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Bishop Kmiec begins "journey of faith" Installed as 13th Bishop of Buffalo
"We welcome you officially, first of all as you now become a Buffalonian, you now become a Western New Yorker, and we hope you become a Bills fan. They need all the hope and prayers they can get," said Auxiliary Bishop Edward M. Grosz in his welcoming address. "And of course, we wish you all of God’s blessings as we, who are your family here in the diocese, pledge to you our allegiance, our spirit of cooperation. You have already touched our hearts in so many beautiful ways, and so we say to you, may God so richly bless you." Bishop Grosz, who had been acting as diocesan administrator since May, added a special welcome for the first bishop of Polish descent to helm the diocese. "Ad multos annos, wszystkiego najlepszego, szczes boze. Sto lat." Cardinal Edward Egan of the Archdiocese of New York invited Papal Nuncio Bishop Gabriel Montalvo to read the apostolic letter from Pope John Paul II naming Bishop Kmiec to the diocese.
Reading the words of Pope John Paul II, Archbishop Montalvo said, "Since you have been an able brother, with proven qualities, are very experienced in sacred matters, seem suitable to govern it, we for our part except in the opinion of the congregation of the bishops by apostolic authority, release you from the bond of the prior Diocese of Nashville and we appoint you bishop of Buffalo with all the rights and obligations." After the reading, Bishop Montalvo and Cardinal Egan led Bishop Kmiec to his cathedra, or bishop’s chair, where they presented him with his crosier. Cardinal Egan later revealed that the crosier, or staff, once belonged to Bishop Kmiec’s mentor, the late Bishop George W. Ahr of Trenton, N. J. When Bishop Kmiec sat in the cathedra, he officially became the bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo. After a round of applause, he was met by dignitaries from the eight counties of Western New York, including the Mayor of Buffalo, Anthony Masiello, Erie County Executive Joel Giambra and Chautauqua County Executive Mark Thomas. In his first homily as Buffalo’s shepherd, Bishop Kmiec told of his youth, growing up in a home with immigrant Polish parents. "I was often part of a wonderful ethnic and faith-filled custom, where upon entering a home, especially for the first time, a special salutation was used," he said. "Today, I come to a new home, the Diocese and Church of Buffalo, and I greet you in the form and language of that salutation: "Niech bedzie Pochwalony Jezus Chrystus!" After hearing many voices reply, "Na wieki wiekow. Amen." the bishop answered, "I kind of thought some of you might be able to answer that." He quickly assured everyone that he will "serve all of the community of faith of Buffalo, in all your diversity and ethnicity." He then translated his greeting: "Praised be the Lord Jesus Christ." The response was, "Forever and ever. Amen." Bishop Kmiec thanked the pope for the confidence placed in him. "It is a humbling honor to be considered for such a pastoral responsibility and to be designated by the Holy Father himself," he said. "I have pledged to the Holy Father, as I do to you today, that I will give all the best that is in me to fulfill this office of service to you, all that has been bestowed upon me, as we journey together, forward in faith, hope and love." He also expressed his excitement over his new post. "At confirmations, seeing the excitement of the youngsters that I am about to confirm, I often like to tell them that I am excited too, as I tell them, that bishops can get pumped up too. And dear friends, I assure you, I am pumped up today. This is a memory for a lifetime, a peak experience, a wondrous gift of God and of so many of the Church. "To tell you the truth, I have been pumped up for a couple of months now, particularly since receiving the call from the papal nuncio back in early August, advising that the Holy Father had it in mind to appoint me as bishop of Buffalo. Since I still have not figured out how to say, ‘No,’ to an invitation of the Holy Father, I said, ‘Yes,’ with humility, but to be honest, with some measure of consternation." The bishop admitted to some apprehension and anxiety when he received the invitation from Bishop Montalvo to come to Buffalo, but assured the audience at the cathedral and those watching on television at home, that the people of the diocese have made him feel welcomed. "What great warmth and welcome I experienced at that time and all the time in between," he said. "A virtual stranger and unknown, I felt and feel so embraced by you all. I think it’s a wondrous attribute of our Church, but especially of you, the people of the eight counties of the Diocese of Buffalo, to accept one sent as a shepherd with such unconditional welcome. It has continued over the past intervening months, as I have received hundreds of letters from you, all expressing those same sentiments. I can’t fully express how much that touches my heart, as has your welcome of me today and these past few days as well. And for that, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I’m thrilled to be here, and I look forward with excitement and enthusiasm to walk with you on our journey of faith." Bishop Kmiec closed his homily by mentioning Pope John Paul’s desire to initiate a "Year of the Eucharist." "Our Holy Father also said, ‘There is a close connection between the Eucharist and announcing Christ.’ That is such a good fit, since my chief role as a bishop, as I see it, is to bring Christ to the people, all of you, humbled by the privilege, yet I am nonetheless proud to be here. In the words of our Lord, I come as one to serve, not to be served, as we heard in the Gospel, a footwasher. Every bishop, indeed every pastor, has his own pastoral style, a unique way through which he images Christ. Mine is as much as one can be, to be a people person, which I am reputed to be and which I seek to convey. "My intention is to make my episcopal motto, ‘Charity and Service,’ the true characteristic and hallmark of my ministry, that is, to love and to serve. In the mystery of God’s providence and the workings of the Holy Spirit, our pastoral paths merge here in Buffalo. I look forward to meeting you all somehow and somewhere in the days and years to come. It was easier to do that back in Nashville with a much smaller congregation. Perhaps here you can all wear name badges for about a year or two until I can get around. Please forgive me of any slowness in getting to know you, but I want you to know, I’m going to try to do that. Niagara Falls, as part of our diocese, and for many, many generations has been a honeymoon destination. So I’m asking and praying, we have a wonderful honeymoon, a good and lasting one. "Together, let us all strive to do great and good things for the Lord. In the words of Psalm 90: "May the divine favor be upon us. Give success to the work of our hands, give success to the work of our hands." In his closing remarks, Cardinal Egan told the people of Buffalo, "I can assure you he was the kind of man you’d expect to be a dedicated priest and devoted bishop." He then added the last of many sports references of the evening. "You’ve got a home run here." The two-hour installation ceremony took place at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in downtown Buffalo on Thursday, Oct. 28. There were more than 40 archbishops and bishops from across the country, including Archbishop Henry J. Mansell of Hartford, Conn., Bishop Robert J. Cunningham of Ogdensburg, and Bishop Donald W. Trautman of Erie, Pa. Read Bishop Kmiec's installation homily (Installation Mass, Oct. 28, 2004, St. Joseph's Cathedral) |
Ending
10 months of anticipation and wonder, Bishop Edward Kmiec accepted his
crosier and took his seat at St. Joseph’s Cathedral as the 13th bishop
of Buffalo.
"On
this feast of the apostles Simon and Jude we are reminded once again that
the eternal shepherd never leaves his flock unattended. And, after the
Apostles, he watches over the Church, protecting us always. Indeed, today,
the Diocese of Buffalo rejoices as His Excellency, Bishop Edward Kmiec, is
solemnly installed as its new shepherd," Bishop Montalvo said.
"As we offer Bishop Kmiec our healthy congratulations and the
assurance for his spiritual support, we also express our confidence that
he will serve the people entrusted with his pastoral care as a faithful
bearer of the Gospel by teaching, sanctifying and confirming in the name
of Christ so that they will continue to grow and flourish in our communion
of faith, hope and charity."