Though his personal hobbies lie in things like classical music, stamp collecting and reading, the bishop hasn't been afraid to get involved with parishioners — including a group of miners in rural Emery County who went on strike for several months a couple of years ago seeking better wages and working conditions. He visited the picket line in a show of support. The church provided food and financial support.

Earlier this year, he wrote a letter to Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. opposing what became a state law replacing undocumented immigrants' drivers' licenses with driving privilege cards. He said America needs a national dialogue on the plight of undocumented workers, and he was hopeful there might be national legislation regarding guest-worker status.

His sensitivity to the needs of parishioners goes further. Catholic Mass in Utah is spoken in nine languages at his direction, and the bishop has learned to speak it in Spanish for the ever-growing Hispanic population that continues to fill the pews. During an interview marking his 10th anniversary as bishop of Utah, he said it's a continuing challenge to provide services "and to recognize and respect and celebrate our cultural differences," noting that Vietnamese, Hmong, Filipino, Korean, Polish, Sudanese and Tongan parishioners are also present in the diocese.

He lauded the "dedicated collaboration" of so many within the Utah church to "accept and serve" the growing numbers here. The diocese has grown 50 percent during Bishop Niederauer's term — from 80,000 in 1994 to 120,000 in 2004, and providing physical facilities for the burgeoning population has also been high on his agenda.

In addition to the numbers, Bishop Niederauer said he's pleased with the quality of Catholic life in Utah, including the expanding outreach of Catholic Community Services and a deepened spiritual life within the parishes through the efforts of both clergy and laity.

The wider community has also been beneficiary of his efforts. In addition to supporting numerous local causes, including as longtime chairman of the Utah Coalition Against Pornography, Bishop Niederauer has been active in promoting interfaith harmony through his participation in the local Alliance for Unity.

Though a religious divide wasn't apparent to him when he first arrived in Utah, it did come to light fairly early on. Through working with leaders of other faiths and talking openly in public forums, he's come to believe that "it's a challenge to be a majority in a gracious way, and it's also a challenge to be a minority in a gracious way."