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UD Catholic chaplain becomes monsignor
The honor to which the chaplain to UD Catholic students at St. Thomas More Oratory refers is a significant one: He will be installed as Monsignor Szupper at 3 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 27, in the Church of the Holy Child in north Wilmington. The Rev. Ralph L. Martin also will be installed at that time, and with the two new monsignors, there will be six in active ministry in the diocese, which serves 220,000 Catholics. Father Szupper first learned about the honor when he was asked to meet with Bishop Michael Saltarelli to discuss the campus ministry at Washington College, one of Father Szupper’s responsibilities for campus ministries at colleges and universities in the Wilmington diocese. “We briefly talked about Washington College, and then the bishop said, ‘By the way, you have been named a monsignor,’” Szupper recalled. “I was stunned and still am. When anyone addresses me as ‘monsignor,’ I wonder, ‘Whom are they talking about?’ But, the bishop’s nominating me to become a Chaplain of His Holiness is a statement and affirmation on his part of the importance of campus ministries.” Bishop Saltarelli said, “We are very pleased that Pope Benedict XVI Has honored three of the priests of our diocese. That Monsignor Michael Szupper has been designated a Chaplain to His Holiness is a significant recognition of his long and dedicated ministry to the community of the University of Delaware. We rejoice in this testament to an outstanding priest of God.” UD President David P. Roselle called Father Szupper “an icon,” adding, “His more than 40 years of service to the University community is unprecedented in length, devotion and quality. During all of those years, members of the University’s student body, staff, faculty and other religious leaders have benefited from his wise counsel, leadership and model behavior. “We are very fortunate that Father Szupper has been a member of the University community, and we were absolutely delighted to learn of the well-deserved Papal order that he is henceforth to be known as Monsignor Szupper,” Roselle said.
When he came to UD, there was no St. Thomas More Oratory, so he said mass in a variety of locations from movie theatres to a synagogue. In those days, funds were low to nonexistent, but this never worried him, Father Szupper said. The Oratory was built in 1974 as part of a diocesan building campaign, giving Catholics in the campus community a central place to worship. Becoming a monsignor will not change Father Szupper and his service as chaplain, he said. However, he has been fitted for a new cassock, with purple piping, buttons and sash. “I asked the tailor if it could be blue for Delaware, but he was not amused,” he said with a smile. Father Szuppper says mass at 12:30 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays, followed by his main meal of the day at The Scrounge, where he informally talks and interacts with students and others. “If I miss a day, the staff at The Scrounge ask where I am,” he said. Fall Saturdays, rain or shine, find him at Delaware Stadium rooting for the Fightin’ Blue Hens football team on the top row of the visitors’ side of the stadium. (“Best seat there is, you can see everything.”) He has extra tickets to give away to students and other fans. Saturdays, there is a mass in the late afternoon, and Sundays are busy with religious classes for children taught by UD students. “Imagine--college students being here at 8:15, Sunday morning!” Father Szupper said in wonderment. “But, the children enjoy being with college students, and the students like teaching them and connecting with families. They are away from home, and this fills a gap.” Three masses also are scheduled throughout the day. Looking back over his long association with UD, he said two major events stand out. One was receiving the University of Delaware’s Medal of Distinction in 2003, the highest award bestowed on citizens of the state and region for contributions, professional success and significant service.
A large part of Father Szupper’s ministry is counseling, and he and Kim Zitzner, who is associate chaplain, are both judicial advisers within the University system. In his informal, homey office, Father Szupper has a large comfortable chair, which he dubs, the “trouble chair.” This is where students written up for infractions of UD regulations come for advice, as do others from the University community and the congregation seeking help with their problems with families, roommates, academics or other issues in their lives. “Father Szupper is an excellent listener,” Zitzner said. “Basically, students want to be heard and recognized as individuals, and each has his or her own story to tell,” Father Szupper said. “It is important to respect them and meet them on their personal journeys wherever they are, to encourage them to use their gifts, although at times the ‘furniture needs to be rearranged.’” “Scripture tells us Jesus walked with people, talked with people, listened to people and broke bread with people. We try to do the same, but we never work miracles,” Father Szupper said. “Maybe we do, but we just don’t know it,” Zitzner said. Article by Sue Moncure To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here. |
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