By Barb Arland-Fye
The Catholic Messenger
DELPHOS, Ohio — Sister Fredricka Kollsmith, of the Sisters of Notre Dame, jokes that when she retired to her home parish, she received some advice about the pastor. “Beware of Father Dennis (Walsh). “He has a way of saying, ‘You’d be good in this …’”
So naturally, she accepted Father Walsh’s request to serve as spiritual formation coordinator on the Women’s Welcome Retreat Team at St. John the Evangelist Parish. His persuasiveness and ability to help people tap into their gifts is just one of his positive qualities. She jotted down and shared some other qualities of Bishop Walsh, who was ordained and installed as the 10th Bishop of the Diocese of Davenport on Sept. 27.
He is a “caregiver — for people and of his parish, and outside of his parish and the buildings of his parish,” she said. He is a very focused person. You almost have to say, ‘Dennis, are you there?’ He is witty; he is prayerful. He is compassionate, very interested in his parishioners. It’s common to see him walking down the aisles (during the closing procession of the Mass) and talking to people along the way.”
“There’s a part of him that can be kind of shy,” Sister Fredricka said. “Once he’s comfortable, he’s very outgoing.” St. John the Evangelist is a large parish of 2,000 families and the largest of the three he led in the Toledo Diocese. The parish school, serving grades preschool to 12, is only one of two schools in the diocese serving that age range, she said. Bishop Walsh is proud of the school and stopped by to talk with the students, especially the elementary students, she added. The other two parishes he led were St. John the Baptist Parish in Landeck, about four miles away, and St. Patrick Parish in Spencerville, about 10 miles from the Delphos parish.
As a leader, Bishop Walsh delegates responsibility and expects each person to complete the delegated assignment, Sister Fredricka said. “If the delegation isn’t carried through, he’s a little impatient.”
In the celebration of the Mass, “he prays it with you.” He has a great respect for his vocation. “I can remember a sermon once when he said, ‘The thing I’m most grateful for my whole life is the call to the priesthood.’” He spoke those words as if he were talking with friends or family in the living room, Sister Fredricka said.
He has a strong appreciation for the catechetical program and is very encouraging with the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA). In addition to Bishop Walsh as pastor, St. John the Evangelist has two associate pastors who share with him in ministering to the homebound, and people in the hospital or nursing home, she said.
The Sisters of Notre Dame, who live in the parish’s former rectory, have made a tradition of inviting the priests over for dinner on Holy Thursday before Mass. “He’s not fond of vegetables,” Sister Fredricka said. “We’ll serve buffet style and let him pick what he wants.”
