March 23 has been a noteworthy day in the life of Michael McGovern.
In 2020, it was when McGovern received word from Christophe Pierre, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, that Pope Francis had appointed him bishop of the Diocese of Belleville.
Five years later, McGovern was driving from Marion to Herrin when the nuncio called again. He couldn’t immediately take the call, but a question entered his mind.
“I thought, ‘What are the chances that he’s calling me again on this day to go to an assignment?’” McGovern said.
Pretty good, as it turned out. McGovern pulled into a parking lot, returned Pierre’s call and learned that Pope Francis had appointed him the sixth archbishop in the Archdiocese of Omaha, Neb., effective May 7 when he will be installed at St. Cecilia Cathedral.
McGovern, 60, will succeed Archbishop George Lucas, 75, whose resignation was accepted by Pope Francis. Lucas has been the archbishop in Omaha since 2009.
The Omaha archdiocese is home to more than 230,000 Catholics in 23 counties in northeast Nebraska. It has s robust educational system that includes 16 Catholic high schools and Creighton University, founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878.
“There’s a beautiful cathedral,” McGovern said of St. Cecilia. “There’s a strong music program, and it’s an active parish. I’m looking forward to getting to know everybody around the diocese, but especially at the cathedral.”
After learning of his appointment, McGovern had to remain silent until it became official March 31 at a press conference held in Omaha. He said he experienced an “awkward feeling” during the eight days that followed the March 23 call from Pierre.
“You know there’s this change coming, but you have to go through your schedule, and you can’t drop the ball. You’ve got to keep going,” McGovern said. “Only when the Holy See announces it can you go public.”
Leaving Belleville for Omaha, McGovern said, is bittersweet. Belleville became his home, and McGovern said he was prepared for that to remain the case for the rest of his life.
“It’s mixed emotions,” McGovern said. “There’s always a sense of sadness about a change out of the blue. But there’s also a sense of, ‘OK. I became a priest so I could be sent.’ So I really feel like God, through the Holy Father, sent me to Belleville, and now the Holy Father is sending me to Omaha.”
McGovern was ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1994. He served in several parishes and in administrative roles before being appointed bishop of Belleville on April 3, 2020. He was consecrated July 22 of that year by Cardinal Blase Cupich in a Mass at the Cathedral of St. Peter.
“When I came to Belleville, I knew four priests because they had been at Mundelein Seminary when I was in the seminary,” McGovern said. “Same thing with Omaha. They used to send their men to Mundelein Seminary, so I would say there are about six priests in Omaha that I remember because we were contemporaries in the seminary. I haven’t talked to any of them in 20 years, but I’m certainly happy that there’s some familiar names and faces.”
McGovern, one of eight children born to Joseph and Eleanor, said during his news conference that he considered himself, first and foremost, a priest.
“Some of you may be asking, ‘Who is our new archbishop? Who are you?’” McGovern said. “I would answer and describe myself as a pastor, a shepherd. Within my 31 years as a Catholic priest, I spent 16 years as a parish pastor in Lake County, Ill., 12 years at St. Mary in Lake Forest and four years at St. Raphael the Archangel Parish in Old Mill Creek, a rural area near the Illinois-Wisconsin border.
“I love being a pastor most of all. Being a pastor has been a most rewarding experience, and I consider being a parish pastor a privilege in the best sense of the word.”
Until his new appointment became public March 31, McGovern had never visited Nebraska.
McGovern began the day by celebrating Mass and eating breakfast with Lucas, a St. Louis native who was ordained in 1975 and served as the bishop in Springfield, Ill., from 1999-2009.
Following the news conference, McGovern met staff members and ate lunch with them. He then went to St. Cecilia Cathedral, toured the school and met students. He visited Immaculate Conception parish at Boys Town and prayed at the tomb of its founder, Fr. Edward Flanagan.
“That was very impressive, just the thought about how one priest’s life can make such a difference,” McGovern said. “I also went to the Newman Center, where I met about 20 of the young people there and learned more about the Newman Center in their lives. By the time I went back to the airport, it was a full day.”
McGovern’s time at St. Raphael the Archangel taught him what life was like in a rural setting and helped prepare him for his assignment as bishop in Belleville, a diocese that is largely rural.
“I learned what it was like to be behind a combine on a Sunday morning on the road and plan for 15 more minutes of driving,” McGovern said. “But then I went to the Belleville diocese, which is very rural. There’s urban areas, many small towns and a lot of farming. I learned a new appreciation, especially for farming.
“Every year I go and bless two farms — in the spring and in the fall. I know much more than I ever knew before about agriculture and dairy farming and all the work involved.”
One of McGovern’s final acts in the Belleville diocese will be the Spring Farm Blessing on April 23 in Coulterville. He said Omaha does not conduct farm blessings, “which surprises me,” and that he might add them to the mix.
“Northeast Nebraska has many farms and people who make their living through the land,” McGovern said. “So with that appreciation for the life of our farmers and their families, (being in the Belleville diocese) was a great help and a preparation for coming to Omaha to continue to work whether we’re in an urban area, a small town or a farm community, to continue to realize the Gospel seeds have been planted there and will come to fruition with grace, prayer and hope.”
McGovern remembers navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“That was very challenging,” said McGovern, also noting his disappointment with the closings last year of two Catholic schools, Notre Dame Academy in Belleville and St. Ann in Nashville. There also was the closing of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Willisville in 2023.
“The most difficult things were the two school closings and the closing of St. Joseph’s in Willisville,” McGovern said. “It seemed to be clear we had to begin closing places or consolidating, at least. But it’s when you actually do it that it can be very difficult and hurtful. It can hurt even if it’s the right thing to do.”
McGovern listed Emmaus Days, held last summer; the 24 Hours of Mercy designed to offer more confession time for parishioners during Lent; the St. Andrew Dinners to elevate the numbers of young men interested in the priesthood; and Rite of Election Masses as “memorable” events during his time in Belleville.
“I think I’m leaving Belleville better than when I found it,” he said.
“I’m grateful that I had these five years in Belleville. They’ve been very important. A lot has happened. Personally, I feel like I’ve grown a lot. I’ve enjoyed the people.”
McGovern, of course, is interested in the selection process for his replacement in the coming months.
“I have great trust in God that God is going to bring a good shepherd to Belleville,” he said. “I don’t know who that person is going to be, but I do trust that a good pastoral bishop will come here. The Holy Father will send someone and that person can then go on and serve in southern Illinois. I hope he will have that sense of satisfaction of doing good work with many faithful people and the clergy. I think Belleville will do well. We all have to live with the months of waiting.’
Regarding his pastoral vistion, “Servants on Christ’s Mission,” McGovern said: “The (next) bishop can do whatever he thinks, but Servants on Christ’s Mission in some way or another will continue. There’s much to do to try to have a pastoral plan for the diocese begin to be fulfilled, to have a sense of where we’re going and to begin to really put concrete steps in place to do it.”
