ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Your Eminences,
Dear brother Bishops and Priests,
Dear Deacons, Religious, Seminarians,
Dear Faithful Laity of this Archdiocese of Philadelphia,
Dear Family Members and Friends of Bishop-elect Thomas,
Dear Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Guests,
And especially you, Dan, our dear brother called to the Episcopacy,

Our late beloved Holy Father Pope John Paul II repeatedly proclaimed the ideal and challenges of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. He spoke to every category of Christian people about their particular vocation. In a very beautiful way he frequently spelled out what it means to be a Bishop of the Church of God, to share in the Episcopacy of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Today the Church of Philadelphia and many others gather with us to reflect on the pastoral office of the Bishop as we celebrate in word and sacrament the episcopal ordination of Monsignor Daniel Thomas.

The sacred Ordination rite that we perform is done in communion with our Holy Father and by his authority and mandate. We are here because of the choice made by the Church, acting in the Holy Spirit and through the selection of Pope Benedict XVI, of Monsignor Thomas for the office of Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia.

Monsignor Thomas is a son of the Church of Philadelphia, a member of our presbyterate, and until recently the zealous pastor, since his return to the Archdiocese, of Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Strafford. Prior to this he served the universal Church in Rome, in the Congregation for Bishops.

Over the years Monsignor Thomas has shared his faith and friendship with his brother priests. He has come from their ranks and is known and loved by them. Our gathering today is witness to the great esteem in which he is held. But his priestly ministry also reflects the dedication, generosity and integrity of so many Philadelphia priests who, like him, make every effort to live faithfully their vocation of priestly holiness and service, and to whom the community renders deep honor and respect.

Today’s feast is that of Saints Joachim and Ann, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Through them Mary was prepared for her exalted mission as Mother of Jesus, Mother of God. This ordination ceremony, Dan, bids us remember the important role of all Christian parents, including your own, in helping their children to reach their vocation. We recall your mother, Anna, on this her feast day, and give thanks for the presence of your father among us. As a Bishop of the Church you are called to proclaim the holy Catholic faith which you first learned from them and to which they bore witness in the family to you and your brother. I am sure that you first learned also from your parents the deep meaning and consequences of those words of Saint Paul that we have just heard proclaimed in our second reading: " We preach not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus."

Proclaiming Jesus Christ will be at the core of your episcopal ministry. And the sacramental proclamation of His Death and Resurrection in the Eucharist will be the source and summit of all your episcopal activity as it has been of all your priestly life and ministry. From the Eucharist you will draw both the strength to fulfill your role and the clear understanding that this strength is not your own. Saint Paul reminds us that "we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us."

How then do we describe this episcopal ministry that you are about to receive? What do we say about the identity of the Bishop?

The Second Vatican Council and the whole tradition of the Church have spoken at length about the ministry of the Bishop. In an address to the Bishops of the United States (September 5, 1983), our late Holy Father Pope John Paul II explained so much of the Bishop’s identity by stating that the Bishop is "a living sign of Jesus Christ," one who in and through his own humanity communicates Jesus Christ and makes Him visible to the People of God. The words of Pope John Paul II help us to understand how all-embracing is the ministry of the Bishop as a living sign of Jesus Christ. The Holy Father underlined various dimensions of the Bishop as a sign. This is how he put it:

- The Bishop is "the sign of the love of Jesus Christ" as he offers understanding and consolation to those in need, in trouble and in pain. In a special way, the Bishop is "the sign of Christ’s love for his priests." Dan, I know that you will eagerly try to be this sign and to help me, together with Bishop Maginnis, Bishop Cistone and Bishop McFadden, to fulfill ever more effectively this service to our priests in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

- The Bishop is also called to be "a sign of Christ’s compassion." The Holy Father further explained this, saying: "The consciousness on the part of the Bishop of personal sin, coupled with repentance and with the forgiveness received from the Lord, makes his human expression of compassion ever more authentic and credible. But the compassion that he signifies and lives in the name of Jesus can never be a pretext for him to equate God’s merciful understanding of sin and love for sinners with a denial of the full liberating truth that Jesus proclaimed. Hence there can be no dichotomy between the Bishop as a sign of Christ’s compassion and as a sign of Christ’s truth."

- The Bishop is truly then "a sign of fidelity to the doctrine of the Church." He is never reticent to proclaim the teaching of the Church, which he embraces with all his heart, together with his brother Bishops and in communion with the Roman Pontiff, in virtue of a charism sustained by the Spirit of Truth.

- Another role assigned to the Bishop is to be "a teacher of prayer," and as such he is meant to be "a living sign of the praying Christ." Like Christ, the Bishop is called to submit all his pastoral initiatives and decisions to the Father. Jesus did nothing without praying.

- The Bishop is called moreover to be "a sign of the unity of the universal Church." For this, Dan, you have a special sensitivity, because of your long priestly service to the Holy See. We are never more ourselves—the Church of Philadelphia—than when we embrace the Church’s universal faith and discipline, and are open in charity to the needs of the universal Church, which by her nature is missionary. Sometimes we are asked why we give to the Church’s missions, why we help those far away, why we offer support to the Pope when there are so many needs at home. The universal Church and our belonging to her prevent us from ever becoming a sect turned in on ourselves and oblivious to the needs of others throughout the world. Yes, the Bishop is indeed called to be "a sign of Catholic solidarity."

- As a living sign of Jesus Christ, the Bishop cannot renounce the preaching of the Cross. Like Jesus, he must accept criticism and acknowledge failure in not always being able to obtain a consensus of doctrine acceptable to everyone. Because he is "a sign of fidelity" he must therefore also be "a sign of contradiction." Jesus was a sign of contradiction. He could preach nothing other than what His Father communicated to Him. He said: "... I do nothing on my own, but I say only what the Father taught me" (Jn 8:28). Despite great openness and gentle dialogue, you too, Dan, must be the same sign of contradiction in the world. "The Bishop," Pope John Paul II tells us, "will proclaim without fear or ambiguity the many controverted truths of our age. He will proclaim them with pastoral love, in terms that will never unnecessarily offend or alienate his hearers, but he will proclaim them clearly, because he knows the liberating quality of truth."

- Finally, in the words of Pope John Paul II, the Bishop is meant to be "a sign of hope for the People of God, as strong and unbreakable as the sign of the Cross, becoming a living sign of the Risen Christ." From Christ’s Cross and Resurrection he draws all the strength necessary "to live by faith in the Son of God" (Gal 2:21).

Up until now, dear brother Daniel, you have striven to be a living sign of Jesus Christ in the faithful fulfillment of your priesthood. From now on you are meant to bear even greater witness as a Bishop. Everything you do in your episcopal ministry, beginning with the proclamation of the word of God that culminates in its Eucharistic celebration, you must strive to do with contagious joy.

Among the many tasks that will be yours as an Auxiliary Bishop and a Vicar General I am asking you to give very special attention to the service of our brother priests and seminarians, and to coordinating all the efforts of our local Church in promoting vocations to the priesthood. In God’s wonderful plan every vocation in the community of the Church needs the Eucharist and, therefore, the priesthood. You yourself will always exist to serve the Eucharist, the priesthood and the community.

In this work and in everything else you do as a living sign of Jesus Christ, you will be supported by the people of God, who look to you for encouragement and pastoral love. Remember that so many of our faithful people are making heroic efforts to be faithful to Jesus Christ and His Church. They want you to walk with them, leading them in prayer, and proclaiming to them God’s holy word as it is understood and interpreted by the Church. At the same time they want to see Jesus in you, because they know intuitively that the Bishop is meant to be "a living sign of Jesus Christ."
You will also be supported by your brother priests, your brother Bishops in the Archdiocese and in the Episcopal Conference. You will continue to be confirmed in your faith by the Successor of Peter and sustained by God’s grace through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, who in her glorious Assumption is herself "a sure sign of hope" for us all.

At the very center of your existence is the person whom, as a Bishop, you must trust completely and constantly endeavor to represent as "a living sign." And it is He, Jesus Christ, whom you confess today and always, with the Apostle Thomas and with the whole Church as "my Lord and my God." Amen.