CatholicWeb.com Catholic Web Church Parish Diocese... -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 6/9/2001
Last Visited: 5/15/2002
Fr.William Wegher, pastor of St. Michael Roman Catholic Church in Flint, has been surrounded by Byzantine Catholics his whole life.It is an enveloping that he cherishes."I was fortunate to grow up under the spiritual influences of two particular Catholic Churches -- the Church of Rome in which I was baptized and ordained, and the Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic Church which filled our home with unique customs, foods and spiritualities," says Fr. Wegher.
In fact, the profound influences of his Byzantine friends and mentors have helped shape him into the Roman Catholic priest he is today -- a priest with biritual faculties.Fr. Wegher has, by agreement of bishops of both rites, the capacity and willingness to celebrate two traditions of the Church, consecrating in both the Latin and Byzantine rites.
"My parents, who have been married more than 30 years, are both Roman Catholic" explains Fr. Wegher while reflecting on his unique faith journey."Growing up, my mom lived in a neighborhood surrounded by many eastern European immigrants, some of whom were Byzantine Catholics.She was baptized at St. Joseph Hungarian Catholic Church in Flint.Her best friend went to St. Michael Byzantine Catholic Church.Her best friend became my godmother.
"My mother cherished many of the Byzantine Catholic traditions she grew up with, especially those surrounding Lent and Easter.
...
Fr. Wegher began to discern the call to the priesthood while still in high school."From 1978 until I graduated (in 1981), I was involved in a home seminary program offered by the Office of Vocations.Anyone thinking about the priesthood and living at home could attend retreats and monthly meetings.They were fun and spiritual, providing an opportunity for boys in high school to talk to a priest and get information."
Following his graduation, Fr. Wegher attended the University of Michigan-Flint."I planned on going maybe one year and transferring, but the honors program I was in provided a lot of perks, such as scholarships, educational trips, etcetera, so I stayed.I spent one semester abroad, studying in Paris.One semester prior to graduation, I moved into St. Michael's (Roman Catholic) rectory in Flint.It was a house of formation at the time.I graduated from the University of Michigan-Flint in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in French and continued discerning my call.
...
Five years and a master's and a doctorate degree later, Fr. Wegher was faced with a question not posed to many men preparing to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders."People would ask me, 'For which rite are you going to be ordained?'" says Fr. Wegher."Quite simply, I followed Church law.I was baptized in the Roman Church and was a member of the Roman Church.Changing your Church can be done, but it is a complicated ecclesiastical process involving Rome."
Another factor which weighed heavily in Fr. Wegher's decision was his family -- the family which embraced both rites."For one thing, the Byzantine eparchies are large.
...
Thus, Fr. Wegher was ordained for service to the Diocese of Lansing Aug. 31, 1991, by Bishop Kenneth Povish.
...
The Byzantine Church, however, still played a role in his life and Fr. Wegher was able to find a way to embrace both rites."Fr.David Hannes (pastor of St. Michael Byzantine Catholic Church) asked me, about four years ago, to get the biritual faculties for the Byzantine Eparchy of Parma so that I could fill in when he had to be gone.This required permission from the Diocese of Lansing and the eparchy, along with the Congregation for Eastern Churches in Rome."After receiving permission, Fr. Wegher is able to serve as a priest in the two parishes which played such an integral role in his faith journey -- St. Michael Roman Catholic Church where he discerned his call to the priesthood while in college and St. Michael Byzantine Catholic Church where he learned the rich spiritual traditions of the Eastern Church."As a Roman priest presiding at the great Vigil of Easter, I love singing the words of the Exultet, 'Rejoice, O Mother Church!Exult in glory!' Such words echoing in the darkened church as the light of the new Easter candle spreads among the baptized takes me back to the words and the tradition of the Western Church Father, Ambrose.On this night, more than all others, as we recall and enact the ancient Western rites of Christian initiation, I feel my soul filled with the ancient faith of my ancestors.Easter, with all of its smells and bells, connects me profoundly to the faith of the apostles.
"At the same time, since my childhood, no Easter would be complete without the singing of the great Eastern Church chant, 'Christ is risen from the dead!' Growing up, it was not uncommon for us to attend the Easter Vigil at St. Robert Bellarmine Roman Catholic Church in Flushing before rushing over to St. Michael Byzantine Catholic Church for the Easter Vigil and Matins which began, in those days, closer to midnight.
...
"It's not about how many rites I can celebrate," Fr. Wegher emphasizes."It's about spirituality and the call to go back and serve the people who helped nourish my vocation, those who need my assistance as a priest to provide them with the sacraments."Part of my spirituality is Western -- part is Eastern.I need both to feel whole spiritually.The spirituality of the East has everything from iconography artwork and chant, to the writings of the Eastern Fathers.Eastern spirituality infuses me so much that I can't get away from it.It's a part of me. It's like incense -- when you use it and walk away, the smell stays with you, it infuses you."
20 online sources [ view sources ]
Profile is not claimed [ this is me ]
