Omaha archbishop: ‘You’re getting one of our best’
The nuncio called to tell the archbishop of Omaha, Nebraska, that one of his priests had been appointed to lead the Church in central and northeastern Missouri.
It was Bishop-elect Ralph B. O’Donnell.
“You’re getting one of our best,” Archbishop Michael G. McGovern told Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States. “This is good for the Church.”
Archbishop McGovern has been leading the Omaha archdiocese since only May of this year, but he remembers Bishop-elect O’Donnell from their days in the seminary.
“I was ordained in 1994,” the archbishop said. “He was in his first year at Mundelein when I was in my fourth.”
Seminarians from the Omaha archdiocese made up a sizable group at Mundelein Seminary at the Univesity of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois, at that time — second only to the Chicago archdiocese, which operates the seminary.
“There were quite a few from Omaha. It was a good group,” said Archbishop McGovern, who was a seminarian for Chicago.
Jefferson City’s future bishop left a good impression on his fellow seminarians.
“He was very congenial, very pleasant, he had a good sense of humor,” said Archbishop McGovern. “He seemed very devout. He seemed like a very good candidate for the Priesthood.”
That impression carried over to their time as archbishop and priest.
“He’s very prayerful, balanced and loves his family,” said Archbishop McGovern. “He seems to me to be very genuine, sincere and wants what’s best for serving the Lord.”
The archbishop spoke of the necessary “bandwidth” to be an effective bishop.
“Fr. O’Donnell has had several different assignments,” the archbishop noted. “Parish life as an assistant, parish life as a pastor. He worked on the formation team at Conception Seminary College and did vocation work for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“So, he’s had different ways of serving the Lord within the context of being a diocesan priest,” the archbishop said. “He’s worked with seminarians, worked with people in Consecrated Life, worked with other bishops, and obviously worked as a shepherd of souls at the parish level.”
Such broad experience helps Bishop-elect O’Donnell serve well with different people in different capacities.
“I would say he’s certainly prepared for the role of a bishop in a diocese,” the archbishop stated.
Prayer is paramount
Archbishop McGovern urges Bishop-elect O’Donnell to keep letting prayer define his ministry.
“Certainly, make sure you take the time to pray,” the archbishop advised. “As a bishop, you have a responsibility to be a shepherd for the shepherds — for the priests and the deacons and also your seminarians.”
His prayers must increase, “because there are many more people for you to pray for, in addition to those you’ve already been praying for.”
“You find new faces, new people, beginning with the clergy and seminarians, and obviously the faithful, and that all will feed your prayer,” the archbishop stated. “These are the people you’re responsible for as a bishop, and you need to keep praying for them.”
Archbishop McGovern also advised Bishop-elect O’Donnell to be patient, listen, ask questions and try to be present to as many people, in parishes and at events as possible, “especially in the first six months.”
“People want to meet and get to know their new bishop,” the archbishop noted. “It’s great to go out to the parishes, the schools, especially if you have Catholic high schools, and just let them see you in person.”
He suggested also staying in touch with the people through writing, videos and social media, “to give them a chance to get to know you.”
A renewed calling
Having arrived twice at a new place to be a diocesan bishop, Archbishop McGovern suggests that people in this diocese be “be welcoming, be patient, and keep introducing yourself” to Bishop-elect O’Donnell.
“Everything is new, and it takes time to absorb and learn people’s names,” said the archbishop.
“And keep praying for Bishop O’Donnell, and let him know you’re praying for him,” he added. “It means a lot to us to have people say, ‘I’m praying for you.’”
Archbishop McGovern is convinced that every time someone is sent on a new mission, the Lord’s call is renewed.
“Fr. O’Donnell — your new bishop — received that first calling to be a disciple and to be a priest,” the archbishop noted. “Now, Christ is calling him to serve the Church, to be a successor of the Apostles, to be in union with our Holy Father, Pope Leo.
“So, pray for his happiness, pray for a spirit of joy as he sets out on his own diocese,” the archbishop suggested.
He also asked prayers for the Church in Omaha, especially St. Margaret Mary Parish, where Bishop-elect O’Donnell has ministered for the past six years, and where parishioners await the appointment of a new pastor.
“I pray particularly for them as they look to the future, and for whichever priest that follows Bishop-elect O’Donnell, that God will give him the gifts he needs to be an effective shepherd for the people today,” the archbishop said.
“A new vineyard”
Archbishop McGovern looks forward to serving with Bishop-elect O’Donnell as a brother bishop in the same region of the United States.
He’s convinced that Bishop-elect O’Donnell will help the Lord yield a generous harvest here.
“So many seeds are planted in a bishop’s life and soul during his time as a diocesan priest,” the archbishop noted. “And with a transfer and a new assignment, those seeds come to fruition.”
He likened it to Christ’s message to St. Bridget of Sweden: “I want to plant a new vineyard.”
“I think Christ is planting a new vineyard in the life of Bishop O’Donnell and in the life of the Church there in Missouri,” he said.
