Bishop Dennis Walsh speaks during the annual Red Dinner to benefit Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport. A Mass at the cathedral was held June 5, followed by the dinner in the Rogalski Center at St. Ambrose University in Davenport.
By Barb Arland-Fye
The Catholic Messenger
DAVENPORT — Young adults in their 20s and 30s to senior citizens celebrated faith, fellowship and community during Mass and this year’s Red Dinner that supports Sacred Heart Cathedral, the mother church of the Diocese of Davenport.
Bishop Dennis Walsh presided at Mass in the cathedral, which preceded his first Red Dinner June 5 in the Rogalski Center on St. Ambrose University’s campus. “It’s so great to see so many people like yourself gathering on a night like this because of a love for the cathedral, a love for the Church and a love for bringing Jesus Christ and the message of the Good News to young people everywhere,” the bishop said during the Red Dinner.
Father Thom Hennen, the cathedral’s pastor and diocesan vicar general, shared his gratitude for the new bishop (whose appointment was announced one year ago this month) and the election of a new pope, Leo XIV, in this Jubilee Year of Hope. “There is much for which we can be hopeful,” Father Hennen said.
The Red Dinner began as a fundraiser for the cathedral’s gathering space and Sears’ Diocesan Hall, completed in 2018. Now the annual event helps raise funds for ongoing care of the cathedral. “Tonight is much more than a fundraiser. It is meant to be a community builder, as we deepen our Christian friendship,” Father Hennen wrote in the evening’s program.
A message of unity conveyed in John’s Gospel provided the centerpiece for Bishop Walsh’s homily during Mass. “Jesus desires for us a unity that mirrors the perfect communion of the Holy Trinity — a profound, intimate, and loving oneness. This unity is not about conformity, where everyone thinks, acts, or believes exactly the same. Rather, it is a unity in diversity, a communion in Christ,” Bishop Walsh said.
“Our unity, our witness of love and concord, is the most powerful evangelization tool we possess. When the world sees Christians truly living in harmony, supporting one another, forgiving one another, and loving one another with a supernatural love, it sees a glimpse of God’s kingdom.”
Bishop Walsh asked the gathering to pray for the Holy Spirit to “empower us to overcome our differences, to embrace one another as brothers and sisters, and to live out the radical unity that Jesus prayed for.”
Five brothers in Christ were enjoying each other’s company during cocktail hour before the Red Dinner began. David Crawford, a cathedral parishioner, had invited other young adults from Bible study to attend the event. “It’s really important to support the diocese and I’m really excited about the new bishop. He has a lot of ideas in the works,” said Crawford, an engineer with Deere & Co. “Being able to spend time together and to grow in our faith together seemed like a good opportunity.” Devon Magee, also a cathedral parishioner, added, “There’s nothing more important than faith and fellowship for our age range.”
Bishop Dennis Walsh presides at Mass in Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport June 5. The Red Dinner followed at St. Ambrose University in Davenport.
Deacon Charles Metzger and his wife, Donna, of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Bettendorf, support the Red Dinner because “family helps family,” Deacon Metzger said. “As Catholics, we are a Catholic family, the diocese is a family.” Donna said, “We enjoy getting to meet new people and seeing people we know. There’s a feeling of being part of a bigger Church.” She also appreciates how Father Hennen shares a bit of the cathedral’s history and that the event is “a way to get to know the bishop better.”
Bishop Walsh shared more about himself during his short, heartfelt talk punctuated with humor. He led off with a story about Mother Teresa’s visit to Baltimore where he was serving as a young Redemptorist priest. She had come for the opening of a new hospice. Throngs of people and the press waited for her to exit the hospice and share a message, which she did, “Just love Jesus.” It was short and profound, Bishop Walsh said.
Later, while he was accompanying a youth group at a summer camp in Georgia, he stayed behind in the chapel while the rest of the group was at breakfast. He had come to a point in his life when he needed to ask a critical question. “I asked the Lord at that moment, ‘What do you want me to do? And how do you want me to do it?’ And I said, ‘I’m not going to leave until you tell me.’ That was a mistake,” he joked of the long wait. “When I came out of that experience, like Mother Teresa, I wanted to bring people to that knowledge of who Jesus Christ is.”
His newfound answer didn’t change his priesthood but “I had a new lease on ministry and a new vision and a new perspective on what I was supposed to do as a priest,” Bishop Walsh said. “A desire to be more evangelical, more missionary. A desire to bring people to Jesus Christ became the important part of my ministry. Yes, all the other stuff continued to be done. Yes I was administrator of a large parish and that was important. But the thing that has given me life is bringing people to know Jesus Christ. I hope to do that as your bishop,” he said.
“The world desperately needs to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. They’re hungry for it. They’re open to it,” the bishop continued. “Tell your story. Proclaim the message to your friends, your neighbors, who Jesus Christ is for you.”
