Bishop-elect Thom Hennen processes down the center aisle after Mass Aug. 23 at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport. He presided at two farewell Masses before heading out to the Diocese of Baker, Ore., where he will be installed as their new bishop next month.
By Barb Arland-Fye
The Catholic Messenger
DAVENPORT — Parishioners and other well-wishers filled the pews of Sacred Heart Cathedral for Saturday night Mass on Aug. 23, the first of two farewell Masses that weekend for Bishop-elect Thom Hennen. He celebrated his second farewell Mass the following morning, after which the congregation enjoyed doughnuts and coffee with him. This week, he leaves for the Diocese of Baker, Oregon, where he will be ordained and installed as bishop on Sept. 29.
“It is not easy for me to say goodbye — and so I won’t!” he said, evoking the congregation’s laughter before beginning his homily. “I will, as I have always tried to do, preach the Gospel, and then I will say ‘See you later!’ As believers in the communion of the saints, in the Resurrection, and as members of the Universal Church, the one, holy body of Christ, ‘see you later’ makes more sense to me than ‘goodbye.’ After all, we are connected. There is nothing that can undo that except for the individual choice to cut oneself off from the communion, with God and with each other.”
Iowa will always be home, said Bishop-elect Hennen, who was born 47 years ago on the Fourth of July, grew up in Ottumwa and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Davenport. “I will come back here on occasion and I look forward very much to those homecomings.”
Segueing to the Gospel, in which Jesus tells his listeners, “Strive to come through the narrow gate” ((Luke 13:22-30), Bishop-elect Hennen unpacked the passage for the gathering. In concluding, he said, “God is calling you, unique, individual, unrepeatable you, to salvation… I beg you, find your way in the Way, the Truth and the Life, who is Jesus Christ. ‘Strive to enter through the narrow gate,’ and you may find, to your surprise, that it opens up on the other side. In the end, nothing could be more expansive than God’s love.”
“And so with that, I will now say ‘see you later.’ I cannot tell you how blessed I feel to have served as a priest of the Diocese of Davenport for 21 years and as your pastor here at Sacred Heart for these past four years. I love you and will miss you dearly.” He asked for people’s prayers and promised to pray for them, “the local Church of Davenport, as you find your way through the narrow gate.” The congregation responded with sustained applause.
As Mass ended, Deacon Dan Huber invited the gathering to dinner afterwards in the cathedral’s Great Hall but said Bishop-elect Hennen would be delayed because he had a baptism. “We’re keeping him busy to the last minute,” Deacon Huber quipped.
Bishop-elect Thom Hennen baptizes James Gerdes following Mass Aug. 23 at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport.
The family of 3-month-old James Patrick Gerdes gathered at the baptismal font, located next to the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who cradles the baby Jesus. James’ uncle, Justin Keen, snapped pictures as Bishop-elect Hennen baptized baby James, welcoming him into the Church. Kelly and Patrick Gerdes, the baby’s parents, expressed gratitude to their pastor.
“I feel like you have been through so many life moments for me,” Kelly told Bishop-elect Hennen. She was a peer campus minister at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, when then-Father Hennen served as chaplain, and she and her family are cathedral parishioners. “We’re sad Father Thom is leaving, but we’re happy for him,” Kelly Gerdes said. “He’s just a special guy,” said Kelly’s sister, Meghan Keen, the baby’s godmother. “He’s just relatable,” her husband, Justin Keen, said.
Back in the Great Hall, people enjoyed a casual buffet dinner and each other’s company while Bishop-elect Hennen posed for countless photos with parishioners in the gathering space. “God bless Oregon, because they’re getting a good one!” said Waunita Sullivan, executive director of Cafe on Vine in Davenport. For six years on Friday mornings, Father Hennen served at Cafe on Vine, but didn’t seek publicity about it, Sullivan said. “We were blessed to have him.”
“Father means the world to us,” said Michelle Clark, visiting with family members in the gathering space. “My three kids look up to him as a mentor. My son Henry (age 12) has a special bond with him. He asked (the bishop-elect) to be his confirmation sponsor.”
Corinne Winter, professor emerita of St. Ambrose University and a cathedral parishioner, said of her pastor, “We can’t be selfish, the larger Church needs him.”
