A time of renewal

August 17, 2006

My dear family in Christ,

"Peace be with you" is the greeting every bishop gives as he begins the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Peace has always been an elusive goal in our modern world. It is hard to come by in the nations of the world, in our own neighborhoods, in our families, and in our hearts. Yet it is with the effort we put forth to be peacemakers. The present conflicts in the Middle East, the continuing war in Iraq, the recent possibility of terrorist attacks all point to our great duty to pray and work for peace in whatever ways we can. I encourage all of us to not give up on praying for peace. God listens to our prayers, let us pray even more fervently.

As many of you know, I recently returned from a 10-day vacation. While I was away, I received e-mail about the destruction of one of our Churches, Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Maryhill. What a tragedy for the people of that parish community. Please keep them in your prayers. As we all know, a Church, especially our own beloved parish church, is a special place of prayer, support and memories. The church of Maryhill is gone. At this time, we are not sure about the future of the Maryhill Catholic community. Those decisions will be made in the coming weeks. In the meantime, I ask all of us in the diocese to be one in prayerful support of our brothers and sisters in Maryhill. I thank Father Armand Bertrand and Father Gene Sitzmann for their leadership. I appreciated the concern Msgr. Sernett showed to the parish in his immediate visit to the site. I commend the people of the area who helped clean up and salvage all they could of what was left of the parish Church. I appreciate the warm welcome that the parishioners of Immaculate Conception parish in Cherokee have given to the parishioners of Visitation Parish. God continues to be with us and as a community of faith we remain firm in our belief in God's constant love for us.

This past Sunday I had the pleasure of celebrating the Centennial mass for Immaculate Conception Parish in Sioux City. In 1905, Bishop Garrigan agreed to the establishment of a new parish in the newly formed Diocese of Sioux City. In 1906 the reality and the visions of this new parish community began. One hundred years of faith has been nourished and lived within this wonderful parish. The Mass of Celebration was a great testimony to all who in the past and in the present care for Immaculate Conception Parish. I thank Father Dan Guenther and his staff, especially the musicians and choir for making this 100-year anniversary such a wonderful celebration. The warm welcome Immaculate Conception parish has given to the parishioners of both St. Casmir and a St. Francis parish is also a sign of great love. I was particularly pleased to see a large number of sisters present at the Mass. These dedicated women provided many, many children of the parish with a good Catholic education. I thank them and pray that the commitment to strong Catholic schools continues to be enhanced by religious sisters and committed lay men and women in their service to the teaching of our Catholic faith.

Now, let me share just a few thoughts about my recent vacation. I traveled with my former parochial vicar (assistant pastor) from Our Lady of Fatima parish in Lakewood, Colorado. Believe it or not, but pastors and their assistants can become good friends! Father Kevin Augustyn was a good tour guide as we traveled to Switzerland and Austria. We spent only a day in the mostly Protestant city of Zurich. It was difficult to find a Catholic Church! What a difference we experienced when we arrived in Salzburg, Austria. One could just feel the Catholic culture and piety surrounding us. We celebrated Mass in two beautiful churches and spent time in prayer in the beautiful Cathedral. August 4, the feast of St. John Vianney, patron of parish priests, was the 33rd anniversary of my priestly ordination. I gave thanks to God for calling me to the wonderful vocation to serve the Church as a priest and prayed that many more young men, especially in our Diocese, generously answer God's call to become priests of Jesus Christ.

Father Kevin is a graduate of Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio. During a semester of his study, he had the opportunity to study at the Carthusian Monastery of Gaming, Austria. This beautiful monastery dates back to 1330 and is still a place of prayer and study for people from all over the world. Father Kevin discerned his priestly vocation in Gaming and wanted to return as a priest to thank God for his vocation. He wanted to show me this special place.

Instead of traveling to Vienna as we planned, we decided to stay longer in Gaming and spend time in prayer and reflection. Despite pouring rain every day, our time there was well spent. We had the opportunity to concelebrate a Byzantine Liturgy with a friend of ours, Father Juraj Terek. Fr. Juraj is a married Catholic priest of one of our Eastern Rite Churches. His wife Katie is a long time friend of my family from Denver. They and their three children treated us to a wonderful visit to their home. He is part of the International Theological Institute for Studies of Marriage and the Family, located at the Monastery. The Byzantine Liturgy was moving and prayerful. Eastern Rite Catholics add a "second lung" to the Universal Catholic Church. How richly blessed we are to share our Catholic faith with people of different rites. Students from Ave Maria University in Naples, Florida also have a study abroad program in Gaming. There is also a Language and Cultural Institute located at the monastery. This Institute is a Catholic education and formation program for young people from Central and Eastern Europe. Students are given skills, knowledge and zeal for the mission of rebuilding the Church in their home countries. The opportunity for American young people to meet and interact with young people from Central and Eastern Europe enriches them both.

Finally, we spent some time with Walter Hildenbrand, the world-renowned architect who has been in charge of all that goes on at the "Kartause" (the name of the whole complex) in Gaming. What a man of vision and faith!

My days were restful, relaxing and prayerful. I hope that each of you has sometime of rest and renewal as well. God has blessed us with many gifts and opportunities. Let us continue to thank Him. By the way, football season is almost here. I know you will hear more about my allegiance to the Denver Broncos!

Your brother in Christ,

Most Reverend R. Walker Nickless
Bishop of Sioux City