Two new auxiliary bishops have been ordained by the Archbishop of Birmingham in St Chad’s Cathedral during a ceremony attended by some big names in the Catholic Church both at the national and Vatican levels.
Bishop Timothy Menezes and Bishop Richard Walker were ordained
bishops by Archbishop Bernard Longley in the presence of their families,
friends and guests on 16 July. The ceremony coincided with the Memorial
of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
In his homily, Archbishop Longley
likened the two bishops ordained in Birmingham’s mother church to
“episcopal twins” given “the ecclesial nature of what is taking place”.
He explained: “While the grace of this sacrament will build upon the natural gifts of these two priests and shape their lives and ministry, its primary and lasting purpose is for the service, sanctification and guidance of the faithful of Christ, lay and ordained together.
“I would invite you in your new episcopal ministry to listen obediently to the Word of God in the scriptures and in your prayer,” he continued. “Try to tune your ear to what you may hear of God’s voice speaking not only through those you respect and trust but also through people whose words or attitudes you may not always find it easy to accept.”
The archbishop also spoke of the need for the two new bishops to be open to voices and opinions they may not agree with, urging them to “tune your ear to what you may hear of God’s voice speaking not only through those you respect and trust but also through people whose words or attitudes you may not always find it easy to accept”.
He drew on St Paul’s description that “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”, and emphasised that the “commitment to celibacy is for us an expression of our wholehearted wish to be available and ready to serve”.
Former Archbishop of Birmingham, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, attended alongside the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales, reports the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.
Cardinal
Arthur Roche, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship travelled
from Rome, as did Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Secretary for Relations
with States at the Holy See’s Secretariat of State. Bishop Ken Howell
from the Diocese of Toowoomba in Australia was also in attendance.
The Apostolic Nuncio, His Excellency Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, presented the mandates, issued by Pope Francis, to all present.
A number of ecumenical guests were in the congregation, including Bishop Michael Volland, the Bishop of Birmingham; Bishop Michael Ipgrave, the Bishop of Lichfield; and Bishop Anne Hollinghurst, the Bishop of Aston.
Bishop Timothy Menezes, Titular Bishop of Thugga, has been given pastoral responsibility for the Catholic parishes of Staffordshire, Wolverhampton and the Black Country; and Bishop Richard Walker, Titular Bishop of Mortlach, for the parishes of Warwickshire, Coventry and Oxfordshire. Bishop David Evans continues to serve the parishes of Birmingham, Solihull and Worcestershire.