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GREEN BAY - Green Bay's new
Catholic bishop livened his installation ceremony by
breaking into song during his sermon with parts of a couple
country songs — including one called "Drop Kick Me,
Jesus."
Bishop David Ricken, former
bishop of Cheyenne, Wyo., first told the assembled church
leaders, family members and others from the Green Bay and
Cheyenne dioceses about traveling to his Cheyenne assignment
after being ordained a bishop.
As he drove, he was listening
to Mozart's "Ave Verum," but he began wondering
what music appealed to Wyoming residents.
"I switched on the
radio, and this is what I heard," Ricken said, then
started singing Conway Twitty's "Truck Drivin'
Man."
"Pour me another cup of
coffee/ For it is the best in the land/ And put a nickel in
the jukebox/ And play the truck drivin' man."
After the roars of laughter
died, Ricken said he was making another shift of cultures
with his move to Wisconsin, where "I understand there's
a famous football team" — referring, of course, to
the Green Bay Packers — and it reminded him of another
song.
Then he launched into Bobby
Bare's "Drop Kick Me, Jesus."
"Drop kick me, Jesus,
through the goal posts of life/ End over end neither left
nor to right/ Straight through the heart of them righteous
uprights/ Drop kick me, Jesus, through the goal posts of
life."
After more laughter, Ricken
said he actually felt the song carries "a certain
profundity," and he went on with a sermon focused on
St. Augustine's discovery of meaning through the teachings
of Christ.
He ended the sermon with
"God bless you and let the drop kick begin."
With his installation, he
becomes the new leader for more than 350,000 Catholics in a
16-county area.
Ricken takes over for Bishop
David Zubik who was reassigned about a year ago to his
original Pittsburgh diocese.
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