At the first Mass we staffers attended with our newly-named Bishop Thomas G. Doran, I felt a sense of deja vu.

The native son had come from Rome when he was announced, and I had not recognized him, nor did I expect to. But when I saw him up close at this small Mass, I knew I’d been in that same spot, with him at the altar.

It took some thought, but finally I realized that, as Father Doran, he had celebrated some of the daily Masses at St. Bridget Parish during his visits with his close friend, Msgr. John Mitchell, who was pastor there.

That “we’ve been here before” Mass was a happy way to begin working for Bishop Doran.

Another of my earlier memories of Bishop Doran is not a pleasant one.

He was ordained a bishop in June, so I believe it was on Labor Day that he celebrated his first Mass out at Calvary Cemetery. A reception followed at the cemetery office.

Bishop Doran came in, chose a glass of punch and turned around with a pleasant and relaxed look, ready to meet and greet the faithful.

Immediately, a man came over to him, and Bishop Doran said a cordial “hello.” That guy just lit into him, getting right into his face with his complaint about something that preceded the bishop’s tenure. He was loud and obnoxious and mean-spirited.

It was terrible to see the shock on our then-new bishop’s face, and even worse to see him kind of shut down inside — putting up one of those inner barriers we all have to provide some level of protection of spirit and soul.

Bishop Doran left the reception soon after, without greeting many others in attendance.

I really can’t recall seeing him relax at public events after that. He was always a little guarded and cautious, perhaps even pessimistic, when unknown people approached him. That was a shame because he had a lovely smile and good laugh when he was in other settings.

No one who is not a bishop can know what a bishop goes through. Bishop Malloy — who worked for individual bishops and for the U.S. bishops as a whole for several years — told people at one event some months ago that before he was a bishop he thought he knew what bishops do. It was only after he was made a bishop, he said, that he discovered he really had not comprehended the scope of all that they have to do.

Although I can’t even pretend to know what being the chief shepherd entails, I can say three things about the job with certainty: it is often exhausting; there are many unexpected disappointments; and the bishops with servant hearts are always being pruned by Christ so they can bear more fruit.

When we pray for our current bishop and all bishops, perhaps our petitions could include that God will give them the gifts of energy and strength, guide them in their ministry, keep them safe in their travels and reassure them of the good hearts of many priests and laity under their care to encourage them when the actions of wayward members of their flock come to light.

The pruning process that God uses to help all who are willing to grow in holiness is rough, and we can surmise that His purification work on bishops is even more intense. So let us pray that God will give His bishops the graces they need to soldier on, particularly when He is keeping them from experiencing any real sense of satisfaction or accomplishment in their ministry.

Let us ask the Lord to enable bishops to provide helpful advice and support for each other as the challenges come along.

We can pray also that God puts the right people in the right places at the right times to assist their bishops in building up the Kingdom of God. We ask also that He will thwart the mean-spirited efforts of those few inside and outside of the Church who work to tear down that Kingdom.

A former lay assistant to Bishop Doran once told me that the one word she would use to describe him was “kind.”

I would agree. May he rest in peace.