Father J. Bruce Plummer was well ahead of his time. He was my childhood pastor – a renaissance man, a rare mixture of pastoral skill, business savvy, keen intellect and talent.

Father Plummer, with his mellifluous voice and commanding presence, stopped kids in their tracks, and caused no small amount of trepidation. But my father constantly assured us that he was a wonderful man who was, in the words of my dad, “a lion in the pulpit and a lamb in the parlor.”

In my adult years, I found my father’s words to be both prophetic and highly accurate. Father Plummer was a man of the Church who had a heart for the underdog, a vision for the future and the singular ability to navigate the parish ship through rough economic times.

In my grade school days, Butte was beset by a lean economy and prolonged strikes.

It was a town characterized by large Catholic families who loved the Church, and viewed the parish priests and sisters as part of our extended family.

Father Plummer was a unique and gifted individual who inspired my own priestly vocation and mentored generations of young priests in the Diocese of Helena.

When I returned to the Diocese nearly four years ago, he was among the first to welcome me home. His words and warmth brought a tear to my eye when he told me he was proud to have been my childhood pastor and happy to have me back home again as his Bishop.

I am certain that Father Plummer would not have intimidated me so, had I known in the fourth grade that one day I would return as his Bishop. He was a giant of a man and an exemplar of the “greatest generation” so aptly described by Tom Brokaw in his book of the same title.

Along with the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, generations of selfless parents, lay teachers and volunteers, St. Ann’s parishioners were the beneficiaries of great people. They inspired us, empowered us, and challenged us to live and love the Catholic faith and to serve others in the name of Christ without counting the cost.

Father Plummer’s generation were dreamers and builders, who left each of us a legacy rooted in Jesus Christ and quickened by His Gospel. For all they were and all they did in loving service to the Church we are deeply indebted.

Now it is our turn.

The Diocese of Helena is preparing to enter into its first-ever capital campaign, which we have entitled “from Age to Age.” In concert with the priests and lay leaders of the Diocese we are moving into a future that builds upon the firm footing that comes to us from the greatest generation. Theirs is a legacy of love that we have received with gratitude and must prepare to hand on to the upcoming generations.

The Third Eucharistic Prayer states clearly and profoundly, “from Age to Age you gather a people to yourself, so that from East to West a perfect offering may be made to the glory of your name.”

The title, from Age to Age, is replete with meaning. These poetic words capture the Eucharistic nature of our community as a people gathered around the altar of the Lord. This description places us in communion with the Apostles and faithful people who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith.

The words from Age to Age capture our obligation to live the faith vigorously and vibrantly, and to move confidently into the future as disciples and companions of the Lord.

from Age to Age is a $12 million diocesan-wide campaign that makes possible the priorities articulated so well by the Diocesan Pastoral Council, a vision born in the hearts of our people, some 1,400 strong, who participated actively in the Diocesan Pastoral Council process.

from Age to Age is built upon five priorities selected to directly impact the pastoral life of the entire diocese. They include the following:

Youth ministry and young adult faith formation

This is a priority that surfaced in every portion of the Diocese, a hue and cry coming from parents, pastors, youth and young adults themselves, who deeply desire to know the mind of the Church and form their lives in ways that flow from the heart of Christ and the teachings of the Church. This priority is built upon the important and perennial question, “How do we hand on the teachings of the Church and the ways of discipleship to the next generations of young people?” The first element of the capital campaign will explore this question and direct $4.3 million toward youth ministry and young adult formation across the entire Diocese of Helena.

Senior Status priests

The second priority of the capital campaign focuses upon the care of our Senior Status priests who have served long and well for decades across Western Montana and beyond. Part two of the from Age to Age campaign will direct $2 million to increase and stabilize the Clergy Senior Status and Security Trust which supports 28 priests who are now retired, as well as those eligible for retirement in the years ahead. from Age to Age acknowledges our deep indebtedness to our beloved senior priests who have labored long and well in the noonday sun and continue to serve in meaningful ministries through parish, hospital and education apostolates throughout our Diocese. The money raised in this portion of our campaign will be a visible expression of our appreciation for the blessings these men have provided for decades on end.

Formation of priests and pastoral leaders

The third priority selected by our people focuses upon the continued formation of spiritual leaders in our parishes as well as our obligation to recruit, form and support new generations of seminarians. $1 million of the capital campaign will be directed toward ongoing formation of priests and pastoral leaders who serve so faithfully and well in our parishes and faith communities. It will also assist in bearing the annual cost of seminary education, including pre-theology and major seminary in the Diocese. Clearly this portion of the capital campaign is an investment that will produce high returns for all of us wherever we live in western Montana.

Guatemala Mission

In the early 1960s, the Diocese of Helena, under the leadership of Bishop Hunthausen, responded to the Second Vatican Council’s missionary mandate entitled Ad Gentes. This vision of the Council underscored the fact that missionary activity is the responsibility of the entire Church and is built upon the Lord’s own mandate to go and teach all nations.

The Guatemalan mission is a well-spring of missionary activity including pastoral and sacramental care of the Guatemalan people, ministry to youth and young adults including education, medical care and pastoral outreach. The people of our Diocese have been the beneficiaries of the Guatemalan people whose humble faith has inspired us and led us more deeply into the universal mission of the Church. $1 million of the capital campaign will be directed to the mission endeavors in Guatemala through an endowment that will sustain the financial security of this apostolate well into the future.

Diocesan Parishes and Missions

The strength of the Diocese is directly dependent upon the strength of our parishes. The diocesan campaign from Age to Age emphasizes collaborative ministry and the obligation to work together in humble service to the Church and community.

Therefore, a portion of our capital campaign returns will be directed to the local parishes and assist in the priorities they select for local works of charity, debt reduction, church renovation, pastoral ministries or other priorities that emerge in the local parishes.

Parishes will receive 20 percent of all funds raised beyond their 2008 Diocesan Offertory Program goals until the from Age to Age target is reached; then 80 percent of the funds raised over the campaign target are retained at the parish, a formula designed to benefit and reward success on the local level.

One of the most important aspects of the from Age to Age campaign is the wholesale sense of support I have experienced from our pastors and lay leaders, whose enthusiasm for this endeavor has been overwhelming.

The upcoming campaign, from Age to Age, marks a watershed moment in the history of the Diocese of Helena. It is a campaign that looks backwards with gratitude and admiration for those whose faith and dedication inspired us to love the Lord and to participate fully and actively in the Church we love so dearly.

from Age to Age acknowledges with joy the present moment where we as a Diocese accept our obligation to preach and teach in the name of Christ and to bring new generations of faithful disciples into communion with the Church that is “one, holy, Catholic and apostolic.”

from Age to Age looks to the future and anticipates the day when those yet unborn or yet to hear the Word of God will benefit from the sacrifices we have made so that others may know and love and serve Him who is the center of our lives.

May God bless these endeavors and reward us with an abundant harvest of faith from Age to Age.


Published in The Montana Catholic, Vol. 24, No. 4, April 17, 2008.