By Michelle Martin
Staff writer

In a ceremony whose roots stretch back nearly 2,000 years, Cardinal George and more than 30 other bishops laid their hands on Chicago’s three newest auxiliary bishops, calling on the Holy Spirit to consecrate them for service to the church in a March 19 ordination liturgy at Holy Name Cathedral.

Bishops Gustavo Garcia-Siller, 46, Francis J. Kane, 60, and Thomas J. Paprocki, 50, became the latest in an apostolic succession that reaches back to the time of Christ.

They were appointed to replace Auxiliary Bishops Raymond Goedert, the archdiocese’s vicar general, Thad Jakubowski and John Gorman. The Holy See announced that the pope had accepted their retirements Jan. 24, the same day the new bishops were named.

Bishops Kane and Paprocki are Chicago natives and priests of the archdiocese, while Bishop Garcia, a native of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, was serving in California as provincial of the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit and had spent very little time here.

The three-hour liturgy included an entrance procession with Chicago-area interfaith leaders and dozens of seminarians, followed by more than 100 priests and bishops. The procession was followed by readings and songs in English, Spanish and Polish.

The actual rite of ordination took place after the Gospel, when Father Edward Fialkowksi, chairman of the archdiocesan Presbyteral Council, presented the three bishops-designate and formally requested their ordination on behalf of the people of Chicago. Then retiring bishops Gorman and Jakubowski and archdiocesan chancellor Jimmy Lago read the letters of appointment sent by Pope John Paul II.

The cardinal, officiating at his third episcopal ordination since coming to Chicago, used his homily to compare the ministry of the bishop to the mission of St. Joseph, protector of the holy family and patron of the universal church.

“Today the church is in danger, as it so often is, and the bishop is called, despite his own sinfulness and inadequacy, to protect the church, to love her every member, to guard her as St. Joseph guarded the Holy Family 2,000 years ago,” he said.

The three new bishops then prostrated themselves before the cardinal and his co-consecrators, retiring Bishop Goedert and Ricardo Watty Urquidi of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, a Missionary of the Holy Spirit, during the Litany of the Saints. Then the cardinal and all of the bishops present prayed over each one.

Finally, each of the three were anointed and received the emblems of their new office: rings, miters and croziers, the shepherds’ staffs carried to show that a bishop’s duty is to care for his flock. Bishop Paprocki used the crozier belonging to the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, because his own wasn’t ready.

At the end of the Mass, all three new bishops took the opportunity to thank their families and friends and to offer their first comments as bishops. Bishop Kane especially thanked Auxiliary Bishop Edwin Conway, Vicariate II vicar, who was recovering from surgery and did not attend.

Bishop Paprocki invoked saints to bless the Polish, Spanish, Italian and English-speaking Catholics of Chicago, each in their own language, continuing a theme that started with the multi-lingual readings and Cardinal George offering welcoming comments in Spanish and Polish.

When Bishop Garcia took the podium, he started by joking that he was sorry he couldn’t offer remarks in Chinese. But then he turned serious, saying, that despite troubled times, “When we celebrate these sacred mysteries, it is always a joyful occasion, not just on the altar but on the altars of our hearts. The Christian life should be experienced in a very joyful spirit. Our applause goes to the Lord, the Lord of love, the Lord of the living. To him goes our praise.”

Multiple episcopal ordinations are nothing new in Chicago.

The March 19 rite was the second time in 10 years that three auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Chicago have been consecrated at the same time. On March 20, 1995, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin ordained Bishops Conway, Gerald F. Kicanas and George Murry.

Bishop Kicanas was named ordinary of the Diocese of Tucson, Ariz., earlier this month after serving a year as coadjutor bishop there, and Bishop Murry has been ordinary of the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands since 1999. Bishop Conway, vicar for Vicariate II, is expected to become the archdiocese’s vicar general this summer when Bishop Goedert’s retirement takes effect.

Two of the retiring auxiliary bishops—Bishops Jakubowski and Gorman—were ordained together April 11, 1988.

Each of the three new bishops has been assigned to lead a vicariate, or region of the archdiocese.

Bishop Kane will lead Vicariate II, which includes the North Side of Chicago, and Cook County’s North Suburbs—where he has served as pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Wilmette for the last 10 years. He also will oversee development of lay ecclesial ministries.

Bishop Paprocki will lead Vicariate IV, on the far Northwest Side and near West suburbs, including the neighborhood surrounding St. Constance Parish, where he has served as pastor for the last three years. Bishop Jakubowski now serves as the area’s vicar. Paprocki, a civil and canon lawyer, also will serve as liaison to the legal community and to the Polish community.

Bishop Garcia will lead Vicariate V, on the Southwest Side and Southwest Suburbs, now led by Bishop Gorman. He also will serve as the episcopal liaison to the Hispanic community and oversee Hispanic ministry formation.

The new bishops officially assume their new positions May 1. The appointments are to last for a year, during which the archdiocese will study the possibility of adjusting vicariate boundaries and rearranging responsibilities.

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