Andy Close
WARREN, Pa. – Retired Bishop of the Diocese of Erie Donald Trautman died on Saturday at the age of 85, and some of those closest to him are remembering him fondly.
Two of those people are Rev. Richard Tomasone of St. Joseph Church in Warren, as well as Rev. Stephen Schreiber of Holy Redeemer in Warren.
Trautman, who was serving as Bishop Emeritus, was head of the diocese for 22 years.
“He actually ordained me,” Schreiber said. “It’s sad. We don’t know yet when the services are going to be, just that they will be at the (St. Peter) Cathedral in Erie.”
Tomasone remembered a man who was very generous, both of himself and with his time.
“He was always a very kind and generous man,” Tomasone said. “When you could speak to him in a more relaxed setting, you realized he had a great sense of humor. In his office, he was a little more formal.”
Trautman was ordained as a priest in April of 1965 and was consecrated as a bishop in April of 1985.
“He had an extensive background in scripture and spent a lot of time working with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,” Tomasone noted.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) describes itself as an assembly of the hierarchy of bishops who jointly exercise pastoral functions on behalf of the Christian faithful of the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“When he was leading a mass for the diocese, he always wrote out his homilies so people could go back and look at them,” Tomasone said. “He was very concerned about that part of his office.”
Both men also spoke of the personal connection he had with people, including themselves.
“Mike, my brother, reminded me, and I had forgotten, that when my father died, Bishop Trautman wrote a handwritten note to my mom,” Schreiber said. “Just expressing his condolences, which I thought was really, really kind. So that’s my perfect remembrance.”
Added Tomasone: “I had a pretty good relationship with him. We used to joke among the priests that if he asked you to go an emmaus walk, he wanted to talk to you about a change in assignment. You could always joke with him.”
Trautman was named as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Erie on July 5, 1990, a role in which he served until Oct. 1, 2022, when he was succeeded by Bishop Lawrence Persico.
“He was happy to be remembered in an unassuming kind of way,” Tomasone said.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
