PAST BISHOPS OF THE DIOCESE OF DAVENPORT
Heraldic Achievement of Most Reverend Dennis Gerard Walsh
Tenth Bishop of Davenport
In designing the shield — the central element in what is formally called the heraldic achievement — a bishop has an opportunity to depict symbolically various aspects of his own life and heritage, and to highlight aspects of Catholic faith and devotion that are important to him. The formal description of a coat of arms, known as the blazon, uses a technical language, derived from medieval French and English terms, which allows the appearance and position of each element to be recorded precisely.
A diocesan bishop shows his commitment to the flock he shepherds by combining his personal coat of arms with that of the diocese, in a technique known as impaling. The shield is divided in half along the pale or central vertical line. The arms of the diocese appear on the dexter side that is, on the side of the shield to the viewer’s left, which would cover the right side (in Latin, dextera) of the person carrying the shield. The arms of the bishop are on the sinister side the bearer’s left, the viewer’s right.
The see city of Davenport, Iowa, was named for Colonel George Davenport (1783-1835). Born in Lincolnshire, England, he arrived in New York in 1804, and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1806. After 10 years of service he left the Army and moved to the area of Fort Armstrong (now Rock Island), Illinois, spending the rest of his life helping to organize the “Quad Cities” on either side of the Mississippi River. An English Davenport family bore the arms Argent, a chevron between three cross-crosslets fitchée sable, that is, a white or silver shield (argent) with an inverted “V” shape (a chevron) between three crosses that have smaller cross-beams on the ends of the top, left and right arms, and a point at the bottom.
The diocese adopted these Davenport family arms with two adjustments. First, the chevron is now depicted raguly, with crenellations on its upper edge resembling the walls of a fort or castle. This recalls Colonel Davenport’s connection with the Army and Fort Armstrong, as well as the city’s status as the first military headquarters of Iowa during the Civil War. Second, the Davenport family arms depicted the “crosslets” with squared-off sides, while those on the diocesan arms are rounded, or bottony. Resembling Saint Patrick’s shamrock, such a cross is often used to allude to the Most Holy Trinity.
The Bishop’s personal coat of arms employs the colors of the arms of his home Diocese of Toledo: blue (azure), silver (argent) and red (gules). On the center silver stripe (called a pale) appears a slightly narrower red stripe drawn with points at the bottom (indented).
The historical Oriflamme (whose name derives from the Latin aurea flamma, “golden flame”) was often embroidered with gold letters, words or images that varied through the centuries and served as identifying marks of the various kings who carried it into battle. The Bishop has chosen three symbols (called charges) to recall important aspects of his life, and they are likewise depicted on the red banner in gold (Or).
At the bottom is an arrowhead or pheon, which is taken from the Irish coats of arms of several Walsh families. In the middle is a sheaf of wheat, also called a garb. This symbol has a prominent place in the Great Seal of the Bishop’s home state of Ohio. It also traditionally alludes to the sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist. This sacrament, “which the Bishop celebrates daily … should be the center and source of his ministry and of his personal sanctification.”[1]
At the top of the red stripe is an eight-pointed star (estoile) with wavy arms. This is a symbol of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who, “[a]s a mother … sustains the Bishop in his interior task of configuration to Christ and in his ecclesial service.”[2] In particular, it alludes to a similar star depicted on the forehead of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a fifteenth-century icon that is particularly dear to the members of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, also known as the Redemptorists. The Bishop began his vocational life as a Redemptorist, professing temporary vows in 1986 and final vows in 1991. Ordained a priest in 1992, he served in several assignments as a Redemptorist until 1998. In 2000, he was incardinated as a diocesan priest of the Diocese of Toledo.
On the scroll below the shield is inscribed the Bishop’s motto. Taken from Psalm 31:5*, these words are prayed each night as part of the Liturgy of the Hours: In manus tuas commendo spiritum meum; redemisti me, Domine Deus veritatis – “Into your hands I commend my spirit; you have redeemed me, Lord, God of truth.” Our Lord himself prayed with these words as he hung dying on the Cross: “Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last” (Luke 23:46).
The shield is ensigned with external elements that identify the bearer as a Bishop. A gold processional cross appears behind the shield. The galero or “pilgrim’s hat” is used heraldically in various colors and with specific numbers of tassels to indicate the rank of a bearer of a coat of arms. A bishop uses a green galero with three rows of green tassels.
[1] Congregation for Bishops, Directory Apostolorum Successores for the Pastoral Ministry of Bishops (2004), no. 46.
[2] Ibid., no. 35.
* Psalm 30:6 in the Latin Vulgate
Davenport’s new bishop leaves lasting impression in Ohio
By Barb Arland-Fye The Catholic Messenger
Delphos Dairy Hut in northwestern Ohio bustled with business on a pleasant mid-August evening. Customers filled the picnic tables and lined the drive-up to enjoy ice cream cones, sundaes and shakes. Among them was the parish priest in Delphos, who just six weeks later would become the 10th Bishop of the Diocese of Davenport Teens and adults called out to then-Bishop-elect Dennis Walsh. Everyone seemed to know him in Delphos, a town of 7,000 people. Some 2,000 families in the Delphos area belong to St. John the Evangelist Parish there, one of three parishes Bishop Walsh most recently led in the Diocese of Toledo
MOSTREV.
“When are you leaving for Davenport?” asked a man in an SUV at the drive-up. His kids attend Delphos St. John’s Catholic School, which Bishop Walsh led as head of school. The bishop answered and the parent responded, “We’ve got you for a couple of more weeks.” His response echoed the sentiment of Catholics in all three parishes that Bishop Walsh led for nearly a decade – St. John’s in Delphos, St. John the Baptist in Landeck and St. Patrick in Spencerville. The Catholic Messenger spent a day-and-half in the Toledo Diocese with Bishop Walsh to witness his ministry to the people who helped shape him as a leader
The first afternoon, Aug. 14, the Messenger joined Bishop Walsh and five Sisters of Notre Dame at Cabo Mexican Restaurant in Delphos. The sisters live in the convent next door to Delphos St John’s School and across the street from the church All of them had ministered with Bishop Walsh in some capacity.
DENNIS G. WALSH
Bishop Dennis Walsh receives the gifts from a family of parishioners at St Patrick Catholic Church in Spencerville, Ohio
Preaching the Gospel
“I worked with Father Walsh on a boys’ Kairos retreat over 20 years ago,” Sister Deb Giles, SND, said. “When I relocated to Delphos I was happy to know he was pastor. He is deeply spiritual and equally humble. He has quite the sense of humor! He is incisive, prudent, wise, kind and not above hard work!”
“Something very refreshing about Bishop Walsh is that I have no sense of his political views from the pulpit. In these times, some priests do push one view or the other, but Bishop Walsh sticks to preaching the Gospel He is a still point of reason in the whirl of opinions! What a sadness to lose him at this time!”
Sister Joella Marie Ruffing said Bishop Walsh “has been a wonderful pastor to work with here at St John’s I look forward to his homilies because there is always a golden nugget in them to inspire my day. He is comfortable talking with students and adults and has a quick sense of humor. He has been very supportive of the faculty of the school and of the Sisters of Notre Dame who have ministered here for more than 100 years ”
Dinner ended in plenty of time for Bishop Walsh to celebrate the Vigil Mass for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Landeck church, a 10-minute drive south of Delphos “Are you my servers?” he asked two teens as they headed toward a side door of the church, and they smiled affirmatively. Bishop Walsh walked to the front of the church to pose for a photo when a woman and young girl, wearing her princess dress, approached and the bishop greeted them The girl, about 6 years old, smiled radiantly as he
“He is deeply spiritual and equally humble. He has quite the sense of humor! He is incisive, prudent, wise, kind and not above hard work!”
The power of ‘yes’
A faint smell of varnish lingered inside the newly restored church, which Bishop Daniel Thomas of the Toledo Diocese dedicated the previous weekend. In the sanctuary, a brilliant blue dome, symbolizing the starfilled sky over Bethlehem at Jesus’ birth, appears above a painting of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus. The Holy Spirit appears as a dove over them.
Bishop Walsh gives much credit for the restoration project’s fruition to Sister Immacolata Scarogni, SCC, the parish manager of the Landeck and Spencerville parishes and pastoral associate in Delphos.
The two first worked together when both were assigned to a parish in the Bronx in the mid-1990s. While parishioners of all three Ohio parishes were sad to let go of Bishop Walsh, they would have protested if Sister Immacolata left, he quipped (She was out of town during the Messenger’s visit.)
His humility is among the attributes that parishioners of all three parishes identified often during interviews with the Messenger They also appreciate Bishop Walsh’s gift for delivering meaningful, relevant, relatable homilies. “I love his homilies,” said Pamela Brown of the Spencerville parish. “Every homily he has given I have been able to apply to some area of my life.”
Bishop Dennis Walsh greets a mother and daughter outside of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Landeck, Ohio.
During the vigil Mass at Landeck, Bishop Walsh began his homily with a story about the suspense that engaged couples might experience when one partner prepares to pop the question, and the power of the response, “yes.” “What we celebrate today is Mary’s ‘yes.’ It is the ‘yes’ of the Blessed Mother in perfect obedience. ‘Blessed are those who are obedient to God’s will.’ Mary changed everything for us. It is our obedience that saves us, that transforms us. What happens to us, what awaits us … is foreshadowed in Mary’s obedience…,” Bishop Walsh said
After Mass, he stood in the back of the church to chat with parishioners, including the little girl he greeted before Mass She showed him a drawing she created during Mass, which he complimented
It was about a 20-minute drive from their home in Lima, Ohio where Daniel, who died in 2019, worked as a barber and Marilyn worked as a bank teller before moving on to Pepsi Beverages Co.
This trip to Toledo pertained to Delphos St. John’s Catholic School, where Bishop Walsh served as head of school and which was to become a subsidiary of the parish He was working out the final details at the Chancery
He said he could not have handled the responsibility for three parishes and serving as head of school without Sister Immacolata having taken on the administrative duties at two of the parishes.
The ‘I-75 pastor’
Bishop Walsh got into his car just before 8:30 a.m. Aug. 15 for the 95-minute drive to diocesan headquarters in Toledo. His leadership and participation on diocesan boards and committees required regular trips to Toledo, so much so that his colleagues jokingly said his parish was I-75 (the interstate route to Toledo).
Along the way, he pointed out Sandy Point Lake “Almost every weekend we camped there,” he recalled of a favorite childhood experience with his parents Daniel and Marilyn, his older sister, Brenda and his younger brother, Craig.
Bishop Walsh took the stairs to the bishop’s office, where Bishop Thomas greeted him with a handshake and a smile. Bishop Walsh, a trusted advisor of Bishop Thomas for a decade, chaired the diocesan College of Consultors and previously chaired the Presbyteral Council, among other leadership responsibilities. “I’ve learned a lot in these last 10 years,” Bishop Walsh said on the drive back to Delphos Through the diocesan responsibilities that Bishop Thomas entrusted him with, Bishop Walsh said, “people were able to see what gifts I bring to the table.”
Bishop Dennis Walsh accepts a drawing from a child at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Landeck, Ohio.
Bishop Dennis Walsh and Msgr William Kubacki, Vicar General for the Diocese of Toledo, chat at the Diocese of Toledo Chancery.
Asked to specify those gifts, Bishop Walsh named three First, “I don’t have any agenda; I try to understand all aspects of a problem.” Second, “I have a good pastoral response. I take it (an issue) all in. Bishop Thomas always respected that. I would tell him what I think and not what I thought he wanted to hear ” Third, “I get a lot of input from people Sometimes, people say I’m too slow to make a decision. It’s usually pretty well thought out.”
A passion for the priesthood
After meetings wrapped up, Bishop Walsh headed out for a quick lunch with Father Jacob “Jay” Livecchi, who served his pastoral year as a seminarian under the mentorship of then-Father Walsh. Father Livecchi chose his mentor to vest him at his ordination this past June. Bishop Walsh knew about his appointment to lead the Diocese of Davenport but “we requested the Nuncio that we be allowed to postpone the announcement until after the Toledo ordinations,” the bishop said. While Father Livecchi will miss his mentor, he is grateful that Bishop Walsh is just a text message or phone call away from sh i d i d i i h
“Being a priest has been the greatest joy of my life, and I have cherished every moment of my priesthood.”
The new bishop has 32 years of priesthood from which to share his lived experience of his vocation.
“Being a priest has been the greatest joy of my life, and I have cherished every moment of my priesthood. Each day, I thank God for the gift and privilege of this vocation,” then Bishop-elect Walsh said during the June 25 press conference in Davenport announcing his appointment
“I always wanted to be a priest,” he later told the Messenger “My parents always supported and nurtured it ” They taught him a love for the Eucharist and the Church, to love the Lord above all things, and the importance of prayer. The family always attended Mass and Daniel and Marilyn made sure their kids, who attended public school, made it to religious education classes Bishop Walsh recalled with a smile the blizzard of 1978 “Everything was shut down, but we went to Mass. We said, ‘Dad, Mass is cancelled.’” His dad persisted. “We were about the only ones in church.”
Redemptorist priests of the Baltimore Province serve his home parish, St Gerard Church in Lima, and inspired Bishop Walsh to discern his vocation to the priesthood with the Redemptorists. He was ordained in 1992 and treasured his experiences and placements, which were far from his hometown of Lima, Ohio. He served parishes in Puerto Rico and in challenging urban areas in Baltimore and in the Bronx before discerning his vocation to diocesan priesthood in his home diocese, which also allowed him to be closer to his family.
7 | in manus tuas
Posing outside of Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral in Toledo, Ohio, are Bishop Dennis Walsh and Fr Jacob “Jay” Livecchi
Musings on the road
The commute to and from Toledo on Aug. 15 provided plenty of time for Bishop Walsh to reflect on his priesthood. After his ordination, the Redemptorists sent him to Puerto Rico for Spanish language immersion while serving in parishes there Five priests served 16 parishes On a rotation, each parish celebrated Sunday Mass three out of four weeks. The fourth week was a Sunday Celebration in the Absence of a Priest. If parishioners chose to do so, they could attend Mass at one of the other parishes. “It worked well,” he said of the collaborative ministry that allowed parishioners to “maintain their parish identity ”
He contrasted that response to addressing scarcity with the closing of parishes in the U.S., which he believes has been a traumatic experience for many and has led people to drop out of the life of the Church
“We’re a sacramental Church,” he said “We associate things and places with our encounters with Christ. They are not just buildings. We think about parish planning in terms of efficiency. It’s not about efficiency…. It is a balancing act.”
Bishop Walsh appreciates Pope Francis’ synodal approach to being Church as an invaluable way to discern how to move forward. However, making the effort to listen to one another is challenging in the present era, the bishop said “We’re so polarized in our ideologies. We’ve lost the ability to have conversations anymore…We come down to supporting constituencies at any cost.”
‘You’re taking away my priest’
Returning to the rectory in Delphos in the late afternoon, Bishop Walsh took a break before heading out for Mass at the Spencerville parish, about a 15-minute drive south of Delphos. He was early, and 11 adults were praying the rosary while two young boys attempted to keep themselves occupied As the bishop waited to process into the church, a woman rushed in, clearly worried about being late. He smiled and asked how she was doing.
His focus on Mary’s “yes” in his homily that night and the night before pointed to his own life. Mary said “yes” out of obedience to God, in contrast to Eve’s disobedience, he said, even though Mary did not understand fully what her saying “yes” meant
Before and after Mass, Bishop Walsh stopped by a few pews for a quick chat with individuals and families. Among them were Scott and Pamela Brown and their two young grandchildren, Waylon, 3, and Wrenley, 2, who brought up the offertory gifts during Mass “I’m really going to miss him,” Scott, a convert to Catholicism, said after Mass while showing his grandkids how to make the sign of the cross while blessing themselves at the holy water font. “You’re taking away my priest,” he said, addressing the Davenport Diocese through the Messenger “We were so blessed to have him,” Pamela said. “You also are blessed.”
Bishop Dennis Walsh’s ordination as a Redemptorist priest in 1992 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C.
Scott and Pamela Brown and th after enjoying Mass celebrate
The people of the Davenp very good shepherd,” sai adding, “His love for us a His homilies are great; he Bishop’s mother shares m After Mass, Bishop Wal house in Lima, about Spencerville Marilyn Wa since 1961, when it was n the house one year afte attractive, cozy home wit Marilyn mows herself. S photos outside the house.
Marilyn and Daniel rai Brenda, Dennis and C reminded her older son t that day. “You better send paged through family photo albums looking for photos for the Messenger to borrow
Being a priest “was all he ever wanted to do,” Marilyn recalled The Redemptorists made a lasting impression on the parents as well as Bishop Walsh.
The religious community has a devotion to Mary under the title of “Our Mother of Perpetual Help,” and a framed image is displayed above the fireplace in the Walsh family home
When he was in ninth grade in public school, Bishop Walsh visited a Redemptorist preparatory high school for boys considering the priesthood “I came back and asked if I could go and they ‘crushed that desire,’” he joked. “We did not,” his mother said, laughing at his teasing. “I think you’re better for it. That’s awfully young to be leaving home and making that decision,” she said. However, she and her husband told their son that if he wanted to enter the seminary after high school, he could “go for it,” Marilyn said
Bishop Dennis Walsh and his mother, Marilyn, pose in front of her home, where Bishop Walsh grew up.
The future bishop led a typical childhood and did well in school, Marilyn said. “He didn’t have a lot of hobbies. He liked to torment his brother and sister,” she said, getting a reaction from him
Bishop Walsh’s favorite meal was Hamburger Helper, the beef and noodle variety, or mac and cheese He cannot stand fish and avoids vegetables. Mother and son joked about Fridays during Lent being tough for him. She would occasionally make tuna casserole, which his siblings enjoyed but he did not. She didn’t force her kids to eat what was served but everyone received the same meal, she said
Bishop Walsh left for the Redemptorist seminary in Connecticut after high school and then spent the next nine years in formation for the priesthood, followed by another five or six years in priest assignments in Puerto Rico, Baltimore and the Bronx. “You get used to it,” Marilyn said of her son being away. When he returned to his home diocese, he would call her on short notice and ask if she wanted to join him at the county fair, which he visited to see the children of the families in his parish showing livestock or 4-H displays It was one of the ways to be present to the people he served, he said.
“It is the people of the parishes that I have pastored that have taught me to be a pastor,” he told the gathering at the June 25 announcement of his appointment as Bishop of the Davenport Diocese. He expressed confidence that they, “the people of this diocese, will teach me to be a good bishop and shepherd ”
A young Dennis Walsh and his sister, Brenda, at the Walsh family home
Then-seminarian Dennis Walsh poses with his sister and parents after a celebration at the seminary he attended in Connecticut in the 1980s
A framed icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help is displayed above the mantle of the Walsh family home The Redemptorists have a devotion to Mary under the title of “Our Mother of Perpetual Help ”
“It is the people of the parishes that I have pastored that have taught me to be a pastor. the people of this diocese, will teach me to be a good bishop and shepherd.”
| in manus tuas domine
Art and Connie Weber are relatives & longtime friends of Bishop Dennis Walsh.
Bishop Dennis Walsh greets a parishioner at St John the Baptist Catholic Church in Landeck, Ohio
Bishop Dennis Walsh and parishioner, Ken Goecke, at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Spencerville, Ohio.
Bishop Dennis Walsh enjoys a visit with his brother priests, a deacon and women religious
Connection from the Bronx to Delphos
By Barb Arland-Fye
The Catholic Messenger
LANDECK, Ohio – Sister Immacolata Scarogni and Bishop Dennis Walsh came to know each other well when both served in the South Bronx in New York at a parish of faith-filled Catholics living in an impoverished neighborhood “I was teaching first grade and Father (Walsh) came as an associate. He was a member of the Redemptorists. It was a pretty tough area, with a lot of poverty, drugs and violence,” said Sister Immacolata, a member of the Sisters of Christian Charity
Both arrived at Immaculate Conception Parish around 1994. “Great school, great parish. The kids thrived in the school,” Sister Immacolata said Around nine sisters and three priests served the parish and school; they supported each other in dealing with challenges, such as attempted break-ins at the school and rectory a few times and finding funding for families struggling to pay tuition, she said “Father Walsh loved to come in and teach the kids, and liked to joke with them ” The Bronx assignment took place early in his priesthood. “It kind of formed him to being that compassionate leader he is today,”
Sister Immacolata said. “These parents and kids needed people like us.”
“He has a tremendous love for the Church,” Sister Immacolata said “It comes out in every homily and when you talk with him personally or in a group. … He’s very engaged with the people. Very down to earth. He’s very attentive to the needs of the sick.” When tragedy happens, “Father Walsh is there.”
Years later, they reconnected in parish ministry when Father Walsh, a diocesan priest for the Toledo Diocese in his home state of Ohio, recommended her for a parish manager post in one of the three parishes he serves Eight years ago, Sister Immacolata became parish manager of St. John the Baptist Parish in Landeck, an unincorporated village outside of Delphos. Now she also serves as parish manager of St. Patrick Parish in Spencerville and pastoral associate at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Delphos 12 | in manus tuas domine
Bishop Dennis Walsh with Sr. Immacolata Scarogni (on left), Sr. Mary Edward Spohrer (on right), and the Seibert family at the county fair.
Bishop Dennis Walsh processes into Mass at the newly restored St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Landeck, Ohio.
Sister Mary Edward Spohrer, also a Sister of Christian Charity, describes now-Bishop Walsh’s leadership style as collaborative “I think he appreciates the gifts of the people who are working with him. That’s important. If people are not sure about their gifts, he gives them time to develop them,” said Sister Mary Edward, who serves as music director for the Spencerville Parish and assists at the two other parishes.
She lives in community with Sister Immacolata in Landeck Sister Mary Edward came to know Bishop Walsh when she was serving at her community’s motherhouse in New Jersey “He helped us with our technology. He was technology savvy in the early days when we were not.”
“Our sisters (working in the South Bronx) would come to the motherhouse. They always appreciated the priests at Immaculate Conception. … The priests and the sisters did work together. I think it was a beautiful model of the Church – of the sisters and the priests working together with the people,” Sister Mary Edward said “I think it’s creating community The model of Church is a community of believers working together in one Spirit for God’s people.”
One of the first things Sister Mary Edward got to do when she arrived in Ohio was attend a county fair, one of Bishop Walsh’s favorite outings. She said it was touching to see the importance he placed on visiting the children of the parishes as they showed animals or 4H projects at the fair “We go to support the families They see we’re connected to them outside the parish,” Sister Mary Edward said
His taste buds appreciate the fair food: elephant ears (a pancake-like treat covered with powdered sugar), snow cones and candied apples, Sister Immacolata said. The sisters describe Bishop Walsh as very close to his family – mom, sister and brother, nieces and nephew – all of whom live in Ohio. (His father is deceased )
His love for his Church family is an extension of his love for his biological family, the sisters believe. Davenport will love his down-to earth approach, Sister Immacolata said.
“he appreciates the gifts of the people who are working with him. That’s important. If people are not sure about their gifts, he gives them time to develop them.”
13 | in manus tuas domine
Bishop Walsh is prayerful, compassionate, witty, and a delegator
By Barb Arland-Fye
The Catholic Messenger
DELPHOS, Ohio – Sister Fredricka Kollsmith, of the Sisters of Notre Dame, jokes that when she retired to her home parish, she received some advice about the pastor ‘“Beware of Father Dennis (Walsh).’ He has a way of saying, ‘You’d be good in this … ’”
So naturally, she accepted Father Walsh’s request to serve as spiritual formation coordinator on the Women’s Welcome Retreat Team at St. John the Evangelist Parish. His persuasiveness and ability to help people tap into their gifts is just one of his positive qualities. She jotted down and shared some other qualities of Bishop Walsh, who was to be ordained and installed as the 10th Bishop of the Diocese of Davenport on Sept. 27, 2024.
He is a “caregiver – for people and of his parish, and outside of his parish and the buildings of his parish,” she said “He is a very focused person You almost have to say, ‘Dennis, are you there?’ He is witty; he is prayerful. He is compassionate, very interested in his parishioners. It’s common to see him walking down the aisles (during the closing procession of the Mass) and talking to people along the way ”
“There’s a part of him that can be kind of shy,”
Sister Fredricka said “Once he’s comfortable, he’s very outgoing ” St John the Evangelist is a large parish of 2,000 families and the largest of the three he leads in the Toledo Diocese. The parish school, serving grades preschool to 12, is only one of two schools in the diocese serving that age range, she said Bishop Walsh is proud of the school and stops by to talk with the students, especially the elementary students, she added. The other two parishes he leads are St. John the Baptist Parish in
Landeck about four miles away, and St Patrick Parish in Spencerville, about 10 miles from the Delphos parish.
As a leader, Bishop Walsh delegates responsibility and expects each person to complete the delegated assignment, Sister Fredricka said. “If the delegation isn’t carried through, he’s a little impatient.”
In the celebration of the Mass, “he prays it with you.” He has a great respect for his vocation. “I can remember a sermon once when he said, ‘The thing I’m most grateful for my whole life is the call to the priesthood.’” He spoke those words as if he were talking with friends or family in the living room,
Sister Fredricka said
He has a strong appreciation for the catechetical program and is very encouraging with the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) In addition to Bishop Walsh as pastor, St. John the Evangelist has two associate pastors who share with him in ministering to the homebound, and people in the hospital or nursing home, she said.
The Sisters of Notre Dame, who live in the parish’s former rectory, have made a tradition of inviting the priests over for dinner on Holy Thursday before Mass. “He’s not fond of vegetables,” Sister Fredricka said “We’ll serve buffet style and let him pick what he wants ”
Sister Fredricka Kollsmith
Bishop Dennis Walsh poses in front of the sanctuary at St John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Delphos
He sets an example as pastor, mentor and teacher
By Barb Arland-Fye The Catholic Messenger
DELPHOS, Ohio – Sister Susan Faist, SND, recalls her first appointment with then-Father Dennis Walsh, shortly after he became pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish, which led to her taking a “field trip” to Baltimore Sister Susan was serving as the parish’s religious education coordinator at the time. As she explained what previous pastors had done, Father Walsh asked if she had read a book titled “Rebuilt: The Story of a Catholic Parish: Awakening the Faithful, Reaching the Lost, and Making Church Matter” about a parish in Baltimore She had not
“he did not mind how many Masses he would be presiding over on a weekend. He said that was what he had been ordained to do!”
“He reached behind him and handed the book to me After reading it, I met with him again and told him what I would like to incorporate. He then told me he would like to fund a ‘field trip’ to Baltimore so I could see the parish in operation. He let me take three others along,” Sister Susan said They returned with ideas One that the parish incorporated provides a unified activity for religious education students in grades K-8 to participate in together before the start of each class
In the four to five years she served as religious education coordinator, Sister Susan was part of the administration team that met Wednesday mornings with Father Walsh One such meeting made a lasting impression. He had proposed adding a monthly Spanish Mass, which met with initial resistance. Someone protested that adding a Mass would be too much to handle “Father Dennis Walsh’s response was that he did not mind how many Masses he would be presiding over on a weekend. He said that was what he had been ordained to do!”
Another lasting impression: “One year, he taught the high school Spanish classes (at the parish school, Delphos St John’s) because we did not have a teacher for that class,”
Sister Susan said. She now works as a teacher aide at the school, where she has had the opportunity to see him preside at Mass
“His homilies at the Mass for elementary students on Thursdays are meaningful,” she said.
“He delivers the homily while walking in the middle aisle, between the classes in the pews His comradery with the altar servers during Mass is very good. I often see him saying something that brings smiles to their faces during the drying of his hands ”
Sister Susan describes nowBishop Walsh as friendly, with a quick sense of humor, religious, and said he has solid values. “He has a wide knowledge of various fields - doctrine, finance, law and development ”
Finally, “We have had seminarians during their intern year here because he is such a good mentor for them, same for newly ordained priests!”
Sister Susan Faist
A trusted advisor to
By Barb Arland-Fye
The Catholic Messenger
TOLEDO, Ohio – Around Christmas Time, two months after his installation as Bishop of the Toledo Diocese in 2014, Bishop Daniel Thomas attended a dinner hosted by a couple who belonged to the parish that then-Father Dennis Walsh led Father Walsh was among the guests “It was very clear from the beginning that he had a warm personality and a quick Irish wit,” Bishop Thomas said during an interview in his office Aug. 15 with The Catholic Messenger’s editor. The dinner, he added, became a tradition.
Bishop Thomas came to recognize Father Walsh’s leadership skills and assigned him as pastor of what became the three-parish grouping of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Delphos, St. John the Baptist Parish in Landeck and St Patrick Parish in Spencerville He also served as head of school for Delphos St. John’s School (PreK-12). “My esteem and respect for him was evident very early on because I named him to be pastor in a very challenging situation,” Bishop Thomas said His esteem and respect extended to appointments for Father Walsh to the College of Consultors and the Presbyteral Council, both of which he chaired at one point or another He also has served as dean of a deanery (a group of parishes in a specific area) and on numerous boards, committees and consultative bodies involved in “the oversight and governance of the diocese,” Bishop Thomas said
“He’s very well respected and regarded by other priests. That comes from his priestly integrity. He is both paternal and fraternal. … There’s a fatherliness and a brotherliness to his persona ”
Bishop Thomas also tapped into Father Walsh’s competency in financial and administrative matters. The two were comfortable seeking advice from each other. “He’s been an invaluable advisor on many levels,” Bishop Thomas said.
All of these gifts led to the Vatican announcement June 25 of Father Walsh’s appointment to serve as 10th Bishop of the Davenport Diocese, news that stunned him because of his humility, said Bishop Thomas, who advised now-Bishop Walsh on some of the practical matters of preparing for the Episcopacy
“This is the first time in the history of the Diocese of Toledo that one of our own priests has been named directly to become the Ordinary of another diocese,” Bishop Thomas announced in his own statement that day.
Bishop Daniel Thomas
Toledo’s bishop
He said that Bishop Walsh’s “fidelity to Christ and his Church, his pastoral and practical wisdom, his administrative and leadership aptitude, his love for the people of God, and his warm, jovial personality will serve him well as he shepherds the local Church of Davenport ”
The Vatican wanted to make the announcement a week earlier but agreed to a brief delay because the bishop-elect did not want the news to overshadow the priests’ convocation and the ordination of two new priests for the Toledo Diocese, Bishop Thomas said “He didn’t want to be the center of attention He wanted the focus to be on them To me, that speaks volumes about the type of priest he is.”
Bishop Thomas felt honored and gratified to share insights and advice with his future brother bishop “It’s like serving as a big brother to someone I was delighted to help him during this time of transition.” That guidance included recommending someone to design his coat of arms and narrowing his choices for episcopal motto. Father Philip G. Bochanski, vicar general and moderator of the Curia for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, had designed Bishop Thomas’ coat of arms and now, Bishop Walsh’s. The motto that appears on his coat of arms is “Into your hands, Lord,” which comes from Psalm 30:6 The motto “reflects the obedience and surrender of Jesus,” Bishop Thomas said, “and that’s the kind of priest he is ”
Bishop Thomas gifted one of his zucchettos and a pectoral cross to Bishop Walsh. The zucchetto, however, was one size too small! He also invited the future bishop to choose a bishop’s ring and crosier from the Toledo Diocese’s patrimony, with the caveat that in his will, Bishop Walsh would stipulate return of those items to the Toledo Diocese
Bishop Walsh asked Bishop Thomas to serve as a co-consecrator at the Mass of ordination and installation Sept 27 and to preach the Vespers service the evening before Bishop Thomas said it is an honor “to join with the people of Davenport in rejoicing and in receiving their new bishop ”
advice For the new bishop
Bishop Daniel Thomas shares this advice with Bishop Dennis Walsh as he embarks on his journey as 10th Bishop of the Diocese of Davenport:
*Don’t make evening pastoral commitments back to back every night of the week.
*Carefully guard your prayer time with the Lord.
*Your worship at the altar is more important than your time at the desk
*Have no doubt that this is the Lord’s will. You were made for this.
Welcome, Bishop Walsh!
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All Saints Catholic School 1926 N Marquette St, Davenport, IA 52804
St. Paul the Apostle Catholic School 1007 E Rusholme St, Davenport, IA 52803
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School 1453 Mississippi Blvd, Bettendorf, IA 52722
John F. Kennedy Catholic School 1627 W 42nd St, Davenport, IA 52806
Assumption High School 1020 W Central Park Ave, Davenport, IA 52804
St. John Vianney Preschool 4097 18th St, Bettendorf, IA 52722
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St. Mary Preschool 3100 W Madison, Fairfield, IA 52556
Holy Family Teddy Bear Club 1341 W Pleasant St, Davenport, IA 52804
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The Apostleship of the Sea of the United States of America, together with our Vicepresident, Fr. Bill Reynolds a retired priest of the Diocese of Da t welcome Bishop Dennis Wal in the Diocese of Dave Bishop Walsh, in your mini have fair winds and follo
THE DIOCESE OF DA
BISHOP WA DAVENPORT
May the Holy Spirit guide your ministry in this wonderful diocese full of great priests, deacons, and faithful!
Bishop Martin Amos Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Davenport
The Parishes, Priests, and Deacons of the Ottumwa Deanery offer
Congratulations and Prayers to Bishop Dennis Walsh!
St Mary, Albia Fr. Isaac Essel
St Mary Magdalen, Bloomfield Fr Joseph Sia and Fr Ben Synder
St Patrick, Brooklyn Fr Scott Foley
St Mary, Centerville Fr Ron Hodges
Immaculate Conception, Colfax Fr Marty Goetz
St. Patrick, Georgetown Fr Isaac Essel
St Mary, Grinnell Fr. Scott Foley
Holy Trinity, Keota Fr. Rob Lathrop
St Anthony, Knoxville Fr Dennis Hoffman
St Peter, Lovilia Fr Isaac Essel
Sacred Heart, Melcher Fr Dennis Hoffman
St Patrick, Melrose Fr. Ron Hodges
Sacred Heart, Newton Fr Marty Goetz
St Joseph, North English Fr Rob Lathrop
St. Mary, Oskaloosa Fr Joseph Phung
St Mary of the Visitation, Ottumwa Fr. Joseph Sia and Fr. Ben Synder
St Patrick, Ottumwa Fr Joseph Sia and Fr Ben Synder
St Mary, Pella Fr Joseph Phung
SS. Joseph & Cabrini, Richland/East Pleasant Plain Fr Rob Lathrop
St. Mary, Sigourney Fr Rob Lathrop
Deacons serving the Diocese of Davenport in the Ottumwa Deanery:
Deacon Joe Dvorak
Deacon Don Efinger
Deacon Tom Hardie
Deacon Ed Kamerick
Deacon John Osborne
Deacon Jim Striegel
Deacon Lowell VanWyk
Retired Priests living in the Ottumwa Deanery: Fr Bill Reynolds Fr Phil Ryan
Msgr Bob Spiegel Fr. Tom Spiegel Fr David Wilkening
Congratulations and Welcome, Bishop Dennis Walsh!
From St. Alphonsus, Mt. Pleasant, and St. Mary, Fairfield
The Steier Group is a proud partner of the Diocese of Davenport and the Upon This Rock Capital Campaign!
Bishop Dennis Walsh from the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Davenport.
Thank You
Thank you to the following individuals, parishes, and businesses who generously donated time and items for the vespers, ordination, and installation of Bishop Dennis G. Walsh.
Deacon Ryan Burchett - Mississippi River Distilling Company
Fr. Rich Adam - St. John Vianney
Fr. Thom Hennen - Sacred Heart Cathedral
Gary Schmeiser - Sterzing Food Company
HyVee
Inge Ossoing - The Mustard Seed, Inc.
Joy Flaherty - Flaherty Irish Candy Company
Kate Cooper - Sign Language Translator
Michele & Dan Darland
Newman Catholic Student Center at the University of Iowa
The Gunnery Project
