Archive for month: January, 2021
Newman Centers welcome new directors
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, 316 E. Kansas City Street, Rapid City, rcnewmancenter.com
Hours: 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
Mass times: Sunday 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.; Monday-Friday Noon
Events: Small group Bible studies, formation on discipleship, Sunday suppers, and open mic night coffeehouses.
—SEEK21 will be hosted February 4-7. Local FOCUS missionaries will be putting on a local SEEK conference for students in the area. The purpose of SEEK is to help students encounter Christ, rediscover our purpose for living, grow in confidence to share the Gospel, and go deeper into amazing friendships along the way.
Meet the Director: Frank Birkholt began work as the Director for the Rapid City Newman Center on December 1. A member of St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Hot Springs, Birkholt serves as a lector, altar server and greeter, and is a second year master’s student in the Veritatis Splendor Institute. As an alumnus of SDSM&T, he is excited to work with the students and staff of the university.
“I hope they inspire me to faithfulness and growth as a spiritual student and mentor,” he said. “I hope to learn from observing their search for Jesus how my search continues every second of my life.
“This is a fantastic facility and the commitment from the pastoral staff to growth in personal spirituality is inspiring. I am blessed to be called to help in the continued development of RC Newman. We have much work to do to become financially autonomous and it is a challenge I look forward to.”
Black Hills State University, 814 W. King Street, Spearfish, https://www.jacketcatholic.com
Hours: Every day 7 a.m.-10 p.m.
Mass Times: Sunday 6 p.m.; Tuesday, 7 p.m.; Thursday 5:30 p.m. (all Masses limited to students only)
Events: Small group Bible studies and meals following liturgies on Thursday and Sundays
—Annual Spring Soiree is temporarily scheduled for April 17
Meet the Director: Hannah Lucina wanted to work in ministry because, “because I really enjoy the possibility of growing in my faith as well as helping others grow in theirs. More specifically, I wanted to work at the Newman Center because college is such an important stage in life that determines so much, and I want to help the students here truly grow into authentic men and women in their Catholic faith.”
A cradle Catholic, Lucina did not have a prayer relationship with the Lord because she didn’t understand what that looked like and, “didn’t care enough to seek that out.” Later, in high school and especially college, she learned that forming that relationship changed her life for the better. She attended a Catholic university with a chapel where she attended Mass and campus ministry programs.
“The most impactful part was that I met some amazing people who really inspired me and helped me to form my spiritual life in college.”
Professional training offered to heal abortion trauma
January 22, 2021 marks the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. The National Right to Life office estimates that, in that time, there have been over 62,500,000 babies lost to abortion1. The tragedy of loss of these children is perhaps equaled only by the trauma that the mothers and the fathers of those children have endured.
In a society focused on the “right” to procure an abortion, often the natural consequences of that choice go unnoticed or even dismissed. The negative effects of abortion may even be exacerbated when the public discourse becomes more heated, such as in an election year.
Carol Kling, the director of the Rachel’s Vineyard Team in the western Dakotas, remarked “I’ve heard women say, ‘I only wish I felt as much support in choosing motherhood as I felt in choosing abortion.’” She continued, “The consequences I’ve seen these women experience include self-loathing, guilt and grief that left a hole in their heart which later led to alcoholism, drug abuse, depression and even suicidal thoughts. The ramifications of an abortion decision can be intense, and they can last for decades.”
In an effort to shift the focus back on to healing the hearts and souls of the women and men affected by abortion, Family Life Ministries is collaborating with Catholic Social Services to host a virtual professional training series “Rachel’s Vineyard: Healing the Trauma Wounds of Abortion.” Rachel’s Vineyard, the largest post abortion ministry in the world, offers a unique sensory based treatment which integrates emotional, psychological and spiritual dimensions.
Carol is excited to bring Dr. Theresa Burke, the founder of Rachel’s Vineyard, to our diocese. “Theresa has provided an immense amount of personal support and mentorship to me and our team in the evolution of the RV ministry in South Dakota. The number of women who have found peace and healing as a direct result of Theresa’s work is staggering. Our team alone has ministered to hundreds of women in our area since we first brought Rachel’s Vineyard to South Dakota in 1999.”
Dr. Burke has lectured and trained professionals internationally on the subject of post-abortion trauma and healing. Additionally, Theresa has developed healing models for spiritual and psychological trauma wounds from sexual abuse and even wounds suffered by combat veterans. Her treatment programs are considered an intensive and uninterrupted “therapy for the soul.”
The training will be offered by Zoom, with the first Session February 22, and additional sessions offered every four months for the next two years. Open to anyone, the training will have components geared for medical and mental health professionals, clergy and lay people, including Rachel’s Vineyard Team members. CEU certification is in the process of being secured.
Topics for professionals include “A Crash Course in Trauma,” “Understanding Shame Based Identities” and “Brain Science — How Emotional Trauma Impacts the Brain.” Other topics which might appeal more to laity and clergy include “The Power of Secrets: Breaking Free from Trauma with Truth” and “Understanding Trauma Bonds.”
For more information, contact Amy Julian at ajulian@diorc.org or to register visit www.terrasancta.org/Trauma
1 FS01AbortionintheUS.pdf (nrlc.org)
Deacon Walt Wilson’s one-of-a-kind hands on ministry
Judy and Deacon Walt Wilson from Our Lady of the Black Hills Church, Piedmont
By Laurie Hallstrom
“I just do stuff,” said Deacon Walt Wilson, Piedmont. He is age 80 and has a lot of stories, but he has just as many handyman projects under his belt.
His carpentry, stonework, tiling, and plumbing have helped Our Lady of the Black Hills Church, Piedmont; Sioux Spiritual Center, Howes; and Terra Sancta Retreat Center, Rapid City.
Feb. 7, he will be ordained 40 years. Only two other West River deacons have been ordained longer — Dcn. Ben Black Bear of St. Francis was ordained June 19, 1976, and Dcn. Joe Witte of Hot Springs was ordained September 22, 1979. These are incredible track records according to Dcn. Greg Sass, diocesan director of the Permanent Diaconate. Most deacons are ordained closer to retirement age. Dcn. Sass said, “Then, a 10 year anniversary is a real milestone.”
Wilson had a Catholic education, starting East River with Sacred Heart Parish School in Aberdeen, and minor seminary at Marty Mission through Blue Cloud Abbey. West River he is a graduate of Cathedral High School in Rapid City.
Referring to Cathedral High school he said, “I don’t know why they let me in. I had a flat top haircut and smoked cigarettes,” he said.
He recalled his first day of high school. “(Religion teacher) Fr. Richard Plante liked me, and I got along with him. He was pretty robust and when he entered the classroom everyone jumped up. He said, ‘Hey who are you? You are new here.’ I answered all his questions, and I must have gotten the answers right. After class, Fr. Plante told me to stay. He stuck his hand out to shake and said, ‘I like you Wilson, you‘ve got spunk.’ He was a good friend from then on.”
Wilson graduated from Rapid City Cathedral High School in 1957. “I played football and it’s the only thing that kept me in school. We had a good team — my senior year we were undefeated,” he said.
He married his wife, Judy, Oct. 10, 1959. They had two boys, two girls, and took in a passel of foster children, one of whom they adopted, a daughter.
He enlisted in the Navy and was a Machinist Mate 2nd class — working with boilers and steam engines. He was discharged in 1961. “When I got out, I went to work for Northwest Engineering laying pipe on Omaha St., when it was a gravel road. Then, the meat packing plant was looking for a refrigeration man. I worked there for 34 years doing whatever they wanted me to do. I was the plant engineer the last 20 years,” he said.
Piedmont Parish
In 1979, Fr. Emilio Nebiolo, an Air Force Chaplain and the priest assigned to St. Mary Parish, Piedmont, initiated building a new church because the Piedmont area was growing. “A friend of mine and I dug the basement for it. When we had the groundbreaking ceremony, I borrowed a big front end loader from another friend. Bishop (Harold) Dimmerling said, ‘Hey Wilson where are the shovels?’ I said we don’t do things ‘token’ here in Piedmont. I said get on the loader and you’re going to do a bucket full of dirt. He said, “I can’t do that,” and I said yes you can, get in the seat, I’ll hide on the other side and I’ll run the controls. So, he got up there, we had a hard hat for him that said ‘Bish’ on it. It was kind of fun.”
That is not the end of his labor for Our Lady of the Black Hills parish. With the aid of family members, he tapped into the Black Hawk water supply, installed a well pump and septic tank, and tiled around the tabernacle and baptismal font. Outdoors, he made a stone grotto and for Christmas 2020 he built a manger to hold the new statues purchased by his pastor, Fr. Andrzej Wyrostek .
Fr. Chris Keeler, SJ, was the first resident priest in the Piedmont rectory. Father Keeler wore many hats while serving in the Diocese of Rapid City, including director of Catholic Social Services from 1976 to 1985, and he was a columnist for the West River Catholic. Father Keeler was a good friend of the two Jesuits who were starting a diaconate ministry in the diocese — Frs. John Hatcher and Pat McCorkell. Father Keeler talked Wilson into considering the ministry.
Sioux Spiritual Center
Deacon Wilson was ordained in 1981 by Bishop Dimmerling at Our Lady of the Black Hills Church, the same year as two other diaconate classmates, Claude Sauer and Gary Cooper were ordained.
Recalling his training, he said, “We had a retreat, with Fr Harry Eglsaer, SJ. I was sitting in a recliner near the east side. I kicked my boots off, and pretty quick Fr. Harry said, ‘Lets go to the chapel and have Mass, then we will have our dinner.’
“At the sign of peace my wife kissed me on the cheek and said, ‘you have had enough peace for everybody here.’ I didn’t know what she was talking about. After Mass we were walking back for dinner and I asked her. ‘You fell asleep while Fr. Harry was talking, and you snored so loud he had to cut his talk off because no one could hear. Don’t sit in that chair anymore, I couldn’t reach you to kick you and wake you up.’”
The Sioux Spiritual Center has undergone several expansions over the years . He helped Fr. Jim Stehr, SJ, put plumbing in for the basement bathrooms. More recently, in November 2020,“I worked on the spring and cistern they use to feed water from. The stream was only flowing a gallon a minute, I thought of a better way to capture water from the spring.” With the aid of his son and grandson he increased the water to five or six gallons a minute.
Terra Sancta Retreat Center
His handy work is especially visible at Terra Sancta Retreat Center, where his daughter Reeny Wilson is the director. His rock masonry work can be seen in the base for the St. Kateri Tekakwitha statue, in the St. Kateri Courtyard; in the 12 stone pillars that hold the communion rails from when the Benedictine Sisters owned the building that are now part of the landscape in front of the Holy Cross Chapel; as well as in the altar and ambo of the Cenacle, the small chapel. He poured concrete for the crucifix on the hill and set the steel base for the cross. He set the outside altar, ambo and built a fire pit. For the stations of the cross, leading up the hillside, he set the posts and poured the concrete. Referring to the granite tablets, “I put the stations in and I got them in order,” he chuckled.
For the Children’s Memorial Garden, Dcn. Wilson designed, fabricated and installed the edifice where children’s names are hung. He said he made it look like the front of the chapel and added two sets of iron that look like angels’ wings.
‘St. Joseph keeps showing up in my life’
Last summer during a trip to Minnesota, Fr. Mark McCormick stopped at the church where he was baptized, St. Joseph Parish in Montevideo. He is amazed how often St. Joseph shows up in his life. (Courtesy photo)
I am not sure why I am surprised, although I am, by the fact that St. Joseph keeps showing up in my life. The first time St. Joseph really entered my radar screen, in an intentional way, was several years ago through my participation in three-year certificate in Spiritual Direction program through the Institute of Priestly Formation. The IPF taught me to start seeing my priestly heart as a spousal heart, like that of St. Joseph.
St. John Paul II, in his Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday in 1992, wrote, “The priest is called to be the living image of Jesus Christ, the spouse of the Church. Of course, he will always remain a member of the community as a believer alongside his other brothers and sisters who have been called by the Spirit, but in virtue of his configuration to Christ, the head and shepherd, the priest stands in this spousal relationship with regard to the community …”
“In his spiritual life, therefore, he is called to live out Christ’s spousal love toward the Church, his bride. Therefore, the priest’s life ought to radiate this spousal character, which demands that he be a witness to Christ’s spousal love and thus be capable of loving people with a heart which is new, generous and pure.”
Last March, several diocesan priests along with our seminarians, did a consecration to St. Joseph using the book, “The Wonders of our Spiritual Father” by Father Don Calloway, a priest of the Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception. It was a grace-filled time to be able to pray with my brother priests and seminarians in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, turning to the intercession of St. Joseph.
St. Joseph Most Courageous, St. Joseph Pillar of Families, St. Joseph Comfort of the Afflicted, St. Joseph Hope of the Sick, St. Joseph Patron of the Dying, St. Joseph Terror of Demons and St. Joseph Protector of the Holy Church are just a few of St. Joseph’s titles that we called upon in preparing to consecrate our hearts to St. Joseph.
This past summer I was visiting a priest friend of mine and several high school classmates in central Minnesota. On my way home, I passed through Montevideo, Minnesota, where I was born and baptized. I stopped and prayed at the church in which I was baptized. For some reason, I did not remember the church’s name, but to my great surprise it is the Church of St. Joseph.
On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on December 8, Pope Francis announced the “Year of St. Joseph — Patris Corde (With a Father’s Heart). This marks the 150th anniversary of the declaration of St. Joseph as patron of the Universal Church.
In his apostolic letter, Pope Francis explained that the aim of this special year is to increase our love for this great saint, to encourage us to implore his intercession and to imitate his virtue and his zeal.
In that letter Pope Francis describes St. Joseph as a beloved father, a tender and loving father, an obedient father, and an accepting father — a father who is
creatively courageous, a working father and a father in the shadows.
In my work as Vocation Director, I see my own spiritual fatherhood continue to deepen and grow as I walk and pray with these young men who are discerning a call to seminary formation and to the priesthood. This past year, I have called more on the intercession of St. Joseph to help me in this essential work in our church, to continue to invite and create a culture of vocations in our families, our parishes and our diocese.
One of the images of St. Joseph that Father Calloway uses in his book on consecration to St. Joseph is to see Joseph as the “Nurturer of the Son of God.” This is a powerful image for all of us and one that calls each of us to action.
This past October, Mark Schlichte, a parishioner of Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, is one who took to heart the call to be “Nurturer of the Son of God.” Mark posted this comment on Facebook when he encountered Bishop Peter standing in the center of our Cathedral, flanked by three seminarians on each side of him.
“I have witnessed courage in battle. Can you imagine the courage of these men, especially in these times, as they discern their vocation? Can you imagine the courage it takes KNOWING that they will have to engage Satan’s attacks that will come? That is unbelievable courage,” Mark wrote. “Pray for them, bless them, make them know you have their backs and pray for more courageous men and women to serve the church. And pray for priests and religious.”
In this year of St. Joseph, I encourage you as a Nurturer of the Son of God yourselves, to pray daily this prayer to St. Joseph, asking for his intercession upon our diocese so that many more of our men and women will not be afraid to act when God calls them.
Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To you God entrusted his only Son; in you Mary placed her trust;
with you Christ became man.
Blessed Joseph, to us too, show yourself a father and guide us in the path of life.
Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage, and defend us from every evil. Amen.
(From Patris Corde)
Bishop Muhich January 2021
Let us pray hard and work hard for a better 2021
As I write this column for our diocesan paper I am quarantined at home with COVID. I started having symptoms New Year’s Day and tested positive a couple days later. So, I am living proof that we aren’t done with the Coronavirus yet. I’m thankful that my symptoms have been pretty moderate but can attest that this virus is not to be taken lightly. My experience of COVID has helped me have a deeper compassion for those who have struggled with this illness these past months and those who still fear coming down with it. With vaccines now becoming available, may we soon be able to put this pandemic in the rearview mirror. Speaking of vaccines, please take a look at the joint statement Bishop DeGrood and I put out addressing moral concerns about the development and testing of the two vaccines now available in the United States. It is available on our diocesan website www.rapidcitydiocese.org/covid-19-vaccines/.
Unfortunately, the New Year has also featured continuing civil unrest in our nation. As followers of Jesus Christ and good Catholics we believe in the importance of the common good and should always treat others with respect — even those we have serious disagreements with. After all, the Lord himself teaches us to love our enemies. Let us pray and work hard for our communities, state and nation and not be duped by the Evil One’s temptations to violence and division. Let us watch our tongues and speech and remember another important principle of our Catholic faith: “in all things charity.”
This month also marks another sad anniversary of Roe v.Wade. In a culture that seems to value human life less and less, you and I are called to stand for the sacred dignity of every human person beginning from conception until natural death. The unborn have no way to defend themselves, so the Lord calls on you and me to defend them. After so many years of justifying the taking of unborn human life are we surprised that we devalue human life at its other stages more and more?
Featured in this issue of the West River Catholic is the annual financial report for our diocese. Our diocese has had a challenging year for a number of reasons: the wait for a new bishop, the Coronavirus, and the economic ups and downs of our agricultural and natural resource economy, to name just a few. I am grateful for everything all the members of our West River Catholic community did to keep our important ministries going during challenging times. Our people’s spiritual, physical, emotional, and pastoral needs do not go down in challenging times — just the opposite — and I am grateful for your support of our programs and ministries.
My prayers for many blessings in this new year for you and your families and friends.
+Bishop Peter M. Muhich
Diocese of Rapid City
Bishop Muhich December 2020
“Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy!”
These words of the angel to the shepherds of Bethlehem keeping watch over their flocks are proclaimed every Christmas Eve by the church. They are words of comfort, not only to those 1st century shepherds, but also to us, the church in western South Dakota, as we celebrate another Christmas in challenging times. It is appropriate that the Good News of Christ’s birth was first announced in the darkness of night to humble shepherds. Jesus did not enter the world in the splendor of a palace in the midst of worldly comforts. Though he was rich he made himself poor. He descended from heaven to confront the darkness of our world and defeat it in his saving passion and death. A
s we celebrate his birth this year in the midst of a pandemic and in the midst of all the problems we see in the world and even in the church, I invite you to turn to Jesus Christ and center your life on him. He is the only one who can give us real hope in the midst of our struggles. The fallen world often lets us down, but the Lord never will. Put your trust in him. He is the light that entered the darkness of our world on that first Christmas to defeat the powers of sin and death. There is nothing we face this Christmas that the Lord Jesus did not take unto himself on the cross. He knows our fears and our disappointments and our sins. He was born to save us from them.
My prayer for you and those you love this Christmas is that you open your hearts to Him. He is the answer to our broken world. This day in David’s city a savior has been born for you — Jesus Christ our Lord.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Wanikiya Tonpi Wowiyuskin nahan Omaka Teca Oiyokipi!
Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo!
+Bishop Peter M. Muhich
Diocese of Rapid City
Bishop Muhich November 2020
To everything there is a season…
The month of November coming as it does at the end of the liturgical year is filled with Scripture passages that speak of the “4 Last Things”: death, judgement, heaven, and hell. As the winter months stretch before us we see in the natural world (in the Northern hemisphere) a dying taking place. Plants go into dormancy, many animals and reptiles hibernate, and the greens of spring and summer fade into browns and grays. What happens in nature forms an echo of the deeper spiritual realities marked in the church’s liturgy. The church began this month with the great Solemnity of All Saints, reminding us of our destiny if we cooperate with God’s grace. The next day we marked the Commemoration of All Souls, remembering to lift up our deceased brothers and sisters in prayer as they are prepared to see God face to face as they pass through purgatory. Please join me in praying for those who died this past year in our diocese and its parishes. May they rest in peace. November is also the month when our Annual Diocesan Appeal takes place. Please be as generous as you can. Our ministries across the diocese rely heavily on your support of the annual appeal.
Many thanks,
+Bishop Peter M. Muhich
Diocese of Rapid City
Bishop Muhich October 2020
Help us rise above our weaknesses
Greetings to all the members of our beautiful diocese. I have continued to visit parishes across the diocese this past month and have enjoyed meeting a number of you and confirming a number of our youth. I am struck by the goodness of our people and how welcoming you have been to me. Thank you for that.
This month of October began with the Bishop’s Pheasant Hunt for Vocations at St. Hubert’s Hideaway in the southeastern part of the diocese. It was good to welcome Bishop Robert Gruss back for the hunt and to spend the day in that beautiful place.
October is a month when we focus our attention on two important realities: the sanctity of every human life from conception until natural death and Our Blessed Mother under her title “Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.” Please join me in praying for a greater awareness in our society of the sacred gift of human life. If our nation could embrace this important truth I believe it would cut through the anger and divisions we so often see these days and allow us to come out of our polarized positions and encounter each other as the gifts from God that we truly are — no matter how flawed.
Please join me in asking Our Lady’s intercession for our country as we approach the elections next month. Please pray the rosary and ask her to help us to rise above our human weaknesses and work for the protection of human life and the common good. God bless you.
+ Bishop Peter M. Muhich
Diocese of Rapid City
Bishop Muhich September 2020
(Editor’s note: This is the annual vocation issue for the West River Catholic. Bishop Peter M. Muhich was interviewed by Editor Laurie Hallstrom on his personal vocation.)
WRC: Fr. Mark McCormick, the diocesan vocations director, keeps reminding us that vocations begin in the home. How does that resonate with you?
Bishop Muhich: My vocation began in the home. I grew up in an active Catholic family, where going to church and doing things in the parish were just a normal part of daily life. Praying before and after meals, praying at bedtime, those were regular things. My parents created an openness in their children’s lives to have a relationship with the Lord.Without that, I’m not sure you could ever discover a vocation. My parents never pushed religious vocations, but they honored priests and religious and they knew that they were important. Like every Catholic boy I think I was fascinated by what the priest was doing at the altar — my parents remember that better than I do.
WRC: When did Jesus get you thinking about a call to holy orders?
Bishop Muhich: It was in ninth grade when I started thinking about that more. We were part of a (charismatic) prayer group at that time and it started to occur to me that maybe God was calling me. I’m not a part of a prayer group today, but I think it opened up a more personal level of prayer. It wasn’t a dramatic thing, it wasn’t a big change in my life, it was a thought — maybe I should be a priest?
WRC: What did you like about going to seminary?
Bishop Muhich: I really loved studying theology, church history, and scripture. We had great priests who were professors (at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn.) I always enjoyed getting to know them and having good deep conversations with them and seeing the way they were living their priesthood.
WRC: What attracted you to studying in Belgium?
Bishop Muhich: The Catholic University of Leuven is the oldest Catholic university in the world with a continuous history. There were ones founded before Leuven but they were shut down during the French revolution or some other period of history. It’s been there since 1425 and I thought it would be really cool to study there. We were between bishops at the time I graduated from St. Thomas, so, I lobbied and lobbied and lobbied and wore the vocation director down and the diocese finally agreed to send me to Leuven. I was very persistent.
WRC: What did you enjoy about being a parish priest?
Bishop Muhich: I really enjoyed being a parish priest and being with people at all stages of life. You see the whole trajectory of a person’s spiritual life and their earthly pilgrimage.
WRC: Do you have any words of advice for a young person considering seminary or religious life?
Bishop Muhich: Keep asking God to show you the way, there is no replacement for allowing God to be in the driver’s seat with that. Don’t be surprised if it takes some unexpected turns. That happens, because God is preparing you in the perfect way for whatever he wants you do. Enjoy the adventure, continue to ask God to be the Lord of your life.
WRC: What do you want people to know about you as you go out into the parishes?
Bishop Muhich: I am a parish priest, that is my background, parish life is something very familiar to me. I’m just excited to see what God is doing here. The first year for a new bishop is a lot of watching, listening and learning.
WRC: COVID-19 has made it an odd year to begin your ministry here. Do you think things will get back to ‘normal’?
Bishop Muhich: We will need to pay special attention to bringing people back to the practice of their faith after all these unusual circumstances. Be praying and thinking of ways we can do that — forming parish committees for simply calling our parishioners and saying “hey we know you probably haven’t been able to come to church, we want to make contact with you and invite you to come back when it’s safe to come back.” I think we are going to have to do a lot of that. Committee members could even visit and say, “now we have these things going on in church and we want to tell you about them.” We are moving through very unusual history; we haven’t had a pandemic in a hundred years, and we live in a time when there are so many things competing for our attention. We should not be surprised it’s going to take work to invite people back.
WRC: What is happening in your ministry now?
Bishop Muhich: I am enjoying visiting, I went to churches in five different parish clusters, last weekend. That was a big swing through the prairie — Faith and Eagle Butte, Timber Lake, Trail City, Isabel, Lemmon, and Buffalo.
WRC: How do you want to be addressed?
Bishop Muhich: People just don’t know what to do with the “h” in the middle of my name; it stymies them. So, Bishop Peter is fine in normal conversation.
