down, and the driver shouted out to me. He said: "I have some Catholics in my cab who do not believe you are the Lord Bishop of Bermuda!'' I thought to myself how odd, why on earth would they think that, and why would that driver bother to tell me such a thing? But then I recalled that I myself have on occasion been somewhat surprised that I am indeed the Bishop of the Diocese of Bermuda. Me, a Somerset Bye, the child of Geraldine and Stanley Ratteray.

Recently I was in Boston and Philadelphia taking part in a Teaching Mission and then a Theological and Devotional Conference with the theme "Christ our Future''.

I had the honour and privilege of preaching at the start of both of these important events. In both places I was accorded a level of deference and respect that rarely (if ever) happens here in Bermuda. People dropped to their knees and kissed my ring on meeting me, and they insisted on carrying my bags.

At the end of the services, as the procession moved down the aisle, people knelt to receive a blessing. All this could easily go to one's head, if one let it. But that does not happen to me because when I come home I get, "hey bye, how are you doing?'' And at home I am just a husband and a Dad! What happened in those two cities is normal in most of the places I have visited in the US. It is kind of nice and indicative of respect for the office of Bishop.

So what does it mean to be a Bishop, and what does a Bishop do? I will quote from one of our Prayer Books (ASB) to give you a clear idea of what it means to be a Bishop in the Church of God.

"A bishop is called to lead in serving and caring for the people of God and to work with them in the oversight of the Church. As chief pastor he shares with his fellow bishops a special responsibility to maintain and further the unity of the Church, to uphold its discipline, and to guard its faith. He is to promote its mission throughout the world. It is his duty to watch over and pray for those committed to his charge, and to teach and govern them after the example of the Apostles, speaking in the name of God and interpreting the gospel of Christ. He is to know his people and be known by them. He is to ordain and to send new ministers, guiding those who serve with him and enable them to fulfill their ministry.

"He is to baptize and confirm, to preside at the Holy Communion, and to lead the offering of prayer and praise. He is to be merciful, but with firmness, and to minister discipline, but with mercy. He is to have a special care for the outcast and needy; and to those who turn to God he is to declare the forgiveness of sins.'' That is a pretty broad brief or job description for anyone! It is an awesome responsibility, and one that I take very seriously. I will just comment on a couple of aspects of the job outlined above, that is, maintenance of unity and promoting the church's missions.

The Church in Bermuda has from time to time, just as other churches around the world, suffered from internal division due to differences of opinion between different parties. That is an inevitable consequence of our humanity. We will occasionally not agree about certain matters. However, it is important that when we differ, that we do so in a spirit of love. Sometimes the best way forward is through agreeing to differ and moving forward. It is part of my job to help people to see the bigger picture, and encourage them not to allow personalities to get in the way of finding a solution to any given problem.

One of my primary functions is to minister to the clergy of the Diocese, to be to them a Father in God. and to be the same to the wider church as well. Even in a small place like Bermuda, that is by no means a piece of cake! The Mission of the Church is to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. As a Bishop I am charged with the job of promoting that cause throughout the world. That is why I was pleased to take part in such events as I did in Boston and Philadelphia last month. So my ministry is not confined to Bermuda. To that end, since my consecration, four years ago, I have been to the States a number of times. I have preached in Camden, Maine, New York, Newport, Rhode Island and Washington DC, as well as in Trinidad and Barbados in the West Indies. The experiences that I have had in these varied places are immensely enriching and just plain fun. I enjoy myself, even though it is a major trauma actually getting to these places, because I do not like to fly! As far as Bermuda is concerned it was a great joy to preside over a wonderful Eucharist in Victoria Park recently. We had Bishop Mano, a Pakistani, of USPG as our special preacher. It is interesting to not that there were over 1,000 enthusiastic Anglicans celebrating and sharing their faith on an overcast and slightly damp Sunday morning. The diversity of our Church was evident as Bermudian and non-Bermudian, young and old, black and white, male and female worshipped together in a beautiful setting.

I wonder why the media did not cover such a significant and uplifting event? Was it because the News was too Good? So what else do I do? Each day, except on my day off, I am at the Cathedral for prayers at 7.30 in the morning, which is followed by the Holy Eucharist.

This is the essential starting point of my day. It is a time to bring before God all that is of concern to me in terms of thanksgiving and petition. Later in the day we meet, the Residentiary Canon and I, for prayer. In between there are a variety of events, such as meetings, hospital visits, pastoral counseling and administrative matters. The day does not necessarily end after Evening Prayer at 5 p.m.; sometimes there are meetings to attend or a service on one of the church's feast days.

This is very worthwhile work for me. I have to make time to read documents, papers and books related to my work and to write sermons of course! In addition I am asked to bless a host of things, ranging from a dock, to a house or a church, to a fountain, to say nothing of banquets, dinners and lunches that I am asked to attend. On Sundays I am mostly at the Cathedral where my cathedra (seat or throne) is. On some Sundays I also go to the parishes generally to administer the sacrament of Confirmation. This involves my going to the church to meet the candidates before the event, during the week, so that we may have the chance to get to know one another a little bit.

We therefore come to this important event in their lives not as strangers.

While this is an extremely small Diocese, one of the smallest in the world, there is much to be done. There is always something going on, be it religious or social. The interaction that I am privileged to have with people from all areas of the social and political spectrum, local and foreign, is both humbling and exciting. It is not at all something that I ever envisaged that I would find myself doing. Yet it goes with the job, and I find that it enriches me personally and feeds my prayer life. By that I mean, I pray for all whom I encounter each day, even it they are not aware of it.

It would be very easy for me to be driven mad by the pettiness of some folk in this small place, where almost everything is over dramatised and blown out of proportion. Yet my sanity is preserved by exercise at the gym and by my weekly day off. It is essential for me and indeed for all of us to take time to recreate ourselves. Otherwise we simply burn ourselves out, and that is no good to anyone! I am occasionally asked if I enjoy being Bishop; my usual reply is "Yes, most of the time!'' Enriched: Bishop of Bermuda the Rt. Rev. Ewan Ratteray.