Man Proposes, God Disposes

BY BISHOP BILL MUHM

USAF CHAPLAIN FATHER ERIC SZYDA (LEFT) AND BISHOP BILL MUHM (RIGHT) STAND AT THE SITE OF TYBURN TREE IN LONDON.

COVID began its European “second wave” in October, but I was still able to visit Alconbury, Croughton, Lakenheath, England, as well as Naples and Rome, Italy. I planned the dates, but the Lord providentially made the visits possible. Man proposes, God disposes.

I celebrated Sunday Masses, led prayers to Our Lady, visited Catholic communities, and shepherded our AMS priests at the military installations. I also visited some important holy sites

MOTHER THOMASINA OF THE BENEDICTINE in England and spoke to some

ADORERS OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS OF important young men in Rome.

MONTMARTRE SHOWS BISHOP BILL MUHM RELICS

OF PRIESTS MARTYRED AT TYBURN TREE.

Two members of MCCW in Lakenheath, Jen Brennan and Kitty Eisenbeil, generously took the priestchaplain at Lakenheath, Father Eric Szyda, and me on guided tours of several English Catholic pilgrimage sites, including Tyburn, where 150 young English priests offered their lives as martyrs during the late 1500s and 1600s. Today the Benedictine Adorers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Montmartre adore the Blessed Sacrament 24/7 in Tyburn Convent in London, just yards from the site of Tyburn Tree, where the executions took place. I celebrated Mass in the beautiful Convent chapel. Mother Thomasina showed us relics of the many saint martyrs. The sacrifice and example of these heroic young priest martyrs inspired all of us and left us pondering when the seeds of witness, which they planted, will generate new life in the soil of the English Church. Man proposes, God disposes.

After a weekend visit to Naval Support Activity Naples, including Saturday Vigil and Sunday Masses, the priest-chaplain in Naples, Father Lito Tiongson, AMS Co-sponsored priest Father Timothy Mergen, AMS Co-sponsored transitional Deacon Madison Hayes, and I all spoke to first-year seminarians at the Pontifical North American College, in Rome, about priestly ministry as a military chaplain. These important American Catholic young men have declared their intent to discern seriously whether the Lord is calling them to priesthood. Their witness of faith inspired us and left us pondering how Christ will generate new life in the Church through their holy lives in the future. Man proposes, God disposes.

At Christmas, when we celebrate the gracious way in which God disposed His love upon the world in the person of Jesus Christ, we reflect that much of the work of the AMS involves planting seeds of faith in the minds and hearts of thousands of young service members, family members, and other young adults. Lord only knows how and when these seeds will generate new life within the Church. Man proposes, God disposes. Thank you for your prayers and support for all of us at AMS. V

BISHOP BILL MUHM TALKS ABOUT PRIESTLY MINISTRY AS A MILITARY CHAPLAIN TO FIRST-YEAR SEMINARIANS AT THE PONTIFICAL NORTH AMERICAN COLLEGE IN ROME.

THE HARVEST CONTINUES...

(ARCH)DIOCESE/RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY:

Archdiocese of Denver

ARMED FORCES BRANCH: Navy

RANK: ENSIGN

COLLEGE(S) / UNIVERSITY(IES) / SEMINARY(IES) ATTENDED (DEGREES

AWARDED): Colorado State University (CSU), undergraduate studies.St. John Vianney Theological Seminary, Denver, CO: Bachelors in Philosophy 2017, currently working to complete a Master of Divinity and Bachelors in Sacred Theology.

HIGH SCHOOL(S) ATTENDED:

Belleville Township High School East, Belleville, IL

HOBBIES: Fly Fishing, backcountry skiing, and music.

TEAM SPORTS: Cross Country

WHEN WAS THE FIRST TIME YOU THOUGHT ABOUT A VOCATION TO THE PRIESTHOOD?

Sophomore year of College while studying at CSU.

WHO OR WHAT EVENTS INFLUENCED OR INSPIRED YOU IN YOUR DISCERNMENT

JOURNEY? I had a huge conversion back to the Catholic faith during the spring semester of my freshman year of college. Through the help of a Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) missionary, the example of a great priest, and the support of a great Catholic community, I left behind an empty life pursuing worldly pleasures and began to pursue a relationship with God.

WHAT WOULD PEOPLE BE SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?

I entered seminary with little to no desire to actually become a priest. I entered the seminary thinking I would do the first year, a spirituality year, and then leave to pursue the married life. 34

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SCRIPTURE PASSAGE, WHY? Judges 6-7 is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. Gideon continually doubts the Lord, and the Lord continues to manifest His power through such a lowly and unfaithful man. Gideon receives sign after sign and continues to doubt, and yet the Lord still uses Gideon to manifest His glory.

HOW DID YOU COME TO KNOW JESUS CHRIST PERSONALLY? I first encountered Jesus Christ personally on a FOCUS retreat.

WHAT WERE SOME OF THE SPIRITUAL EVENTS OR ACTIVITIES THAT HELPED YOU DEVELOP AND SHARE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH?

Involvement with FOCUS helped me to understand that God was in my day-today activities, so I could share my passion and love for Him in the day-to-day moments of my life.

HAVE ANY SAINTS OR CHURCH LEADERS PARTICULARLY INSPIRED YOUR

DISCERNMENT JOURNEY? The intensity and vigor in spiritual combat of St. Anthony of the desert has always pushed me and guided me in my vocation. Archbishop Fulton Sheen has also had a huge impact on my discernment journey.

WHAT WAS YOUR PROFESSIONAL AND/OR ACADEMIC AND/ OR MILITARY

BACKGROUND BEFORE APPLYING TO BE A SEMINARIAN APPLICANT? I grew up as an Air Force BRAT and entered seminary after two years of undergraduate studies.

WHAT WAS THE NEXT TO LAST BOOK YOU READ, AND WHAT ARE YOU

CURRENTLY READING? The Man Who Got Even With God by M. Raymond O.S.C.O., and I am currently reading The Priest in Union with Christ by the Reverend Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SPIRITUAL BOOK? Uniformity with God’s Will by St. Alphonsus Liguori.

WHO ARE YOUR HEROES OR PEOPLE YOU SIGNIFICANTLY ADMIRE?

My mom and dad.

HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE YOUR PRAYER LIFE?

I like to think of my prayer life as pretty simple. I am a son of God who desires to serve and follow Him wherever He may lead. Seminary life is very structured, so much of my formal prayer consists of a daily Holy Hour, the sacrifice of the Mass, and the Liturgy of the Hours. V

Archbishop Broglio Concelebrates Beatification Mass for Father Michael J. McGivney

BY TAYLOR HENRY

His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, Archbishop for the Military Services, USA (AMS) was among distinguished prelates concelebrating the beatification Mass for Knights of Columbus (K of C) founder Blessed Father Michael J. McGivney (18521890) on 31 October in Hartford, Connecticut. Archbishop Broglio, himself a Fourth Degree Knight, joined main celebrant Joseph Cardinal Tobin of Newark at the altar, along with K of C Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, Timothy Cardinal Dolan of New York, Seán Cardinal O’Malley of Boston, and Archbishop Leonard P. Blair of Father McGivney’s home Archdiocese of Hartford. Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson was among dignitaries in attendance.

At the Mass, Cardinal Tobin read a decree from the Holy See, crediting Blessed Father PHOTO CREDIT: JEFF BRUNO, COURTESY McGivney for his “zeal for the OF KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. proclamation of the Gospel and generous concern for his brothers and sisters,” making him “an outstanding witness of Christian solidarity and fraternal assistance.” Church bells rang out and the small, sociallydistanced congregation erupted in applause upon the announcement of the beatification.

Archbishop Broglio and his brother bishops celebrated the beatification Mass five months after the Holy See affirmed on 27 May that Pope Francis had approved a miracle attributed to Blessed Father McGivney’s intercession: the in-utero cure of an unborn child with fetal hydrops, a lifethreatening condition causing an abnormal buildup of fluid around vital organs in the body. Blessed Father McGivney’s Cause for Canonization,

opened in 1997, has since moved to the final stage of consideration by the Holy See’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints. One more miracle attributed to his intercession will be required for Blessed Father McGivney to be declared a saint.

In response to the Holy Father’s recognition of the first miracle, Archbishop Broglio issued the following statement:

“Recently the Bishop of Rome recognized a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Father Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus. This news, which also gives the green light to his beatification offers a propitious occasion to consider the magnificent work still accomplished by the Knights of Columbus.

“The Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, is particularly aware of the good work done by the Knights on the U.S. military installations spread throughout the world. Faithful to their tradition dating to the First World War, the Knights promote many initiatives to support those far from home. The Round Tables in war zones, the catechesis, and the much sought “Armed with the Faith” collection of prayers, Catholic teaching, and tips on the faithful life are among the countless examples of the Knights’ apostolate.

“This Archdiocese also recognizes the tremendous support given to the vocations program, the co-sponsored seminarians, and the annual International Military Pilgrimage for peace to Lourdes every year.

“Not to limit myself to parochial concerns, our brother Knights offer substantial support to the USCCB Committees on the Defense of Marriage and Religious Freedom, as well as, the Ad Hoc Committee on Racism. All of these represent important concerns of today. With no pretense of exhausting the list of activities, let us also not forget the generous contributions of the Knights of Columbus to the construction and completion of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

“Indeed the seeds sown by the Venerable Father McGivney continue to bear abundant fruit and we give thanks that he will soon be raised to the glory of the altars.” V Christmas 2020 | 37