comes back to visit his home parish –
the parish where it all started . . .
Our Lady of Hungary
The following is from the speech read by
Mr. Eddie Jordanich at the reception dinner:
Michael August Blume graduated from Our Lady in 1960. He attended Divine Word Seminary in Perrysburg, Ohio. You may ask why go to high school in Perrysburg, Ohio? This young 14 year old read a recruiting ad in what could have been the “Our Sunday Visitor”. Young Michael had a calling, a vocation. He replied to the ad and in just a few days representatives from the Society of the Divine Word came knocking at his front door. The rest is history.
Michael August Blume was ordained in our church on December 23, 1972. In 1974, Father Mike was sent to Ghana, Africa and was in Cape Coast the first eight years followed by two short stays in smaller towns and in the last seven years he was based in the capital, Accra. Before he left for Ghana, he completed his licentiate degree in fundamental theology at the Gregorian University in Rome.
Of the 16 years he spent in Ghana, eight years of that time was spent teaching at the regional seminary in Cape Coast, after which he served two terms as Provincial Superior of the Divine Word Missionaries in Ghana, Togo and Benin.
After 16 years in Africa, at the request of his superiors, Father Mike left Ghana to continue his missionary service in Rome. Firstly as Secretary General of his missionary congregation and later on the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People.
He has authored a number of articles about Church and refugees and has traveled extensively. His work has taken him to Asia, several countries in Africa, the Philippines and Albania. He has also served several times as a delegation member of the Holy See at the United Nations High Commission for refugees.
This briefly summarizes the last 45 years of Father Mike’s service except for one item. It’s almost like history repeating itself. In 1960 it was the Society of the Divine Word that came knocking at his door. In 2005 it was Pope Benedict XVI that came, asking Father Mike to represent him to the Church and the government of Togo and Benin. In the terminology of the Holy See, Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Father Mike Apostolic Nuncio. In laymen’s terms, he is the Pope’s Ambassador.
On September 30, 2005 at five o’clock in the evening in St. Peter’s Basilica, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Secretary of State of the Holy See, ordained Father Mike Bishop. The Holy Father has also named him Archbishop assigning him to the “titular diocese” of Alessano, a town of 6,500 people near the southern Italian city Bari, located on the shores of the Adriatic Sea.
Father Mike – missionary, is now Archbishop Blume – diplomat.