June 16, 2009

bethlehem university friend

appointed archbishop of omaha

Visitors to Bethlehem University have a way of becoming long-time friends, members of Bethlehem University’s global family. That is certainly the case with Bishop George Lucas – who was appointed the new Archbishop of Omaha by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday, 3 June 2009.

In December 2005 Sue and Jim Morris introduced the then Bishop of Springfield, George Lucas, to Bethlehem University.  Sue and Jim, Pax Christi members of the Springfield Diocese, also made a donation to the University in honor of Archbishop Lucas’ late mother.  A “tireless minister of prayer, justice and peace” and the President of the Board of the Greater Springfield Interfaith Board, Sue’s pilgrimages to the Holy Land go beyond the basic pilgrimage tour.  She focuses on truly experiencing the Holy Land and its people.

For Archbishop Lucas, this pilgrimage was a natural fit. “He’s an extraordinarily personable man,” Rev. Ryan Lewis, Pastor at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Omaha, told the Omaha World-Herald. “When you talk to him one-on-one, you feel like you’re really being heard. He’s only paying attention to you, and he’s got all the time in the world for you.”

The visit of Archbishop Lucas to Bethlehem University, the only Catholic university in the Holy Land, led him to be one of the ongoing benefactors of the University. This support is a natural fit for the Archbishop since education has always figured prominently in his priestly life and diocesan leadership. Of his new Archdiocese, the Archbishop noted, “It is clear to even the casual observer that Catholic education is an important priority across the Archdiocese. I look forward to being not a casual observer but an active participant in this effort.”

A man open to the challenges of ministry in a changing world, Archbishop Lucas has produced his own podcasts as the Bishop of Springfield and has admitted to “studying the archdiocesan website” in preparation for his new ministry. His web savvy reflects the value he places on connections and relationships. “I am certain of one thing,” Archbishop Lucas said in a 1999 St. Louis Review article. “Whatever it is that God wants us to accomplish, whoever we are to become, God wants us to do it together.”

Bethlehem University congratulates our cherished friends, Archbishop George Lucas, Sue and Jim Morris, and the many other friends and benefactors from Springfield and Omaha.  Together and by association, we pledge to continue being of service to the young people entrusted to us at Bethlehem University and throughout the Diocese of Springfield and the Archdiocese of Omaha. 

May God bless Archbishop Lucas and his new ministry of leadership in Omaha.
For previous postings about Archbishop Lucas, please visit:

http://www.bethlehem.edu/archives/2007/2007_083.shtml

http://www.bethlehem.edu/archives/2004/2004_086.shtml