WITH the singing of Psalm 122, we will begin the Solemn Mass and the Liturgical Reception of Archbishop Mark Coleridge as the seventh bishop and sixth Archbishop of Brisbane.
During that Mass I am sure my mind will be taken back to other “installations” in which I have participated.
In 1973, at the late Archbishop Francis Rush’s Installation, I was a chorister.
In 1992, for Archbishop John Bathersby, I was the Master of Ceremonies, and now in 2012 I will be privileged as Dean of the Cathedral to welcome Archbishop Mark.
On this day I know that uppermost in Archbishop Coleridge’s mind is the desire that this should be an event for the Church, in its local form, as he becomes the new shepherd of the archdiocese.
He is keen to ensure that the Solemn Mass and Liturgical Reception is truly representative of the whole archdiocese.
Without exception an “Installation” Mass is precisely that – a unifying event for the local Church whereby a good representation of the priests and the people gather with their new bishop to celebrate the Eucharist.
It is here that we see a visible expression of the Church as envisaged by the Second Vatican Council, wherein the bishop gathers with his presbyters and the faithful in his cathedral church to create a very strong sign of the local church gathered in prayer and worship through the celebration of the Eucharist.
Therefore this Mass, his first within the archdiocese as Archbishop, is a sign of the unity that he fosters through his leadership as chief pastor.
As anticipated we are expecting a large number of priests to concelebrate the Mass with the Archbishop.
Archbishop Coleridge is known as the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province of Brisbane. In this role, he also promotes a sense of unity amongst the five dioceses within Queensland.
All priests and bishops within the province are also invited to concelebrate.
The deacons will also be present and have a role, as will our religious and pastoral ministers.
One of the significant moments of the liturgy will be when representatives of the archdiocese present themselves to the Archbishop, firstly as a sign of expressing their welcome and as a means of displaying their loyalty and respect to their bishop.
This is symbolised by their coming forward to the cathedra in the early stages of the Mass, soon after the papal bull of appointment has been read.
They will approach in various groupings, representing the clergy and pastoral leadership, members of religious orders, parishes and all of the archdiocesan vicariates.
Before any of that can occur, however, the procession of the bishops from Australia, as well as the deans and the consultors of the archdiocese, will begin at 10.30am.
Once they have arrived at the sanctuary, as Dean of the Cathedral, I will go to the front door and greet Archbishop Coleridge.
After I welcome him, he will kiss the processional crucifix known as the Metropolitan cross used only by the Archbishop of Brisbane. He then takes holy water and begins to sprinkle the people as he processes down the aisle.
The Archbishop will go into the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, and as we pray with him, he kneels in prayer before going to the sacristy to vest for the Mass.
After the Archbishop begins the Mass with the sign of the cross and the greeting of the Risen Lord, Fr Adrian Farrelly, as the Chancellor of the archdiocese, together with the archdiocesan consultors, will come forward and read the papal bull of appointment.
Archbishop Emeritus John Bathersby will then offer words of welcome to Archbishop Coleridge.
Archbishop Bathersby is obviously very suited to this role, having guided the Brisbane archdiocese for the past 20 years. As he also knows Archbishop Coleridge very well as a friend, he is in an excellent position to introduce him to the archdiocese.
From there the archdiocesan representatives come forward to greet the Archbishop.
Once that is concluded we sing the Gloria and the opening prayer, or “collect”, of the Mass is then prayed by Archbishop Coleridge.
From this point we move into the Mass as we normally would expect it – the Liturgy of the Word, (with the homily given by Archbishop Coleridge, the affirmation of the Apostles Creed, the Prayers of the Faithful), and the Liturgy of Eucharist.
The vestments Archbishop Coleridge will wear are gifts from the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn.
He will use the crozier that was commissioned by the priests of Brisbane archdiocese as a sesquicentenary gift in 2009.
In all, the preparations thus far have focused on making this a happy day of gathering the local Church as it receives its new shepherd and prays for him to be strengthened and blessed in his vital ministry to the people entrusted to his pastoral care.
Note: Due to cathedral size, attendance at the installation is by invitation. The installation will be webcast live as well as being available “on demand” after the event via a prominent link on the archdiocesan website www.bne.catholic.net.au
