Justin Bieber could have taken a lesson from Dallas’ new man-of-the-hour Catholic Bishop Edward Burns. As more than 1,000 guests gathered in front of the Omni’s Dallas Ballroom for the 19th Annual Bishop’s Ball on Saturday, January 28, the crowd seemed bigger than ever. Perhaps it was due to the get-the-action-going Huey Lewis and the News, but lights, cameras and handlers were buzzing as Dallas’ new bishop arrived for the Catholic Charities fundraiser.
Steve and Betty Suellentrop, Edward Burns and Kathleen and Dave Woodyard
Earlier in the evening, Burns had been part of a VIP reception upstairs with Co-Chairs Betty and Steve Suellentop, Kathleen and Catholic Charities CEO Dave Woodyard and Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, who was doing double duty at the Omni. After the private reception, Mike held a press conference in another part of the hotel to “make a statement and answer questions from the media” regarding the barring of certain immigrants at DFW Airport.
Admittedly the bishop looked a little amazed at all the hullabaloo, but with red cheeks and a true Irish grin, he smiled and accommodated all.
When asked what his former parishioners in Alaska thought about his move to Dallas, he flashed a killer smile and said, “Some people in Alaska think I’m being downsized!”
Bernie Gonzalez, Mary Drummond, Anna Salcedo and Reid Hatzmann
Rod Boudreaux, Charles Grahmann and Gwen Boudreaux
Barbara and Steve Landregan
As Burns was ushered through the crowd, including volunteers from Ursuline and Jesuit, past Dallas Bishop Charles Grahmann was greeted by friends like Gwen and Rod Boudreaux and Barbara and Steve Landregan. (Steve wrote Grahmann’s bio, “To Walk Humbly With Your God.”) The 85-year-old Grahmann felt right at home among the crowd and looked spry. He attributed it to his receiving dialysis three times a week. In fact, in seeking medical advice from Houston healthcare experts regarding a transplant, he was told the dialysis treatments were right on point and that he should continue with them and skip the transplant.
Since retiring in 2007, Grahmann has been living at a retirement center outside of San Antonio. It’s so pastoral that the deer come to the window and don’t mind being hand-fed.
But that quiet calm was anywhere but in the ballroom when Huey and his crew spread the “power of love.”