Gratitude was a central theme of the Good Shepherd Dinner held at the Pontifical College Josephinum on Monday, April 28.
The Josephinum bestowed its two highest honors on a member of the clergy and the laity during the dinner. The independent seminary, located in north Columbus, serves more than 15 archdioceses, dioceses and religious orders. Its Board of Trustees is composed of bishops of dioceses throughout the country.
“Our mission is clear: to form holy, generous, adaptable and resilient priests for the Church in the 21st century,” said Father Steven Beseau, rector and president of the Josephinum. “St. Pope John Paul said the future of humanity passes by way of the family. The future of the Church passes by way of the seminary.”
Bishop Steven Raica of the Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama, received the Josephinum’s Good Shepherd Award. The bishop serves as vice chair of the Josephinum’s Board of Trustees and chair of its Academic Affairs committee.
The award is presented to a member of the clergy who exemplifies in his life and ministry the qualities of a good shepherd, including promoting vocations and supporting the Josephinum and its seminarians. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the seminary.
Bishop Raica is a native of Munising, Michigan, located in the Diocese of Marquette, Michigan, which comprises the state’s Upper Peninsula. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Lansing, Michigan, in 1978.
Pope Francis appointed him bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan in 2014. He was later appointed bishop of the Diocese of Birmingham in 2020.
Father Kevin Bazzel, vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Diocese of Birmingham and a member of the Josephinum’s Board of Trustees, presented the award to the bishop.
“I’m truly honored, and admittedly, I’m a little bit overwhelmed by such a display,” Bishop Raica said, receiving the high honor. “I tend to eschew honorifics as I seek to do God’s will without fanfare and thrills.
“As I accept this award, I do so not as a conclusion of a journey but as a reminder that it is the Lord’s work that we do.”
He reflected on his beginnings in ministry, serving in Flint, Michigan – in the Diocese of Lansing – as a transitional deacon before his ordination to the priesthood. He remembered feeling called as an unworthy instrument, he said, to serve, love, listen and bring mercy where God would lead.
He explained that the Lord has remained faithful, accompanying him in every season: joy and sorrow, growth and challenge, and in his ministerial tasks.
Bishop Raica said he accepted the Good Shepherd Award also in honor of people who accompanied him, from his hometown of Munising to Lansing, Gaylord, Birmingham and Rome – where he studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University and served as superior of Casa Santa Maria, the graduate studies house of the Pontifical North American College, as well as a spiritual director and adjunct faculty member.
He said many along the way offered support, encouragement and prayers. He thanked such individuals for being a source of strength, laughter and “good grace.”
He also extended gratitude to ministers and leaders for their partnership and friendship. He recognized many priests, religious and laity – specifically members of the deaf and hard of hearing community who he served – whose hearts, he said, are on fire for the Gospel.
He recalled the words of a bishop who quoted a fellow clergyman.
“‘If I were to have a thousand lives knowing what I know now, I would be a priest every time’ – and so would I,” Bishop Raica said, “without hesitation and without regret. It has been the greatest joy of my life.”
Bishop Shawn McKnight of the Diocese of Jefferson City, Missouri and archbishop-designate of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, presented the seminary’s second-highest honor, the Pope Leo XIII award, to Kathleen “Kay” Gibbons of Dublin.
The bishop, a member of the Josephinum’s Board of Trustees, will be installed as archbishop later this month on May 27.
Gibbons was honored for supporting priestly vocations and the Josephinum. The award takes its name after Pope Leo XIII, who served as pontiff from 1878 to 1903. He granted pontifical status to the Pontifical College Josephinum in 1892, making it the only pontifical seminary outside of Italy.
Bishop McKnight recognized Gibbons for having a heart full of gratitude: to God and for her Church, faith, priests and the Josephinum. He said the Church needs lay people like Gibbons with hearts full of gratitude.
She was honored as a woman of deep faith with daily devotion to the Blessed Mother, regularly offering the rosary and prayer.
Gibbons, a native of Muncie, Indiana, was a founding member of Dublin St. Brigid of Kildare parish and the Friends of the Josephinum, which supports seminarians through sponsoring events, assisting with urgent or unexpected needs and offering prayer and encouragement. She served on the Josephinum’s Board of Trustees for nine years – three full terms – and helped orchestrate numerous fundraising events for the seminary.
She started a Columbus chapter of The Christ Child Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children and families in need. She later served on its board and as national president.
Gibbons and her late husband of 56 years, Jack, were the first couple to co-chair the diocesan Bishop’s Annual Appeal – now The Appeal. Gibbons was also integral in opening the Columbus location of the Women’s Care Center, the largest pregnancy resource center in the United States. She continues to serve on its board.