Bishop-elect Thomas Hennen speaks to parishioners at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport before Mass July 12 about his appointment as bishop of Baker, Oregon.
By Barb Arland-Fye
Editor
A few hours after learning he would become a bishop, which had to be kept secret until the official announcement, then-Father Thom Hennen sat down with me as a guest for our Catholic Messenger Conversations Podcast. We planned the conversation weeks before, in light of his role as columnist for The Catholic Messenger’s Question Box, a popular column for which he had just contributed his 100th column. We would also cover his primary roles as pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport and the Diocese of Davenport’s vicar general.
As we talked in a recording studio at St. Ambrose University’s KALA-FM radio station in Davenport, Father Thom appeared as calm, articulate and humorous as usual. David Baker, the station’s operations manager/program director and I were unaware that our guest had received momentous news that he could not share. He had been appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Baker, Oregon.
In retrospect, I realized that Father Thom’s responses seemed especially poignant and passionate as he reflected on his love for his ministry, particularly his role as pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral.
He described a recent Saturday, when he presided at a morning funeral Mass, an afternoon wedding, anointed a parishioner awaiting surgery, heard confessions and presided at the 4 p.m. Mass that included a baptism. It was not necessarily a typical Saturday and while it was hectic, he said he considers his ministry life giving.
“Five sacraments! I celebrated pretty much all of the sacraments I can celebrate. The only ones that were missing were holy orders and confirmation. I can do confirmation, but not normally,” Father Thom said during the podcast. “That is a good day in the Church,” he added.
He appreciates his role as vicar general, which he described as being a sounding board for the bishop and handling some of the challenges in parishes that the bishop delegates to him. As vicar general, he also has had opportunities to be engaged in visioning for major diocesan initiatives, such as the diocesan Synod on Synodality.
However, “the parish stuff, that’s my bread and butter,” he said during the podcast. “I half-joke that if being vicar general is the price I have to pay to be pastor of Sacred Heart, it’s worth it.” He loves his interaction with the people and celebrating the sacraments with them. “Every parish I’ve (served in), I feel has been great.”
Keeping his appointment secret — during the podcast and in all of his interactions with others over the 15 days leading up to the July 10 announcement — was difficult, he admitted to me during a follow-up interview July 12. However, he was grateful to have appointments and activities to help the days pass swiftly.
During the July 10 news conference, he expressed gratitude to everyone who has been a part of his journey to this next chapter in his life and ministry — especially his parents John and Jo’an, who died in 2019, his siblings (he’s the youngest of 11 children) and extended family. “I was truly formed by my family, the domestic church. Thank you and I love you.” He continued, “I think of all of those that I have had the privilege of serving as a priest and with whom my life has intersected over these years. I think especially of the people of the Diocese of Davenport today, and Sacred Heart Cathedral, my parish, he said, getting choked up.
I appreciated his reference to The Catholic Messenger’s Question Box, during the Q&A, when someone asked if he enjoyed writing. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed writing that,” he said. “I need to let the editor know that I won’t have a column this week,” he quipped.
Note to the bishop-elect: You can still write the Question Box column as Bishop of Baker!
(Contact Editor Barb Arland-Fye at arland-fye@davenportdiocese.org)
