Faith On the Move: Bishop Christopher Coyne

For several years, I’ve enjoyed watching the travels and service of Bishop Christopher Coyne, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. I first met Bishop Coyne at the Catholic New Media Conference in Kansas City in 2011.

Along with being our principal homilist, Bishop sat among the rest of the conference participants and came to the rescue when the conference wifi went on the fritz by fashioning a network for us to use. Bishop Coyne, along with being a spiritual shepherd, is a blogger, a podcaster and an avid traveler. I’m pleased to share this interview and encourage you to check out Bishop’s blog and podcast.

Name:

Bishop Christopher Coyne

Vocation:

Just trying to be a Disciple of the Lord

Location:

Archdiocese of Indianapolis

Website:

• archindy.org
• Blog: http://thoughtsofacatholicbishop.blogspot.com/
• Podcast Blog: http://bishopcoyne.epeko.com/

Social Media Links:

• Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/bishopcoyne
• FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bishop-Christopher-Coyne/145944948812289

Tell us a bit about yourself:

I was born in Woburn, MA, son of William and Rita, one of seven children. BA from University of Lowell; MDiv from St. John’s Seminary, Boston; ordained a priest of Boston in 1986; License in Sacred Liturgy and Doctorate in Sacred Liturgy from St. Anselmo, Rome Italy; Ordained Auxiliary Bishop of Indianapolis in 2011. Named apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis in September 2011, I served in that role until the appointment of Archbishop Joseph Tobin in December 2012. I now serve the archdiocese as Vicar General.

How often do you travel?

15-20 times a year

Is the majority of your travel for business, pleasure, spiritual enrichment, or “all of the above”?

Mainly business

Where are some of your favorite destinations?

Italy (especially the Amalfi Coast) and France

How is travel a spiritual experience for you? How do you turn any travel opportunity into a pilgrimage?

I always try and keep some sort of “retreat time” built into my travels. If I am on vacation, I include spiritual reading and Scripture as part of my liesure time.

Have you ever had a “travel nightmare”? How did your faith help you through the experience?

I remember being on one of those summer afternoon flights over the US when there were thunderstorms everywhere. The pilot even came on to apologize and say there was nowhere to go to avoid the turbulence. I am not a nervous flier but it was still pretty scary. I was quietly praying the Rosary when I noticed the woman next to me was really “white knuckled” so I told her I was praying the Rosary with one hand and would be glad to hold her hand with my other. She readily accepted ….

What advice would you give to a fellow Catholic tourist?

Besides Rosary beads on the plane? If you get a chance, always visit the local cathedral. They are usually quite beautiful.

What destination is on your “must see” list for the future?

Ireland

What are some of your favorite tourism related websites, apps and books?

Any of the “Blue Guides” are always handy to have with you. I always try and have the in my bag when traveling http://www.blueguides.com

Do you have any additional comments you’d like to share with our readers?

Wherever you go, always try and enjoy the local food and drink. No need to visit an American fast food place or eatery anywhere outside of the US. You could stay home to do that. Realize, too, that a lot of the ethnic food here in the US is Americanized. Meatballs in the US are different than “meatballs” in Italy. (If you can even find them.)

Take a tour of our Faith on the Move archives to meet other Catholic Tourists