts it, "The Shepard has to be on the lookout for his sheep and protect them." Backed with a deeply held affection for God and Church, Wenski is a vocal defender of Church policy and issues.
He weighs in on abortion, the death penalty and hot burning issue: immigration.
The archbishop can be combative and has gone nose to nose with politicians.
"Certainly, we have a problem with our broken immigration system and that is the problem, the immigrants themselves are not problems, they are our brothers and sisters, they are human beings."
While the archbishop appreciates the honors, the guy who grew up in Lake Worth, who knew as a third grader he wanted to be a priest, tends his very large flock. Not always an easy group putting it this way,
"My job is not to make everybody happy or please everybody because when you do that, you wind up pleasing no one, my job is to please the lord above…and I hope I am trying to do that."
