Photo Caption: Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, bows to kiss the ring of Pope Benedict XIV during a Feb. 9 meeting in the pope’s library at the Vatican.

By: By Tom Dermody

No sooner did Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, say the name of his diocese in a private introduction to Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on Feb. 9 when the Holy Father reacted with great enthusiasm.

“Peoria! You’re doing the cause for Fulton Sheen. I knew him!” said Pope Benedict XVI, who shared his own excitement about the progression of the sainthood cause for the famed Catholic media pioneer and evangelist from the Diocese of Peoria.

“That means a lot,” said Bishop Jenky of the pope’s enthusiasm. Speaking to The Catholic Post after he and a small contingent of other diocesan leaders returned from 11 days in Rome, the bishop said encouragement regarding the Sheen cause’s progress was heard in other meetings as well — including one with the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

The occasion for the Feb. 6-18 trip was Bishop Jenky’s “ad limina” visit with bishops from Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin to report on the status of their dioceses and to pray at the city’s major basilicas. The bishops’ periodic visits are formally called “ad limina apostolorum,” which means “to the threshold of the apostles” Peter and Paul, who were martyred in Rome.

Making the pilgrimage with Bishop Jenky from the diocese were Msgr. Paul Showalter and Msgr. James Kruse, vicars general; Patricia Gibson, chancellor; her daughter, Madeline; and Msgr. Stanley Deptula, director of the diocesan Office of Divine Worship and executive director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation, who coordinated the trip.

The enthusiasm heard for the Sheen cause was just one of several highlights of a trip that Msgr. Showalter called “one of the most unique spiritual experiences of my whole life.”

Other highlights shared by participants included:

— Personal exchanges with Pope Benedict XVI by not only Bishop Jenky but Msgr. Showalter, Msgr. Kruse, Gibson and her daughter as well.

— The Masses at the major basilicas, including at the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul and a Mass with Bishop Jenky as principal celebrant and homilist at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome.

— The fellowship and bonding as the diocesan leaders shared meals and experiences, and

— Experiencing a rare Roman snowfall. “Rome looked like South Bend, Ind.,” said Bishop Jenky. “This was the real thing.”

MEMORABLE MEETINGS WITH POPE
The diocesan leaders turned emotional as they recalled their encounters with Pope Benedict in the papal library on the second floor of his residence.

“What I remember most was the Holy Father had a strong grip, a good handshake,” said Msgr. Showalter, who accompanied Bishop Jenky in meeting the pope. “The bishop could only take one guy. I had seniority rights and I pulled it,” he said with a laugh.

He described Pope Benedict as “sharp, alert, kind, and gentle.” Bishop Jenky called the Holy Father “a man of intense, deep, and profound faith” with “obvious acute intelligence.”

Msgr. Showalter said he told Pope Benedict that “it’s a privilege to serve the diocese and to serve the church” and that “I’m so happy to meet you.”

Msgr. Kruse had the opportunity to greet Pope Benedict as a guest of Bishop John D’Arcy, retired Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend.

“It was too moving to even remember the precise words,” recalled Msgr. Kruse. “To meet the Holy Father and to talk with him really was overwhelming. He’s so gentle and kind.”

BUSY BISHOP’S ‘TREMBLY’ MOMENT
Bishop Jenky was likewise overwhelmed at the experience of celebrating Mass at St. John Lateran with the pope’s chair — called the cathedra — behind him and “the high altar of Rome in front of me.”

“The Mass always moves me, but I was a little trembly presiding where I was,” admitted the bishop.

Among Bishop Jenky’s responsibilities during the week included presenting reports on how the new translations of the Mass have been implemented in the U.S. and on the state of Religious life.

The bishop said there was also much discussion on the grave situation the Catholic Church in the United States finds itself in as religious freedoms are threatened by increasing secularism and government actions such as the Obama administration’s contraceptive mandate.

“No one can imagine the United States about to turn its back on First Amendment rights,” said Bishop Jenky, who complimented Cardinal Francis George of Chicago’s report on the topic to Pope Benedict.

On a much brighter note was the enthusiasm for the Sheen cause.

“I truly think Fulton Sheen is such a perfect model or patron for the new evangelization,” said Msgr. Deptula, calling to mind the topic of this fall’s world Synod of Bishops. “New evangelization and Fulton Sheen go together, and we saw that in Rome last week.”

Msgr. Showalter teared up momentarily as he related the specialness of seeing Rome with his bishop. Earlier in his life, he thought he would tour Rome with his uncle, a priest at the North American College there, but his uncle died before that could happen.

“I was never able to have that real spiritual experience with my uncle, but I was able to have it with my own bishop,” said Msgr. Showalter.