The Catholic Standard & Times - Chester County gets new vicar

‘My Lord and my God:’
The Episcopal ordination of
Bishop Daniel E. Thomas

By NADIA POZO
CS&T Staff Writer

The majestic sounds of the Cathedral choir filled the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul as the Church of Philadelphia, in union with the universal Church, celebrated with palpable joy the elevation of one of its own to the episcopacy.

Bishop Daniel E. Thomas became the twenty-third auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia. The celebration was described as “a wonderful affirmation of everything that is best in the Catholic Church — the gift of the episcopacy, the gift of the priesthood and above all the gift of faith,” by the Catholic intellectual and author George Weigel, who is a close friend of the Bishop.

Hundreds of clergy, including five cardinals, 11 archbishops, 30 bishops and more than 350 priests, lined the streets surrounding the Cathedral Basilica in a procession led by flag-carrying students of Roman Catholic High School for Boys, the bishop’s alma mater.

The Cathedral was filled to capacity with family members from around the country and friends from all over the world, who did not want to miss “the special grace to see such a great priest become a bishop,” said Father Marcel Taillon, the vocations director for the Diocese of Providence, R. I., who was the first seminarian to have Bishop Thomas’ as his spiritual director.

There was no mistaking the sacredness and power of the ordination liturgy, which was an act of thanksgiving and praise for the gift of the Church’s newest shepherd — a man described as holy, prayerful, joyful and faith-filled.

“He exudes those gifts,” said Msgr. James F. Checchio, the rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome. “You’re excited about the faith just being [near] him. He is a great gift to the Archdiocese.”

For the new bishop, the day was filled with wonder, but it was also touched with sadness that his mother had not lived to see him elevated as bishop. She died on Dec. 1, 2004; but the Bishop and his family believe it was not an accident that his ordination fell on July 26, the feast of SS Joachim and Anne, his mother’s patron saint. That day had always been celebrated in the Thomas household by going to St. Anne Church in Philadelphia to venerate her relic.

To honor Anna Thomas’ memory and the feast day, the church lent its relic of St. Anne to the Cathedral Basilica, so it could be displayed during the ordination ceremony.

Four young people from Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines — representing the diversity of the Church, and dressed in their country’s native garb — placed flowers before the reliquary during the offertory procession.

“[The ordination liturgy] was the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen,” said the Bishop’s brother, Francis P. Thomas. “I have great pride. I’m just so happy we could be here, but sorry my mom couldn’t,” he said. “I’m sure she’s looking down on it and it’s just a fabulous day — just fabulous.”

The Bishop’s father was also visibly moved by the event.

In his homily, Cardinal Justin Rigali noted that, just as Saints Joachim and Anne prepared the Blessed Virgin Mary “for her exalted mission as mother of Jesus, mother of God” so, too, all Christian parents help their children reach their vocation.

“As a bishop of the Church, you are called to proclaim the Holy Catholic Faith which you first learned from [your parents] and to which they bore witness in the family to you and your brother,” the Cardinal said.

Bishop Thomas echoed that gratitude during his comments at the end of the Mass.

“I thank the Lord for you, Dad, and for Mother — for nurturing me in faith, hope and love, for planting the seed of my vocation, for teaching me how to pray — to love the Lord, His Church and others — how to live, and how to forgive,” the Bishop said, filled with emotion.

The Cardinal also addressed the role of a bishop during his homily, calling Bishop Thomas to be, in the words of Pope John Paul II, “a sign of hope for the people of God, as strong and unbreakable as the cross, becoming a living sign of the risen Christ” — a sign of His love, compassion, truth and of the unity of the Church.

“Up until now, dear brother Daniel, you have striven to be a sign of Christ in the faithful fulfillment of your priesthood,” the Cardinal said. “From now on you are meant to bear even greater witness as a bishop. Everything you do in your Episcopal ministry, beginning with the proclamation of the word of God that culminates in its Eucharistic celebration, you must strive to do with contagious joy.”

It is the new Bishop’s joy that has touched and transformed the lives of many who know him — and it was that joy and love, reciprocated by his family, friends, brother priests and the people he served in parishes, that was evident in the ceremony, said Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Harrisburg.

“I think it’s a great choice of the Holy Father — or I should say, the Holy Spirit,” Bishop Rhoades said.

“If he is as much a bishop as he is a priest, he will be fabulous,” added Betty Jo Rose, a parishioner of Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, who worked closely with him when he was pastor there, through the Legion of Mary and in service to the parish.
“He is exactly what this diocese needs,” she said.

Weigel went on to say, “I expect him, as the years unfold, to become more and more one of the great spokesman for the Catholic faith in the United States.”

Bishop Thomas, reverent and visibly filled with awe, addressed the clergy, dignitaries and ecumenical leaders, and his family and friends, thanking them for their presence and for the ways they have touched his own life, calling to mind the words professed by St. Thomas: “My Lord and my God.”

“With these profound words, St. Thomas professed his belief in the risen Christ Jesus, who reveals Himself through his glorified wounds to his apostle,” Bishop Thomas said.
“‘My Lord and my God.’ It is with these same words that I now profess anew, I believe in the Risen Christ, who has revealed Himself to this new successor of the Apostles and to each of us present in the Word we heard proclaimed, in the sacred ritual of ordination, and in the Body and Blood we have received ...,” he said.

“‘My Lord and my God.’ At this moment, filled with the love of the Father and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, I greet the risen Jesus, who has revealed Himself to me through all of you,” Bishop Thomas continued.

“And I beg your prayers, that I may always reveal Him, and Him alone. That He may make of me an empty instrument of His grace, an ardent successor of the Apostles, a courageous preacher of the Gospel, a loving father and shepherd, a faithful spouse of the Church, a holy bishop....

“With a heart filled with love and gratitude, I pray that, together, we may stand before the Lord today and every day, professing our belief in the Risen Christ Jesus, and proclaiming my Lord and my God.”

CS&T staff writer Nadia Pozo can be reached at npozo@adphila.org or (215) 965-4614.

Bishop called to be ‘a sign of Christ’s compassion’

Homily of
Cardinal Justin Rigali
Episcopal Ordination of Bishop Daniel E. Thomas
Auxiliary Bishop of
Philadelphia
Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul
July 26, 2006

Your Eminences,
Dear brother Bishops and Priests,
Dear Deacons, Religious, Seminarians,
Dear Faithful Laity of this Archdiocese of Philadelphia,
Dear Family Members and Friends of Bishop-elect Thomas,
Dear Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Guests,
And especially you, Dan, our dear brother called to the Episcopacy,

Our late beloved Holy Father Pope John Paul II repeatedly proclaimed the ideal and challenges of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. He spoke to every category of Christian people about their particular vocation. In a very beautiful way he frequently spelled out what it means to be a Bishop of the Church of God, to share in the Episcopacy of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Today the Church of Philadelphia and many others gather with us to reflect on the pastoral office of the Bishop as we celebrate in word and sacrament the episcopal ordination of Monsignor Daniel Thomas.

The sacred Ordination rite that we perform is done in communion with our Holy Father and by his authority and mandate. We are here because of the choice made by the Church, acting in the Holy Spirit and through the selection of Pope Benedict XVI, of Monsignor Thomas for the office of Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia.

Monsignor Thomas is a son of the Church of Philadelphia, a member of our presbyterate, and until recently the zealous pastor, since his return to the Archdiocese, of Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Strafford. Prior to this he served the universal Church in Rome, in the Congregation for Bishops.

Over the years Monsignor Thomas has shared his faith and friendship with his brother priests. He has come from their ranks and is known and loved by them. Our gathering today is witness to the great esteem in which he is held. But his priestly ministry also reflects the dedication, generosity and integrity of so many Philadelphia priests who, like him, make every effort to live faithfully their vocation of priestly holiness and service, and to whom the community renders deep honor and respect.

Today’s feast is that of Saints Joachim and Ann, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Through them Mary was prepared for her exalted mission as Mother of Jesus, Mother of God. This ordination ceremony, Dan, bids us remember the important role of all Christian parents, including your own, in helping their children to reach their vocation. We recall your mother, Anna, on this her feast day, and give thanks for the presence of your father among us. As a Bishop of the Church you are called to proclaim the holy Catholic faith which you first learned from them and to which they bore witness in the family to you and your brother. I am sure that you first learned also from your parents the deep meaning and consequences of those words of Saint Paul that we have just heard proclaimed in our second reading: “We preach not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus.”

Proclaiming Jesus Christ will be at the core of your episcopal ministry. And the sacramental proclamation of His Death and Resurrection in the Eucharist will be the source and summit of all your episcopal activity as it has been of all your priestly life and ministry. From the Eucharist you will draw both the strength to fulfill your role and the clear understanding that this strength is not your own. Saint Paul reminds us that “we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.”

How then do we describe this episcopal ministry that you are about to receive? What do we say about the identity of the Bishop?

The Second Vatican Council and the whole tradition of the Church have spoken at length about the ministry of the Bishop. In an address to the Bishops of the United States (September 5, 1983), our late Holy Father Pope John Paul II explained so much of the Bishop’s identity by stating that the Bishop is “a living sign of Jesus Christ,” one who in and through his own humanity communicates Jesus Christ and makes Him visible to the People of God. The words of Pope John Paul II help us to understand how all-embracing is the ministry of the Bishop as a living sign of Jesus Christ. The Holy Father underlined various dimensions of the Bishop as a sign. This is how he put it:

— The Bishop is “the sign of the love of Jesus Christ” as he offers understanding and consolation to those in need, in trouble and in pain. In a special way, the Bishop is “the sign of Christ’s love for his priests.” Dan, I know that you will eagerly try to be this sign and to help me, together with Bishop Maginnis, Bishop Cistone and Bishop McFadden, to fulfill ever more effectively this service to our priests in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

— The Bishop is also called to be “a sign of Christ’s compassion.” The Holy Father further explained this, saying: “The consciousness on the part of the Bishop of personal sin, coupled with repentance and with the forgiveness received from the Lord, makes his human expression of compassion ever more authentic and credible. But the compassion that he signifies and lives in the name of Jesus can never be a pretext for him to equate God’s merciful understanding of sin and love for sinners with a denial of the full liberating truth that Jesus proclaimed. Hence there can be no dichotomy between the Bishop as a sign of Christ’s compassion and as a sign of Christ’s truth.”

— The Bishop is truly then “a sign of fidelity to the doctrine of the Church.” He is never reticent to proclaim the teaching of the Church, which he embraces with all his heart, together with his brother Bishops and in communion with the Roman Pontiff, in virtue of a charism sustained by the Spirit of Truth.

— Another role assigned to the Bishop is to be “a teacher of prayer,” and as such he is meant to be “a living sign of the praying Christ.” Like Christ, the Bishop is called to submit all his pastoral initiatives and decisions to the Father. Jesus did nothing without praying.

— The Bishop is called moreover to be “a sign of the unity of the universal Church.” For this, Dan, you have a special sensitivity, because of your long priestly service to the Holy See. We are never more ourselves-the Church of Philadelphia-than when we embrace the Church’s universal faith and discipline, and are open in charity to the needs of the universal Church, which by her nature is missionary. Sometimes we are asked why we give to the Church’s missions, why we help those far away, why we offer support to the Pope when there are so many needs at home. The universal Church and our belonging to her prevent us from ever becoming a sect turned in on ourselves and oblivious to the needs of others throughout the world. Yes, the Bishop is indeed called to be “a sign of Catholic solidarity.”

— As a living sign of Jesus Christ, the Bishop cannot renounce the preaching of the Cross. Like Jesus, he must accept criticism and acknowledge failure in not always being able to obtain a consensus of doctrine acceptable to everyone. Because he is “a sign of fidelity” he must therefore also be “a sign of contradiction.” Jesus was a sign of contradiction. He could preach nothing other than what His Father communicated to Him. He said: “... I do nothing on my own, but I say only what the Father taught me” (Jn 8:28). Despite great openness and gentle dialogue, you too, Dan, must be the same sign of contradiction in the world. “The Bishop,” Pope John Paul II tells us, “will proclaim without fear or ambiguity the many controverted truths of our age. He will proclaim them with pastoral love, in terms that will never unnecessarily offend or alienate his hearers, but he will proclaim them clearly, because he knows the liberating quality of truth.”

— Finally, in the words of Pope John Paul II, the Bishop is meant to be “a sign of hope for the People of God, as strong and unbreakable as the sign of the Cross, becoming a living sign of the Risen Christ.” From Christ's Cross and Resurrection he draws all the strength necessary “to live by faith in the Son of God" (Gal 2:21).

Up until now, dear brother Daniel, you have striven to be a living sign of Jesus Christ in the faithful fulfillment of your priesthood. From now on you are meant to bear even greater witness as a Bishop. Everything you do in your episcopal ministry, beginning with the proclamation of the word of God that culminates in its Eucharistic celebration, you must strive to do with contagious joy.

Among the many tasks that will be yours as an Auxiliary Bishop and a Vicar General I am asking you to give very special attention to the service of our brother priests and seminarians, and to coordinating all the efforts of our local Church in promoting vocations to the priesthood. In God’s wonderful plan every vocation in the community of the Church needs the Eucharist and, therefore, the priesthood. You yourself will always exist to serve the Eucharist, the priesthood and the community.

In this work and in everything else you do as a living sign of Jesus Christ, you will be supported by the people of God, who look to you for encouragement and pastoral love. Remember that so many of our faithful people are making heroic efforts to be faithful to Jesus Christ and His Church. They want you to walk with them, leading them in prayer, and proclaiming to them God’s holy word as it is understood and interpreted by the Church. At the same time they want to see Jesus in you, because they know intuitively that the Bishop is meant to be “a living sign of Jesus Christ.”

You will also be supported by your brother priests, your brother Bishops in the Archdiocese and in the Episcopal Conference. You will continue to be confirmed in your faith by the Successor of Peter and sustained by God's grace through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, who in her glorious Assumption is herself “a sure sign of hope” for us all.

At the very center of your existence is the person whom, as a Bishop, you must trust completely and constantly endeavor to represent as “a living sign.” And it is He, Jesus Christ, whom you confess today and always, with the Apostle Thomas and with the whole Church as “my Lord and my God.” Amen.