There was a party tonight in the town of Valleyfield. Invited guests included some of the aristocracy of the church, and some of the family of the newly-arrived shepherd for the Diocese of Valleyfield. Summoned to the basement of the Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Cecilia, friends and relatives enjoyed a wonderful meal before the official celebration began.
While these revellers were downstairs, up in the main body of the Cathedral, final preparations were in full swing. As the gathered assembly completed the opening hymn, the guest of honour: His Excellency, Noel Simard knocked at the door of the Basilica, in the ancient gesture which asks for admittance to the newly-arrived Bishop's Church. He was greeted there by the Diocesan Adminstrator, who then conducted him to the sanctuary of the Church, where he was then greeted by His Eminence, Jean-Claude Turcotte, Archbishop of Montreal before being led to the cathedra. During the installation of a bishop, his arrival at the cathedra signifies the moment when he officially takes office, and assumes the role of chief teacher, leader and shepherd of the Church entrusted to his pastoral care. As expected, there was great applause from the gathered assembly.
Bishop Simard then presided over the celebration of the Mass, in company with other Bishops from various dioceses in Quebec and Ontario, as well as the Apostolic Nuncio to Canada, His Grace, Pedro Lopez-Quintana.
During his homily, Bishop Simard encouraged the people of his diocese to find inspiration in the opening lines of the Vatican II Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes). The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the followers of Christ. In an attempt to outline his vision for ministry within this diocese, the Bishop asked all the people of God to assist him with the task of identifying the hopes, griefs and anxieties of our time, and of responding to them so as to allow all people to discover the joy, peace and love of knowing God, and of following in the footsteps of Jesus.
It is fitting that Bishop Simard's episcopal motto is Joy, peace, love (taken from the letter of Paul to the Galatians). With these words, the task of leading this new flock has begun.
As it turns out, there are also two episcopal ordinations taking place on Saturday morning, so now that this momentous occasion has come to a close, the bishops will turn their attention to the Archdiocese of Quebec, where the ordinations are scheduled to take place ... and the story continues.
While these revellers were downstairs, up in the main body of the Cathedral, final preparations were in full swing. As the gathered assembly completed the opening hymn, the guest of honour: His Excellency, Noel Simard knocked at the door of the Basilica, in the ancient gesture which asks for admittance to the newly-arrived Bishop's Church. He was greeted there by the Diocesan Adminstrator, who then conducted him to the sanctuary of the Church, where he was then greeted by His Eminence, Jean-Claude Turcotte, Archbishop of Montreal before being led to the cathedra. During the installation of a bishop, his arrival at the cathedra signifies the moment when he officially takes office, and assumes the role of chief teacher, leader and shepherd of the Church entrusted to his pastoral care. As expected, there was great applause from the gathered assembly.
Bishop Simard then presided over the celebration of the Mass, in company with other Bishops from various dioceses in Quebec and Ontario, as well as the Apostolic Nuncio to Canada, His Grace, Pedro Lopez-Quintana.
During his homily, Bishop Simard encouraged the people of his diocese to find inspiration in the opening lines of the Vatican II Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes). The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the followers of Christ. In an attempt to outline his vision for ministry within this diocese, the Bishop asked all the people of God to assist him with the task of identifying the hopes, griefs and anxieties of our time, and of responding to them so as to allow all people to discover the joy, peace and love of knowing God, and of following in the footsteps of Jesus.
It is fitting that Bishop Simard's episcopal motto is Joy, peace, love (taken from the letter of Paul to the Galatians). With these words, the task of leading this new flock has begun.
As it turns out, there are also two episcopal ordinations taking place on Saturday morning, so now that this momentous occasion has come to a close, the bishops will turn their attention to the Archdiocese of Quebec, where the ordinations are scheduled to take place ... and the story continues.
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