By Marnie McAllister, Record Editor
The Feb. 2 installation and consecration of Bishop-elect J. Mark Spalding will be one of several episcopal installations in which the bishop-elect has participated in recent years. His good friends Bishop William F. Medley of Owensboro, Ky., and Archbishop Charles C. Thompson of Indianapolis were once his fellow priests here in the Archdiocese of Louisville.
The trio have owned property together, traveled with one another and supported one another in their vocations over the years.
The bishop-elect served as an associate pastor to both of the bishops at times in the past. All three of them have spent time serving at the Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral in Bardstown, Ky. and the bishop-elect succeeded Archbishop Thompson as pastor of Holy Trinity Church.
Both prelates say the bishop-elect was the right choice for the Diocese of Nashville.
“Thanks to Pope Francis, this is a home run,” said Bishop Medley, who was installed as Bishop of Owensboro in early 2010. “Father Mark is a great priest.”
Archbishop Thompson, who was named Bishop of Evansville, Ind., in 2011 and then tapped to lead the Indianapolis archdiocese this summer, agreed.
“He’s a brilliant man of God. He’s a fine priest in every way; he does everything well. He’s an incredible spiritual leader, administrator and homilist,” said Archbishop Thompson. “He exudes the joy of being a priest.”
Asked how three friends wind up as bishops together, Archbishop Thompson joked that they each “bleed blue,” meaning they are die-hard University of Kentucky fans.
In sincerity, though, he noted that they each have roots in the Kentucky Holy Land, where being Catholic isn’t simply a label, it is a way of life ingrained in the culture.
“I think all three of us were raised in families that really embraced the Catholic faith and sought to live that faith at the very core of who we are as Christians.”
