July 8, 2011
Bishop Charles C. Thompson
Fifth Bishop of Diocese of Evansville is ordained June 29
Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz ordains Bishop Charles C. Thompson at Roberts Municipal Stadium June 29 before a congregation of 7,000 clergy, religious and lay members of the Diocese of Evansville and surrounding areas. (Message photo by Peewee Vasquez) Click for a larger version.
By MARY ANN HUGHES (Message staff writer)
In a June 29 ceremony filled with processions and pageantry — and even a little laughter — Bishop Charles C. Thompson was installed as the Fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Evansville.
His motto is “Christ the Cornerstone,” and he reminded the 7,000 plus in attendance at his ordination that “it must always be the voice of Jesus Christ who speaks through us. In His name, we speak and work on behalf of those in need.
“The centrality of the Eucharist is of vital importance for us. To remain Christ-centered in every fabric of our lives, relationships and mission we must not lose sight of the very real presence of Jesus in our midst.”
The new bishop succeeds retiring Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger who served the diocese for 22 years. He comes to southwestern Indiana after serving in the Archdiocese of Louisville as a pastor, high school chaplain and, most recently, vicar general.
Over 200 family members, including his parents Coleman and Joyce, traveled from central Kentucky to Evansville for the ceremony which was held in Roberts Municipal Stadium. (See more news coverage here)
The stadium had been transformed into sacred space; there were holy water fonts, banners and Easter candles at the four entrances. A crucifix from St. Boniface Church on Evansville’s west side and an altar, an ambo and a presider’s chair from St. Mary’s Church in downtown Evansville were placed on a platform measuring 32 feet wide and 40 feet deep that was positioned at the tunnel end of the stadium.
A side altar devoted to Mary, the patroness of the diocese, was created to the right of the platform, and the 125-member diocesan choir, under the direction of Jeremy Korba, stood on the left hand side.
The ceremony began with the song “Lord, You Give the Great Commis-sion,” and a procession of Knights of St. John, Fourth Degree Knights of Co-lumbus, seminarians, deacons, priests from both the archdiocese and the diocese, concelebrating abbots, bishops and archbishops.
Msgr. Jean-Francois Lantheaume was in attendance, representing Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the apostolic nuncio to the United States.
The bishop-elect was escorted by two priests, Father R. Dale Cieslik, a cousin, and the Very Reverend J. Mark Spald-ing, vicar general of the archdiocese.
Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville was the principal ordaining bishop, and retired Archbishop Thomas C. Kelly of Louisville and Bishop Get-telfinger were ordaining bishops.
Benedictine Sister Karen Durliat, diocesan director of the Spanish-speaking ministry, did the first reading in Spanish from Acts 12:1-11, and Daughter of Charity Sister Honora Remes, provincial of the Mater Dei provincialate in Evansville, did the second reading from 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18.
Newly-ordained Deacon Jeff Read, a fourth-year theology student at St. Meinrad Seminary, proclaimed the Gospel from Matthew 16: 13-19.
The Rite of Ordination began with “Veni Creator Spiritus,” sung by a schola from St. Meinrad Archabbey where the bishop-elect attended seminary and later taught canon law.
Father Phil Kreilein, pastor at Resurrection Church, Evansville, and the last chair of the Council of Priests, presented the bishop-elect to Archbish-op Kurtz for ordination.
Msgr. Lantheaume read the apostolic mandate, which was shown to the College of Consultors and the people in the stadium who then applauded.
Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis presented the homily. The archbishop, a native of Jasper and a monk of St. Meinrad Archabbey, is the metropolitan bishop of the state of Indiana. He began his homily by thanking the bishop-elect for saying “yes to the Holy Father.”
He noted that as a young child, in an interview with the Louisville Courier-Journal, the young Chuck Thompson said he “might go to St. Meinrad and give the seminary a try.”
Archbishop Buechlein, who served as the president-rector at St. Meinrad, said, “He em-braced priestly formation with an open and full heart, and he completed the program with flying colors.”
He added, “I am sure he will make Louisville and Evansville proud.”
He told the bishop-elect he would be a “servant of unity. By God’s grace, we build unity and communion in two ways, unity in the faith of the church and unity in the charity of Christ. A bishop is a humble servant of unity in the Church.
“Without humility, one does not serve. Without humility, one does not build community.”
At the end of his homily, the archbishop offered a suggestion regarding the bishop-elect’s title. “If anyone slips and says ‘Bishop Chuck,’ I suggest they make a charitable contribution to the Little Sisters of the Poor.”
He then held up the 50-year-old bishop-elect’s ordination card. “I think you have a First Communion picture on the front,” he said. The congregation — and the bishop-elect — responded with sustained laughter and applause.
Archbishop Buechlein concluded his homily by telling those in attendance that “what our Church needs more than anything from us bishops and priests is integrity and holiness.
“The Church needs us to be no-nonsense, down to earth, holy, spiritual moral leaders who are who we claim to be.”
After the homily, Bishop-elect Thompson listened as Archbishop Kurtz asked, “Do you resolve by the grace of the Holy Spirit to discharge until death the office entrusted to us by the apostles, which we are about to pass on to you by the laying on of our hands?
The bishop-elect answered, “I do.”
Archbishop Kurtz then asked, “Do you resolve to preach the Gospel of Christ with constancy and fidelity.” Again, the answer, “I do.”
He was asked if he would resolve to be obedient to the successor of the Apostle Peter, to guide the holy people of God in the way of salvation as a devoted father and sustain them with the help of the priests and deacons, and to be welcoming and merciful to the poor, to strangers and to all who are in need. He responded, “I do.”
When he was asked if he “resolved to pray without ceasing to almighty God for the holy people and to carry out the office of high priest without reproach,” he answered, “I do, with the help of God.”
Archbishop Kurtz said, “May God who has begun the good work in you bring it to fulfillment.”
During the Litany of the Saints, the bishop-elect prostrated himself in front of the altar. At the conclusion of the litany, the archbishop said, “Graciously hear our petitions, O Lord, and pour out upon this your servant the power of your blessing, flowing from the horn of priestly grace. Through Christ our Lord.”
The bishop-elect then knelt before Archbishop Kurtz who imposed his hands on his head thus ordaining him a bishop.
Archbishop Kelly and Bishop Gettelfinger also imposed their hands on his head; they were followed by the other bishops in attendance. This was the heart of the ordination rite, expressing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
The Book of the Gospels was placed on the head of Bishop Thompson during the Prayer of Ordination, and his head was anointed with holy chrism by the archbishop.
He was presented the Book of the Gospels and told, “Receive the Gospel and preach the word of God with all patience and sound teaching,” and he received his ring, miter and crosier.
The newly-ordained bishop was now the chief celebrant at the Mass. He was escorted to the presider’s chair, and as the stadium filled with applause, he answered with a brief wave and a smile.
All the bishops exchanged a sign of peace with him, welcoming him into the College of Bishops.
At the conclusion of the Prayer after Communion, the diocesan choir sang “Te Deum” as he walked through the stadium blessing all who were present.
He then had the opportunity to speak as the Fifth Bishop of the diocese. He said his remarks would be brief, noting that Bishop Gettelfinger’s car was “packed and ready to get out of town.” The 75-year-old bishop emeritus was driving to New Mexico on June 30 to serve as chaplain at a Boy Scout facility there.
Bishop Thompson said he was “grateful for your prayers, support, friendship and witness of faith” and “humbled and honored by the confidence of our Holy Father.”
He said he was “blessed with a tremendous extended family,” and said to his seven nieces and nephews “priest or bishop, I take greatest pride in being your uncle.”
The new bishop said, “I have been reminded that this celebration is not so much about me as it is about the Church.
“I am reminded that while I may be the face of unity as bishop, it is truly the Holy Spirit binding us together as the one Body of Christ, as holy People of God. In apostolic terms, this unity is particularly reflected in the shared solemnity of the princes of the apostles, namely Saints Peter and Paul. The source and summit of celebrating this unity, of course, is the Eucharist.”
At the conclusion of the ceremony, as the bishop processed out of the stadium, there was sustained applause for him and his parents who closely followed behind him.