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Happening ... in the Local Church
Sixth bishop named for Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana
Prayers, good wishes follow news of appointment
By Caroline B. Mooney
The
Catholic Moment
Bishop-elect Timothy Doherty is to be installed as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana by Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis on Thursday, July 15, at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Lafayette.
“All
the clergy and faithful of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis welcome
Bishop-elect Doherty to Indiana,” Archbishop Buechlein said. “He has our
prayers and support. I am looking forward to his ordination as bishop and
working with him for the good of the pastoral care of all people in Indiana.
We thank Bishop Higi for his many years of service to the people of God of
the Lafayette diocese.”
“Pope Benedict XVI has paid the high compliment to our excellent priests of this diocese by choosing one of their number, Msgr. Timothy Doherty, to be bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana,” said Bishop Thomas G. Doran of the Diocese of Rockford, Ill., Bishop-elect Doherty’s home diocese.
“Msgr.
Doherty has distinguished himself in every assignment he has fulfilled since
his ordination to the priesthood,” Bishop Doran said in a statement to
The Observer, newspaper of the Rockford diocese. “After having done
special studies in the area of health care ethics, he has been a source of
excellent advice in these matters not only to me, but also to our province
and region. We wish Bishop-elect Doherty every success in the apostolic
office which he is now to fulfill and our prayers and good wishes go with
him as he takes up these responsibilities.”
As news spread of the bishop-elect’s appointment, clergy in the Diocese of Rockford gave comments to The Catholic Moment.
“Congratulations on having Bishop-elect Doherty,” said Father Geoffrey D. Wirth, pastor of St. Thomas More Church in the Elgin Deanery, where Bishop-elect Doherty has been serving as pastor. “Your diocese is lucky to have him.”
The priests have known each other for 30 years “and divine providence made us pastors of neighboring parishes for the past four years,” Father Wirth said. “I think he is a very well-educated, well-formed and well-integrated priest. He is very scholarly and well-read, but much to his credit, he has a pastor’s heart.”
Upon hearing the news, Father Wirth said he was surprised, “but not too surprised. Msgr. Doherty has great professionalism and strength of character. I have the highest respect for the man and he is very highly respected in our diocese. It will be an education process for you and for him. To be a parish priest one day and the next moment a bishop-elect is quite a change. He will be very solid in leadership skills.”
Msgr. Joseph Linster is pastor of St. Patrick Church in St. Charles, Ill., and dean of the Elgin Deanery.
“I have known Msgr. Doherty for 25 years or more,” Msgr. Linster said, “but most of our contact was in the last couple of years when he moved into St. Catherine’s in Dundee.”
He said that the bishop-elect is a very thorough man, and as the diocesan ethicist he is very knowledgeable in medical ethics and the Church’s teaching on ethics in terms of Catholic moral theology.
“He is very pastoral, very concerned about his parishioners,” Msgr. Linster said. “At a recent deanery meeting, Msgr. Doherty spoke about the grade school athletics becoming too demanding on children and parents. He is very people-oriented, very conscious of the pressures and challenges that people face in everyday life. He will make an absolutely wonderful bishop.
“I just think that he will take his time getting acquainted with the diocese and familiarizing himself with the operation and how things operate before making any drastic change,” Msgr. Linster said. “Any good pastor moving into a parish would be that way, as would a bishop moving into a diocese. He would want to understand your world, and realize that he is moving into your world. He is a very sharp man and I think he knows how to deal with people. That is extremely important in a bishop. It is heartening to me to see someone coming from the pastoral ministry being appointed bishop. I think he will do very well. He is very solid, he knows how to ask questions and how to deal with people.”
Father Joseph Kulak, pastor of St. Laurence Church, Elgin, said he is “so excited that I can’t believe it. It’s an honor and a blessing that a priest from our diocese is to go become a bishop in Indiana. I can’t imagine the excitement that is going through his mind, and the excitement of his family — they must be so proud.
“This couldn’t have happened to a better person,” Father Kulak said. “He is a very kind man, very well-liked and well-educated with many good qualities. I wrote him a letter of congratulations and gave him some advice. I said he should get some input from the priests and ask what they need. I think you will be happy with him. He will hopefully bring new blood and a spark to your diocese. I hope he is so overjoyed — I am ecstatic for him.”