Installation invitation

There was a time in the not distant past when a pastor just showed up in his new parish and started working.  No ceremony, no pomp, no reception committee, just unpack your belongings and begin doing the tasks of ministry.

About twenty-five years ago in our diocese deans began to conduct a ceremony of installation for new pastors in their deanery.  When Bishop Wuerl appointed me first pastor of the brand new parish Incarnation of the Lord on the North Side of Pittsburgh, I asked my neighbor, Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Tobin, to install me.  (Our dean arrived in the deanery the same week I started.  He asked his classmate, Auxiliary Bishop William Winter, to install him.)  When I called Tom, he said to me, "Can I do this?  I've never done it."  I said sure, you can do it, you're a bishop.  I'll send you a set of prayers.  (It was only years later that the diocese established a required order of prayers for the installation of a pastor.)

Bishop Tobin was most gracious, and didn't mention in his installation homily how often he had beaten me in games of racketball.  Within a few years, Bishop Wuerl got into the act, and before you knew it, having the head bishop come to your parish and install you ceremonially became a regular part of diocesan life.

As I've mentioned in an earlier post, on July 30 Bishop Zubik expanded my responsibilities from overseeing two parishes to four in the city of New Castle.  At the same time he formally appointed me pastor of each of the four parishes.  (I had been "administrator," a technical term from canon law.  It means the priest is in charge of the care of souls in the parish and has all the responsibilities, but does not have stability of office.)  He also scheduled four Masses at which he will install me ceremonially.  In conversation with Bishop Zubik, I made the suggestion that he might want to have just one Mass, and at that Mass install me as pastor of each of the parishes.  He demurred, and said, no, I'll come to each parish, to make sure that the parishioners understand that you are truly their pastor.

All my loyal readers are welcome to attend one (or more!) of these.  Here is the schedule:

Saturday, September 22, 4:00 p.m. Mass at Mary Mother of Hope Parish

Saturday, September 22, 6:00 p.m. Mass at St. Joseph the Worker Parish

Sunday, September 30, 9:00 a.m. Mass at St. Vitus Parish

Sunday, September 30, 11:00 a.m. Mass at St. Vincent de Paul Parish

After the bishop's homily, I will be asked to read/pray out loud the Creed, renew my promise of obedience to the bishop, and renew my promise to teach the Catholic faith in its entirety.  Then the bishop will call forth first my parochial vicars, as brothers in the ministry; the members of the pastoral and finance councils, and exhort me to listen to their wise counsel; the staff of the parish, as co-workers in the vineyard; and finally ask all parishioners to stand, to recognize that I care for all the people in the parish, without fear or favor.

In one of our last "Good Leaders, Good Shepherd" sessions, we were asked to think about a moment or time that stood out for each of us as special in our priesthood, and to share it in our small group.  Mine was on Sunday, March 15, 2009, when Bishop Zubik came to St. Mary Church in Sharpsburg to install me as the first pastor of the newest parish in the diocese, Saint Juan Diego.  I had asked his permission to cancel three of the weekend Masses, and in a sign of the unified community have only one liturgy in the cathedral-like St. Mary's.  He agreed.  I invited the Korean Catholic Community, who met regularly in St. John Cantius Church in Sharpsburg, to join us.  Father Choi and the congregation were happy to come.  Their wonderful choir joined our parish choir as music ministers.  And the local Lutheran pastor brought his whole congregation to Mass as well.  (At his invitation, I had preached in his church only a few Sundays before for the Octave of Unity, and this was a kind act of reciprecation.)  We had children dressed in four nationality costumes (German, Italian, Polish, Korean) to bring up the gifts of bread and wine, and prayers of the faithful prayed in six languages.  There were 1,089 persons participating, SRO, literally hanging from the rafters.  In my mind, this sparkling Mass was Church at its best.

All are welcome to attend these installation Masses.  Just know because of the tight schedule, there will not be a reception after any Mass.  Nevertheless, I am very grateful to the bishop to come north to New Castle twice to install me as pastor.  May these rites make every one of us more aware of Christ the slave/servant, who came to serve and not to be served.