Our New Archbishop

This last Thursday the 11th Archbishop of our Diocese, John Wilson, was installed at our Cathedral of St George’s at Southwark. It was a day of great joy and celebration. In his homily Archbishop John said that “if any of you are surprised of see me standing here today, then let me reassure you that you’re not as surprised as I am.”

We were celebrating the feast of St James the Apostle. The first reading for that feast was 2 Corinthians 4:7-15. It begins “We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to make it clear that such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us.” Archbishop John spoke of this passage when he said: “We may be fragile vessels, mere earthenware jars, only too aware of our limitations and conscious of our unworthiness, but God pours into us the gifts, and the graces, and the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Whatever we have to face, whatever problems or difficulties, we do so certain that we carry within us the very life of the Lord Jesus Christ.” He reminded us that we are pilgrims and that “together we will continue to make our pilgrimage of faith, trusting in the overwhelming power that comes, not from us, but from God.” He reminded us that each of us has a unique and essential place on this journey. “For my part. I will do my very best to try and love you as a father, try to walk beside you as a brother and try to serve you as a friend.” He talked about St Oscar Romero. There is a shrine to him in the Cathedral. The Archbishop John referred to a book of his homilies, entitled, “The Church is all of you” He reminded us that the Church is all of us, “joined with Jesus Christ, our head, and continues His mission. In this, every Catholic is called to be an evangelising disciple. Each one of us has a irreplaceable part to play in the flourishing of God’s kingdom. The Lord need you. His Church needs you. This Archdiocese and its Archbishop, its parishes and its schools needs you so that united in faith, here and now, we can announce anew the joy of the Good News, so that side by side we can serve the Lord in the downtrodden and in the despairing, in the weakest and in the poorest.”

As he continued the Archbishop referred to the words of St Oscar Romero about what was the ministry of a bishop. “A bishop is not a technician, an administrator, or a boss. A bishop is essentially a pastor, a father, a brother and a friend. He journeys with other people, sows hope along their path, shares their sorrow and joy, urges them to seek peace..justice and love, and teaches them to be brothers and sisters.” He then talked about the significance of the Pallium which he received from Pope Francis last month when he was in Rome. He said that it reminded him to exercise his ministry with the heart of the Good Shepherd. He said: “As bishops, priests and deacons, we share the social responsibility for shepherding the hundred, not just the ninety-nine.”

Let us pray for him, giving thanks that he has been chosen to be our shepherd. His final words were “Please pray for me as I promise to pray for you. Please ask our Blessed Lady to draw us, through the Immaculate Heart, ever closer to the Sacred Heart of her Son.”