Marko Rupnik named Koper "Diocesan Employee of the Month"
Grit, growth mindset, gratitude
KOPER, SLOVENIA (G.O.T.H.S.): As part of its monthly half-day cross-functional work session, the diocese of Koper awarded its "Employee of the Month" citation to the Reverend Doctor Marko Rupnik, a 68-year old priest who had been incardinated into the diocese earlier this year and is also an accomplished mosaic artist.
"When it came time to choose the Diocesan Employee of the Month this time around," said Bishop Jurij Bizjak in his address during the meeting, "there was no question in my mind who was going to get it. We have a priest here, a relatively new addition to the diocese, who just has displayed nothing but grit and perseverance from day one.
"This is a priest," continued the bishop, "who always has faith that, no matter what happens to him, he's always going to be able to find a home in the Catholic church. I think a lot of us, sometimes, we fall into that trap of impostor syndrome, right? Of thinking we're not worthy of working in the church, not worthy of representing God's church to the rest of the world, we feel that, gosh, we should have never become a priest in the first place. But Marko here, Marko has never given in to that kind of thinking.
"And I think some of that is a credit to the team we have here, as well," said Bishop Bizjak. "We all know that in this diocese, we take care of each other no matter what. Father Rupnik came to our town looking for a new home diocese, and you all welcomed him with open arms right away. You said 'we don't care about where you come from or why you're here, you have a home here, you are safe here, you can be a priest here as long as you want. Because here, our fellow priests come first, no matter what.' I'm so proud of us for doing that together," Bizjak announced. "That is what makes our church, and our priesthood, great. We need to make sure that never changes. We need to make sure we always have supportive and welcoming priests and bishops, in every diocese in the world, so that every diocese in the world can produce priests like Marko Rupnik. We are continuing a centuries-old tradition in the church of hospitality towards our brother priests, and we can keep it alive for centuries more if we work hard.
"One of the things I admire most about Father Rupnik," continued the bishop, "is his respect for the sacraments and his willingness to share God's mercy with everyone. Father Rupnik would never turn a person away from the sacraments, never deny Communion or absolution to anyone, no matter what is in their past. God's mercy is available to all, and God's church is a place where, no matter what you've done, you can find a home here and thrive. This is a wonderful growth mindset for a priest to have, and it's hard to imagine a better way to bring to life the Holy Father's vision of the church as a 'field hospital'.
"And speaking of that, of course, we are also grateful to Pope Francis here in our diocese, for his consistent support of Father Rupnik's career throughout this time of transition," continued Bishop Bizjak. "I think that many of us, who were used to the John Paul II or Benedict XVI way of doing things, we had some concerns that Pope Francis might have tried to act differently from his predecessors, might have taken one of several available actions to keep Father Rupnik from being incardinated in our diocese so quickly. But I'm very grateful that the Holy Father understands, like his predecessors, that no matter what obstacles pop up in our way, the church and her priests must always come first. Because of that, we have an organization structure where all of our priests feel encouraged to bring their full selves to work, to feel like they will always belong in the priesthood, no matter what.
"So I have nothing but gratitude," concluded the bishop, "for the Holy Father's support, for the support that you give each other every day, and especially for the work of Father Rupnik this past month. Marko, congratulations on being named Diocesan Employee of the Month!" Rupnik received the standard award of a $50 giftcard to Longhorn Steakhouse and license to commit sexual battery.