Bishop George J. Lucas and Bishop Kay Martin Schmalhausen of the Territorial Prelature of Ayaviri, Peru, distribute ashes during Mass at the Catholic Pastoral Center in Springfield on Ash Wednesday. Receiving ashes from Bishop Schmalhausen is Sister M. Maximilia Um, FSGM, defender of the bond, in the Office for Tribunal Services.

Bishop Kay Martin Schmalhausen of the Territorial Prelature of Ayaviri, Peru, came to Springfield Feb. 24 and 25 to visit with Bishop George J. Lucas and thank him for allowing Father Paul Habing, a Springfield diocesan priest, to serve in his territory.

A territorial prelature is an area that is not a diocese, yet is considered a particular church with its own bishop. Bishop Schmalhausen’s prelature is located in the Andes Mountains in Peru, where about 90 percent of the population is Catholic.

During Bishop Schmalhausen’s visit, family members of Father Habing came from Teutopolis, Effingham and Decatur to join the two bishops and members of the Curia staff for Mass at the Catholic Pastoral Center on Ash Wednesday.

“This is a very special time when the church guides us to the Passion and to Easter,” Bishop Schmalhausen said in his homily, part of which he delivered in English. “It is a time to purify our hearts, something that is not only important, but necessary for our Christian life. Prayer, charity and fasting are practices that help us in a very simple way to purify our hearts, which helps us to reconnect our lives with him, which purifies us from our old habits and cleans us inside. Charity to our sisters and brothers purifies us to love each other so our hearts will be open.

“Let us pray these 40 days, a very special time to share the passion and resurrection with Christ, so we in the church are a light for all people in the world.”

All but one of Father Habing’s siblings came to Springfield to meet Bishop Schmalhausen. Father Habing’s older brother Paul and his wife Jean, and his sisters Louise Sheehan and Zita Niebrugge came from Teutopolis, Father Habing’s home town. Sisters Dorothy Bushurin from Effingham, and Susan Vasquez and her husband Richard from Decatur came. Their youngest brother, Larry was at work. “He is not retired like the rest of us,” said Susan Vasquez.

Two Springfield Dominicans, Sister Mary Rose Schleeper and Sister Doris Taylor, who were missionaries for many years in Peru, joined the group, as did several seminarians and three Mexican Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Ad Gentes for the Mass and a private visit with Bishop Schmalhausen and Father Habing’s family after Mass.

“I am very thankful for the help and generosity of Father Paul,” Bishop Schmalhausen said. “They are a very beautiful family. It is very exciting to get to know Father Paul’s brother and sisters. I think this is an invitation for our Catholic families to promote vocations and missionaries. Every vocation is able to grow in a really Catholic family.”

In 2005, the Teutopolis native priest celebrated his silver jubilee. Much of his priestly ministry has been spent in Peru, first as a missionary in the Andes Mountains from 1987 to 1992, and since 1994, serving as a parish priest in Peru.

Vicki Compton, director of the Office for the Missions drove Bishop Schmalhausen and the religious brother who accompanied him back and forth from the St. Louis Airport.

“This was his first trip here. He likes the cold weather. He said we are lucky to have such a good bishop, a very good man,” Compton said.

Susan Vasquez said their family liked meeting Bishop Schmalhausen. “I think he appreciated meeting us as much as we appreciated meeting him. It was such a great opportunity. I think Paul would have really loved that.”