April 29, 2011
Bishop-Elect Thompson introduced to diocese
The next Bishop of Evansville, Bishop-Elect Charles C. Thompson, listens, speaks, smiles and laughs during an interview with a reporter, April 26, at St. Benedict Cathedral. (Message photos by Paul R. Leingang) Click for a larger version.
By PAUL R. LEINGANG and MARY ANN HUGHES (The Message)
Pope Benedict XVI has named Father Charles C. Thompson, 50, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Louisville, and pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Louisville, to succeed Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger of Evansville. (See the original press release)
Bishop Gettelfinger’s resignation from the pastoral governance of the diocese was accepted; he will continue to serve the diocese as Apostolic Administrator until the new bishop is ordained.
Father Thompson will be ordained and installed as the Fifth Bishop of Evansville on Wednesday, June 29, at 2 p.m. CST.
The appointment and resignation acceptance were publicized in Washington, April 26, by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
Bishop Gettelfinger introduced Bishop-elect Thompson at a news conference at St. Benedict Cathedral on Tuesday morning, April 26. (Watch the news conference)
Students and teachers from St. Benedict school helped to fill the cathedral. Also attending were seminarians, clergy and lay staff members from many parishes, along with diocesan staff from the Catholic Center, Catholic Charities, Catholic Campus Ministry and the Guadalupe Center.
Archbishop Joseph Kurtz and retired Archbishop Thomas Kelly from Louisville, and Bishop Bill Medley from the Diocese of Owensboro attended the announcement and congratulated the new bishop.
Charles C. Thompson was born April 11, 1961, in Louisville. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting from Bellarmine College, a Master of Divinity degree from St. Meinrad School of Theology, and a Licentiate in Canon Law from St. Paul Univer-sity in Ottawa.
He was ordained a priest for the Louisville Archdiocese in 1987.
Bishop-elect Thompson ran track and cross country in high school and college, and continues his running habits — usually on a treadmill in recent years. He also enjoys trail-riding on horseback.
In the Archdiocese of Louisville, his assignments included associate pastor, St. Joseph Pro-Cathedral, Bardstown, Ky., and chaplain of Bethlehem High School, Bardstown, 1987-1990; part-time associate pastor, St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Louisville, 1992-1993; metropolitan judicial vicar and director of tribunals, 1993-1998; administrator, St. Peter Claver Parish, Louisville, 1994-1996; chaplain, Presentation Academy, Louisville, 1995-1997; pastor, St. Augustine Parish, Lebanon, Ky, 1996-2002; defender of the bond and judge of the diocesan tribunal, 1998-2008; pastor, Holy Trinity Parish, 2002-present and vicar general, 2008-present.
Bishop-elect Thompson opened the news conference with a statement, in English and partially in Spanish, and then took questions from media.
When others in attendance were invited to ask questions or make comments, Ken Schultheis, executive di-rector of Reitz Memorial High School, welcomed Bishop-elect Thompson and praised him for his strong support of Catholic schools.
Bishop Gettelfinger: Bishop Emeritus and Apostolic Administrator
Bishop Gettelfinger was born in Ramsey, Ind., Oct. 20, 1935. He was ordained a priest in 1961 for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. In 1989, he was appointed bishop of Evansville. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Meinrad College and a Master of Science degree in education from Butler University.
Diocesan staff members meet the new bishop
Staff members from the Catholic Center, Catholic Charities, Campus Ministry and the Gua-dalupe Center were invited to come to Mass on Tuesday, April 26, at 8:30 a.m.
While anticipating hearing an announcement of the next bishop’s name, not all who were present realized that the next bishop and the retiring bishop would concelebrate Mass with them.
“I’m as nervous as I have ever been in my whole life,” Bishop-elect Thompson said to his small congregation of staffers. Later he said he wanted to emphasize the centrality of the Eucharist in all the work and ministry of the Church.
He promised to try to get to know his staff, but confessed that he was “more better at numbers” even in his own extended family which he said included 90 first cousins. “I can remember phone numbers since I was in Grade School,” he said, “but I don’t remember who they go with.”
He used the personal story to connect to a passage from the Gospel for the morning’s Mass, pointing out that Mary Magdalen did not recognize Jesus until he called her by name.
He said he had been praying for the Diocese of Evansville since he got the call, and now he was “beginning to put faces with the names.”
After the Mass, the group gathered for a light breakfast in the Sarto cafeteria. As they ate, the bishop-elect went table to table greeting diocesan staff members. When he saw Deanna Ruston, the secretary to Bishop Gettelfinger, he laughed as he hugged her. He said, “This is the one that’s going to take care of me.”
Diocesan staff members then headed to St. Benedict Cathed-ral on Evansville’s east side for a news conference.
By 10 in the morning, the large church was filling up with students from St. Benedict Cathedral School, with priests, deacons and pastoral life coordinators and with members of the various news media in the area.
Sitting in the front row and beaming with pride were members of the bishop-elect’s family, including his mother and father, Joyce and Coleman Thompson, of Louisville.
First cousin Father Dale Cieslik said, “I am so happy — both for the diocese and for Father Chuck.”
At the beginning of the news conference, Bishop Gettelfinger said, “I hear there is a party going on.” He then introduced Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of the Archdiocese of Louisville, Archbishop Thomas Kelly, archbishop emeritus of Louisville, and Bishop William Fran-cis Medley of the Diocese of Owensboro
The bishop noted that it was a “day of joy for me” and that he was “delighted” to introduce the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Evansville.
The bishop-elect then read a statement:
“I greet you with warmest affection as Bishop-Elect for the Diocese of Evansville.
“Please allow me to acknowledge your tremendous support and affirmation on the occasion of my episcopal appointment.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude for the confidence of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, in appointing me to serve as the fifth bishop for the Diocese of Evansville. While certainly unworthy, relying always on God’s grace, I have accepted this appointment in a spirit of obedience and with a grateful heart. In praise of the Holy Trinity, may God be glorified by this feeble servant standing before you today.
“I want to thank Bishop Gettelfinger for his tremendous support, welcoming spirit and gracious hospitality. While I have no intention of trying to fill his shoes, especially given the difference in our sizes, I have every intention of drawing from his vast wisdom and experience. Join me in congratulating Bishop Gettelfinger on his twenty-second anniversary as bishop on April 11 and his fiftieth anniversary as priest on May 7.
“I want to express heartfelt appreciation for the outpouring of support and affirmation that I have received from Arch-bishops Buechlein, Kurtz and Kelly, as well as Bishop Med-ley. These are truly wise men, guiding forces in my life. They have been great models of faith, humility and dedicated service to the Church.
“Thanks to my brother priests and all the wonderful people throughout the Archdiocese of Louisville, who have made me who I am today, particularly in the parishes and ministries I have been blessed to serve.
“I thank everyone here in the Diocese of Evansville for welcoming me as your bishop. I humbly ask for your prayers and patience as I learn this new role in my life. If I have any chance of being a good bishop, in cooperation with divine grace, I will need your support and collaboration. I look forward to meeting the priests, deacons, religious and laity—putting names and faces to those that make up the Church in southwest Indiana — and working with you in continuing our shared baptismal call of proclaiming the Good News and building up the Kingdom of God.”
When he concluded his statement, he was asked his reaction to hearing the news of his ap-pointment. He recalled driving on “North 65 on April 4” when he received a call from Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
“I pulled into a Love’s truck stop,” he said, adding that “storms were looming on the horizon.”
As the two men talked, the nuncio reminded Father Thompson of Jesus’ words to the apostles to “cast aside your nets and come follow me.” The nuncio added, “Jesus is asking you for the same thing.”
Father Thompson said after the phone call, he prayed the rosary “to calm me down.”
When he was asked what his first order of business would be, he said, “To lead people in prayer.”
He said that the day before the April 26 announcement, he drove from Louisville to Vincennes, and then spent 30 minutes in prayer at the crypt of Bishop Simon Bruté, the first bishop of Vincennes.
When asked if he was excited about the appointment, he answered, “Excited. Anxious. Nervous.”
Then he added, “I’m trusting in God’s mercy.”
Then he was asked what his vision is for the diocese, he replied, “We are going to form that vision together.”
He added, “The Eucharist is the center of my life.”
In closing the news conference, he read a message that he had written to the young people of the diocese.
“To our young people throughout the Diocese of Evansville. I extend a special greeting. Throughout much of my priesthood, I have served in parishes with schools and as a chaplain for three different Catholic high schools. In addition, I have also had the privilege of interacting with sev-eral young people in religious education programs, youth groups, retreats and various programs for youth and children.
“I never cease to be amazed by the faith, energy, enthusiasm and unique perspective of youth. Time and time again, I have been personally enriched by school liturgies, sacramental preparations and celebrations, religious education opportunities, youth activities and just simply being among young people.
“You are truly a blessing to our Church. You are not merely wanted, but needed. I encourage you to grow in your knowledge of the Catholic faith, celebrate it and live it to the full. You make a difference. As your bishop, I want to assure you that we can do great things together in the name of Jesus Christ and His Church. I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible and as soon as possible. I humbly ask of you two things. First, take time to pray and consider your vocation, your calling, in the Church; dare to imagine what your life might be like as a priest or religious. Also, consider the diaconate and the various opportunities of lay ministry. Second, I simply ask you to pray for me and help me to be a good bishop.”
Two St. Benedict eighth graders who listened to his message said they were excited about the bishop elect, but sad that Bishop Gettelfinger is retiring.
Nathan Hall said, “I think he’s going to lead our diocese with a lot of wisdom. He’s going to be a good bishop. It’s sad to see Bishop Gettelfinger leave. Change is always exciting. It’s a bittersweet moment.”
Maggie Mehringer agreed. “I was sad when I heard Bishop Gettelfinger was retiring, but I’m excited to have someone new and see how they do it.”
After the news conference, people from around the diocese lined up to meet and greet their bishop-elect.
Off to the side, Marty Horning, DRE at St. Ben’s, hugged his mom. She said, “ I couldn’t imagine being the mother of a bishop.”
His mom replied, “I couldn’t either.”
She was filled with joy — and a little sad at the changes that are coming her way. “We go to lunch every Friday,” she said. After the news was announced of his upcoming move to southern Indiana, he told his mom that maybe they could meet once a month for lunch.
Catholic Charities staff member Christina Rosario congratulated the bishop-elect’s father who said, “It’s an honor.”
(Related story: Reaction to bishop-elect)