by Bishop James Conley
Last weekend I had the privilege and joy of ordaining two men to the transitional diaconate and five deacons to the priesthood at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln. It is a longstanding custom in the Diocese of Lincoln to ordain new deacons and priests over the Memorial Day weekend. It seems to me to be a most fitting weekend when our nation remembers and honors those men and women who have sacrificed so much in defending our freedoms, that we look forward to a future with hope, knowing that God continues to raise up new spiritual leaders, shepherds who will sacrifice so much to tend the flocks entrusted to their care.
Most importantly, ordination weekend is an opportunity to give thanks to God for giving his flock new shepherds, and express our gratitude to the families of these men for nurturing and supporting a priestly vocation in the hearts of their sons.
With our five newly ordained priests, the Diocese of Lincoln now has 150 active diocesan priests, the largest number of active priests in the 137-year history of the diocese. These five new priests bring the total number of priests ordained since I became bishop of Lincoln in November of 2012 to 50, exactly one third of the entire presbyterate. With only two retirements this year, the average age of our active priests is now 50 years of age, which is 13 years younger than the national average of 63 years old. It was a joy for me on Friday of last week to give these five men their first priestly assignments on the eve of their ordination day. They received their assignments with deep joy as they anticipated serving you in your parishes.
These encouraging statistics, however, are no reason to boast or to be prideful, but rather to be humble and grateful to the Lord for his goodness to this local church. We must give all the credit to God, and to the prayers of so many, particularly our cloistered communities of religious women, the Pink Sisters in Lincoln and the Carmelite nuns of Valparaiso. Additionally, we give thanks to almighty God for the generous parents and families of these men who taught them their Catholic faith in the home, and the meaning of sacrifice and generous service to God at a very early age.
This past year I included a new sentence in the annual priest assignment survey we distribute to the priests at the end of the calendar year. I asked the priests if they ever would be willing to serve a need outside of the Lincoln Diocese. Fifteen priests said they would be willing, if there was a request. We know that God is never outdone in generosity and we should always be ready and willing to help others in need. We already have 12 priests serving outside the Diocese of Lincoln, and I firmly believe that God will always bless a hundredfold our generosity and sacrifice.
As I write these words, we are making final preparations to begin our first-ever convocation of priests in Kearney. Beginning on the evening of Memorial Day until noon on Thursday (May 27-30), we will spend some “time away” from our pastoral responsibilities and duties, in rest and relaxation, a time of fraternal recreation and renewal.
The theme of this year’s clergy convocation, an event we plan to offer every other year, is: “Flourishing as Priests: Body, Mind and Soul.” Each morning, Father John Riccardo and his team from Acts XXIX will lead us in a reflection, followed by Holy Mass and lunch. The afternoons and evenings will be left free for outdoor excursions such as hiking, canoeing, golf or skeet shooting. I am grateful to the Nebraska State Knights of Columbus and State Deputy Robert Wolf, for generously sponsoring a fraternal steak dinner for us on Tuesday night of the convocation.
There is a famous axium in Latin, nemo dat quod non habet, which literally means “no one can give what they do not have.” All human beings need to take time for self-care and leisure. We are not machines and the day to day work of pastoral ministry can be draining physically, emotionally and psychologically for our priests. It is my hope and prayer that these days together will be life-giving for us, so that when we return to our assignments, we will be refreshed and reinvigorated to take up our pastoral duties again with even greater zeal. We will also have an opportunity for health screenings sponsored by Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, who will provide health care professionals who will be on site to offer advice on health and wellness.
I am grateful to Father Doug Deitrich, our Vicar for Priests, who has done the “lion’s share” of organizing our Clergy Convocation this year. As he said recently in an article for the Southern Nebraska Register, “the convocation will not only speak to the priests about the importance of a well-balanced lifestyle; it will hopefully afford them the opportunity to experience it, and for more than just a couple of hurried hours which run head-long into parish meetings and classroom preps.”
Please know that we will hold each of you deep in our prayers when we are away, and we thank you for your prayers for us. I am very excited for this opportunity to be together for a few days in order to renew the bonds of priesthood that we are so privileged to share with Jesus Christ, and a graced opportunity for the spiritual and human flourishing of our priests.
