Catholic Fire

It's official! We have a new Bishop-Elect! Praise God! Monsignor Carl Kemme, vicar general of the Diocese of Springfield, Ill., was named by Pope Francis as the 11th bishop of Wichita. Kemme, 53, has had experience leading a diocese -- he served as administrator of the Springfield diocese when it was between bishops, in parts of 2009 and 2010. Related: Wichita Lands A "Lincoln" – Springfield VG to Kansas... and For Miami, An Island Aux. Wichita's new bishop says he will rely on grace and mercy alone

It was a little surprising for me to wake up and learn that our dear Bishop Jackels is being re-assigned. I will definitely miss him! Here is the story from Rocco Palmo at Whispers in the Loggia : At Roman Noon today, the pontiff (Pope Francis) named Bishop Michael Jackels of Wichita as coadjutor-archbishop of Dubuque. A CDF aide to the future B16  from 1997-2005, the Kansas prelate – who turns 59 on Saturday – will eventually succeed Archbishop Jerome Hanus OSB, 72, at the helm of the church in Iowa, in the historic outpost that's home to the famous "Field of Dreams." Such was Jackels' comfort with his longtime boss that, when he stepped up to greet the now Pope-emeritus during the annual orientation for new bishops in September 2005, the usually-reserved Benedict is said to have exclaimed "Look at you!" at the sight. Not having seen Joseph Ratzinger since his election, the story goes that the junior prelate shot right back at the Pope by saying ...

Read Wichita's Bishop Jackel's beautiful address to his flock about voting . Here's my favorite part: "As a consequence of our belief, whether or not a candidate gets our vote should depend on their positions on issues related to the sacredness of human life and the dignity of the human person. A candidate can make attractive promises on the economy or the environment, but those should take second place to a candidate’s positions related to the sacredness of human life and the dignity of the human person. A candidate who is indifferent to or worse yet antagonistic to these preeminent positions is not worthy of consideration." What a wonderful advocate for human life he is!