Memorial Mass for Bishop Muhich celebrated in Eveleth

The Northern Cross 

Bishop Daniel Felton celebrated a memorial Mass for Rapid City Bishop Peter Muhich, a beloved son of the Diocese of Duluth, on March 4 at Resurrection Church in Eveleth. Resurrection was Bishop Muhich's home parish and the place he made his first Mass of Thanksgiving after being ordained a priest for the Duluth Diocese. (Photo by Deacon Kyle Eller / The Northern Cross)

Bishop Daniel Felton, joined by many of the clergy and faithful of the Duluth Diocese, celebrated a Memorial Mass March 4 at a packed Resurrection Church in Eveleth for the late Bishop Peter Muhich of the Diocese of Rapid City, S.D. 

Bishop Muhich died Feb. 17 after a brief time in hospice care, suffering from esophageal cancer. He was 62 years old. 

Father James Bissonette said in his homily that he met Bishop Muhich when they were juniors in high school and entered the seminary together in 1978. “We’ve been best friends ever since,” he said. “And I’m so very grateful to have had such a good friend for so long.” 

He noted that the late bishop had loved his family, his hometown of Eveleth, the Iron Range, and Resurrection Church, where he had offered his first Mass of Thanksgiving after he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Duluth. 

“Peter learned how to develop his mind and share his heart first here,” Father Bissonette said. “He was bright, logical, focused, and extremely ordered. Extremely. Believe you me, I know.” 

He said growing up in Eveleth had given Bishop Muhich a “steady, practical approach that never left him.” That upbringing, he said, taught the future bishop how to get along with others, the value of hard work, dedication, and how to be of service to others. 

“He was surrounded by believers,” Father Bissonette said. “From Uncle Tommy and so many others, the lesson was learned: The souls of the just are in the hand of God. Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love.” 

He praised the faith passed on by Bishop Muhich’s parents, who were present for the Mass. 

Father James Bissonette delivers the homily at a memorial Mass March 4 for Rapid City Bishop Peter Muhich, whom he described as his best friend since 1978 and a man of deep faith and a pastor's heart. (Photo by Deacon Kyle Eller / The Northern Cross)

“Surrounding everything and permeating everything, most importantly, Louis and Sally (Muhich) shared and passed on the Catholic faith to their children,” he said. “When I met Peter’s parents, they were traditional Catholics involved in the charismatic renewal. Peter’s faith was supported and strengthened in that environment. As a result, Peter has always been careful to put the Lord first, listen to him, and follow where the Lord would lead. Peter’s compass always pointed to the Lord. Peter was taught to trust the words of the Lord, and he did. ‘Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart, for my yoke is easy and my burden light.’” 

Father Bissonette said that the future bishop also learned from his many years as a priest of the Duluth Diocese. 

“Peter’s service as a priest in our diocese gave him the opportunity to learn from the Lord how to serve God’s people with a pastor’s heart,” he said. “From his first charge of Our Lady of the Snows in Bigfork and Saint Teresa’s in Effie to his final assignment, as rector of the (Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary), Peter was a pastor at heart.” 

He said that carried over in his new mission as Bishop of Rapid City. 

“I think his faith and his shepherd’s care deepened over his three and a half years with his new flock,” Father Bissonette said. “As Archbishop Hebda said during the funeral homily, Peter threw himself into the mission and spent himself for the sake of his people.” 

Father Bissonette recounted that when Bishop Peter’s doctor had difficulty breaking the news to him about his cancer, the bishop had replied, “It’s OK. I’m a man of faith. I’m a believer.” 

Father Bissonette said that toward the end of Bishop Muhich’s life, as he was struggling with the treatments, he had asked his friend if he was “preparing both ways” — for heaven and earth. 

“He just said, ‘If the Lord wants me to serve him here, I’ll serve him here. If he wants me to serve him there, I’ll serve him there. That’s all there is to it,’ Father Bissonette said. “To me, Peter was an example of hopeful, humble perseverance.” 

He said Bishop Muhich was buried in a plot on a beautiful, hilly spot on a bright, sunny day in Rapid City. 

“As I took leave of my friend and brother, I believe I will see him again,” he said. “I had a strange mixture of sadness and happiness: Sad because I would miss him. Happy because Bishop Peter had gone home. I could also imagine him saying, ‘All right, that’s enough about me. We still have the Lord’s work to do, you here and me there. Keep faith, look to the Risen Lord. He will help you carry your cross until you lay it down.’” 

At the close of the Mass, Bishop Muhich’s brother, Paul, delivered remarks and remembrances on behalf of the late bishop’s family. He told a number of stories of the future bishop’s childhood and loving, competitive interactions with his siblings, including a comparison of who had the best employer. “Only the best employer would suffice,” for his brother, he said — he’d gone to work for God. 

He said that his brother had truly lived out his episcopal motto, taken from the words of Jesus as he washed his disciples’ feet: “I have given you an example.”