At ordination, Bishop DeGrood called upon to make missionaries, disciples

For Bishop Donald DeGrood, his episcopal ordination was “like a huge lightning engagement of the Holy Spirit,” he said Feb. 13.

Speaking to the congregation at the end of the Mass at which he was ordained a bishop and installed in the Diocese of Sioux Falls, he connected his particular experience to that of the whole Church.

“Our good God is so very faithful in giving us the sacraments, through which we all receive various graces based on our vocations,” he said.

A native of rural Faribault and most recently the pastor of St. John the Baptist in Savage, Bishop DeGrood, 55, was consecrated a bishop by Archbishop Bernard Hebda. Co-consecrators were Bishop DeGrood’s predecessor in Sioux Falls, now-retired Bishop Paul Swain, and his best friend from St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Auxillary Bishop Andrew Cozzens.

About 800 people filled the Cathedral of St. Joseph, including 14 bishops and more than 120 priests and 30 deacons. About 150 people watched the two-and-a-half hour Mass in the cathedral’s hall.

Filling the cathedral with music were the Cathedral of St. Joseph Choir, The Cathedral Men’s Schola and the O’Gorman Brass Quintet.

It was the first episcopal ordination at the cathedral since its 2011 restoration. A Latin inscription arches over the sanctuary, “Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis” ­— the angels’ words to the shepherds the night of Jesus’ birth: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.” Bishop DeGrood told the congregation that should be “our mission as we go forward.”

Alluding to a reflection earlier in the Mass on the missionary nature of the Church provided by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, papal nuncio to the United States, Bishop DeGrood continued: “We are not only to be disciples, but to be missionary. We must bring that good news, especially in a day and age that we’ve been very tried. … It’s time for great healing, a time for great renewal in the Lord. And it’s all going to be through that spiritual power that God wants to give us.”

As the ninth bishop of Sioux Falls, Bishop DeGrood oversees 119 parishes with an estimated 110,000 Catholics. Delegates from the parishes attended the ordination. Also present in their ceremonial attire were the Knights of Columbus and members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

Two priest chaplains assisted Bishop DeGrood: Father Troy Przybilla, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony, and Father Roy LePak, a retired priest, both of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Before the ordination rite, Archbishop Pierre read the mandate from the Holy See, and Bishop DeGrood presented the apostolic letter first to Archbishop Hebda and other bishops present, then to the faithful in the pews, holding it high as he walked down the cathedral’s aisles.

In his remarks to then-Bishop-elect DeGrood, Archbishop Pierre noted that his episcopal appointment was announced on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

“Although the responsibilities of the episcopal ministry are great, we are consoled by the words of the Virgin to Juan Diego: ‘Listen, and let it penetrate your heart. Do not be troubled or weighed down with grief. Do not fear any illness or vexation, anxiety or pain. Am I not here, who am your mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not your fountain of life? Are you not in the falls of my mantle, in the closing of my arms? Is there anything else you need?’”

Although bishops have many responsibilities, Bishop-elect DeGrood’s experience had prepared him for his vocation, Archbishop Pierre said.

And, as a farm boy, “you have a studied work ethic, which will serve you well in the vast diocese,” he said. “You will also discover that the soil here is fertile for cultivating vocations and new disciples of the Lord Jesus. The Holy Father wants a missionary Church, and his holiness is counting on you to lead the people of Sioux Falls to be both disciples and missionaries, following the example of the Virgin of Guadalupe, who serves as a reminder that God never ceases to visit his people, and when he does visit them, he brings them joy and salvation.”

During the ordination rite, Archbishop Hebda asked Bishop-elect DeGrood about his resolve to fulfill the responsibilities of a bishop, and Bishop-elect DeGrood laid prostrate before the altar as the congregation sang a litany of saints.
The bishop-elect then kneeled before Archbishop Hebda, who laid his hands on his head. One by one, the other bishops came forward to lay their hands on his head. Then, two deacons held the Book of the Gospels over the bishop-elect’s head as Archbishop Hebda sang the prayer of consecration.

Archbishop Hebda and the co-ordaining bishops, Bishop Cozzens and Bishop Swain, removed their miters, and Archbishop Hebda anointed Bishop DeGrood’s head with holy chrism oil.

Archbishop Hebda handed Bishop DeGrood the Book of the Gospels and presented him with his ring, miter and crosier. Bishop DeGrood then took his seat in the cathedra, or bishop’s chair, as the ordained bishop of Sioux Falls.

Bishop DeGrood’s crosier was presented by two of his brothers. It holds special significance: It was carved by Paul Sirba, a professional woodcarver and a nephew of the late Bishop Paul Sirba of Duluth, who died of a heart attack in December. Sirba crafted a crosier for Bishop Cozzens for his 2009 ordination, and he carved Bishop DeGrood’s crosier from oak from Bishop DeGrood’s family farm and ash from his spiritual father’s property in northern Minnesota.

The congregation received two cards: One explained the bishop’s coat of arms, and the other carried an image of the Holy Family in their home by Rafael Flores along with an original prayer, “God is love,” that reflects Bishop DeGrood’s episcopal motto.