Most Reverend Giovanni Lajolo, secretary for Relations with States, was the principal ordaining Bishop November 11, for the episcopal ordination of Most Reverend Thomas Gullickson, titular archbishop of Bomarzo and Apostolic Nuncio in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies and for the countries and peoples of the Antilles Episcopal Conference.
The ordination took place in St. Joseph Cathedral, the home parish of Archbishop Gullickson.
Eleven-hundred people filled the Cathedral for the ordination and heard Archbishop Gullickson ask them for their continued spiritual support. “Keep me and the Church beyond the borders of Dakota, especially in the Caribbean, in your prayers,” he said.
Archbishop Gullickson was thankful to the congregation as well as the other people of the diocese, who have been so supportive of his ministry and priest over the years.
As part of the liturgy, the newly ordained archbishop walked the aisles of the cathedral blessing those on hand for the event.
Archbishop Gullickson is the son of Dolores and the late Leon Gullickson. He has one brother and five sisters, all of whom, along with his mother and nieces and nephews were in attendance.
The ordination culminated weeks of preparation and was preceded by several other events including a vespers liturgy and dinner the night before, a luncheon the day of ordination and a reception that followed.
The other ordaining bishops were current Sioux Falls bishop, Most Reverend Robert Carlson, and retired Sioux Falls bishop, Most Reverend Paul Dudley.
His Holiness Pope John Paul II appointed Archbishop Gullickson to his new post on October 2.
He entered the Vatican Diplomatic service in 1985 and has had postings in Rwanda (1985-87), Austria (1987-90), Czech Republic and Slovakia (1990-93), Jerusalem, Cyprus and Israel (1993-96) and Germany (1996-2004). Archbishop Gullickson was ordained a priest on June 27, 1976. He was named a chaplain of His Holiness in 1986, and received the title of honorary prelate in 1997.
Among the many bishops and other dignitaries present for the ordination were Archbishop Erwin Ender, Apostolic Nuncio of Germany and Archbishop Timothy Broglio, Apostolic Nuncio of the Dominican Republic.