Bishop Coyne prays with priests prior to ordination

Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein blesses the episcopal ring, miter and crosier on Feb. 28 that Bishop-designate Christopher J. Coyne, right, would ritually receive during his March 2 ordination at St. John the Evangelist Church in Indianapolis. Assisting the archbishop are Father Patrick Beidelman, left, the archdiocesan director of liturgy, and Ford Cox, second from right, the executive assistant to the archbishop and liaison for episcopal affairs. (Photo by Mary Ann Wyand)

By Sean Gallagher

Two days before he was ordained the first auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis since 1933, Bishop-designate Christopher J. Coyne gathered to pray with Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein and some 80 priests who minister at parishes in central and southern Indiana. (See a photo gallery from this event)

It happened during a Feb. 28 evening prayer liturgy—a part of the Church’s Liturgy of the Hours that priests and deacons promise to pray every day—at the Blessed Sacrament Chapel of SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis.

During the liturgy, Bishop-designate Coyne fulfilled the requirements spelled out in the Code of Canon Law that call for a priest about to be ordained a bishop to make a solemn profession of faith and an oath of fidelity to the pope.

The episcopal insignia that he would ritually receive during his March 2 ordination—a ring, miter and crosier—were also blessed during the liturgy.

The ring had previously belonged to Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara. The crosier was a gift to Bishop-designate Coyne from his family.

The liturgy was also simply a time for Bishop-designate Coyne to pray with the priests who he will minister with in the future.

In his homily during the evening prayer service, which is also known as vespers, he noted that he was going to be ordained two days later to assist Archbishop Buechlein in his ministry as the leader of the Church in central and southern Indiana, and that he would become a member of the presbyterate “of this great archdiocese.”

Bishop-designate Coyne, speaking from his background both as a professor of liturgy and parish pastor, began to build bonds with his soon-to-be fellow priests by acknowledging the many challenges that they face today—challenges, though, that can be made holy through prayer.

“It’s not easy being a priest these days. Our numbers are down. But the needs of our people are still pretty high,” he said. “Many of us are now responsible for at least two parishes. Our lives are very, very busy.

“The beauty of the Liturgy of the Hours is that it allows us to punctuate our day with significant moments of prayer. The liturgy sanctifies our day and disciplines us to live good priestly lives.”

Some of the priests that Bishop-designate Coyne would soon minister with spoke before the vespers service about the excitement of his arrival among them.

“It’s a great blessing to expand our presbyterate and to have someone coming in from the outside who is bringing gifts that we might not have in our own presbyterate,” said Father Eric Augenstein, the pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in New Albany, which he noted is the hometown of the archdiocese’s last auxiliary bishop, Cardinal Joseph E. Ritter.

Welcoming an outsider with open arms was on the mind of Father Jeffrey Godecker, a leader among the priests of central and southern Indiana as the chair of the archdiocese’s Council of Priests.

“He has no history with us. And I think, in many ways, that’s good,” said Father Godecker, who is the Catholic chaplain at Butler University in Indianapolis. “He has youth. He’s very articulate and has great humor. When we can have a leader like that, that can add to the morale of the presbyterate.”

Father Godecker also appreciated Bishop-designate Coyne’s interest in outdoor activities, and hoped that he might join him and other priests of the archdiocese in annual canoe trips in Canada.

Transitional Deacon Dustin Boehm attended the evening prayer liturgy. Much like Bishop-designate Coyne, he also will soon become a new member of the archdiocese’s presbyterate when he is ordained to the priesthood in June.

In his ministry as a deacon, he said, he looks forward to assisting both Bishop-designate Coyne and the priests of the archdiocese, “who have formed me and raised me in my faith.

“The fact that Bishop-designate Coyne will be one of us is new and exciting—something that I’ve never really experienced in our archdiocese,” Deacon Boehm said. “And the fact that it’s happening this year, in my year of [being] a transitional deacon, it’s really an honor and a privilege to be able to serve in the diaconal capacity around these events.”

Deacon Boehm is completing his priestly formation at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad.

As happy as Deacon Boehm was to pray during the liturgy with members of the archdiocese’s presbyterate, so was Bishop-designate Coyne.

“This is the first, I hope, of many moments together with you,” he said. “I offer my prayers for our work ahead as brothers in this Archdiocese of Indianapolis. I pray that I may be a good auxiliary bishop, a help to our Archbishop Daniel and a faithful servant to the Church.

“I am blessed to come here to Indianapolis and serve with you. While I have friends and family in Boston, my home is now here in Indiana.” †