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Happening ... in the Local Church
 Bishop
William L. Higi celebrated a double jubilee in the spring of 2009: 50
years a priest and 25 years a bishop. His successor, Bishop-designate
Timothy L. Doherty, will be installed on July 15. (Photo courtesy
Vincent Walter) |
 Bishop
John J. Carberry poses for a photo with, from left, newly ordained
Father Donald Gross, Father William Higi and Father Richard Smith in May
1959. |
 Archbishop
Edward T. O’Meara ordains Msgr. Higi a bishop on June 6, 1984. |
 Bishop
Higi stands with this year’s confirmandi from Alexandria and Elwood. He
has confirmed more than 28,000 people during his episcopacy. |
 Bishop
greets a candidate at the Call to Continuing Conversion in 2006. The
Catholic population of the diocese has grown by more than 21,000 since
his installation in 1984. |
 Bishop
offers his thanks for the gift of a new car in 2009. |
 Bishop
William Higi with predecessors Cardinal John Carberry (left) and Bishop
Raymond Gallagher (right) in 1984. |
 Bishop
greets Pope John Paul II at the Vatican in 2003. |
 Bishop
Higi lays hands on Andrew DeKeyser in the invocation of the Holy Spirit
at this year’s ordination of four men to the priesthood. Bishop ordained
50 men to the priesthood during his episcopacy. |
 Bishop
greets a family at the Local Church’s annual anniversary vespers in
2008. |
 Bishop
processes with the Blessed Sacrament at St. Alphonsus Parish,
Zionsville, at the closing of the Year of the Eucharist in October 2005. |
By Kevin Cullen
The
Catholic Moment
LAFAYETTE — In so many ways, the life of retiring Bishop William L. Higi and the history of the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana are one … warp and woof, interwoven, of the same cloth.
He is a son of the diocese. He worked with three of the four bishops who preceded him, and he has carried the crosier himself since 1984.
“I really don’t recall ever imagining myself being anything other than a priest,” he said as he looked back over a long and eventful career.
Bishop Higi, 76, grew up in St. Mary Parish, Anderson. The Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana, once part of the Diocese of Fort Wayne, was only 14 years old when he was ordained on May 30, 1959.
He served as an associate pastor, secretary to Bishop (later Cardinal) John J. Carberry, vice chancellor, chancellor, vicar general, parish administrator, diocesan administrator and bishop. He worked daily with Bishop Raymond J. Gallagher and Bishop George A. Fulcher.
Bishop Higi was installed on June 6, 1984, at age 50. He served nearly 26 years as bishop; no previous Lafayette bishop served more than 17. He will continue as apostolic administrator until 59-year-old Bishop-elect Timothy L. Doherty, of the Diocese of Rockford, Ill., is installed July 15.
Bishop Higi has confirmed more than 28,000 people, ordained 50 men to the priesthood and 11 to the permanent diaconate.
Since 1984, he has driven more than 500,000 miles crisscrossing a diocese that stretches from Illinois to Ohio and covers 24 counties. He has written more than 1,100 weekly columns for The Catholic Moment.
During his episcopacy, the Catholic population of the diocese has grown by more than 21,000, to 105,000 souls. Two new parishes and a new Catholic high school have opened.
He discussed all that in interviews with The Catholic Moment, at a recent press conference, and in an interview with Chad Grube, host of “Upon this Rock,” a weekly radio program sponsored by St. Patrick and St. Joan of Arc parishes, Kokomo.
Bishop Higi’s father, William Leo Higi Sr., studied for the priesthood, and his love of the Church was passed down to his only son. As a boy, the future bishop would “play priest” for his two sisters, removing the crust from a slice of bread to create a make-believe host needed to “celebrate” the Mass.
The teaching nuns at St. Mary School in Anderson were “great vocation recruiters,” he recalled. “They knew how to do it, and they did it well.”
He entered the minor seminary as a high-school senior, and graduated from Mount St. Mary of the West Seminary, Cincinnati. He earned his master’s degree from Xavier University, Cincinnati.
His first assignment was associate pastor of St. Bridget Church, Logansport. In 1960, he was transferred to the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Lafayette. After doing some clerical work at the Chancery, Bishop Carberry asked him to be his driver, then, in 1962, his secretary.
“Long hours driving Bishop Carberry around the diocese provided an opportunity for him to instruct me on a variety of subjects,” Bishop Higi said. “In a sense, it was like being in a classroom. Bishop Carberry’s great love was the law of the Church … He helped me understand the value of canon law. He also showed me the human side of the episcopacy.”
Bishop Gallagher succeeded Bishop Carberry in 1965, and named Father Higi vice chancellor in 1965, chancellor in 1967 and vicar general in 1979.
Bishop Fulcher succeeded Bishop Gallagher in 1983, but died in a car crash a few months later. Bishop Higi was named diocesan administrator, then Pope John Paul II chose him to be bishop.
Working in various Chancery roles gave him familiarity with the bishop’s office … but he never wanted to become a bishop.
When the pope’s decision was relayed by phone by the papal nuncio, Bishop Higi said he thought he was the target of a practical joke. He sought the counsel of the archbishop of Indianapolis, then reluctantly accepted.
“When you become a priest, you promise to be obedient to your superiors,” he said.
In the early days, Bishop Higi visited a different parish each weekend to meet people and preach at Masses. Back home, he stressed collaboration, expecting directors of his diocesan offices to do their jobs and keep him fully informed. In 1986, he began writing his newspaper column, combining instruction and information.
When asked about his achievements, Bishop Higi credited others for their collaboration. Among the more notable successes were the creation of the biennial Fruitful Harvest campaign to help fund diocesan expenses and obligations to the Universal Church while pumping “new” money into parishes; the creation of the Catholic Foundation of Northcentral Indiana; the annual convocation for priests and a better pension program for clergy and laity.
The development of a three-year Ecclesial Lay Ministry program was another highlight, he said, because its graduates provide invaluable services to parishes. Better training programs and support for religious education teachers also were achieved.
The Lafayette diocese, with approximately 30 seminarians, is probably in the top five or 10 nationally for the number of seminarians per capita, he said. He credited the priests of the diocese — and particularly Father Brian Doerr, his vocations director — for that encouraging trend.
Priests, he said, are “the primary recruiters … (and) I believe that prayer has a great deal to do with it. Some people take the situation very seriously and do pray persistently and devoutly to God to open the ears of those whom he is calling to his priesthood and to give those he is calling the courage to overcome their hesitations and anxieties and accept the call of the Lord.”
The challenge for all, he said, is “to create an environment where it’s OK for a young man to say ‘yes.’”
The life of a parish priest has grown more demanding over the years, Bishop Higi said.
A pastor still administers the sacraments and serves the personal needs of parishioners, he said, but he also has a “multiplicity of managerial roles” as he works with laity to advance the mission of the Church.
He noted that 46 percent of the parishes in the diocese are clustered, and that 10 priests serve as pastor to two or three parishes.
“That is a new experience for us and it calls upon a priest to take on managerial roles that he didn’t have in past years,” the bishop said.
He said he was privileged to know Pope John Paul II, who he called “bigger than life. The role of the pope is to confirm his brother bishops in their faith; John Paul knew how to do that. He was anxious to know our struggles, and eager to help.”
The low point was “really low” he said: a scandal surrounding priests accused of abusing children and accusations that he had harbored pedophiles.
Although wrenching, the controversy “was a blessing in disguise because it brought me and our Local Church face-to-face with the societal curse few understood at the time and even fewer knew how to handle,” he said.
“That was true in the secular city as well as in the Church. When the dust settled, I was able to reassure myself that I had never knowingly transferred a priest guilty of boundary violations with a minor to another parish, or from parish to parish, as had happened in some dioceses.”
The diocese now has a comprehensive program to ensure that both adults and children understand acceptable and unacceptable behavior, and the responsibility to report violations to civil authorities.
Any priest found guilty of any boundaries violation, current or decades in the past, can no longer function as a priest or even live where minors live.
A victim assistance coordinator is available now, and annual audits are done to ensure that the diocese abides by reporting standards established by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Lafayette diocese has passed every year.
In addition, all clergy, diocesan employees and Church volunteers who deal with minors are required to attend safe-conduct training. More than 15,000 Catholic school and religious education students have participated in the “Protecting God’s Children” program, sponsored by the diocese.
“Professional knowledge has come a long way in 25 years,” Bishop Higi said, and it was unfair to apply today’s standards to cases that occurred decades ago.
The miter is a heavy hat to wear. Every bishop carries major burdens, Bishop Higi said.
Still, “I have enjoyed being a bishop,” he said. “The affirmation of people is overwhelming, but there are always some who say how stupid you are, and how your crazy decision will ruin the whole world.”
He came to accept the reality that he couldn’t please everyone, and that criticism usually was directed at his office, not at him personally.
“Someone who is not a bishop can fantasize about how he would do the job, but you have no idea what it’s like until you are that person,” he said. “I imagine it is like becoming a parent.”
He recounted a story attributed to Pope John XXIII. After a long, difficult day of work, he supposedly said, “This is God’s Church. I’m going to bed. God can take care of it.”
“You sort of have to put your belief in that, that God will be the guide,” Bishop Higi said. “There will be mistakes, and there will be low points, but it’s God’s Church and he will take care of it.”
A self-described “workaholic,” he has no specific retirement plans. He will live in a small condominium in Lafayette. He plans to visit relatives and retired priests, fill in for vacationing pastors and be available to assist Bishop Doherty, if asked.
He said he hopes to be helpful, but “I think it is important for me to sort of disappear for a while so he can get his feet on the ground and that a clear message be sent that I realize I am no longer the one in charge.”
“I just want to do priestly things,” Bishop Higi said. “I want to rest a little bit and enjoy the luxury of being able to read the morning paper in the morning. That is something I haven’t been able to do for years.”
He said he is excited to see a younger man, from a different diocese, with a different vision of Church, take the reins.
“I wish him my best,” Bishop Higi said, “and I think he is going to be very good. We have a good core of priests … they say ‘yes’ to almost every challenge that you ask them to accept.”