St. Michael church in Stillwater was filled with parishioners, visiting bishops and others for a 7 p.m. April 10 vespers service preceding Bishop Michael Izen’s episcopal ordination April 11 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul.
Bishop Izen, now an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, has served as pastor of the Churches of St. Michael and St. Mary in Stillwater since 2015. He also is parochial administrator of St. Charles in Bayport and canonical administrator of St. Croix Catholic School in Stillwater.
Presiding at the vespers service was a former priest of the archdiocese, Bishop Emeritus John LeVoir of New Ulm. Those in attendance included Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Williams, and Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States. One of the bishop-elect’s sisters, Ann Wehner, played the organ in the choir loft, a task she normally performs at her home parish, St. John Vianney in Fairmont in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester.
During his homily, Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, also a former priest of the archdiocese and a former auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, said qualities of Bishop Izen that he thinks make him a good witness to the Resurrection include his thoughtfulness.
“He’s a very thoughtful and caring leader, and a dedicated pastor,” Bishop Cozzens said.
“And the second (quality) would be his joy,” which together with his humor attracts others to him, Bishop Cozzens said.
After the homily, Bishop Izen declared his profession of faith and oath of fidelity.
At the end of the service, Bishop Izen thanked all who gathered and expressed his gratitude to Bishop LeVoir for “coming back to preside at this service.”
Acknowledging Bishop LeVoir’s time as pastor in Stillwater from 2004 to 2008 before being named a bishop, Bishop Izen said he called and emailed him often during his first few years ministering in Stillwater. He also expressed his gratitude to Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston for accepting the invitation to preach at the service, and acknowledged that the bishop, as a priest, had served as Bishop Izen’s spiritual director. Bishop Cozzens also was an auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
Bishop Izen thanked his sister, Ann, for serving as organist and acknowledged his other four siblings in front pews. “Mom had us all take piano lessons, and if you were any good, you moved on to organ lessons,” he said. “The three boys did not move on to organ (lessons).”
“In the living room, we had the organ and the TV right next to each other. My most frequent memory is dad saying, ‘Boys, turn the TV off; your sister has to practice.’ I’m grateful tonight that it’s finally paying off for me,” he said.
Bishop Izen thanked anonymous parishioners for the gift of his crosier, and two couples who donated his two miters.
He also shared the story of his bishop’s ring, adding that he had not worn a ring before. This one is special, he said. The cross on the ring is made of gold from his father’s wedding ring, and five diamonds from the wedding band now represent the five wounds of Christ on the cross on his bishop’s ring, Bishop Izen said. His father’s wedding band had been in a dresser drawer for years, because his brothers, Tom and Paul, chose to get their own wedding bands when they got married, the bishop said.
Commenting before the vespers service, Mike Nystrom, a parishioner of St. Michael for more than 30 years, said Bishop Izen was “a perfect parish priest,” from knowing people by name to visiting from table to table at every event, including Lenten fish fries. “And he’s always smiling,” Nystrom said.
“When he gives his sermons, he’s very relatable, and uses real-life stories,” often using examples from his family, Nystrom said.
Corey Manning, director of faith formation for the three parishes, said the bishop-elect has the same qualities as a biological father — loving every single one of his children, loving his spouse, the bride, the Church. Manning said he is impressed by Bishop-elect Izen’s care and compassion for everyone, no matter their background or struggles.
Manning said that the bishop, even from his first days as pastor in Stillwater, would go to “every single group at the parish, and we still have to urge him to go home and rest.”
With Bishop Williams emceeing, a reception was held in the church basement after vespers. Two couples who are parishioners of St. Michael — Stacia and Travis Amiot, and Patty and Tom Hooley — talked to those gathered about the impact Bishop Izen has had at the parish. Patty Hooley said she appreciates his “huge support” of the parish school.
“He makes holiness accessible” and he brought joy, she said, something “we all want, because joy is love, and love is Christ.” His joy is infectious, she said, and it attracts people — young people, children and the elderly, she said. “And our parish has grown spiritually and in numbers since he came,” she said.
ROLE MODEL
Mary Wicker has known Bishop Izen since 2015 when he joined St. Mary and she was its council chair. She also serves as a sacristan. Wicker later became a trustee and has served with him of late on the leadership team for the church’s renovation.
“He’s a very gifted man,” said Wicker, 62. “Gifted with the Holy Spirit, very prayerful and reverent. He has brought to our parish this sense of reverence,” she said, and honoring the Eucharist as the true presence of Jesus, she said.
“He is a true pastor, very concerned about his parishioners,” Wicker said. “He gets to know them very well,” caring about and worrying about them. The bishop takes things very seriously and is thoughtful in making decisions, she said. He “always takes time for prayer and speaks a lot about his daily prayer and adoration.”
Those qualities make him a good role model for the seminarians and newly ordained associate pastors who have served with him at St. Mary, Wicker said. Bishop Izen will bring multiple gifts to his new role as bishop, she said, including “holding the liturgy up as so important and so beautiful, and making sure that it’s done with reverence, with that emphasis of the true presence of God in the Eucharist. He’s just an amazing person.”
— Barb Umberger
Editor’s note: This article was updated April 14, 2023.
