By Geri Parlin
LaCrosse Tribune
August 8 2010
http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/article_6b6d8090-a2a6-11df-a80a-001cc4c002e0.html
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| Bishop William Patrick Callahan |
The incoming bishop of the La Crosse Diocese says he brings a listening ear and a prayerful heart to his new job. William Patrick Callahan, who will be installed Wednesday as the 10th bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse, said he knows he's stepping into his new job in the midst of turmoil.
"Nobody wants to come in with a serious problem, especially one that hits the heart of the people," he said.
But he intends to face that problem head on, he said. He will celebrate Mass next Sunday at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Onalaska and listen to parishioners who want to talk about the Rev. Patrick Umberger, the parish priest who recently stepped down after being charged with possession of child pornography.
"I want to be with those people. That's the high priority," Callahan said.
"I want to pray with them. I want to listen."
Callahan, 60, replaces Jerome Listecki, now archbishop of Milwaukee, where Callahan was an auxiliary bishop before his La Crosse appointment. His installation will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at St. Joseph the Workman Cathedral.
"It's a sad way to start," Callahan said of the turmoil at St. Patrick's, but he wants members of the parish to know that "I'm their guy.
"The most important thing is our faith in Jesus Christ and that we come together. In praying with them, I'll have the opportunity to listen. I'm sure they'll want to talk."
After that first big hurdle, it will be important to hit the road to learn about the diocese and meet its people and priests, Callahan said. As shepherd of a flock spread over 15,000 square miles, he figures he'll get lost a time or two, but he's ready for the challenge.
"I've stepped in more than one cow pie in my life, so I have no fear in any of that," he said. "People are people, whether they live in cities or on farms. And I love the people. I think the most important thing to do is to make contact with the people."
Callahan said he can't predict what might change.
"I have to observe and move as best I can," he said. "I will need the help of the priests."
Right now, "I'm just another high hat coming in there," Callahan said, but he believes he can change that perception by building trust.
"The Diocese of La Crosse is wonderful. Everything that everybody has told me is that the diocese is wonderful.
"My coming is a little bit different, because I'm not coming in with degrees after my name. I am basically a parish priest. I want to come in with a pastor's heart," he said, and bring along the teachings of Jesus. "We have a common faith, so let's try to work from there."
It's a big job, he said, but he's ready.
"I'm a little nervous, a little excited, happy, enthused, ready to come and do my job."
Contact: gparlin@lacrossetribune.com
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