Bishop Larry Kulick ordained to lead Diocese of Greensburg
The Diocese of Greensburg welcomed its new bishop Thursday with worship, prayer and pageantry — but without the crowds of parishioners usually present to celebrate such an event.
“Like so many things we have done differently during the pandemic, this liturgy is no exception,” said Monsignor Raymond Riffle, rector of Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg, where Bishop Larry Kulick was ordained.
The Mass was livestreamed online and broadcast on the Eternal Word Television Network.
Attendance was limited to a handful of invited guests, representatives from the diocese and visiting clergy, including more than a dozen bishops and archbishops.
Kulick — a Leechburg native and lifelong member of the diocese — was ordained as its sixth bishop. He is the first native priest of the diocese to hold the role.
Though the ceremony was filled with somber religious tradition, there were moments of levity.
“It seems that everyone is called Larry here,” joked The Most Rev. Christopher Pierro, apostolic nuncio to the United States, after greeting Kulick and former Bishop of Greensburg Lawrence E. Brandt.
As Pope Francis’ representative to the United States, Pierro read a letter from the pope appointing Kulick and sharing some words of advice with the new bishop. The pope urged Kulick to be a good shepherd and a good Samaritan.
“Unless a shepherd risks, he does not find,” Pierro said, quoting Pope Francis. “He does not stop when disappointed, and he does not cease from weariness. Indeed, he is stubborn in doing good.”
Archbishop of Philadelphia Nelson Perez served as the principal ordaining bishop. He was joined by two familiar faces — former Greensburg bishops Brandt and Edward C. Malesic, who served as co-ordaining bishops.
Brandt held the role from 2003 to 2014, when he was succeeded by Malesic. Malesic left Greensburg last year when he was named Bishop of Cleveland.
Perez said Thursday’s event could be traced back to a phone call he received from Vatican officials last year. He previously served as the Bishop of Cleveland, until he was appointed to his current post in Philadelphia. Malesic, in turn, was appointed in his place, which created the vacancy now filled by Kulick.
The appointment of a new bishop can be trying for a diocese, but Greensburg is fortunate to have one of its own taking on the role, Perez said.
“I’m sure when Larry was announced as your next bishop, you all thought ‘Oh, thank God,’ ” he said.
Kulick previously served as vicar to both Brandt and Malesic, helping both with administrative tasks.
Perez joked with Larry Kulick Sr. and Myrna Kulick, the new bishop’s parents, who were in attendance.
“Now, you’ve got to respect this guy, you’ve got to call him Your Excellency,” he said.
Kulick lay face-down on the floor as the clergy prayed and asked the saints for their prayers.
Perez then anointed Kulick with oil and presented him with the insignia of his new office — the Book of Gospels, a ring, miter and staff.
Kulick took his place on the Cathedra, the bishop’s chair, as those in attendance applauded.
He led Communion, which included a meditation in Slovak to honor Kulick’s heritage as the descendant of immigrants from Slovakia.
In his first remarks as bishop, Kulick recalled his childhood, when he knocked on the door of his priest and asked to be an altar server.
He felt much the same Thursday as he did then, he said.
“I come to your door. I am knocking. I am asking you, ‘can I serve?’ ” he said. “I will do my best to learn, I will commit to the time it takes. … I promise I will do my best, but I need something even more than your permission. I will need God’s grace and I will need your help, your cooperation and your desire.”
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.