Bishop Michael Izen: Mary ‘wants us to run to her and she wants us to share our pain with her’

When Bishop Michael Izen was having his crosier made, he wanted something on it to honor Mary. So, he included the letters A and M, one laid over the other, to represent “Ave Maria,” which is Latin for Hail Mary. 

For an episode of “Practicing Catholic” set to air at 9 p.m. Sept. 5 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, Bishop Izen told co-hosts Leah Heselton and Father Tom Margevicius that he has images of roses as part of the crosier, too.  

“We prayed the rosary as kids every day,” Bishop Izen said. “As a little kid, I didn’t always appreciate it. … But then while I was still in college, I started praying it every day again on my own. My mom had a great devotion to her (Mary). That’s where that all started from. I think I admired that, and I’ve found it so helpful in my priesthood.” 

In the wake of the shooting at Annunciation’s church in Minneapolis Aug. 27, Bishop Izen pointed to Mary suffering at the foot of the cross. Referencing the Gospel of Luke, Bishop Izen noted Simeon tells Mary, “And you yourself a sword will pierce” (Luke 2:35). 

“Mary didn’t experience any physical pain, but she suffered greatly because she loved her son so much,” Bishop Izen said. “This is what’s going on in our community right now. People are suffering. (There are) the two mothers who lost their children, but even mothers on the other side of the Twin Cities feel this more than they would a shooting in (the) southern United States, because this is close to home.” 

In Scripture, Mary tells the servants at the wedding in Cana to do whatever Jesus tells them. These are her last words in Scripture. Bishop Izen said there are no recorded words spoken by her at the foot of the cross.  

“(Mary) doesn’t speak anymore, so you can suffer without having the right words,” Bishop Izen said. “She doesn’t say anything at the foot of the cross. … What do you say in that moment? What I’ve learned is you don’t have to say anything.” 

Bishop Izen explained that when Mary said yes to be Jesus’ mother, she knew something was coming but she didn’t know everything she was saying yes to. Despite this, she continued to say yes to God. 

“We continue to say yes, and we continue to relate that to the Lord,” Bishop Izen said. “(Mary) wants us to run to her and she wants us to share our pain with her. And as Christians and Catholics, being faithful doesn’t mean we’re not going to suffer, but it means we can always share that, whether it’s (with) our Lady or our Lord, they want to share that with us and perhaps in a way, give it some meaning.” 

To hear more from Bishop Izen about devotion to Mary in the aftermath of the tragedy at Annunciation, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. Sept. 6 and 2 p.m. Sept. 7.

Also on the show, Pat Millea, co-founder of the Martin Center for Integration, shares about efforts to provide therapy to grieving families and those affected by the events at Annunciation.

Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, “Practicing Catholic” can be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.