A year ago on Aug. 15, Joseph E. Kurtz became Archbishop of Louisville, and, in the time since his installation last summer, those familiar with his ministry and his personality have realized a simple notion about him:

It’s hard to keep up.

In the past 12 months Archbishop Kurtz has become an almost ubiquitous presence throughout the archdiocese.

If your parish has celebrated an anniversary, chances are he was there. In his first year as leader of the 24-county archdiocese, he has visited all but 17 of its parishes. He has been a visible presence in the wider community, too.

On nearly a half-dozen occasions, the archbishop — along with scores of others — has prayed for an end to abortion in front of a Louisville clinic that performs them. It’s a matter of “our faith having an effect in the public square,” he said in a recent interview. And it’s also a matter of great importance to him.

“It’s a theme that shows itself in the way in which, civilly but very prayerfully and courageously, I joined with others in defense of unborn children,” he added.

His presence in “the public square” is just one aspect of a year spent on the move. The archbishop sometimes appears to be a sprinter in a marathon; he sets a pace that many in his wake find amazing.

“He’s shown remarkable leadership in his brief time with us,” said former Congressman Romano Mazzoli, who, along with his wife Helen, is serving as chair of the newly-announced “Building a Future of Hope” capital campaign.

“His joy and enthusiasm are contagious, and his energy is just mind-boggling,” Mazzoli added.

Louisville’s archbishop has, in the past 12 months, been to Africa in his role as a member of the board of Catholic Relief Services, and with other bishops met with Pope Benedict XVI during the papal visit to the U.S. earlier this spring.

He’s led the archdiocese in celebrating its bicentennial and has strode to a position of national prominence with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The archbishop has been elected treasurer of the bishops’ conference and serves on its executive committee. He’s also on the bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities and Committee on the Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth.

His days are often whirlwinds of activity, and yet in more private, conversational settings, the archbishop’s warm nature and gentle demeanor have, to many, been as impressive as his energy.

“His congeniality is genuine, and it’s more than just being friendly,” said Father Charles Walker, pastor of St. James Church in Elizabethtown. “He really gets to know — and wants to know — the whole broad spectrum of clergy and people he meets. And he’s a good listener.”

The archbishop paused on Aug. 14 to reflect on his first year in Louisville, and in an interview at the Cathedral of the Assumption rectory he identified some major themes of his leadership. He also marveled at the depth of faith — and history — of the church he now leads.

On the one hand, he said, time doesn’t seem to have passed rapidly because he’s come to know the people of the archdiocese, and in doing so he has begun to feel comfortable, at ease and at home.

“But on another level, you’re surprised at how fast the anniversary has come,” he said. “It’s really been a rich and good year, and I still marvel at the depth of the Catholic presence in our archdiocese here and down through Central Kentucky and beyond.”

The Knoxville Diocese he led in east Tennessee was much younger, the archbishop noted, and the older institutions of the Archdiocese of Louisville are compelling both for their history and in their commitment to the faith.

“Just think of it, on the past two successive Sundays (in early August) we celebrated 200 years of history at St. Clare’s (in Colesburg) and 160 years of history at Holy Rosary in Manton, where there’s a general store owned by the church,” he noted. “I mean, how many places in the world can you be where you have that kind of very homey flavor. And you can sense the pride people have in the way their families and culture are interwoven with their faith.”

If the impression Archbishop Kurtz has left on those he leads is a strong and positive one, the impression the archdiocese has made on him has been equally well received, he said.

“My impression is that we have a vibrant church, a church undergoing change,” he said. “The clustering (and merger of parishes) will require a lot of change for a lot of people.” But those people are committed to their church, he said, and have demonstrated it over the years.

“I’m impressed by the number of people here who are committed to Catholic education and to serving the community. I was very impressed by the response of our people to the Crusade for Children, for example.”

The archbishop also paid tribute to the man who preceded him, Archbishop Thomas C. Kelly, and to the groundwork done by the archdiocese in preparation for the “Building a Future of Hope” capital campaign.

He became familiar with that work, he noted, as he came to know the people he was chosen to lead. One of the steps he took to increase that familiarity was to meet with pastors and parish administrators in each of the 11 regions of the archdiocese.

“All the conversations lasted at least an hour; most were two hours, and we had really good interaction,” he said. “I basically asked in each case that people address issues they think they are wanting to rejoice in — things that need to be continued because they are so good — and then address areas of challenge.”

Following that dialogue, the archbishop said he used what he’d learned there — and what he brought with him to his new job — to develop seven themes that he shared with priests and others. Those themes are gratitude; an emphasis on supporting our priests; vocations; the strategic plan; the capital campaign; embracing the church’s General Instructions of the Roman Missal; and restructuring areas because of parish mergers and clusters.

“Obviously, the strategic planning — actually, I prefer to call it archdiocesan planning — is one area that will be a window of opportunity for greater listening for me,” he noted. “It will allow me to identify and articulate directions. ...That’s one of the benefits of going to all the churches, the schools, Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs and others. I’m going to be involved with Leadership Louisville, too. These are all areas that help shape me as I listen and my thoughts and directions are formed.”

The archbishop likes to use the word “shaping” when describing his leadership style.

“I like to use that word because I think the notion of leadership — making decisions, taking directions and listening — occurs, if it’s done well, in spiraling fashion, so that the dialogue never ends,” he explained. “It’s not such a cut-and-dried kind of thing. And one example of that kind of decision is the capital campaign.”

Because of all the work done by Archbishop Kelly and others, he said, much of the campaign’s groundwork was established before he arrived.

“I see the process of stewardship as really a means for me and others to engage more deeply in the life of each of our parishes over the next two years,” he said. “I can see that the process involves pastors and leadership within each parish coming together to say, ‘What is the greatest need?’ How can we .... rally our people around this and say, ‘Yes, this is something we want to do.’ Then my question becomes how can I help in that process?”

Wherever he has traveled in the archdiocese, he said, the archbishop has found a sense of enthusiasm about the future. And he’s noted that people have a pride in the accomplishments of their church.

“The people have been very gracious and faith-filled,” he said. “I’ve visited a lot of institutions rooted within our Catholic community, too. Went to Dare to Care, for example — that’s such a wonderful place. And then I put a call into Father (John) Jones, who played such an instrumental role in getting it started, just to say, ‘Thank you for all you’ve done.’ ”

The archbishop has visited Harbor House, is scheduled to visit Dismas House and has already met with the people at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul center a few weeks ago.

“My intent would be to continue to come to know the fabric and people of our area,” he said at the end of last week’s interview.

And that means he most likely won’t be slowing down anytime soon.