Bishop uses Easter season to fulfill roles as shepherd

April 10, 2008

My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

As you know, the Church celebrates the great feast of Easter for 50 days. One day is just not enough to celebrate and remember the great event of our faith. The spirit of Easter joy, new life and new enthusiasm touch us all and it is evident in the life of the Church in the Diocese of Sioux City.

CO-CATHEDRAL OF THE SACRED HEART

Just a week after the return visit of Cardinal Daniel DiNardo to our diocese, I had the privilege of traveling to his archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. The dedication of their magnificent new Co-Cathedral (called "co"-cathedral because there is also a Cathedral in the city of Galveston) was a spectacular event with over flow crowds filling the 1,600 seating capacity. This included over 50 bishops, four cardinals, hundreds of priests and deacons and faithful. Nestled in the middle of downtown Houston, the co-cathedral stands as a witness of faith in the midst of a secular world. The statues, marble altars, stained glass windows all point to the purpose of worship in any Church: to lead us to God. A church is meant to be a place that takes us "out of this world" to heaven. This is certainly the case in the Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral of Houston. One piece of art that is particularly beautiful is the Resurrection Window. It adorns the front wall of the Co-Cathedral and depicts Christ rising over the city of Houston. The heart of Christ reaches out in love and protection to the city inviting all to come to him. If you ever get a chance to visit the city of Houston, be sure to visit the Co-Cathedral. Cardinal DiNardo continued his praise of our welcome ceremony for him. He again expressed his extreme gratitude to us all.

RITE OF ACOLYTE AND LECTOR

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to take an early morning drive on Highway 20 (I did keep the speed limit!) to what I like to call our "Co-Cathedral" of the Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart Church in Early, Iowa. Granted, it is not as massive as its name sake in Houston, but is still a beautiful Church and draws all who enter to the divine worship of heaven. With the generous help of Father Larry Burns, pastor, I celebrated the Rite of Lector and the Rite of Acolyte for five of our deacon candidates. Verne Burke from St. Malachy Parish, (Madrid) received the ministry of lector and Bill Black from St. Cecelia Parish, (Algona), David Brown from Sacred Heart Parish, (Boone), Gary Schon St. Elizabeth Seton Parish (Glidden), Byron (Butch) Stone from St. Joseph Parish, (Wall Lake) received the ministry of acolyte.

With their wives and families and pastors and friends, along with their fellow deacons, these men took another step forward in their hoped for ordination as deacons. In a simple yet moving ceremony, they received the Sacred Scripture and the Sacred Vessels which hold the Body and Blood of Christ. The Scripture, the chalice and paten, symbolize their service to the Word of God and the Altar of Sacrifice where the Eucharist is celebrated. I ask for your continued prayers for our deacons and deacon candidates. Under the able leadership of David Lopez and Tim Murphy, they are gifts of great value to the Church and our diocese.

THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION

The many celebrations of the sacrament of confirmation have begun in this springtime of Easter joy. The opportunity I have to travel the diocese, to be with our young people, their pastors and fellow parishioners is a highlight in my role as bishop. I continue to be impressed by the faith, knowledge and prayfulness of our young Catholics. This past weekend I administrated the sacrament on Confirmation to the youth of several parishes: St. Joseph in Granville, St. Mary, Alton; St. Anthony, Hospers; St. Joseph, Milford; St. Mary, Spirit Lake; St. Boniface, Charter Oak and St. Mary, Ute.

These last two groups from Charter Oak and Ute, joined me at the 5:00 p.m. Mass at the Cathedral of the Epiphany. This was a special opportunity for the young people and their families to experience the beauty of our Cathedral Church and to celebrate Mass with our Cathedral parishioners. I hope that other parishes might consider coming to the Cathedral to celebrate Confirmation. I am very proud of our Cathedral and want as many as possible to experience the Lord's presence in this special place.

Please continue to pray for all the youth of our diocese who already have or will soon receive the sacrament of Confirmation. The gift of the Holy Spirit will work powerfully in them as they open themselves up to the grace of the seven-fold gifts they receive. We desperately need our youth to witness their faith and especially renew their friendship with our Lord Jesus. These youth will be our future priests, consecrated persons, faithful laity, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers.

May the gift and grace of the Holy Spirit make them bold witnesses of Jesus and his gospel.

DIRECTOR OF WORSHIP

I am pleased to welcome Adam Schwend (and his wife Amelia) to our Diocese as our new Director of the Office of Worship. This position has been left vacant for several months. I want to thank Father Bruce Lawler, pastor of St. Mary's Parish in Storm Lake for his generous gift of time and talent in the office these past several months. He has been assisted by Linda Miller who will continue to assist our new director.

Adam comes to us from Beaverton, Oregon and has considerable experience both in liturgy and music. I know that he will be a great assistance to all of us as we continue to grow in our love and appreciation of the Liturgy. At times, he will accompany me to various liturgical functions and he will be a great resource for me and for the pastors and faithful of the diocese. Welcome, Adam, we look forward to your ministry among us.

PAPAL VISIT

As you know, Our Holy Father, Benedict XVI, will visit our country next week. My fellow bishops and I will be with him in Washington, D.C. and Fathers Andrew Vo and Brett Lingle and other faithful from our diocese will be with him in New York. What a great blessing this visit will be for all of America. While here, the Holy Father will celebrate his 81st birthday and the 3rd anniversary of his election as Pope. Please pray for him. As the Vicar of Christ among us, he carries heavy burdens, but is also a sign of hope and joy in our world.

Easter blessings abound! May the Risen Christ continue to bless the hearts of all who believe. Thank you for reading this. My prayers continue to be with you and I am so grateful for your prayers offered on my behalf.

Your brother in Christ, 

Most Reverend R. Walker Nickless
Bishop of Sioux City