Watching God's hand in the process of revamping both the operations and the morale of the diocese, Bishop Weigand said his "best, most effective years came precisely when I was able to do the least (following his transplant) but had the authority to allow and let it happen, while guiding it from the sidelines.

"When I couldn't do as much, God was doing more in a sense, in and through all the mechanisms and the other leaders. That's nothing new in our theology. It goes right back to St. Paul and his teachings. When we're weak, God is more present and can do more when we're humble about it and allow God to work.

"We've had some very good years of late. We have our house in order, and there's kind of a good, lively spirit here. There's lots of vitality and hopefulness as we face the future."

He'll be around long enough to watch the outcome of Proposition 8, when California residents decide whether gay marriage should become illegal again in that state. He's worked with the interfaith coalition supporting the ballot measure and is "praying that it will pass," he said. (See accompanying story.)

After that, he's looking to reconnect with family, friends and co-workers, including people he grew fond of in Utah. Though Sacramento will continue to be home, he's planning to spend plenty of time in a small Airstream trailer he just purchased after giving his old tent trailer to a nephew.

He's looking forward to finishing some family history work and possibly to some reflective writing on his multifaceted life — "some meditative reflections about how God leads us through many surprises, twists and turns."

Though he'll be finished with administration, he'll never be finished being one of the shepherds. His new role — a "ministry of prayer" — will simply be "out of the line of fire."

"I hope to do some camping, getting out into God's nature, to read, reflect and fish. Like anyone retiring, I'm going to have to play it by ear."

---

E-mail: carrie@desnews.com