Fr. McKane to write Scripture reflection

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
June 26, 2003

Father Wm. Paul McKane has always loved Scripture. That is one of the reasons he agreed to take over writing the Scripture column that appears weekly on the inside back page of The Globe upon the retirement of Msgr. L.M. Ziegmann, who authored the column for the last 32 years.

"Ultimately, the column is to help the prayer life - the life in Christ of the people - in some small way," said Father McKane. "I know Msgr. Ziegmann had that same goal."

Father McKane, pastor at the parishes in Hartley, Primghar, Sanborn and Sutherland that make up the Union Cluster, came to the Diocese of Sioux City in September, 2000 wishing to serve as a parish priest in a rural diocese. A Benedictine, he is presently seeking incardination here, the canonical act whereby he would formally become a diocesan priest.

Months ago, knowing that Msgr. Ziegmann was slated for retirement this summer, Father McKane inquired what would happen to the column and the senior pastor was uncertain at that time.

"He has been a good friend," noted Father McKane. "We have had a lot of good talks."

It was during one of those talks that Father McKane brought up the column. After he expressed an interest in it, Msgr. Ziegmann passed word onto The Globe. With the approval of the bishop, Father McKane willingly accepted the task of writing the Scripture reflection.

"I see it as a chance to evangelize - to preach Christ," noted Father McKane, whose dissertation for a Ph.D. in political philosophy at the University of California in Santa Barbara was on St. Paul's spiritual experiences. "My real zeal is for preaching and teaching and this is another outlet for that."

He reads Greek and has some Hebrew.

"The Benedictine life is steeped in Scripture," said Father McKane, who explained that Benedictines try to pray the Psalms five times a day and are taught to read Scripture daily on their own.

Once incardinated, he plans to continue with these prayer practices. Along with the Benedictine life promoting a strong foundation in Scripture, he was a Lutheran prior to converting to Catholicism and that religion, he added, was also steeped in Scripture.

"My own faith was heavily influenced by reading the Bible on my own since the time I was young," said Father McKane, who also took several Scripture courses at Catholic University.

In the end, it was his love of Scripture that helped to bring about his conversion to Catholicism.

"The Catholic liturgy is steeped in Scripture," he said. "It is amazingly Scriptural. The Mass and the other sacraments were a strong draw for me."

He became Catholic at the age of 29 and a year later entered the Benedictine monastery. He has been a Benedictine for about 20 years and a priest for 15.

Father McKane's first Scripture reflection column will appear in the July 10 issue.

In order for people to get the most out of his Scripture reflection, he would like to see people read the referenced Bible verse that is based on the Scripture readings of the weekday Mass, Monday to Saturday, prior to reading his reflection.

While taking the time to read the Bible takes some effort, Father McKane said that most things good in life require effort. This, of course, includes people's attempts to nurture their own spiritual lives.

"I am truly grateful to have this opportunity," said Father McKane. "Yes, it may be a little extra work but that's good. To me it's a joyful work - anything involving Scripture or a little extra study. This is a very joyful, exciting enterprise for me."