My Dear Friends in Christ,
I want to begin by thanking Almighty God for this day and for the abundance of grace that He has poured out upon me and upon the Diocese of Columbus. I hope and pray that I may be a shepherd after the Heart of Christ, born of the Blessed Virgin, my patroness, and that I may be a gentle servant of the Gospel, like St. Francis de Sales, the patron of our Diocese.
I thank the Holy Father, Pope Francis, for the opportunity to serve as shepherd of this Diocese, and once more, I pledge my fidelity to him and his successors. I want to thank Archbishop Schnurr, Archbishop Pierre, and Bishop Brennan for consecrating me, as well as my brother bishops who made the trip here from all parts of the country.
I thank Archbishop Schnurr for his fatherly care and leadership as my bishop in Cincinnati and look forward to learning from him and working collegially with him. He was instrumental in bringing about a rebirth and flourishing of vocations in Cincinnati, and I hope to reproduce his success here in Columbus.
I thank Archbishop Pierre for his service to this country as Apostolic Nuncio. Through him, we experience the closeness of the Holy Father. I am grateful for his paternal affection shown to me over the course of many years. I also want to acknowledge the presence of members of the staff of the Apostolic Nunciature who are present here. They work tirelessly behind the scenes so that dioceses may have bishops.
I want to thank Bishop Brennan. I have big shoes to fill. He was here only briefly, but he lifted the morale of both the people and the clergy, and we are happy to have him back, if only for a few days. He, of course, was building on the legacy of Bishops Campbell and Griffin, who I want to acknowledge. I also want to thank Archbishop Hartmayer for his fine homily, as well as Bishop Thomas of Toledo, who preached at the Vespers last night. To my brother bishops, I am looking forward to working with you and learning from you.
I acknowledge the presence of the Bishop of Lansing, Earl Boyea, who for many years referred to me as the “other Earl.” We apparently are the only two bishops in the world named Earl. He is from the Diocese which includes the team from “Up North,” a name which will not be spoken in a sacred place or in the Diocese of Columbus! He accused me already of “talking trash,” so while I am at it, I might point out that last November, there was no Catholic bishop of Columbus at the time of “the Game.” This year, I think, he and I will have a friendly wager – which he will lose!
I also want to acknowledge the presence of the clergy. The deacons of the Diocese of Columbus, along with the four deacons here present from my parish, have a special relationship to the bishop. I include my brother Trevor, as well as Deacon Berg, the Chancellor of the Diocese and one of the chief architects in the installation ceremonies, and thank them for their ministry of service.
To the priests of the Diocese of Columbus, I am so happy to be your shepherd and I look forward to listening to you and to working with you in the Lord’s Vineyard. I also want to work for you so that you may exercise your ministry with joy so as to attract more workers in the Lord’s vineyard. I want to – and I will be – close to you.
To my brothers from Cincinnati, to my former students, and to those priests whom I met in Rome and who traveled to come here to Ohio, I want to thank you for your friendship, support, and priestly witness. Thank you for bringing the joy of the Gospel and the sacraments to the holy people of God.
I also want to acknowledge the presence of so many religious and consecrated persons. You are living sign that God is to be loved above all else. I have been so privileged to just be in your presence and see your commitment to the poor, to your students, to the sick, and to the clergy. May God reward you one hundredfold!
Today is a great celebration for the whole People of God, especially here in Columbus. Someone once asked Cardinal Newman what he thought about the laity, and he responded, “I think we would look rather foolish without them.” I want to publicly acknowledge the staff of St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish with whom I have been privileged to work these past three years, as well as the countless lay men and women who have prayed for me and sacrificed for me and for so many priests. Your friendship has also meant the world to me. Personally, I don’t like to live in an overly clericalized world, and your presence as a leaven in the world, brings me both great hope and joy.
I also wish to acknowledge the government officials here present, especially Governor and Mrs. DeWine, Representative Wenstrup and his wife Monica, Representative Sheehy and his wife, Mayor Kapszukieuwicz, my high school classmate, Mayor Barhorst and his wife Jenny, and Danny O’Connor, who is representing the mayor of Columbus. I also want to acknowledge members of other faiths and Christian denominations. I look forward to working with all of you in helping to promote the dignity of the human person and the common good here in Columbus and throughout our great state.
To all who have made these liturgies and these days possible, especially the Installation Committee, the Musicians, the members of the police and Homeland Security, as well as all those engaged in hospitality, thank you. I especially want to thank Fr. Jonathan Wilson and the people of St. Paul Church in Westerville. Finally, I want to thank Julie Greer, who has now been executive assistant to four bishops, for handling all the invitations and RSVPs!
Today, I only want to say thank you. God-willing, I will be the bishop here for the next twenty-five years, and you will hear plenty from me. Columbus is a growing city and a growing Diocese, and with the vision that comes from the Gospel, and a lot of grace, I am convinced that together we can increase the Kingdom of God and build up the Church!
Mis queridos hermanos y hermanas,
Los saludo en el nombre de nuestro Señor Jesús. Estoy muy feliz de ser su obispo y deseo estar cerca de ustedes. Como hijo de inmigrantes, soy consciente de los muchos desafíos que enfrentan, pero también conozco de su gran fe y devoción, especialmente a la Santísima Virgen y a su hijo amado, Jesús. Ustedes tienen muchos dones y espero que los pongan al servicio de la Iglesia en la Diócesis de Columbus. Aunque no puedo hablar español muy bien, tal vez mi sonrisa sea la manera de decirles que su obispo los ama y aún más importante, que Dios los ama. Emprendamos este camino juntos como miembros de una familia de Dios, de una Iglesia de Cristo.
Agli italiani che stanno presente, vorrei ringraziarvi per tutto voi avete fatto per me, especialmente durante gli anni della formazione sacerdotale e sacerdozio. Vorrei riconoscere la presenza dei mei amici dal movimento Communione e Liberazione, dalla mia parrocchia Sacred Heart, dalla Società Fuscaldese, i Figli d’Italia, e United Italian Society. Grazie per la vostra amicizia, fraternità, e sopratutto per le vostre preghiere. Grazie di cuore! Nella gioia del Signore risorto, fiduciosi nel suo aiuto permanente, andiamo avanti. Il Signore ci aiuterà e Maria sua Santissima Madre starà dalla nostra parte. Grazie.
I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the presence of my family. My family in India could not join due to visa issues but they are joining via livestreaming, and so I greet them, as well as the many Indians and Indian-Americans who have supported me with their prayers. I also wish to acknowledge the presence of my cousins who made the trek from Canada; although they are few in number, their prayers are powerful. My nephews and nieces too have been a great support for me throughout the years, filling me with joy and hope for our future. Then, of course, there are my brothers and their wives. Their wives will have a high place in heaven. My brothers have been a source of strength and support throughout my nearly five decades of life, and they are the fruit of my parents’ love.
At the press conference at the time of my appointment, I said that without my parents, I would be absolutely nothing. It is true. They gave me life and faith and made countless hidden sacrifices so that we boys could make the most of the freedom this country offers and the freedom offered by Jesus Christ. My father would be ecstatic from his place in heaven, and my mother is very near to passing into eternity, but together they raised a child to be a priest to be a successor of the Apostles. How much I wish I could tell them how much I love them!
My mother has moments of lucidity. The other day my youngest brother reminded her that I was becoming a bishop. She said, “I know, but why would he want to do that? There’s no money in that!”
When I told her that the Pope nominated me to be a bishop, she said, “That is good news. This will be a blessing. It will be a blessing for our family. It will be a blessing for everyone.” Let us hope and pray that she was being prophetic.
Faith and Family. We are the Church, the Family of God, in the Diocese of Columbus. The Pope wants a synodal church, a Church that walks together. I invite you, the People of God, to get on the road with me – to journey with me on the road that leads to Paradise. We can no longer be content with remaining in our churches and offices. We must be a missionary Church that goes forth to share the joy of the Gospel. Columbus has tremendous potential for growth and a tremendous need for the Gospel of Jesus Christ who brings salvation.
Following Pentecost, the Church grew rapidly. Here in Columbus, we need a new Pentecost to set the world on fire. We also need missionaries and priests willing to make a gift of themselves in the service of the Gospel. While I am honored to be the shepherd of this Diocese and I promise to work hard for you, I bring to your attention that this year in the Diocese of Columbus, there will be more bishops ordained than priests. I ask every man, woman, and child to pray for vocations to the priesthood, especially for our Diocese. St. Jeanne Jugan, the foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor, once said, “Le plus parfait acte d’amour c’est le sacrifice.” The most perfect act of love is sacrifice.
Sacrifice is usually difficult and irksome. Only love can make it easy and perfect love can make it a joy. We are willing to sacrifice in proportion to our love, and when our love is perfect the sacrifice is complete. There is no greater love than this – to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. I am asking you to make little sacrifices with great love for priestly vocations, and to the young men here present, I am asking you to make a sacrifice – to make a gift of yourself – out of love for the people of our Diocese.
To answer the call requires courage, and so we invoke the Holy Spirit asking him to come to us and to give us that same courage that allowed the Virgin Mary to say Yes. Let it be done to me according to your word. We turn once more to ask the Holy Spirit to descend upon us and to come to us through Mary, the Mother of the Lord: Veni Sancte Spiritus, Veni per Mariam.