Being confined to a wheelchair is not a punishment from God, said Archbishop Daniel Bohan in response to a question from one of the residents of the Wascana Rehabilitation Hospital. The Archbishop, along with Reverend Norm Marcotte, celebrated mass, had lunch and met with some residents of the hospital December 18.

The few residents who met with the Archbishop, all in wheelchairs with various afflictions, did not lament their situation but one repeated the question she said is often asked by newcomers to the hospital, ‘why me. What did I do to deserve this’? the Archbishop replied that that’s the way the world is. “We have no control over that,” he said, “but we do have control over what we do.” He said he was moved by the love in the room when several patients told him how they try to help others. “Whenever we are there to help with things that can be done is what gives value to our lives,” One patient said she’s trying to help someone relearn speaking following an accident that took away her ability to talk. Another talked of his writing and his response when asked for his opinion. “You look at life differently,” said the Archbishop, “and it’s a gift that you give to others.”

Later in the hour and again in response to questions, the Archbishop said that God doesn’t always take away the problems but helps to deal with them. “We can take our suffering and it becomes a power for good.” His mother always told him to offer it up whenever he complained about a hurt. “Why did God have to die that way,” asked one patient. “God sent Jesus to take on humanity. No matter how cruel we treat each other, we can’t say God doesn’t know because he suffered it. We can’t say He doesn’t understand.  We are not alone” (in our suffering), said Bohan.  

The Archbishop said he became a bishop when the Pope appointed him. He told the questioner he doesn’t know why he was chosen. He admitted it was difficult to say yes to the appointment because his home was in the Maritimes. “My 92 year-old-mother is there and I was priest in the church where she was. I was there when she needed me so it was difficult.” When he told his mother about first moving to Toronto as Ancillary Bishop then to Regina even further away, she said she’d have to think about that. She had a personal meeting with the Pope in Rome, he said, and that helped make things easier. “It was not easy to come here,” said Archbishop Bohan,” but if I had not come to Regina, I would have missed wonderful things in my life.”

The Archbishop also explained the changes in the mass in response to a question. He pointed out the mass is actually in Latin and the first translations were made in some haste and new translations made them closer to the Latin original.