A Time of Transition 071110 .Pub
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
St. Joan of Arc Church and St. Patrick Church July 11, 2010 A time of Transition A time to Welcome A time to say Goodbye Farewell Bishop William L. Higi Bishop William L. Higi - Praised be Jesus Christ! Now and forever! “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 118 As Christians ,we are taught to have grateful hearts for the generous blessings God continually bestows on us. As July, 15, 2010 approaches and Bishop William Leo Higi is “officially” granted full retirement, just over a month before his 77th birthday, we too should give “thanks to the Lord” for the gift of our “Good Shepherd’s” 26 years of service as our bishop. people of God. Even as a young college student at Ball State, and not I am grateful to God for Bishop Higi’s confidence in overly engaged in my faith, I remember the transition from me both as a Pastor in service of two wonderful parishes Bishop Raymond Gallagher to Bishop George Fulcher, and as the Episcopal Vicar for the Permanent Diaconate. and his tragic death to the naming of a priest of the Let us all give “thanks to the Lord” for the gift of Bishop diocese, Msgr. Higi as our new bishop. Higi, who in his ministry has worked so hard to show to us Much as been accomplished under his guidance as the the Church Universal. His ministry has reminded us of the 5th bishop of our diocese. Looking back, history will importance of our parish families, as well as our Local show that he was responsible for implementing many of Church (diocese) of North Central Indiana, as well as the the changes of the Second Vatican Council. Universal Church and our Holy Father’s ministry to the His desire to provide formation opportunities for the world. He has shown us that we are truly a pilgrim lay faithful of our diocese through catechesis, sacramental people, the “body of Christ.” preparation, family life, Hispanic ministry, the Haiti We give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His Twinning parish program and the eventual implementation mercy endures forever. of the Permanent Diaconate have been major Our prayers go with you in your retirement. accomplishments. It has been through strong formation that lay leadership in our diocese has been able to grow Fr. Ted Dudzinski and assist pastors and the bishop himself in serving the 2 Welcome Bishop Timothy Doherty Welcome and blessings to Bishop Timothy Doherty as he begins his Episcopal Ministry as the 6th Good Shepherd of the diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana. Every bishop takes an Episcopal Motto that he desires to be the foundation of his ministry. For Bishop Higi, that motto was “ Praised be Jesus Christ!” Our new bishop has taken as his Episcopal Motto The Word of God is not chained.” from 2 Tim 2:9. His experience as a pastor/administrator is equally as It is obvious in this Episcopal Motto that Sacred Scripture extensive as his educational background and bioethics is very important to Bishop Doherty. During this Year of the background. He served as parochial administrator of St. Bible, we have had the chance for the Word of God to enter James Church in Lee, Illinois and pastor of St. Mary Church into, wash over and form our lives. The passage from in Bryon from 1999 to 2007. Since 2007, he has served as Second Timothy reminds us that it is God’s grace and pastor of both St. Catherine of Siena Church in Dundee and movement that will transform the world. So let us continue to St. Mary’s, a mission church in Gilberts, Illinois. In 2008, he be people who daily read the Word of God, and by following was honored with the title of Monsignor for his service as a our Good Shepherd, may our families, parishes, teacher, pastor and ethicist for heath care issues. communities and the world be transformed. Pope Benedict XVI appointed Monsignor Doherty A native of Rockford, Illinois, Bishop Doherty was bishop-elect of our diocese on May 12th of this year. At the born on September 29, 1950 and is the eldest of seven press conference held that same day in Lafayette, Monsignor children. Monsignor Doherty studied for the priesthood at the Doherty said he was humbled by the call of the Holy Father. Pontifical North American College in Rome and the In an interview with the Catholic Moment after the Pontifical Gregorian University, receiving a bachelor’s announcement, Bishop Doherty shared his thoughts on what degree in Sacred Theology in 1975. the bishop’s role is in bringing souls to Christ. “Even people Bishop Arthur O’Neill ordained him a priest on June 26, on my parish finance council say, ‘We’ve got to get through 1976. His first assignment was as associate pastor at the the minutiae and repairs done so we can be about the Cathedral of St. Peter in Rockford. After five years as business of fishing for men.’ ” associate pastor, he then studied at the Pontifical Lateran “The bishop has the responsibility in several ways … he is University. He earned a Licentiate of Theology in moral one, but not the only one, of their connections to the theology from the Alfonsian Academy in 1982. Universal Church, so it is very important that we (bishops) be He then returned to Illinois and was assigned to Boylan conscious of what it is to be Catholic in that sense. In terms Catholic High School in Rockford where he taught religious of bringing souls to Christ, I think we have to be conscious studies from 1982 - 1986. From 1986 - 1991, Monsignor and deliberate about it. Each locale will be a little bit Doherty served as assistant principal and head of the religion different about how they do that. We have to have due department at Marian Central Catholic High School in reverence for our sacred places, for our sacraments. The Woodstock, Illinois. bishop has to be a good example of being a good pastor, and Bishop Doherty then furthered his own studies at Loyola sometimes that means he is a good administrator … at other University, receiving a Doctor of Philosophy degree in times, you bring souls to Christ by letting people know that Christian Ethics in 1995. That same year, he was appointed you have a soul.” Diocesan Ethicist for Heath Care Issues, a position he holds “There is a temptation in the American culture … (to say) until his installation as bishop of our diocese. that your soul has come to Christ in a moment, and it’s done, As Diocesan Ethicist, Bishop Doherty was the consultant let’s get on to the next thing now that I’m fully converted. I to the bishop, diocesan clergy and liaison between Catholic think our ethos is more that life demands a constant heath care ministries and the diocese. He is also a member of conversion.” various boards and committees, including the Catholic The prayers and reading of Sacred Scripture by the Conference of Illinois, Illinois Catholic Health Association, people of St. Patrick Church and St. Joan of Arc Church the systems ethics committee of OSF Heathcare and the are our gifts to Bishop Doherty. Archdiocese of Chicago’s bioethics subcommittee. 3 Farewell Father Dan Duff My experiences here in Kokomo hospital. I will remember the joy-filled at St. Patrick and St. Joan of Arc will hours spent with the youth group. The be treasured for years to come. Though time spent with the St. Michael’s I was only here for one year, you have Legion and Guardians. I will remember helped to shape me to be the person, the meals eaten with the “breakfast the priest, I am today and for that I club.” I will remember the time spent thank you. If there is one thing that I with the children in both the school and will take with me in particular from all religious education. I will also of you here in Kokomo is a deepened remember the times I was woken up in sense of the value of the sacraments in the middle of the night for false alarms like being a pastor, since at the end of the lives of the faithful. I have seen this with the security/fire alarm system. August Fr. Kevin Haines, the Pastor of through your devotion to the Eucharist I will also remember and treasure St. Maria Goretti, will leave on a three both at Mass and in the Adoration the time I was able to spend working month sabbatical. chapel, through your regular reception with and getting to know my brother St. Maria Goretti is only a short of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and priests, Fr. Ted, Fr. Hasser, Fr. Thom, drive away from my parents house through your requesting to receive the Fr. Ambrose & Fr. Alex. And of course which will be wonderful (I will be able Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick I enjoyed working with and getting to to see my parents a little more often when appropriate, whether in a know Deacon Ron, Cole Daily, Pete and get some good home-cooked communal celebration or individually. Logsdon and newly ordained Fr. meals)...and dreadful at times (my dad Because of your influence I will be Huemmer, as well. has already told me that since I will be even more attentive to the needs and While I am sad to leave the so close he wants me to go through desires of the people I serve in regards parishes in Kokomo so soon, I look some things).