Diocesan priests to retire

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
May 26, 2005

Two priests serving the Diocese of Sioux City will retire this summer, however both plan to continue to help out when and where they can.

Father Harry McAlpine was ordained in 1987 and has been a priest in the diocese for 18 years. He is currently serving two parishes, St. John Church in Onawa and St. Bernard Church in Blencoe.

"There have been so many wonderful experiences in every parish that I have served," said Father McAlpine. "It has been a wonderful experience ministering to the people of our diocese. It has been extremely rewarding through the appreciation people have for your ministry."

He was in the business world most of his life and noted that there was always a feeling that there was something else he was being called to do.

"When I look back in hindsight, I can see that I was probably being called at that time, but I had a wonderful career and wasn't responding to the call," said Father McAlpine. "I think it is more than what you expect. Each day is a new experience. It has been a wonderful experience."

In retirement, Father McAlpine explained that with the shortage of priests, he will continue in the ministry and help out his brother priests with coverage and whatever he can do to help.

A retirement party will be held July 10 in Father McAlpine's honor.

Father Gene Sitzmann was ordained in 1962 and has been serving the diocese for 43 years. He is currently the pastor at Visitation Church in Maryhill and St. John the Baptist Church in Quimby.

"First of all, I value excellent health. I have hardly known a sick day or an hour in all of these years," said Father Sitzmann. His inspirations to become a priest were family values, family encouragement and simply being taught how to be good and how to live a good life. He added that he had good priestly models along the way.

Another thing that he values is the diversity in his ministry.

"I have been able to do a lot of different kinds of things, especially the work at the hospital, MHI - both in instructing pastoral care students and providing direct pastoral and clinical service to the patients," said Father Sitzmann.

According to Father Sitzmann, his co-workers and colleagues through the years have been "equally diversified, competent people that I can work with and generous and skilled people. This would be true whether I am talking about colleagues in ministry in the diocese as well as in the mental health and social work fields."

"I have always found strong parishioner support and willing assistants that offer a helping hand," he said. "As far as joys, those come in indirect as well as very direct ways. I have felt valued as a person, as a priest, as a therapist and as an instructor."

Father Sitzmann noted that he receives positive messages in all of those areas in surprising ways including a phone call, a letter, a visit on the street or before or after church.

"It has been even more satisfying than I could have known or even would have known when starting," said Father Sitzmann.

In retirement, he will be staying in residence in Maryhill for at least a year and be a willing helper to the pastor that is in residence with what he needs Father Sitzmann to do.

"In a lot of ways, it will be pretty much what I have always done, but without the direct responsibility and scaled back considerably," said Father Sitzmann.

A potluck will be held at St. John Church in Quimby June 11 following evening Mass. Another retirement party will be at Visitation in Maryhill on June 26 and will be open to the public from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.