He and another associate priest moved the altar while the pastor was away, and bolted it to the floor. Then, when the pastor returned, they lined up parishioners to congratulate the pastor on his implementation of the Council’s changes to the liturgy.
From the Catholic Anchor. Full article below, with emphasis added:
January 11, 2008 - Issue #1
Local News
Archbishop celebrates 40 years as priestCalling is marked by adventure and community
By James DeCraneAnchor Writer
Back in the 1960’s, Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz and several of his fellow seminarians liked to sneak out of their theology classes in Rome.
This wasn’t your typical college-student mischief, though. The young men were headed to St. Peter’s Basilica, where bishops and cardinals from around the world were holding a session of the Second Vatican Council.
"It was a marvelous, exciting experience for those of us who were about to be priests," Archbishop Schwietz recalled at his 40th Anniversary of Ordination Mass at Holy Family Cathedral Dec. 20. "It launched our ministry and we knew that we were going out to change the world!"
Archbishop Schwietz recalled a story that occurred a few years later when he was on a priestly assignment at a parish in International Falls, Minnesota.
It was a prime example of how Vatican II changed the Catholic Church.
"Our pastor was old at the time, and we thought he was too slow in making the changes — like moving the altar. But then he made the mistake of going on vacation," he joked.
He and another associate priest moved the altar while the pastor was away, and bolted it to the floor. Then, when the pastor returned, they lined up parishioners to congratulate the pastor on his implementation of the Council’s changes to the liturgy.
"It showed the diplomacy that was in the heart of the future bishop that he learned somewhere along the line," retired Anchorage Archbishop Francis Hurley said at the Dec. 20 Mass.
Many people told the Anchor that diplomacy and the gift of working well with all types of people and a deep sense of the mission of the priesthood are the greatest gifts Archbishop Schwietz brings to his ministry.
An early call
Archbishop Schwietz is one of six children who grew up in a Polish-American community in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Schwietz’s were very active at St. Casmir’s Catholic Church, which was run by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Many could see the spark of a vocation in the young Schwietz boy.
"I remember we had this marble table at home. It was in grade school — he used to pretend he was a priest in front of that altar," his brother Ron Schwietz said in a telephone interview with the Anchor.
In Catholic school, the nuns also sensed that a vocation might be on the horizon.
"The sisters told me I should go to seminary in grade school," Archbishop Schwietz recalled. "They were the ultimate vocation recruiters — the sisters talked about that a lot," he added with a laugh.
Though he felt the call early on, Archbishop Schwietz opted not to enter into the seminary in high school, a common practice then, and chose instead to attend a high school in St. Paul, which was run by the Christian Brothers.
After graduation, he still felt called to serve the church and weighed the options of becoming a diocesan priest, a Jesuit or a member of the Christian Brothers. He finally settled, however, on the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.
"After reflecting on all the possibilities, I felt I was called to be a missionary priest, and I knew the oblates were missionaries," Archbishop Schwietz said, while adding that he thought it would be great to serve in Brazil or Scandinavia. Family Support
His brother and sisters told the Anchor that the Schwietz family was extremely proud and supportive of his decision.
"I missed him, but I was really proud to have someone offer their lives to service like that," his sister Sue McGurty said.
The tight-knit Schwietz clan continued to offer support to the future archbishop throughout his discernment and ministry. Brother Ron said he was close to his brother, and often served as a sounding board while he was discerning.
His family said they were beyond themselves with pride when he was ordained at the Oblates’ house in Rome on Dec. 20, 1967. The Schwietz family made the trip to Rome to be with him.
"It was great; the whole family was proud of him and was supportive. We knew that he had taken a tough road," Ron said.
Among the people
Although the possibility of being a missionary to Brazil or Scandinavia was always an option, other things took priority, when Archbishop Schwietz was called to serve at various colleges as a teacher, counselor and spiritual director for the Oblates.
In between those assignments he served in several parishes, mostly in Minnesota. Those assignments still stand out as memorable moments of his priesthood.
"Working with the people, especially doing retreat work with youth, that’s always been a wonderful experience for me," Archbishop Schwietz said. "My parish experiences were the most rewarding times of my priesthood."
Different type of Mission
As Archbishop Schwietz’ pastoral assignment wrapped up in Duluth, he received a life-changing call from his secretary, who told him that "a man with a funny accent is on the phone."
That man was the apostolic nuncio in Washington informing then Father Schwietz that he had just been named Bishop of Duluth.
He was ordained a bishop on Feb. 2, 1990. Ten years later, he got another call, sending him into Northern mission territory. Not Scandinavia — but Anchorage.
The Future
Even in the episcopate, Archbishop Schwietz is still drawn to the people.
"I much prefer to be out in the parishes with the people than to be here in the office doing paperwork," he said. "I enjoy going out for confirmations and other ceremonies."
So what’s in store for the future?
"Looking at retirement," he said with a laugh, but then turns serious. "I do look at what I want to accomplish as the years of my ministry start winding down."
He said that his major focus is to help implement the archdiocesan Pastoral Plan and to further establish an effective system for recruiting vocations. He expressed deep gratitude for the many priests who have served Alaska from the lower 48 and other places, but he wants to foster more homegrown vocations, and encourage it as a valuable and fulfilling call in life.
Parents sometimes think the priesthood will be a lonely life for their son, Archbishop Schwietz said.
"But it’s not," he added. "I have had the gift of community throughout my different ministries and I have not found it to be a lonely life."
Archbishop celebrates 40 years as priestCalling is marked by adventure and community
By James DeCraneAnchor Writer
Back in the 1960’s, Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz and several of his fellow seminarians liked to sneak out of their theology classes in Rome.
This wasn’t your typical college-student mischief, though. The young men were headed to St. Peter’s Basilica, where bishops and cardinals from around the world were holding a session of the Second Vatican Council.
"It was a marvelous, exciting experience for those of us who were about to be priests," Archbishop Schwietz recalled at his 40th Anniversary of Ordination Mass at Holy Family Cathedral Dec. 20. "It launched our ministry and we knew that we were going out to change the world!"
Archbishop Schwietz recalled a story that occurred a few years later when he was on a priestly assignment at a parish in International Falls, Minnesota.
It was a prime example of how Vatican II changed the Catholic Church.
"Our pastor was old at the time, and we thought he was too slow in making the changes — like moving the altar. But then he made the mistake of going on vacation," he joked.
He and another associate priest moved the altar while the pastor was away, and bolted it to the floor. Then, when the pastor returned, they lined up parishioners to congratulate the pastor on his implementation of the Council’s changes to the liturgy.
"It showed the diplomacy that was in the heart of the future bishop that he learned somewhere along the line," retired Anchorage Archbishop Francis Hurley said at the Dec. 20 Mass.
Many people told the Anchor that diplomacy and the gift of working well with all types of people and a deep sense of the mission of the priesthood are the greatest gifts Archbishop Schwietz brings to his ministry.
An early call
Archbishop Schwietz is one of six children who grew up in a Polish-American community in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Schwietz’s were very active at St. Casmir’s Catholic Church, which was run by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Many could see the spark of a vocation in the young Schwietz boy.
"I remember we had this marble table at home. It was in grade school — he used to pretend he was a priest in front of that altar," his brother Ron Schwietz said in a telephone interview with the Anchor.
In Catholic school, the nuns also sensed that a vocation might be on the horizon.
"The sisters told me I should go to seminary in grade school," Archbishop Schwietz recalled. "They were the ultimate vocation recruiters — the sisters talked about that a lot," he added with a laugh.
Though he felt the call early on, Archbishop Schwietz opted not to enter into the seminary in high school, a common practice then, and chose instead to attend a high school in St. Paul, which was run by the Christian Brothers.
After graduation, he still felt called to serve the church and weighed the options of becoming a diocesan priest, a Jesuit or a member of the Christian Brothers. He finally settled, however, on the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.
"After reflecting on all the possibilities, I felt I was called to be a missionary priest, and I knew the oblates were missionaries," Archbishop Schwietz said, while adding that he thought it would be great to serve in Brazil or Scandinavia. Family Support
His brother and sisters told the Anchor that the Schwietz family was extremely proud and supportive of his decision.
"I missed him, but I was really proud to have someone offer their lives to service like that," his sister Sue McGurty said.
The tight-knit Schwietz clan continued to offer support to the future archbishop throughout his discernment and ministry. Brother Ron said he was close to his brother, and often served as a sounding board while he was discerning.
His family said they were beyond themselves with pride when he was ordained at the Oblates’ house in Rome on Dec. 20, 1967. The Schwietz family made the trip to Rome to be with him.
"It was great; the whole family was proud of him and was supportive. We knew that he had taken a tough road," Ron said.
Among the people
Although the possibility of being a missionary to Brazil or Scandinavia was always an option, other things took priority, when Archbishop Schwietz was called to serve at various colleges as a teacher, counselor and spiritual director for the Oblates.
In between those assignments he served in several parishes, mostly in Minnesota. Those assignments still stand out as memorable moments of his priesthood.
"Working with the people, especially doing retreat work with youth, that’s always been a wonderful experience for me," Archbishop Schwietz said. "My parish experiences were the most rewarding times of my priesthood."
Different type of Mission
As Archbishop Schwietz’ pastoral assignment wrapped up in Duluth, he received a life-changing call from his secretary, who told him that "a man with a funny accent is on the phone."
That man was the apostolic nuncio in Washington informing then Father Schwietz that he had just been named Bishop of Duluth.
He was ordained a bishop on Feb. 2, 1990. Ten years later, he got another call, sending him into Northern mission territory. Not Scandinavia — but Anchorage.
The Future
Even in the episcopate, Archbishop Schwietz is still drawn to the people.
"I much prefer to be out in the parishes with the people than to be here in the office doing paperwork," he said. "I enjoy going out for confirmations and other ceremonies."
So what’s in store for the future?
"Looking at retirement," he said with a laugh, but then turns serious. "I do look at what I want to accomplish as the years of my ministry start winding down."
He said that his major focus is to help implement the archdiocesan Pastoral Plan and to further establish an effective system for recruiting vocations. He expressed deep gratitude for the many priests who have served Alaska from the lower 48 and other places, but he wants to foster more homegrown vocations, and encourage it as a valuable and fulfilling call in life.
Parents sometimes think the priesthood will be a lonely life for their son, Archbishop Schwietz said.
"But it’s not," he added. "I have had the gift of community throughout my different ministries and I have not found it to be a lonely life."
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1 comment:
Bishop Roger L. Schwietz has a 5th grade girl praying for him right now and every day!
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