Hope for the Future: Holding Clerics to a Higher Standard – Renewal Ministries

Hope for the Future: Holding Clerics to a Higher Standard – Renewal Ministries: We want to share with you the following reflections from a recent bulletin article by Fr. Steve Mattson, from Church of the Resurrection in Lansing, Michigan.




Reflections on the Ordination of a Bishop

Later today (Wednesday), a good priest friend of mine, Monsignor Jerry Vincke, will be ordained the 12th Bishop of Salina, Kansas. I am privileged to be here to celebrate with and to pray for him and his new diocese. Last evening, we celebrated Solemn Vespers in Sacred Heart Cathedral. It was beautiful and poignant, especially in light of the current crisis. The cathedral was filled with priests from Salina, from Lansing, and other priest friends near and far. There were bishops too, of course, from Kansas, Michigan, and other places around the country whom Bishop-elect Vincke has come to know during his years of priestly ministry. His family and some friends also made the journey and were with us last night.

Mixed Emotions

Largely because of the horrors of the past few weeks, at a dinner in Bishop-elect Vincke’s honor, I experienced a range of emotions. Sobered and angered by the actions and inactions of bishops near and far, I couldn’t help but wonder about each and every bi