
Bishop Dennis Walsh consecrates the Eucharist during Mass at Iowa City Catholic Worker House on Sycamore Street in Iowa City last month. Also pictured is Deacon Kent Ferris.
By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
In the latest Catholic Messenger Conversations podcast, Bishop Dennis Walsh reflects on his experiences at a bishops’ retreat in California, celebrating Mass with inmates in Fort Madison and listening to immigrants’ testimonies in Iowa City.
The Region IX bishops’ retreat at Prince of Peace Monastery in San Diego earlier this month offered bishops from Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska the opportunity to focus on their prayer lives. “It was all about … maintaining a life of prayer in the midst of a busy ministry and vocation as bishop, as well as understanding the challenges bishops face in their ministry,” Bishop Walsh told Catholic Messenger Conversations host Barb Arland-Fye. The 13 bishops in attendance could see the Pacific Ocean from the chapel windows. The bishop followed news reports of the Los Angeles-area wildfires during his stay. The monastery is located about 120 miles southeast of Los Angeles and the bishop observed a haze over the ocean as fires began to spread.
Just before Christmas, Bishop Walsh celebrated Mass with inmates at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison for the first time, though he is no stranger to prison ministry. He spent a year ministering to inmates in a Washington, D.C. jail as part of his seminary formation. The future bishop found the ministry fulfilling. “There’s a great need,” he said. “Residents in the jail system and prison system have a sense of being forgotten… it’s a lonely life.” He later presided at Masses and led Bible studies at county jails while serving as a diocesan priest in Ohio. “They’re hungry. It’s a great group to work with. They appreciate the opportunity to get out of their cells and be able to do something that is productive in terms of growing spiritually and emotionally.”
Bishop Walsh understands that inmates serving long sentences may feel a sense of resignation about their situation. Sometimes, inmates seem more eager to get out of their cells than they are to participate in the liturgy; he did not get that impression celebrating Mass inside the Iowa State Penitentiary. The bishop shared a message of hope, seeking to help inmates experience God’s loving presence in their lives. The sincerity the inmates demonstrated during Mass touched the bishop. “It was a blessing to be there.”
Also in December, the bishop celebrated Mass with immigrants and others at the Iowa City Catholic Worker House on Sycamore Street in Iowa City. “It was great to be able to celebrate a very informal liturgy with people who came from all walks of life,” he said, noting that he has always been impressed with the Catholic Worker movement. “I think (co-founder) Dorothy Day’s story is quite inspiring. She’s someone who walked the walk in terms of living her convictions in a very profound way.”
Members of the Iowa City Catholic Worker community expressed anxiety about state and federal immigration legislation they perceive as more punitive than merciful, Bishop Walsh said. Yet, there was a “great sense of joy and celebration, even with everything hanging over their heads right now.”
As the podcast wrapped up, Bishop Walsh shared what his typical weekend entails and admitted he is still getting used to the life of a bishop.
Listen to this and other Catholic Messenger Conversations podcasts at www.catholicmessenger.net/podcasting or on your favorite podcasting app!