Fr. Charles Thompson, a priest of the Archdiocese of Louisville, was ordained as the fifth bishop of Evansville, Indiana today. Because I was in Louisville last weekend to speak at St. Margaret Mary Church, I decided to stay and attend Chuck's ordination ceremony. It was good to be there with him but it also gave me the opportunity to see many of the priests from Louisville. It was a great day except that the bus had problems on the way back and would only do 5 MPH uphill on the MANY long hills between Evansville and Louisville.
The bus from Louisville took our group of priests to Christ the King Church in Evansville where the out-of-town visitors gathered and were served lunch.
The parish gym was transformed into a pleasant venue for a simple lunch served by the women of the parish. After all had eaten, we were given instructions on proceeding to the nearby sports arena where the ordination would take place.
Someone had the idea of providing a stretch limo and police escort for Fr. Thompson and his family. I guess it was nice that all his family could travel together, but I don't know if the limo gives the right impression of what a bishop should be.
The limo departed for the auditorium and left all the Louisville priests waiting for the return of our bus which had to park on the other side of the block because of the narrow streets and police concerns about security.
At the sports arena, the priests gathered and vested downstairs in a large storage area. Most of the priests from the Evansville and Louisville dioceses were present as were many others who were former classmates or friends of Bishop Thompson.
A long procession brought the ordaining bishops and Fr. Thompson to the stage set up for the occasion. A large screen and multiple TV cameras provided a very detailed view of the whole ceremony.
At the end Bishop Thompson spoke for a few minutes to thank everyone and then to pledge his own faithful service to the Church of Evansville.
