It was a theme of giving thanks during the midday Mass at the Cathedral of St. Peter on July 13 as Bishop Koenig celebrated his one-year anniversary as 10th bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington.
Bishop Koenig emphasized the Gospel of Matthew (11:25-27) in which Jesus thanks God for all he’s been given: “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father.”
Bishop Koenig told the gathering of about three dozen at Mass that he has much for which to be thankful.
“Today I’m mindful of the ways I’m grateful,” the bishop said. “And I thank God in many, many ways for that. What I’ve experienced here is the work of God’s grace. And for that I give thanks. I ask God to help all of us. To continue to be trusting in God. To allow God’s grace to form us and shape us.”
The bishop said the Gospel message was appropriate for his celebration of one year in his new work.
“He thanks his Father. Expresses gratitude in his heart. That’s what prayer is — give thanks and open our heart,” Bishop Koenig said.
“That’s what prayer is, saying what’s in our heart. That’s the first lesson. To talk to God. To express what’s in our heart. Asking, grateful, mindful.
“Jesus gives thanks for what God has done. Blessed are you, Father. He doesn’t give himself credit. It’s God that’s acting in this world.”
In April 2021, the Holy See announced that Pope Francis had appointed Bishop Koenig the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington. He was ordained a bishop and installed as the 10th bishop of Wilmington on July 13, 2021, at St. Elizabeth’s Church in Wilmington.
