Welcome to our tribute and reflection on the 10 years Bishop David John Malloy has served the Diocese of Rockford as its ninth bishop. 

 

Ten years ago, as our diocese and especially all those employees in the Diocesan Administration Center, prepared to both welcome and announce our new shepherd, we didn’t really have time to consider it history. In that moment, it was an exciting time and a flurry of nervous activity. For many, the announcement of a new bishop was novel. How do you prepare for greeting a new bishop and how do you prepare for an ordination? Answering those questions by completing the tasks required and attending to so many details diverted us away from the wonder of being part of a historical moment. 

But that’s what anniversaries are for — to take a pause, to look back and reflect on all the activities and work that brought us to the present. 

 

And that’s what this special issue of The Observer is meant to do. We offer you, as a reader and diocesan Catholic, an opportunity to consider and give congratulations to Bishop Malloy for his history that is ours as well. We offer this issue as a way to take that pause to celebrate and prayerfully reflect on the last ten years that are now part of the fabric of our diocese. Included here are photographs that captured Bishop Malloy as he lived his ministry that included moments of celebration, innovation, challenge and change. 

 

As you complete taking in all the moments captured in the photographs shared in these pages, we thank you for being part of Bishop Malloy’s history and invite you to pray for all the joys God has in store for our diocese in the days to come. Enjoy!

 

—The Observer Staff