January 12, 2023 • Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
TheCatholicSpirit.com
‘Trusting the Church’
Bishop-elect Izen thanks loving family, trusts God’s call as he accepts new role By Rebecca Omastiak The Catholic Spirit
M
eeting Archdiocesan Catholic Center staff in St. Paul for the first time as bishop-elect, Father Michael Izen said he’s approaching his new role with humility and trusting in the Church as he embarks on a new chapter of his vocation. “I don’t think it’s false humility, I don’t know if I have all these gifts, but I’m trusting the Church,” Bishop-elect Izen said. In an announcement made public at 5 a.m. Jan. 5, Pope Francis named Bishop-elect Izen, 55, pastor of the Churches of St. Mary and St. Michael in Stillwater, as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. His episcopal ordination and installation are scheduled for April 11 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. At a news conference and gathering of staff at the ACC the same day, Archbishop Bernard Hebda described Bishop-elect Izen as “a man of great pastoral gifts” and noted his “exceptional leadership.” Several of Bishop-elect Izen’s siblings and other family members came to the news conference, joining members of the ACC. In his remarks, Bishop-elect Izen offered his thanks to God. He thanked Archbishop Hebda for his words and encouragement, Pope Francis for his trust in him, and he thanked his family for their support, including his siblings for their generosity and guidance over the years. He said his interest in the priesthood came from being “blessed with such a great family.” He noted the faith-filled home he grew up in, as the youngest of six children — he has
Bishop-elect Michael Izen addresses media and those gathered for a news conference Jan. 5 at the Archdiocesan Catholic Center in St. Paul to talk about his appointment as the next auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
three sisters and two brothers. He teared up as he shared how his parents, the late John and JoAnna Izen, were “super examples of love” and set “a holy example.” “Seeing them love each other, and being the youngest (of the children), I got to see that in my last few years of high school, when I was the only one in the house, just how much my dad loved my mom and my mom loved my dad.” Bishop-elect Izen said his parents loved their faith. Books his father read about the faith are now in Bishop-elect Izen’s office. His mother, he said, “was very devotional” and loved the Church, prayer, Mass and the rosary. Bishop-elect Izen attended St. John’s University in Collegeville and went on to work for Maplewood-based 3M for nine years as a systems analyst. “But throughout that, the Lord never left,” he said. He began thinking more about his vocation and said, “the priesthood never left my heart.” He entered the seminary at the age of 31. Since his ordination as a priest May
28, 2005, “there’s been a good sense of peace,” he said. While ministering at Divine Mercy in Faribault right after his ordination, he said he followed the example of Father Kevin Finnegan, who was the pastor. “I remember he told me at coffee and doughnuts once, he said, ‘Izen, you have to go say ‘hi’ to every table before you sit down and have a doughnut.’ And so, I still do that today.” Bishopelect Izen said his time at Divine Mercy was “a great first assignment, great families there.” In 2007, Bishop-elect Izen was assigned as pastor of St. Timothy in Maple Lake and “loved the people there.” In 2012, he was named pastor of St. Raphael in Crystal, where he remained until being assigned to the parish in Stillwater in 2015. Bishop-elect Izen said those parish assignments “turned out to be the best possible beginnings of my priesthood.” Bishop-elect Izen also is the parochial administrator of St. Charles in Bayport and the canonical administrator of St. Croix Catholic School. He said he’s
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enjoyed spending time with students through the years, most recently in Stillwater. Taking on the ministry of bishop will mean a change in those relationships, he said, and it will take some sacrifice on his part. “I love the schools,” he said. “All four of my assignments have been blessed to have a school and I’ve gotten to know the kids.” Bishop-elect Izen’s sister, Geri Izen Martin, 64, of Pax Christi in Eden Prairie, seated with other members of her family, said of her brother, “I feel like Mike is so humble as an individual and as a priest. He relates to all people, and he really does light up with kids.” Bishop-elect Izen knows nearly every student’s name at St. Croix Catholic School, she said. Bishop-elect Izen’s niece — Gabi Izen, 21, who is studying nursing at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph — expressed surprise at the thought of her uncle as a bishop. “I already thought it was cool enough he was a priest,” she said. “I never thought this would happen. It’s amazing.”
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