US Bishops Share What Kind of Coffee They Drink — and How They Take It| National Catholic Register

This story is part of the Register’s special issue on coffee. Read more articles here.

Do you know how your bishop likes his java? A sampling of responses the Register received:

 Bishop Edward Rice

 Springfield-Cape Girardeau, MO

I read somewhere that Archbishop Fulton Sheen had a cup of coffee first thing in the morning to stay awake praying the Divine Office and so I’ve always done that (black). That’s my first cup of the day, and then I do my Holy Hour. After that, typically when I come to the office, I have another cup or two. I typically do not drink coffee after noon.

Bishop Donald Hying

Madison, WI

My favorite is any coffee from Central or South America, dark roast, not flavored and without cream or sugar. (Fun fact: He gives up coffee every Lent.) 

Bishop John Keehner

Sioux City, IA

Yes, I drink coffee. Black, please. The stronger the better. 

I usually drink two to three cups a day, including one right when I get up at 5 a.m., just before my Holy Hour. I enjoy an occasional cappuccino, though those occasions are rare.  

My favorite place for coffee is the Sant’Eustachio Caffè in Rome, behind the Pantheon. I enjoyed my first coffee there this past September in more than 25 years, and it felt like coming home. 

In the past I have scorned the iced-coffee beverage trend but recently had an iced café mocha at a local coffee place and couldn’t believe how delicious it was, though I still consider it to be more a dessert than a coffee.

Bishop James Conley

Lincoln, NE

I drink coffee from the Mystic Monks. I like a little sugar-free caramel-flavor syrup. When I don’t make my own coffee, I go to the Harbor Café or The Mill here in Lincoln. I always drink three to four cups in the morning but never any coffee after noon.

Bishop Peter Libasci

Manchester, NH

I brew whole-bean Eight O’Clock Coffee. I measure out and then grind the beans in an electric grinder and perk the coffee in a coffee pot on the stove. I use an eight-cup coffee pot, and the brewed coffee lasts, refrigerated or not, for three mornings. It is economical, and I almost never buy coffee elsewhere due to its high cost and often unpleasant taste.

Bishop Douglas Lucia

Syracuse, NY

My favorite kind is actually a Texas company, Café Olé. Actually, my favorite routine is what I term “Coffee with the Lord.” I usually drink my first cup during my first hour of waking, which I devote to prayer and reflection.  My second cup comes after the celebration of Holy Mass. More than a favorite place, it is a comfortable rocking chair that I enjoy when sipping on a mug of java.

Bishop Jeffrey Walsh

Gaylord, MI

I was mostly a tea lover until recently. Still enjoy tea and random cup of black coffee but have become a big fan of McCafé Caramel Cappuccino, both for the taste and price.

Bishop Mark O’Connell

Albany, NY

Yes, I drink a cup of coffee every day when I wake up. I don’t usually have any the rest of the day. I recently purchased a fancy Philips brewer that grinds the beans, and it has stepped up my coffee game.

One time when I was a pastor, I used to have the children on the last Sunday before Lent suggest what I would give up for Lent. 

One year a child yelled “COFFEE!” and my eyes went wide.  

All the children saw my eyes, so they all started saying “Coffee, Coffee.” It was not an easy Lent.  

On the other hand, many parishioners gave me Dunkin’ gift certificates at Easter.

I prefer Dunkin’ over Starbucks. I like the milder, less bitter [taste]. At Dunkin’ I add one sugar but never cream. With my Philips machine, there is no need for sugar, but the beans are from Dunkin’.  

People gave me Illy beans, but I am loyal to Dunkin’.

I wake up, turn off my alarm and turn on the machine prior to anything else. 

I have a chair where I say my prayers and then do the “Wordle” and “Spelling Bee,” and the coffee sits beside me on a mini hot plate designed for that.

In Rome, I love cappuccino with breakfast. I like to put a spoonful of sugar on the foam and see how long it takes to sink in.

I am a fan.

Bishop Joseph Tyson

Yakima, WA

Right now, I’m drinking tariff-free Tim Horton’s sent to me from my Canadian friends. 

Archbishop Paul Coakley

Oklahoma City

Yes, I am definitely a coffee drinker. I usually have a couple of cups first thing in the morning. I’m not a coffee snob, but I prefer good coffee, freshly ground and black. I will follow that up with a few more cups throughout the morning and maybe one in the afternoon.

Bishop James Johnston

Kansas City-St. Joseph, MO

My coffee routine is to enjoy a cup or two in the quiet early hours each morning. Typically, black coffee, just before my prayer time. Occasionally, I will have one more cup mid-morning, but that’s it for the day. I like to grind the beans and use both an all-in-one machine (grinds and brews) as well as a standard drip coffee maker. I use coffee beans from both local roasters in Kansas City, as well as from places like Costco.

Bishop John Folda

Fargo, ND

Yes, I drink coffee! I don’t have a favorite kind, but I prefer dark roast, and I usually drink it black. Whenever I’m in Rome, I make a point to have a few cups of cappuccino! I enjoy a cup of coffee with breakfast in the morning and occasionally after dinner in the evening. And sometimes I’ll have a cup during meetings to stay alert!  

Archbishop George Leo Thomas

Las Vegas

My rocking chair, the morning newspaper and a cup of Peet’s Dark Roast coffee are my best friends every morning.