Bishop-elect Michael Izen’s episcopal ordination is approaching, and Joe Conlon has been preparing. He will help broadcast the ceremony on cable television and livestream from the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul.
Growing up in a town of 10,000 and a stone’s throw from one of the city’s five lakes, Bishop-elect Michael Izen learned to waterski with his older brother, Paul, behind a neighbor’s boat. He loved to play basketball and football and was eager to burst out the door to do those things — after the nightly family rosary.
Three weeks out from the Jan. 5 announcement of his appointment as auxiliary bishop-elect for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Bishop-elect Michael Izen said Jan. 24 that spiritually preparing for his role is the most important thing, but there is a need for prudential management of the details.
After Bishop-elect Michael Izen finished listening to the Gospel at a children’s Mass the afternoon his appointment as the next auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis was announced, no one was surprised when he left the lectern and walked down the main aisle, discussing messages from the reading with school children.
Bishop-elect Michael Izen said Jan. 5 he’s approaching the role of bishop with humility, trusting in the Church as he embarks on a new chapter of his vocation.
Celebrating his first Mass as bishop-designate, Father Michael Izen addressed parishioners at St. Michael in Stillwater Jan. 5 where he has served the last seven years.
