By Christopher M. Riggs

The Catholic Advance

As his ordination drew nearer, Bishop Michael O. Jackels said that the words "ready or not, here I come," used by kids playing hide and seek, kept sounding in his ear.

"The time of preparation is ended, the beautiful ordination ceremony is over, and now, ready or not, my ministry as the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Wichita begins," he said.

Bishop Jackels noted that he is more appreciative of the late Pope John Paul II for the appointment, now that he understands better the role of a bishop.

He added that he was grateful for the pope’s confidence in "choosing me to be a successor to the Apostles -- to be, like them, a teacher, a priest, and a pastor for a world much in need of the Good News of Jesus."

"Am I ready?" he asked. "Who is? But with God’s help, and with the collaboration of the priests, religious and lay faithful of the Catholic Diocese of Wichita, I will begin this important work and will give all for Jesus -- with a smile."

Msgr. Jackels was ordained the tenth bishop of the Diocese of Wichita, April 4, at the Church of the Magdalen in Wichita. The new bishop was appropriately ordained and installed at the diocese’s newest and largest church.

The Most Rev. Joseph Naumann, archbishop of the Diocese of Kansas City, Kan., was the principal consecrator. He said he felt fortunate the Kansas Catholic Conference would have available to it the rich experience of Bishop Jackels’ service in Rome at the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

"When I was preparing for ordination to the ministry of bishop and I prayed over the text of the liturgy, I found myself overwhelmed by the scope and importance of the areas of responsibilities for a bishop," Archbishop Naumann said.

Above all, a bishop is called to be a witness of the hope of the Gospel, he said, adding that the ministry is threefold in character: The bishop is called to teach, to sanctify, and to govern.

"The bishop first and foremost must be obedient to Christ," Archbishop Naumann said.

"He must first of all strive to conform, to configure his heart, because you possess a profound love for our Eucharistic Lord," the archbishop told Bishop Jackels.

"I simply want to encourage you to continue to draw strength from the presence of the Lord in the Eucharist so that you can lead your people to find the strength they need in this Blessed Sacrament."

Bishop Jackels later said the ordination of a bishop is an overwhelming task for any one person. "But I begin this with cheerful trust in the promise of God to be present and to provide all needed strength, wisdom and goodness. I believe that if I say ‘ecce, adsum’ (behold, I am here), in surrender to God’s will, cooperating with it, even desiring it, saying ‘I thirst!,’ in imitation of Jesus on the Cross, he will say the same -- ‘ecce, adsum’ -- when I call out to him for help.

"God makes the same promise to each of you as well," Bishop Jackels added. "So, let us go forward in confident trust to do all for Jesus, with a smile."

The welcoming smile that is becoming a trademark of the new bishop was ubiquitous after the ordination with all the well-wishers at the reception held in Magdalen’s gymnasium. About 2,500 attended the episcopal ordination Mass.

Some of the faithful participated in the Mass from the large circular gathering area in back of the main entrance doors to the church. They and others in the Msgr. Schmidt Parish Hall, though farther away, were able to get close-ups of the ordination and the rest of the Mass via large projection screens. Three television cameras were used for the projection screens in the gathering area and parish hall and for the live cable coverage broadcast throughout much of the state of Kansas.

The actual ordination took place after Archbishop Naumann’s homily. A Litany of the Saints followed Bishop Jackels’ promise to defend the Gospel, guard the deposit of faith, build up the Body of Christ, obey the pope, guide the flock of the diocese to salvation, be a good shepherd, and pray without ceasing to be a good bishop.

The Laying on of Hands -- the ordination -- was then carried out by all the bishops attending. The next part of the ordination rite, the placing of the Book of the Gospels over the head of the bishop, was held by two deacons on both sides of Bishop Jackels. The Anointing of the Bishop’s Head took place after the Prayer of Ordination by Archbishop Naumann. The anointing symbolizes the fullness of the priesthood.

The Book of the Gospels was then presented to Bishop Jackels, after which he received his episcopal ring, his miter. Bishop Jackels was then led to a wooden chair, the new bishop’s cathedra, which was the original cathedra of the Diocese of Wichita before it was replaced by a marble chair. The rest of the ordination Mass then followed.