I have witnessed so many wonderful events in my sixty-two years of life! Some things could only have been dreamed about in someone’s wildest dreams or imagined in the most fertile of imaginations. Televisions, transistor radios, electric typewriters, color televisions, toaster ovens, microwaves, cellular telephones, computers, Walkmans, personal computers, pop-top cans, smart phones, and all the stuff you might be remembering that I have failed to mention! It strikes me as a bit beyond imagining, however, that I am alive to witness a Pope resign from office. Now this is a modern marvel!

So what does this do to you? Is your faith shaken? Is there somehow “less church” because the Pope has abdicated? Or does it even matter to you?

Like all of the major marvels that have advanced the cause of modernity and the growth of humanity, the resignation of the Pope will have long lasting and deep consequences. It is bold and it is courageous—it is innovative and ennobling—it touches the mind and the heart—it stirs the psyche and the spirit. It is one of the most serious acts one man can do who has faith.

What kind of courage does it take to freely lay down power and influence? What kind of confidence must one have in the future when one allows the future he controls to be given over to the hands of others? What kind of faith must one possess in what he has accomplished to allow someone else to take it further? What kind of humility is found in one who can understand that death may not be the only way one faces immortality?

As “Emeritus” is added to Pope Benedict XVI’s title, and some of us think we have lived long enough to “have seen it all;” be mindful: we live in the time of the Church. We profess a belief in things that are SUPERnatural—beyond us—above us. Jesus has entrusted His mission of salvation to the Church as the means of sanctification and holiness. The Pope in his resignation is giving us an example of faith, an example of courage, and an example of humility. Once again he is showing us the way to the human face of God—to Jesus Christ! He teaches in this act that God is not finished with the Church any more than He is finished with humanity. I have a feeling we haven’t seen anything yet. . . Stay tuned—stay faithful!

Thank you, Your Holiness, from the Faithful of the Diocese of La Crosse!

We’ll pray with you and for your successor at Sunday Mass!

We celebrate the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, the symbolic presentation of the office of the Pope, on February 22. Pictured above is the Altar of the Chair in the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter. This is the way it is decorated every year for the Feast.

“Cathedra” literally means the established seat of the bishop, located in the mother church of a diocese, which for this reason is called “cathedral,” and it is the symbol of the authority of the bishop and, in particular, of his “magisterium,” that is, of the evangelical teaching that he, as a successor of the apostles, is called to guard and transmit to the Christian community.

When the bishop takes possession of the local church that is entrusted to him, he, bearing the miter and the shepherd’s crosier, sits on the cathedra. From that seat he will guide, as teacher and shepherd, the journey of the faithful in faith, hope and charity. The “cathedra” or Bishop’s Chair in our diocese is located at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph the Workman in La Crosse.

The Altar of the Chair is located in the apse of St. Peter’s Basilica, and is a work of Bernini, made in the shape of a great bronze throne, supported by the statues of four Doctors of the Church, two from the West, St. Augustine and St. Ambrose, and two from the East, St. John Chrysostom and St. Athanasius.

On this Feast day, we are particularly called to reflect on the Papacy and pray in a particular way for the ministry that God has entrusted to Pope Benedict XVI. Now, of course, we add a prayer for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as the Cardinals are called to elect his successor in a historic conclave.  At the center of the Altar one may gaze on the alabaster glass window that opens precisely above the Chair, thus invoking the Holy Spirit on these last days of Pope Benedict’s courageous and humble ministry and in special prayer for his successor.

A special Pontifical Mass, followed by Eucharistic Adoration will be celebrated in our cathedral this Friday February 22 at 12:10 PM on the Feast. All are welcome as we gather in celebration of the Petrine Ministry.

But, of course, I’ll see you at Sunday Mass.

While most of us were captivated by the surprising news concerning the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on Monday, Feb. 11, the Church –  who keeps moving along no matter what the headlines may be – marked the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and the twenty-first World Day of Prayer for the Sick. Pope Benedict XVI made certain that he was not lost in his personal headlines as he rallied the Church to prayer and awareness of the sick and those who care for them, citing the foundation of the day.

The Pope noted that “this day represents for the sick, for health care workers, for the faithful and all good people of good will ‘a privileged time of prayer, of sharing, of offering one’s sufferings for the good of the Church, a call for all to recognize in the features of their suffering brothers and sisters, the Holy Face of Christ, who, by suffering, dying and rising has brought about the salvation of mankind.’ “ (Blessed Pope John Paul II: Letter for the Institution of the World Day of the Sick, 13 May 1992, 3)

This week has been filled with many calls for prayer across the diocese and in my own circle of friends. We have been called to pray for a hospitalized 17-year-old who suffers from the effects of a debilitating aneurism and the surgery necessary to save her life. Her parents and family ask for prayer.

I heard from a dear friend who slipped on the ice on his way to work a couple of weeks ago. He went down with a thud and cracked his head on the sidewalk. The force of the fall also injured the front of his brain; he fell unconscious, and awoke in the hospital on his way to his first CT scan.

My sister Joann suffers, as all the members of my family do, with the “family knees” and its associated pain and discomfort.

On and on, the phone rings, family, friends, and members of the faithful from around the diocese and beyond, call to be remembered at Mass and before the Blessed Sacrament.

The sick and the needy are everywhere. There are those, who like my own mother, before she died, don’t know how sick they are; they have forgotten the basic skills of how to eat, how to find their way home, the names and faces of their own family members.

Then there are the doctors, nurses, therapists and technicians. There are countless numbers of caregivers and volunteers who offer their time and talent to the numbers of sick, elderly, and needy. We remember them in fond and compassionate prayer.

We remember, of course, the Good Samaritan – the personification of Jesus, who offers himself, his wealth, his very life, to protect and care for those who fall prey to the sad circumstances of life, the trials of aging, and the harsh realities of disease and death.

In our time, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta still holds the example of the modern day Samaritan – the image of Jesus. In those who follow her example, mirroring Christ’s tenderness, we see the perfect example of what we seek in this Year of Faith – we seek the face of Christ.

It is no accident that the World Day of Payer for the Sick is celebrated on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. Who can forget the attraction to the Mother of God each of us experienced when we first heard the story of the Virgin – the Immaculate Conception – who appeared to the young Bernadette in 1858 at the grotto in Southern France? Who does not still tremble and offer a silent prayer when Lourdes water is brought to the sick and infirm? Who doesn’t pray for miracles – for healing – for comfort?

Our Blessed Mother is with us as we seek the face of her Son in our sick brothers and sisters – when we welcome Him in her name and pray for the sick with faith in Christ’s power to heal and Mary’s power to comfort.

The World Day of Prayer for the Sick may have been vying for newsprint this year with an historic headline – but the sick still need your prayer.

And no, Pope Benedict did not abandon the sick in the pursuit of sympathy for his health or rationalizations for his resignation. As the Vicar of Christ, he urged the Church to go forth and follow Christ in service to the least of our brothers and sisters. In our diocese, we are blessed to offer our service and raise our voices through the intercession of our beloved friend and servant of the sick and poor, Father Joseph Walijewski, whose Cause for Beatification we raise and whose assistance we seek as we try to do our best each day to meet Christ face-to-face.

See Christ at Sunday Mass – He’ll be looking for you!

Well, it has been quite a week; and as I pound out these words at O’Hare International airport, the snow is falling to beat the band! I am eager to board the (last) flight HOME. Several flights have already been canceled. So, I sit and pen my thoughts about my week in Dallas and a Catholic Bioethics “school for bishops.”

My head is swimming with all the information we bishops have received regarding insurance – both how it affects us in the Church, and how the new healthcare legislation affects all of us Americans who now must (try to) live with it. It is all very confusing, complicated, and filled with contradictions. We, of course, remember that the major flaw remains the universal call for “reproductive rights” (code: abortion) built in from the beginning.

Some information came regarding the HHS mandate. Last week the Administration offered another accommodation – 70 pages worth of documentation – for religious institutions to consider. Very little discussion came from the presentations simply because the bishops and our advisors have to really study the options being offered.

It is difficult to believe, however, that anyone deeply associated with the mandate is genuinely eager to assist in the cause of life and the genuine care for women and unborn children.

Some issues regarding Catholic healthcare and the management and administration of Catholic institutions and hospitals were presented along with the legal (both canonical and civil) components of these areas of the Church’s mission in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.

Several keynote speeches were absolutely dynamic and stirring.

Archbishop Vigano (the Apostolic nuncio) delivered the greetings of the Holy Father and in his name, called us to the challenge of love that is lived only in the light of faith; a great message for the Year of Faith and the cause of moral truth and liberty.

Archbishop Gerhard Mueller, the Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, raised the bar even further with awareness of the cause of Vatican II so boldly presented in the Church’s own reflection on Herself in the pure light of Lumen Gentium and the clear teaching of the Catechism of the Church.

Cardinal Rodriguez of Honduras offered tremendous teaching on the call to holiness and the authentic challenge of living the truth – and serving the truth – in love. These latter points channeled the Pope’s influence concerning the Year of Faith and dramatic call of Christ in this world at this time!

The conference was attended by bishops from Central America as well as bishops from the U.S. Simultaneous translations were available; some presentations were offered only in English or Spanish depending on the specifics that were being taught.

Our diocese was singled out especially because of our work for awareness and education in the rejection of POLST in the dioceses of Wisconsin. More discussion was conducted also in the areas of hospital mergers and the specifics concerning Catholic hospitals in the future.

It was, indeed, a busy and intense week of study. Each of us bishops seemed eager to return home to “unpack” all of the work we shared. I share this much with you to let you know that my education is certainly not finished – I really don’t know everything …

Please continue to learn from Christ at Sunday Mass – see you there!

I’ve just returned from one of the best days of my life. Yesterday (Thursday), I celebrated the Mass and had lunch with some of the finest young people in our diocese at Newman Catholic Schools in Wausau.

Truth be told, my day at Newman was to be the finale of a weeklong diocesan funfest celebrating the annual national Catholic Schools’ Week. Due to sickness and weather I only had the chance to celebrate two major events marking this special time of the year.

First of all, to start Catholic Schools’ Week, I celebrated the Mass for the annual Brains and Brawn activities last Saturday. The events, academic and athletic, were conducted at the facilities of Aquinas Catholic Schools in La Crosse. The Mass was celebrated in a near full Cathedral of Saint Joseph the Workman. So many of our parents, teachers, and students were there. We celebrated brains and brawn, with Spirit and Life! And it became clear at the start of this Catholic Schools’ Week we were working to raise the standard (this year’s national theme) and seriously consider Catholic education as the standard of excellence in our lives.

Next, I was due at the Newman Center and Saint Joseph Parish in Menomonie on Sunday evening. I had to cancel due to a bad head cold courtesy of temperature changes from Bolivia to La Crosse. We will reschedule the evening at Stout. I look forward to spending time with some of the “big kids,” too.

Saint Mary’s Assumption, Durand; Saint Francis of Assisi, Ellsworth; and Saint Joseph, Menomonie, Catholic schools were on the docket for Monday. Alas, my cold and an ice storm prevented that celebration. We’re planning a rematch at this writing. Saint Mary’s in Tomah was to round out the week, but Wednesday’s blizzard put the kibosh on that one. Even though the roads were snow-covered, we made it to Wausau and I don’t think anyone was disappointed.

I am so proud of our Catholic schools. All seven systems are functioning at full throttle and doing well. All of our parish schools seem to be holding their own as well and fulfilling the mission of teaching as Jesus did!

Our schools cost a tremendous amount of money; and our parishes, assisted by the generous support of the Diocesan Annual Appeal (that’s you, too, folks) continue to scrape together the funds needed for operations and future growth. This is a wise investment – the investment in the Catholic education of our children. This investment is a value to our community at large; and, of course, an inestimable value to the future of our beloved Church.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support, at whatever level, for our wonderful and essential Catholic Schools. Through them we raise the standard of living for all people!

Yes, I’ll see you at Sunday Mass.

Here I am in 99 degree-heat greeting you, dear brothers and sisters, from the heart of Bolivia. We landed safely in Santa Cruz – after a long, unscheduled, delay in La Paz at 13,500 ft. above sea level, where the air is very thin. It was quite difficult to breathe and many of the passengers needed oxygen – I came very close to calling for it.

Today the weather is glorious – hot and a little overcast. Bishop-elect Flock’s family and many priest friends, including many from our diocese, are here to celebrate his episcopal ordination and consecration tomorrow (Thursday) at the Cathedral of St. Sebastian in Cochabamba about 311 miles away from Santa Cruz.

Monsignor Joseph Hirsch seems to be gearing up for his new job as Pastor of Holy Cross Parish at Santa Cruz. He has been well received. I joined him in a staff meeting at the parish this morning after breakfast. I tried to explain our dilemma about future priests coming to Santa Cruz. Decisions will have to be made in the future.

Father John Swing, a former Pastor of Holy Cross Parish, certainly is enjoying some “old time” catching up along with Father Bill Menzel, the Bishop-elect’s former Latin teacher. Msgrs. Gorman, Scheckel, and McGarty have also been holding up well. Stan Gould is recording the events in pictures and sound for a future headline story in The Catholic Times.

It seems as though all of us who gave Bishop-elect Flock miters as gifts, gave him ones that were at least a size or two too big. It has been enjoyable to see them fall over his ears. Some modifications will be made locally. Fortunately, the one he ordered for himself arrived, and it fits “just right.”

Tomorrow morning we will make our way to Cochabamba by plane and participate in the grand ceremony in the evening that will elevate another of the priests of the Diocese of La Crosse to rank of Successor to the Apostles!

You are all here celebrating the beauty of the Church with us!

Let’s share our joy at Sunday Mass – see you there!

One of the events I treasure most from my Franciscan upbringing is the solemnity of the Epiphany, or Little Christmas. Sadly for us in the Latin Church, it is not a feast that is kept with the same reverence and true solemnity with which its uniqueness was once marked. Even when I was a little kid I remember the Franciscan Sisters of Saint Joseph (our own Stevens Point Community) teaching us special songs and stories concerning the Three Kings, the Star of Bethlehem, and their significance in our lives.

In this great feast we ponder the manifestation of Christ to the nations. The “wise men” symbolize the Gentiles, the non-Jews, to whom this manifestation was made. Through them we have come to know and to ponder the significance of the Incarnation.

Pope Benedict XVI calls us to consider further that in the Three Kings we also see all of humanity journeying to Christ. They represent the inner aspiration of the human spirit, the dynamism of religions and human reason toward Christ. If the Wise Men were led by a star to find the newborn king of the Jews, who is in truth the universal savior, the Holy Father tells us, “this implies that the entire cosmos speaks of Christ, even though its language is not yet fully intelligible to man in his present state.” The “language of creation” points us toward the truth about the Creator, namely: God who creates is also God who redeems.

I would further call your attention to the star as it pertains to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The New Year begins as we honor her particular prerogative, namely: she is the Mother of God. Throughout the ages, Mary has been revered as the “Morning Star” or “The Star of the Sea.” The Three Kings noted that they had seen the star in the East; but truly, they saw its Light reflected in the eyes of Mary.

Mary is the Morning Star that leads us to Christ. She is always the full reflection of His brilliance in the world and returns the light in the lives of the faithful who seek Him today. Saint Bonaventure, the great Franciscan theologian and Doctor of the Church, compares life to a tempestuous sea into which sinners have fallen from the ship of Divine Grace. “O poor lost sinners,” he has Our Lady say, “despair not; raise up your eyes and cast them on this beautiful star; breathe again with confidence, for it will save you from this tempest and will guide you into the port of salvation.” Perhaps, in imitation of that prayer, the Irish have a great expression: “O Mary, meet me at the port.”

As we begin this new year of Faith, may we follow the journey of the “wise men” and be led, in our time, by the radiant Star, the Holy Virgin Mother of God!

Blessed Little Christmas – I’ll see you at the Mass!

Along with so many others, I looked in amazement at the horrific and tragic happenings in Newtown, Conn. Such sadness seems quite beyond our capacity to handle. Mercifully we can take comfort in the fact that this is the season of HOPE and we are sorely in need of such a virtue. Advent helps us to focus on the presence of our Savior among us and inspires us to know that the sadness of evil that still runs rampant among us will ultimately be undone when He comes again.

Even this past Gaudete Sunday weekend, as I celebrated Masses at the prison in Oxford and the joy-filled Eucharist with the people at Resurrection Parish – they were celebrating the hundredth anniversary of Saint James Parish – my heart was filled with sadness over the loss and the fear that pervades the lives of so many people with such a tragedy.

Our society pays heavily in times like this for the tireless efforts to remove God from our lives. To whom shall we go, if not our loving Father? Who understands better the loss of children than God, who saw the loss of the innocents shortly after His Son entered this world? Who better than our Mother, Mary, to weep with us over the tragic death of her child? God is with us. It is times like this that make it so important to keep Christ visible in our lives. It is truly the point of the Incarnation – God is with us.

As we earnestly start to prepare for the full scale launch of the Cause for the Beatification and Canonization of Father Joe Walijewski, might this not be a good time to seek comfort from God through his intercession? Father Joe sure understood the need to care for children and really worked hard to make at least some part of the world safe for them. This might be a great time to ask the Lord to help us and to send some peace to those who mourn through Father Joe’s intercession.

Of course, I hope to see you at Sunday Mass!

As you know, we are preparing to officially open the Cause for the Beatification and Canonization of Fr. Joe Walijewski, a priest of our Diocese who founded Santa Cruz Parish in Bolivia and Casa Hogar Juan Pablo II in Peru. Many people of our diocese have been to visit both places. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to meet “Padre Jose” as so many of you have.

Happily I am able to present another priest whose Cause is also being introduced at this time.  Fr. Casimir Cypher, a native of Medford, Wisconsin, was a Conventual Franciscan Friar, like me. I had the privilege of knowing “Fr. Cas” from my early days in high school, college, and theology. He was brutally and sadistically murdered in Honduras in June of 1975. He was the first of the martyred missionaries of Central America in those sad days of murdered Jesuit priests and Maryknoll and Ursurline Sisters, Lay volunteers, and even Archbishop Oscar Romeo.

This week, several friars from my Franciscan Province of Saint Bonaventure (Chicago Province), pictured above (L to R: Dcn. Paul Schneider, Fr. Luke Poczworowski, Fr. Al Lopez, and Very Rev. Patrick Greenough, Minister Provincial) went to visit Fr. Casimir’s tomb in Honduras. Fr. Casimir’s Cause is finally going to be opened—an event I have worked for and prayed for since his death was announced in 1975.

Saints are among us! Perhaps no one ever thought, while they talked with him or listened to his stories about South American children and their wretched poverty, that one day, Fr. Joe Walijewski would be considered a saint. Likewise, none of us who knew Fr. Casimir would think of such a thing. But they were different, weren’t they? Wasn’t it always fun to be around them—didn’t they bring a unique quality to our sense of being human? They seemed to be such fine people—not overly holy or pious—but just really good people.

In this Advent season, and in preparation for Christmas—the coming of God in the flesh—wouldn’t it be nice if things like that could be said about us? The Incarnation in action—Jesus, alive, active and recognizable in us? What a thought!

Something like this might start at Sunday Mass. May I see you there?

For those of you who are kind enough to listen to our radio program “Connecting the Diocese” on Relevant Radio, you have probably heard me spend some time chatting with Jack Socha of our Communications Department concerning the season of Advent and its many facets, but most especially, its chief component, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Two major celebrations of Our Blessed Lady occur during the Advent season and both are relevant to our consideration of her as a centerpiece of our Advent joy and reality.

Saturday is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. This feast is all about Mary’s immaculate conception in the womb of her mother, Saint Ann. It’s about how Mary was chosen by God, before all ages, to be His Mother. Mary, of course, like all of us, had to listen to Sacred Scripture, learn to have a relationship with God in prayer, and learn to understand that God is faithful to His promises. In short, Mary had to become a faithful believer in God. This she did.

Saint Augustine reminds us that Mary was God’s faithful daughter before she became His mother. Her faith empowered her to say “Yes” to the announcement of the Archangel Gabriel, in spite of its astonishing sound and equally amazing consequences.

This, of course, all took place in time. Time exists for us. God is eternal. So God allowed Mary, through a unique and divine prerogative, to share in the joy and the rewards of the salvation that would come from Jesus. From the very moment of her existence in the womb of her mother Saint Ann, God allowed Mary to experience the joy of the freedom and the liberation from sin that comes from the Savior Himself – she was immaculately conceived. Thus, she is and remains the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God. Under the title of Immaculate Conception, the Blessed Mother is revered as the Patroness of the United States.

The other great feast marks Mary’s own maternity of Jesus: The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Mary herself appeared to Saint Juan Diego in Mexico in 1531 as a pregnant woman. Of all of her apparitions on earth, this is the only time Our Lady appeared this way. The beautiful and mysterious, highly venerated, and intensely studied, image of her countenance was miraculously imprinted on the tilma, or cloak, of Saint Juan Diego. In this title, Our Lady is revered as the Patroness of America (both North and South).

I’m hoping that you are taking some Advent time to wait with Our Lady and prepare for Christmas with her.

With her, I’ll see you at Advent Mass!