Bishop-elect Christian Riesbeck was named the new auxiliary bishop of Ottawa by Pope Francis Jan. 7. Tentative plans call for his episcopal ordination to take place March 19.
Riesbeck has chosen as his motto Evangelii Gaudium — the Joy of the Gospel — in honour of the Companions’ founder, the late Fr. Bob Bedard. Riesbeck said his motto, inspired by Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, “reflects in many ways Fr. Bob’s charism and heritage.”
Riesbeck said Bedard has had an immense impact on his life and through Bedard he “experienced the fatherhood of God in a profound way.” Bedard impressed him with “his fatherly presence” and Riesbeck began being “spiritually fed” by his talks and homilies.
“He exhibited so much joy and zeal,” he said. “He was filled with enthusiasm and inspiring words” and love for the Church, love for the Holy Father and love for the people of God.
“The Lord wants a personal relationship with you,” Riesbeck said Bedard would say. “I have tried to follow his example in my own ministry to take every opportunity to evangelize and make sure my homilies are evangelistic.”
The Companions were founded in 1985 in Ottawa. Today they have 37 priests — including bishop-elect Riesbeck.
Riesbeck’s first experience with the Companions of the Cross came as a 19-year-old and a retreat with the St. Mary’s parish youth group in Ottawa. Bedard at the time was rector at St. Mary’s. Though he didn’t know anyone at the retreat, he felt warmly welcomed by the other participants.
“I noticed these young people my age who were on fire for the Lord, zealous, joyful. They had no qualms about praising the Lord in song, sharing their faith and talking about Jesus as if He were their best friend,” he said.
It wasn’t too far in the future, while studying at the University of Ottawa and preparing to take the admissions test for law school, that Riesbeck’s long-simmering idea to join the priesthood was resurrected. He realized that “only in doing God’s will” would he be truly happy.
It’s only after he said this inward “yes” that he was invited to meet Bedard and the rest of the Companions brothers. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1996, and then served at various parishes in Canada until becoming pastor at Queen of Peace parish in Houston, Texas, a Companions’ parish, until 2008. He returned to Ottawa to study canon law at Saint Paul University, but Archbishop Terrence Prendergast “got wind of it and roped me into being the chancellor.” In addition to being chancellor, he was the assistant general superior of the Companions.
“One of the most important things Fr. Bob taught was the importance of a radical surrender of our lives to the Lord,” he said. “If it’s not God’s will, it’s not worth doing.”
Bedard also talked about “giving God permission.” One prayer he recommended was “Lord whatever you want me to do, I will do it.” Another was, “Not ready, Lord, but willing.”
When Riesbeck received the call from the nunciature before Christmas about his upcoming appointment, “those were the words God gave me in prayer.”