"With faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the love of God in my heart, I accept the pastoral care of the people of God in the Diocese of La Crosse. I resolve to serve faithfully the Church in the Diocese,” Bishop William Patrick Callahan swore during his installation today at the Cathedral of St. John the Workman in La Crosse.

Bishop Callahan is the 10th Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse. He takes the post vacated by current Archbishop of Milwaukee Jerome Listecki, whom left to take the job in Southeastern Wisconsin earlier this year.

Listecki passed the pastoral staff to Callahan in both a symbolic and literal gesture of the power of the diocese switching hands, invoking a blessing on Callahan.

After Callahan was installed, he heartily greeted member of the diocese.
During his homily later in the Mass, Callahan took time to lay out his vision for the diocese.

“That Jesus Christ will be praised and honored in all that we do here...should give you all that you need to know about your new bishop,” he says.

Callahan thanked those who appointed him and those who went before him as bishop, saying this area is aptly called "God's Country."

The new bishop threw in some comedic moments, as he joked on how he literally “got the call” to his new appointment.

"The call came quiet unexpectedly on a lazy Memorial Day afternoon. It brought more enjoyment to my brat and beer,” he quipped.

Callahan says the call as bishop was a "personal invitation from Jesus", involving "risk and self-surrender."

He also laid to rest anyone’s questions over his Chicago upbringing and his history as a priest in larger cities like Milwaukee. He says he’s ready to get to work in the rural diocese.

“I may be a big city boy but I have stepped in a few cow pies along the way," he joked. He then says it’s up to the faithful in the church to help “clean off his shoes,” along the way, invoking religious imagery of Jesus and the faithful washing each other’s feet.

Callahan also took the time to broadly address the recent sexual abuse scandal with Father Patrick Umberger of Onalaska.

Callahan apologizes to victims of church sex abuse, and pledges "firm resolve" to make sure it "never happens again."

"We have faced pain and heartache in the church. There is justifiable anger...concerning issue of sexual abuse," says Callahan. "No one pain we feel as a church can rival the pain the victims feel."

Callahan says this time of trouble is not a time for the faithful to leave the church.

"There are and will be challenges,” he says. “But the one way for hope and peace in the future is Jesus Christ.”

He asked the church to remain full of hope and faith for tomorrow.

"I believe we have great days ahead of us. There is work, serious work, but I do not like to work alone,” he says.

----------------------------
Reaction from people of the diocese, friends of the bishop:

“It’s because of who he is that I came and the desire to connect once again and let him know I’m happy for the La Crosse Diocese," said Sister Jacqueline Schroeder.

Sister Jacqueline drove more than six hours from Peoria, Illinois, today to see her friend and fellow Franciscan, Bishop William Callahan.

"The bishop is a good friend," she said. "I’ve known him for many, many years. He was a pastor at Holy Family Parish in Peoria, Illinois, and he was my spiritual director at that time.”

Sister Jacqueline says she feels Bishop Callahan will do well as head of his new diocese because she feels it’s what he’s been called to do.

“He’s a man that has a very deep spirituality," Sister Jacqueline said. "His depth and knowledge and understanding and his interest in people is, I think, hallmark.”

Dr. Greg Foster from Neillsville, Wisconsin, says, "We’re always, as sheep of the flock, looking for guidance in our growth in our faith and it seems like he’ll be the right man for the job.”

Dr. Foster says he was very impressed with the ceremony and was excited to be able to welcome Bishop Callahan to the diocese.

“We’re impressed by his pastoral manner, the way he wrapped his arms around everybody," Dr. Foster said.

People we talked to say they’re looking forward to the day when the bishop comes to visit their parish.

Janet Klosinski from Holy Name of Jesus Parish says, "He is coming to Wausau on September 2 for a mass with all the Catholic school students in Wausau so I know we’ll be seeing him then.”

Mary Johnson from La Crosse says, "The Diocese of La Crosse has been a little off keel without a bishop and it’s going to be so good to have a leader and I’ve talked to people from Milwaukee and they’ve told me he’s a fabulous leader, so I’m looking forward to him.”

And although Sister Jacqueline says she won’t see Bishop Callahan as much as she used to when he worked in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, she wants him to know she’ll be thinking about him.

"Let him know that he will continue to be in my prayers, daily," Sister Jacqueline said.

And she says she knows the people of the Diocese of La Crosse will be in his prayers.

Bishop Callahan will celebrate mass this weekend at Saint Patrick’s in Onalaska.