Bishop Hicks' Column

This summer I celebrated my “milleversary” here in the Diocese of Joliet. September 29 will mark three years since I was installed as your bishop.

“What I Did This Summer” is usually the first essay of the school year for students. My own essay would include a trip to El Salvador, staying at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (Spanish for “Our Little Brothers and Sisters”).

As Catholics, we are reminded that while we embrace the downtime of summer, there is no need to take a break from God! In fact, it’s a wonderful time to invite Jesus Christ into your summer experience. For like I was told in the narthex after Mass, we need the month of July! This is the perfect month to refresh and recharge our spiritual lives.

Saturday, May 20, 2023, the sun shone brightly over our Cathedral. That day, we ordained four men to the priesthood for the Diocese of Joliet. It was a day filled with exhilaration and hope for these new priests, as it was, too, for their families and throngs of people who had supported them along the journey to priesthood.

This year we will ordain five new priests for the Diocese of Joliet. While this quantity is outstanding, so is their quality. These five men are young, intelligent, faith filled, pastoral and enthusiastic, and they all strive for holiness.

By the time you are reading this article, we will probably have already celebrated Palm Sunday, Holy Week, the Triduum and Easter Sunday. During that holy and busy week in the Catholic Church, there is a beautiful, albeit sometimes overshadowed, Mass we celebrate called the “Chrism Mass.”

It is a common practice to give a gift made of silver for a 25th anniversary and something of gold for a 50th. However, I was wondering, what do you give for a 10th anniversary? After some research, there seems to be some consensus that either tin or aluminum is meant to commemorate a decade. Perhaps these metals make an appropriate gift since they are known for their strength and resilience.

People are sometimes surprised to hear that I do my own grocery shopping and cook my own meals. I am not a gourmet chef, but I can hold my own in the kitchen. Frankly, it is not that big of a task since I live alone and frequently eat out at meetings, receptions and events. Therefore, most of my trips to the grocery store are a very quick “in and out.”

Recently, while visiting a parish, I noticed a “peace pole” on the property, surrounded by beautiful landscaping and benches

I love Jesus! And it is always a source of joy and honor to offer the holy sacrifice of the Mass whenever and wherever I am asked to do so. So when I received a request to celebrate a diocesan-wide Mass for individuals with special needs or disabilities and their families and friends, without hesitation, I responded, “Yes!”