DAVENPORT, Iowa (OSV News) ─ Newly ordained Bishop Dennis G. Walsh stood at the altar in Sacred Heart Cathedral praying the Eucharistic prayer he has prayed countless times in 32 years of priesthood, when he paused unexpectedly.
He couldn't remember whom to identify as bishop of the Diocese of Davenport! Standing nearby, Bishop Dennis E. Thomas of Toledo, Ohio, Bishop Walsh's home diocese, whispered a cue to the new bishop, "Me, your unworthy servant."
Bishop Walsh joked later about the temporary memory lapse in his remarks at the end of the Mass of his ordination and installation as 10th bishop of the Diocese of Davenport Sept. 27.
"To say that this appointment by the Holy Father was a complete surprise is an understatement," Bishop Walsh said. "I am deeply humbled by the confidence that the Holy Father has placed in me."
The faithful of the Davenport Diocese expressed gratitude for the Holy Father's decision as well, in comments they made after the Mass, which resounded with heartfelt voices singing hymns of praise and thanksgiving throughout the two-and-a-half-hour liturgy.
Honoring the church's diversity and universality, the liturgy included a prelude by the Vietnamese Choir of Sacred Heart Cathedral and readings in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. Clergy from the Byzantine Catholic Church were among the concelebrants. "It was a beautiful thing to witness," said diocesan seminarian Christian Schiltz, a convert. "It was as beautiful as the most beautiful wedding I've ever been to."
The diocese had been without a bishop for 11 months since Bishop Thomas R. Zinkula was installed as archbishop of the Dubuque Archdiocese last October. Father Ken Kuntz, a retired priest of the Davenport Diocese who served as diocesan administrator for 11 months, rose from his pew to request that Archbishop Zinkula ordain Bishop-designate Walsh to the episcopate.
Archbishop Zinkula served as principal consecrating bishop and homilist. Bishop Thomas and retired Davenport Bishop Martin J. Amos served as co-consecrators.
The archbishop requested the papal mandate appointing the new bishop, and Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, approached the ambo for the presentation. He expressed Pope Francis' spiritual presence and affection for the people of the diocese. Nodding toward the bishop-designate, seated in a front pew, the cardinal teased that he was sitting there quietly, waiting for the moment. The congregation laughed.
The cardinal thanked Archbishop Zinkula for his six years of ministry in the diocese and teasingly asked the congregation, "You remember him?"
Cardinal Pierre thanked Bishop-designate Walsh "for the 'yes,' which you have said throughout your 32 years of priesthood, a 'yes' you have now repeated in answering the Holy Father's call to be a bishop."
"Our pope reminds us, a priest who is close to his people and walks among them with closeness and tenderness is a good shepherd. And, in doing this, we make Jesus present in the life of humanity," the cardinal continued. "I encourage you to continue your practice of being present to the people of God where you are, where they live their daily lives and engage in activities that matter to them. Your shepherding the flock in the midst of them will be valuable, even though at times you will need to go before them and other times walk behind them to push them a little bit more."
"May God bless you and the people of this diocese so that together you may continue the journey with Christ at its center," Cardinal Pierre said.
After he read the mandate in English, the assembly applauded and he presented it to Bishop-designate Walsh, who displayed it to bishops in the sanctuary and then walked throughout the church to show it to the congregation.
During his homily that followed, Archbishop Zinkula spoke of the sense of poignancy and yet joyful anticipation he felt in the week leading up to the Mass. Addressing Bishop-designate Walsh, he said he looked forward to taking him "to the cathedra (seat) that I occupied for six years, and that has been vacant ever since, and seating you there."
As a seminary formator once said of Davenport's new bishop, he prefers to live "in the backyard of life" but willingly moves into the "front yard of life" to respond to God's call.
After the Mass, Archbishop Zinkula told The Catholic Messenger, Davenport's diocesan newspaper, "For me, it helped bring closure, even after almost a year. When I left, the see was open and I didn't really have the opportunity to connect with many people. It was very meaningful for me to be the one who installed Bishop Walsh in the cathedra. And to interact with lots and lots of the faithful now that we all are used to this idea of me being in a different assignment in a different place."
Ordaining and installing Bishop Walsh was a first-time experience for the archbishop, who himself experienced a forgetful moment.
After the bishops laid hands on the bishop-designate, Archbishop Zinkula prepared for the anointing rite and the handing of the Gospels to the new bishop. Someone reminded him that Deacons Kent Ferris and Angel Hernandez were waiting to place the Book of the Gospels over the bishop-designate's head. The rite proceeded and the liturgy was back on track.
Among the concelebrants were 19 bishops and approximately 100 priests, including one bishop and several priests of the Byzantine Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. "The church was breathing with both Eastern and Western lungs," said Father Bruce Riebe of the Byzantine Catholic Outreach of Iowa, based in Muscatine.
Some 30 deacons, seven seminarians, the Knights of Columbus Honor Guard and 4 banner-bearers and women religious also participated from among the faithful in Iowa and Ohio.
Sister Dame Elayne Bockey, a Sister of Notre Dame of Delphos, Ohio, inspired by the full participation of the faithful, described the liturgy as the "vestibule of heaven." She added, "Everyone was immersed in this glorious experience of the people of God."
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Barb Arland-Fye is editor of The Catholic Messenger, newspaper of the Diocese of Davenport. Lindsay Steele, the Messenger's diocesan reporter, contributed to this story.
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