Mass marks Archbishop Emeritus Hanus’ 50th anniversary of ordination
By Dan Russo
Witness Editor
DUBUQUE — Several hundred people, including priests, deacons, religious and lay Catholics from around the archdiocese, gathered at St. Raphael Cathedral recently to celebrate the golden jubilee of Archbishop Emeritus Jerome Hanus, OSB.
The archbishop, who served as prelate of the Archdiocese of Dubuque from 1994-2013, marked his 50th anniversary of being ordained a priest with a Mass on May 15.
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“Being a priest means being ‘for others,’” said the archbishop in his homily. “One is not ordained for one’s own glory. One is ordained to serve others. I have striven to do that for 50 years. When I was elected abbot, and then later when Pope John Paul II appointed me to serve as bishop, I chose as my motto: ‘To serve more than to rule over: prodesse magis quam praeesse.’ That is what every good priest strives to do; that is what every good parent strives to do; that is what every good deacon and religious strives to do.”
The archbishop emphasized that in order to serve, a person must rely on God’s grace given through the Holy Spirit. He focused the bulk of his preaching, during the Sunday commemorating the feast of Pentecost, on the role the Holy Spirit has in the lives of the faithful.
“One might ask: is the miracle of Pentecost happening in our day?” said Archbishop Hanus. “Well, I can readily think of two places where the Spirit of Pentecost is evident and experienced in our day. Pentecost happens in good Christian families and in a spirited archdiocesan community.”
Archbishop Hanus concelebrated the Mass with a group of priests from the archdiocese, including Msgr. Tom Toale and Father Alan Dietzenbach, pastor and associate pastor of St. Raphael Cathedral and St. Patrick Parishes in Dubuque. After the liturgy, well-wishers greeted the archbishop during a reception in the cathedral center.
“(Archbishop Hanus) came for my wife’s funeral,” said Joe Glaser, a member of Immaculate Conception Parish in North Washington, of his reasons for attending. “My son (Father Ken Glaser) is a priest.”
Many who had some personal connection to the archbishop stopped to chat. There were also others who were meeting him for the first time. Eric Foy, a member of the cathedral parish whose daughter served at the Mass, said the homily had an impact on him.
“(The archbishop) had an opportunity to talk about himself since he’s celebrating being a priest for 50 years and instead he talked mostly about the Holy Spirit,” said Foy. “I also thought it’s interesting that he said the Holy Spirit can be found in families and the church community.”
On July 30-31 at Conception Abbey in Conception, Missouri, where the archbishop now lives, he will celebrate on the dates of his ordination and first Mass, which occurred in 1966. A family gathering and the commemoration of his brother and sister-in-law’s 50th wedding anniversary, which is also being celebrated this year, is planned for that weekend, along with a Mass and banquet.
Photo by Dan Russo. Archbishop Emeritus Jerome Hanus (center) concelebrates Mass with priests from around the archdiocese to celebrate his 50th anniversary of becoming a priest. He was ordained in Omaha, Nebraska, on July 30, 1966, and served as archbishop of the Dubuque Archdiocese from 1994-2013.
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