An Interview with Bishop Daniel Jenky

Cursillo interviewed Bishop Daniel Jenky just several days after his first 100 days as Bishop of Peoria. He was very hospitable, open, warm and most willing to talk about many issues. We wish you could have been there with us. Let us at least share the interview with you.

Cursillo: In these first 100 days what have you learned about the Church of Peoria?

Bishop: This is a very good example of church. It’s alive here with a million things going on. I just dedicated the new ”Christ the King” Parish in Moline. It’s a great local church and I marvel at what all those folks there have done to create it including the facility for Cursillo and TEC. I find this a very vibrant heartland too. I’ve met the clergy here. Great clergy that I know I will enjoy working with. Yes, when I learned I would be coming to Peoria, a close friend from here said, “You;ll love it there, you really will.”

Cursillo: You have said the goal for yourself and the diocese will be evangelism, to win back baptized Catholics who have drifted away from the faith.

Bishop: Yes, it is my hope that we can together bring Jesus to others. Everyone should have that commission including in our hospitals, schools, everywhere. Pope John Paul has called us to it. The largest religious group is Catholics, and the second largest group is baptized Catholics not practicing their faith any longer.

Cursillo: Would you say Cursillo could be one of the ways to help make that happen?

Bishop: Yes, it seems to be one of the better tools. It has shown that over the years already, since what. . .the 60’s here? But Cursillo is aging and we need to reach out and bring younger couples to Cursillo like we used to back in the 60’s and 70’s. And there is another important group to include. Cursillo must find a way to reach out to Hispanics. I just read where Hispanics now make up nearly 50% of the Catholic population in this country. Hispanic Cursillo will be tough. Maybe we should take a lesson from other areas like the southwest and west coast to find out how to reach Hispanics with Cursillo. It’ll have to include new language, other Hispanics, maybe new methods. I don’t know it all, but we need to find the ways. And yes, we should get younger people fired up and involved in leadership.

Cursillo: There has been a drop off in candidates coming. What would you offer to the Cursillo as encouragement?

Bishop: Cursillo is such a good work. And any work reaches a peak like the rhythms of life. You will have ups and downs. It’s important to get fired up with new blood, new life in Cursillo. Yes, there are challenges to be met. But Cursillo does give people a personal experience of Jesus, getting in touch with Him during Mass and many other moments during their Cursillo weekend. But let me say, Cursillo is not the only way to have a personal experience of Jesus. Not at all. Our Lord uses many ways to meet Him. I have a friend who told me of his personal encounter with Jesus. At a strange place. My friend found Jesus at the pagan Incan Hidden City. That’s a strange place. But he said that morning at sunrise, he experienced Jesus like at no other time. Subsequently he entered the seminary and is now President of Notre Dame University. That’s Edward Malloy. Let me say too, it’s not just once and for all though. We need to work at constantly deepening our faith.

Cursillo: Peoria is known as one of the strong ecumenical or interfaith Cursillos. What are your views of what we have here?

Bishop: People were wondering if I was going to shut down Cursillo or change it. Not at all. It works. But let me say, we are unique and Peoria is taking on a challenge by bringing everyone together. We’re still not one, and we can’t fully be one, but I think we should be concentrating on sharing together at least the word of God. This is fundamentally a Catholic program, and we don’t want to diminish the Mass, the rosary, the rich Catholic faith. But we want to welcome other Christian brothers and sisters to share the experience, and especially God’s word. By the way, Pope John Paul has a tremendous commitment to Ecumenism.

Cursillo: Out of Cursillo have emerged many offshoots like Walk to Emmaus, Prison Weekends, and especially TEC. Talk to us a minute about how you feel about some of those.

Bishop: Wow, well let me first say, when we appear before the Lord, He’s going to ask if we fed the hungry, clothed the naked, visited those in prison. I was a chaplain intern at a Michigan prison, and also in Indiana. I have fought capital punishment because we don’t believe it’s right. And I can’t say I really felt good about going into prison. But it’s so necessary to bring the word of God there. I’m impressed by what has come out of Cursillo and encouraged by all those who take Cursillo there. TEC? Actually before I really started to work here, Fr. Brownsey took me over to the center on of my first Sunday and I just talked with those kids. I love kids. They’re a project in formation and they’ve just gotta go through change, and you’ve got to let them. TEC is genius. It’s such a personal way for teens to more actively work for Christ.

Cursillo: You said we will be hearing more about stewardship. Can you give us a preview?

Bishop: I believe in parishes. Stewardship is a way of being a parish. Now some think of stewardship as giving money, and it’s that too. But God gives each of us just a short time on earth. Not only time, but also talents. We need to know to whom they belong. God is the owner. And in our parishes, if just 20% more would share their gifts and talents, just imagine what those parishes could be. I drive through the countryside and see those small rural churches and think about the many farm families who built them, literally by hand. Those people share a lot of hard work and stewardship. And within older churches in many ethnic communities, people used their God given skills and talents and built those churches too. Being parish to me means you can’t be passive. You have to give of yourself.

Cursillo: Three things you asked of your flock when you came here. . .1. Love God at the center of our existence. 2. Love your neighbor as a servant church, and 3. Love and support the priests. Has any of that changed?

Bishop: Those three things are still most important to me. . to all of us.

Cursillo: What would you like Cursillistas to know about Bishop Jenky that maybe they don’t already know?

Bishop: (with a slight smile on his face, a rare moment of quietness from a Bishop who is very easy to talk with and listen to, and rubbing his beard slightly he said) You know, I guess there is nothing. I don’t wear a mask very well.

The interview was concluded by the Bishop giving me his blessing and thanking each other. An invitation was made to join us at Cursillo anytime. The final thought was, it would have been nice to spend much more time together with our Bishop who is warm and friendly. Bishop Daniel Jenky, DeColores!